The Rev. Mike Fales
Moderator
Mike (pictured with his wife Judy), serves as Director of Service Learning and Campus Ministries and Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and Religion at the University of Olivet in Michigan. Judy also served at the University for many years, recently retiring as the Director of the University's Burrage Library. Founded as Olivet College in 1844 by Congregational abolitionist missionaries, the University was the first institution of higher education in Michigan (and one of the first in the U.S.) to admit students of color and women to a four-year degree program. Today, it still primarily educates first-generation college students.
Mike grew up in Flint, Michigan and first learned about the Congregational Way as a college student at Olivet in the 1970’s from where he graduated with a B.A. He also did graduate work in Urban Planning and Historic Preservation at The George Washington University and holds a M.Div./M.Min. from the Earlham School of Religion. Mike and Judy met in Washington, D.C. when Mike was at GWU and Judy worked in the U.S. Senate.
After a career in the hotel and restaurant business, Mike and Judy returned to Olivet in 1992 for a life of service, teaching and ministry. In his role as Director of the Service Learning at the University of Olivet, Mike leads students on mission and disaster relief trips all over the world including to Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Peru. He has traveled with students to New Orleans for eight Hurricane Katrina relief trips and has assisted with every major natural disaster in the U.S. since that time including in Texas, South Carolina, Louisiana, New Jersey, Oklahoma and most recently Northern Florida. Under his leadership, Olivet students have served the people of Puerto Rico four times in the last two years.
Mike and Judy raised three sons in their 130-year-old house across the street from campus. Doug works in furniture and appliance sales and is married to Kaitlyn who works at a Women’s shelter. They have a three-year-old son, Lennon. The FIRST grandchild! Tom is non-verbal and autistic. He lives in a small group home near St. Johns, Michigan where he likes to watch old-school cartoons like Tom and Jerry on his tablet. His twin brother Charles is a Ph.D. candidate at Central Michigan University with a teaching fellowship in Industrial Organizational Psychology.
Mike currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Congregational Foundation for Theological Studies. He is a past Moderator of the Michigan Conference of Congregational Christian Churches, was previously on the Leadership Council of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches and represented the Council for Higher Education on the Executive Council of the United Church of Christ, 2004 – 2008. Mike has ministerial standing with the Central Michigan Association of Congregational Christian Churches and dual standing with the Michigan Conference of the United Church of Christ.
Mike relishes being the family cook. He and Judy love to travel and are excited for the 2025 ICF Conference in Τhessaloniki!
Email: MFales@uolivet.edu
Dr. Bruce Theron
Past Moderator
Dr. Theron is a programe manager at Ekklesia at Stellenbosh University in South Africa. Ekklesia is an ecumenical centre focussing on practical ministry of the Faculty of Theology of Stellenbosch University.
Email: brucetheron@sun.ac.za
International Executive Committee:
Treasurer: Tom King tomgioking@gmail.com
Secretary: Rev. Tom Van Tassell pastvt@gmail.com
Communications Director: Rev. Lennox Fisher rev.lennox@theicf.org
Youth Commission Chairperson: Kristen Lewis
Regional Secretaries:
North America: Jim Schibsted and Emily Miller Todd
South America: Susanna Renner
Northern Europe: Christopher Damp
Australia: Keith Lyons
Additional Members:
Mrs Sharon Binger
Rev. Christopher Damp
Rev. Han
Sra Susana Renner
Rev Dimitris Boukis
Ambassadors:
Rev. Christopher Gillham (based in UK)
Rev. Dr Isaac Cho (Based in USA)
Rev. Dr. Manfred Kohl (based in Canada)