Jeanne McIver
 

Jeanne McIver receives APCE Lifetime Achievement Award
Honored at National Conference in Philadelphia
February 2007 

Jeannne McIver, retired Christian Educator and current Moderator of Miami Presbytery, has been honored by the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) with its Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is presented to retired Christian Educators for their membership in the organization, service to APCE's governing bodies and for creative and distinguished accomplishments in educational ministry, as well as faithful and effective service to the church and profession.

Jeanne received the award at the APCE banquet on February 2 in Philadelphia. Rodger Nishioka of Columbia Seminary and former Educator of the Year introduced Jeanne.  The Rev. Judith K. Barr, Prue Dana, Cheryl Paquette and Eleanor Rainey from Miami Presbytery were also on hand to honor Jeanne.

 

Jeanne McIver's Acceptance Speech

I appreciate this time to share with you.  My favorite scripture has guided my career as an educator and my life as a friend, wife, mother and grandmother. I hope to pass on to you my excitement for this passage.  Micah 6:8.  We’ve sung it, prayed it, and taught it and we live it.  
Jeanne McIver receives the APCE Award in Philadelphia.

What does the Lord require of you?  To do justice--Children need advocates, as they often have no voice in the church.  Educators can be the advocates.  Don’t let the people in your church forget that all children need good safe space. Safety and security of children is one of our important jobs.  Listen to the children and make sure they feel safe and secure. Many children are abused and hungry.   This is a justice issue. When a youth in the church I was serving was killed in a car accident all the youth fellowship came together to grieve. We choose to act based on loving kindness.   The youth helped each other praying, laughing and crying. For many it was their first experience with loss. For some it was remembering an earlier loss.  Love in the community of faith can hold a group of teens together. This is amazing” Loving kindness! 

Walk humbly with God.  Ministry is about walking humbly together with God as the children of God.  As I wrote curriculum the goal was to help teachers walk alongside the children and youth knowing that God is calling us to make a difference in our neighborhood and in our world.  

Mentoring is walking together with God. This is one of my most important ways of serving, mentoring wonderful educators, teachers, mothers, students, and people in many walks of life. I watched as Geoff, Kevin, and Lindsay have returned to their local church after graduating from college, to become youth leaders because they want to “give back” to the kids at church.  

I cheer strongly for those we are recognizing tonight, as they have completed the work for certification.  I love being a certification advisor. I will be oh so thankful to preside as moderator as my young friend Katie comes before Miami Presbytery for examination for ordination this spring.  Ministry is with not to…  

Listen again to the prophet Micah, “What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with God.”  This is my prayer for you.  Thank you for this award. 

Jeanne Payne McIver

Her life has been focused on her passions—relationships with God and God’s people. Her favorite teacher, friend and mentor was her husband, The Rev Guy McIver, who died in 1999. Jeanne and Guy have four children, Molly, Guy, William, and Kathryn, and eight grandchildren.  The children and grandchildren are a big part of her life and happiness.  For example, every day Jeanne meets the school bus to listen to Kelsey’s joys and frustrations and to help with homework. She enjoys watching soccer, football, basketball, and the many other activities of her busy family.  She never misses a teachable moment to share God’s love with those wonderful grandchildren. She keeps her husband in their thoughts by sharing what he might have said or thought about a particular life experience.   

Jeanne’s career in Christian Education began when she was at Church camp in high school where she was encouraged to dedicate her vocational life to education, with God’s help.  She taught Sunday school when she was in high school, led a youth group when in college, and then began her own family while she and her husband were in seminary at Pittsburgh.  In Pittsburgh, Chillicothe Ohio, and Sidney Ohio she taught in church preschools.   In Crestline Ohio, she taught vocational home economics.  When her children were nearly grown, God called her to full time ministry as a Church Educator and she began the process of Certification.  That brought many opportunities to share her passion for learning and building relationships with God’s children.   At Westminster Presbyterian in Dayton, she served with the children, youth and adults in a vibrant urban educational ministry filled with programs, work trips, and classes-all focusing on growing in community with others and celebrating God’s love.  For eight years, she led the educational program at Fairmont Presbyterian in Dayton, where the faith community responded to her leadership with children, youth and adults. The exciting workshop method of learning for children focused her children’s programming.  Some of the children and youth, nurtured by these churches, have gone on to seminary, and many have come back to the church after college and graduate studies to become youth leaders, elders and deacons.  All now carry an understanding of community, distinctively learned in the church educational experience, into all parts of their lives.  

Jeanne’s formal education began with a degree in Vocational Home Economics Education from Ohio State University.  She took graduate classes at Princeton, McCormick, University of Dayton, PSCE and more to move through the certification process from Associate in 1987 to Certified Christian Educator, in 1999.  As a certification advisor for Miami Presbytery, Jeanne has mentored many through the certification process.  In April of 1999 Jeanne also completed work for a certificate in Youth and Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. 

Jeanne has served the national church in writing curriculum resources and encouraging the denomination to be involved in Workshop Method resources---Celebrate, Covenant People, and We Believe.  Many of us use those resources and recognize her byline.  Some of you have taken her workshops at Montreat or here at APCE.  Currently she is working with Phyllis Weseman on Worship for Life Resources for Logos.  

Jeanne is past president of the Great Lakes region of APCE and serves on the APCE board.  She received the LAMP Award from GLAPCE in 2000 in recognition of her unusual, unique, and outstanding service as a Church educator and for her participation in GLAPCE, the local church and other governing bodies of our denomination.   

In retirement, Jeanne moderates Miami Presbytery and is in the middle of her three-year commitment. She was a commissioner and chair of a General Assembly Committee for the 216th GA in 2004.  In August of 2006, she began a study of Resource Centers and currently serves as the part time Resource Center director in Miami Presbytery.  

Jeanne loves to read and she does so voraciously—history, religion, family stories, non-fiction and fiction.  She has a close-knit group of friends with whom she enjoys sisterhood by choice. With those sisters, she reads, eats, goes to concerts, travels and enjoys life.   All have been mentors and have been manifestation of God’s love.  Hospitality and community building are her gifts and her passion.