This January, our Director of Christian Education, Jaime Staehle, co-chaired the 2025 Annual Event for the Association of Partners in Christian Education (APCE) in Memphis. Having been part of APCE for over 15 years and earning her PC(USA) Christian Education Certification there in 2017, Jaime has long valued the ways this community nurtures and strengthens those in ministry.

“APCE has been foundational to my growth, both as a Christian educator and a person of faith,” Jaime says. “Being asked to help lead this year’s national gathering was a true honor and a chance to give back to an organization that has given me so much.”

APCE is a network of pastors, Christian educators, youth directors, and volunteers dedicated to shaping faith formation across the PC(USA), the Reformed Church in America, the Presbyterian Church in Canada, the Moravian Church in America, and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Each year, APCE’s Annual Event brings together around 500 participants in person and 100 online to connect across denominations and contexts.

Jaime was invited to co-chair the event in 2022, giving her and her co-chair, Tatayana Richardson, two years to pray, plan, and dream. They chose as their guiding scripture Genesis 32:28—“You have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome”—a verse that resonated deeply in Memphis, a city with a rich history of wrestling for justice.

Their theme, “A Stirring in Our Souls: Wrestling with God and Church Toward a More Beloved Community,” invited participants to engage with the Church’s past, present struggles, and future possibilities, wrestling with both disenchantment and hope. Throughout the week, attendees wrestled with their faith, reflecting on how it requires vulnerability, discomfort, and transformation. Speakers challenged them to lead with humility, listen with empathy, and stand firm in their calling for justice. They emphasized that wrestling with God and one another is key to spiritual growth and making a difference in the world.

In addition to worship and plenaries, participants engaged in thought-provoking workshops, explored the National Civil Rights Museum, and enjoyed amazing musical experiences. And, of course, they had the chance to take part in the famous Duck March at the Peabody Hotel, soaking in the spirit of the city!

Jaime’s leadership of the Event is one of the many ways that Fifth Avenue and its staff contribute to the religious life of our wider faith and nation. She thanks the entire congregation for your support and prayers for the week!