Standing with Pittsburgh Steeler “Terrible Towels” are 2026 APCE Annual Event organizers, from left, John Ryan, Lucy Jefferies, Faith Kemmler and Emily Shubilla.
Serving a church in Davidson, NC, the Rev. John Ryan doesn’t miss an opportunity to return to Pittsburgh when he gets the chance. So, when he heard that the Steel City was hosting the 2026 Association of Partners in Christian Education Annual Event, he jumped at the chance to be part of the planning team.
“I grew up outside of Pittsburgh, and went to college in PA, so that was a really big draw,” the New Cumberland, WV, native and Westminster College grad said. “Going back home was a draw for me for this event.”
John, a co-chair of the annual event with Lucy Jefferies, of Greensboro, NC, started planning the APCE gathering in the spring of 2024. Scheduled for Jan. 21-24, 2026 at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown hotel, this in-person and online event is a conference for those serving in Christian education ministries looking to improve their skills through more than 75 workshops while at the same time connecting with others.
“It is a three-and-a-half-day conference that will give you a lot to think about,” John said, describing the APCE Annual Event. “There are a variety of workshops from education to Bible to social justice, for people that work with adults, children and youth. We try to cover the whole gamut.”
The theme for the 2026 Annual Event is “Bridging the Gap: Love God, Love Self, Love Neighbor.” Using “bridge” in the slogan, considering Pittsburgh has among the most bridges of any city in the world, was obviously an intentional move by the planning team.
“When Lucy and I were thinking about Pittsburgh and the theme, the three rivers, the bridges – we wanted to tie the theme into the location,” John said. “Our Biblical, grounding text is The Great Commission, the Matthew version of it. This year’s theme is ‘Bridging the Gap: Love God, Love Self, Love Neighbor.’ We played up the rivers, the bridges with all of our thematic work. Even with how we’re naming groups and some of the worship times are all playing into that.”
Tying in Pittsburgh Presbytery’s own Fred Rogers of the famed children’s television show Mister Rogers Neighborhood, John said “neighborhood groups” will be part of the annual event where people can gather to talk about the messages delivered by plenary speakers. All the speakers at the 2026 event are being made available following their presentations, allowing attendees to have time to ask questions of them following their talks.
A trip to the Fred Rogers Institute in Latrobe as well as stops at East Liberty Presbyterian Church and Heinz Memorial Chapel are also options for APCE goers before and after the Annual Event, allowing visitors to experience local culture while they are in town.
“We really worked hard for people to get a taste of what Pittsburgh is all about, maybe in ways that haven’t been done in the past,” John said.
Another highlight is having three well-known presenters for each of the Annual Event’s parts. Speaking on the “Love God” portion of the gathering will be Paul Roberts, the president of Johnson C. Smith Seminary in Atlanta; pastor/author/coach MaryAnn McKibben Dana will present during the “Love Self” portion; and the “Love Neighbor” speaker will be Rabbi Evan Moffic, a published writer from Chicago who expertly connects and understands Christianity and Judaism. Additionally, there will be daily worship including intentional reflection times led by the Rev. Theresa Cho, of San Francisco, and the Rev. Daniel Heath, from Davidson College, who are the conference worship leadership.
Helping John and Lucy with the planning are local committee co-chairs. Emily Shubilla and Faith Kemmler are leading this group of organizers, a team that John praised.
“They are at Westminster Church in Pittsburgh and are both in their 30s,” John said of Emily and Faith. “That is not the average age for APCE. That they have taken on this really big task and are so young is really exciting for the future of the Annual Event in APCE. They’ve done a really great job.
“That’s a really big task – that local committee – because they do everything on the ground. My co-director and I are pleased.”
Emily, who has participated in three APCE events, points to the connections she’s made as to why she wanted to be involved in this year’s Annual Event in Pittsburgh.
“I love that we can come from all parts of the world – there’s APCE online, so we can say ‘all over the world’ – and the United States and connect,” said Emily, who called Washington County, PA, home before moving to the Pittsburgh area. “APCE started as a Presbyterian organization and then changed its direction to include other denominations. And that’s shaking the hand over the table saying, ‘We’re all Christians. This is a good thing for everyone.’”
Emily is pleased with the path APCE has taken in recent years in terms of awareness and social issues.
“I think that one of the directions APCE is going is a good one that excites me is the idea of justice, equality, diversity, inclusion. They call themselves the Jedis,” she said. “They are a committee of people who are working on that work.
“We have a rabbi speaking this time. We are trying to make sure that we say Pittsburgh isn’t black, white and brown. Pittsburgh is this mixture of color, and everyone’s thrown together. We have people that came from here and there, and we’re all just trying to make it together.”
The 2026 Annual Event offering will be split between scholarships that allow future participants to attend at a reduced cost and a local mission. The South Hills Interfaith Movement (SHIM), which was started by Westminster Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, will be this year’s local recipient. SHIM provides food, clothing and services to people in need in Pittsburgh’s southern suburban neighborhoods.
“I have deep roots in that organization,” Emily said. “It’s nice to know that APCE says, ‘Hey, what is fueling you? What is leading you?’ And I say, ‘This organization,’ and they say, ‘Let’s do it.’”
Early registration numbers were promising for the 2026 APCE Annual Event, with 150 people signing up when registration opened in September. The hope is that the Annual Event’s average attendance of 500 will be eclipsed by 100 or more people once all is said and done. A video created with the help of Brian Wallace from Pittsburgh Presbytery created some early energy for the Annual Event.
To register for the 2026 APCE Annual Event, click here.
“We’re excited,” John said. “Everything seems to be coming together.”
“There’s a lot of focus on hospitality,” Emily added. “We really want people to know they are in Pittsburgh. We went hard with the branding. This is a crazy city with really bad traffic but, man, is it amazing. There are some things about Pittsburgh that are wild but I’m happy that you are here to see what they are and to then take the good works that we’re doing here back to wherever you are from and spread that. That’s what Jesus asked us to do.”
For anyone who will be attending their first APCE Annual Event, a yearly staple of the convention is a gathering for newcomers that kicks off the convention.
“There is a first-timers event that’s right in the beginning for people who have never gone,” John said. “They can at least see some friendly faces and some people that they can sit with. APCE and the Annual Event is conscious of that.”
John is far from a “first-timer,” having been to roughly 20 APCE Annual Events in the past. It’s the fellowship and camaraderie that keeps bringing him back.
“I always enjoy connecting in with people,” he said. “It is a great way to pick up new resources. Presbyterian Publishing has a bookstore with their latest resources. They also have a really great marketplace with 60-70 vendors. That is a great way to see what’s new.
“It’s a great way to plug in, to be fed spiritually and also to find out what is the latest thinking. Where are we going educationally? The church is always changing and how do we change with it to remain relevant within the world?”
Participants can take part in the Annual Event online, and this virtual option also allows guests to be very involved with the speakers and other online registrants. Having online participants being able to get something meaningful out of the Annual Event is important to John.
“There is a robust Annual Event online for those that for whatever reason can’t make it to Pittsburgh,” he said. “They have access to workshops that they will do over Zoom, and they have a host so you can actually interact with what’s going on in the room. They have access to worship and plenary every day.
“And then they do some special things just for the online participants, knowing that they can’t be physically present. All of our workshop leaders will interact with them after the plenary every day. We’ve been intentional to try to make it as accessible as we can for educators from across the nation.”
With the APCE Annual Event quickly approaching, both John and Emily are excited to be able to kick off the gathering in January and see all their hard work come to fruition.
“You really don’t have anything to lose by coming,” John said. “Everybody’s looking for new resources. Even just sitting around picking people’s brains, hearing what they’re doing. Some of the best programs I’ve gotten is because of the Annual Event and relationships I’ve made. It’s also mid-week so you don’t have to miss a Sunday from work. In my opinion it’s kind of a win-win situation.”
“APCE connects people who are Christians together, it celebrates God and educates those about Christian values,” Emily concluded. “It gives me a good, hard reset every year. It reminds me that the two most important things about being a Christian are fellowship and prayer. It prioritizes those things.”