Covenant Group Leaders
Matt Newell-Ching is the Western Regional Organizer for Bread for the World. For the past six years, he has worked as a policy analyst and grassroots organizer dealing with federal legislation with a focus on domestic and international poverty issues. Before working at Bread, Matt worked with organizations including Sojourners and America's Second Harvest. He has worked for improvements to federal policy on issues such as welfare reform, the federal school lunch program, the Millennium Development Goals, and Darfur. He and his wife Megan live in Portland, Oregon where they are the proud parents of five chickens.
Robin Stephenson is the Field Organizer for Bread for the World in the Portland office. Robin came to Bread following a successful career in archaeology. She has also lived and taught overseas, primarily in Asia. She has a strong understanding of hunger and poverty, both globally and locally. Robin has felt called to work as an advocate for the poor and hungry as an act of her personal faith and a strong belief that we are all responsible for one another and our world.
Holly Hight is the California Field Organizer with Bread for the World. She is motivated by her stubborn nature and her community, Pasadena Mennonite Church. Holly enjoys cooking organic, seasonal foods and spending time with her soon-to-be husband Joel.
Seth Wispelwey is the Central Southern Regional Organizer for Bread for the World, covering the states of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas since January 2007. Prior to that, he worked for 2 years as the region's ONE Campaign Faith Outreach Organizer. He has stayed involved and committed to this work during that time for reasons that encompass almost all of his core passions and convictions. Engaging people on their citizenship and faith, staying up to date on what is going on around the world and how we can influence that, the strong belief that God is a God who cares about the way systems impact the poor, and a prayerful optimism and knowledge that true change and justice is possible are just a few of the factors that keep me going in this work. Those, and living in Austin, Texas - coolest city in America.
Adam Phillips is a pastor at Resurrection Covenant Church in Chicago, an historic city church. He has been leading the revitalization of the congregation since 2006. A former intern at Bread for the World, Adam is very active in advocacy efforts around the Millennium Development Goals. He is the co-chair of Micah Challenge USA and recently monitored elections in Sierra Leone.
Krystal Grant is Bread for the World's Field Organizer for the Mid-Atlantic and Central Region. She is from Houston, TX and is a graduate of Howard University and the Candler School of Theology, Emory University. Her interests and hobbies include reading, teaching, cooking, traveling and running. She enjoys working on hunger and other social justice issues because it allows her to live out the call on her life to be an advocate of justice within God's community.
Kari Bert is a Development Associate at Bread for the World. She grew up as a missionary kid in Zambia and has worked overseas. She enjoys living out her call to work for justice and is motivated by her faith in Christ. Kari has a passion for missions, travel and the great outdoors.
Sarah Bareis works in the Church Relations department of Bread for the World. She is hails from Baltimore, MD and has lived and traveled to over 30 countries before attending and graduating from the University of Maryland, College Park. Sarah enjoys traveling, reading and playing her awesome Wii. Working at Bread has given her a chance to be a voice to the poor and hungry people here in the US and around the world.
