Clare Ann Ruth-Heffelbower
Clare Ann retired as Executive Conference Minister for Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference in 2020. She stepped down from her position as Executive Director of Circles of Support and Accountability - Fresno, Inc., of which she is the founder, at the end of 2015. She continues on the COSA board. At the end of 2001 she completed her term as Country Representative and Program Director of Mennonite Central Committee Indonesia, living in the city of Yogyakarta on the island of Java. She has taught at Fresno Pacific University and Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary. Clare Ann was founding co-pastor of Peace Community Church--Mennonite in Clovis, CA and has served as a pastor of three other congregations.
Her D.Min. project at San Francisco Theological Seminary is titled "A Design for Christian Formation in Mennonite Congregations." For a diagram showing the process of Christian Formation as described in the dissertation click here.
Clare Ann served as a member of the General Board and the Executive Committee of the General Conference Mennonite Church 1989-1999. She also served on the boards of West Coast Mennonite Central Committee and Kings View Corporation.
Her husband of over 50 years Duane is a retired attorney who retired from Fresno Pacific University where he was Associate Professor of Peacemaking and Conflict Studies, Director of Graduate Academic Programs of the Center for Peacemaking and Conflict Studies and also taught in the Leadership and Organizational Studies program of the FPU School of Business. He was on leave to Pusat Studi dan Pengembangan Perdamaian (Center for the Study and Promotion of Peace) of Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana in Yogyakarta, Indonesia under Mennonite Central Committee 1999-2001.
Education
D.Min. 1997 San Francisco Theological Seminary (Graduation pictures #1, #2, and #3)
Associate 1989 Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation
M.Div. 1986 Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary now known as Fresno Pacific University Biblical Seminary
B.A. 1970 Bethel College (KS)
Publications
"Working with Sex Offenders" in Dussich and Schellenberg, eds. (2010) The Promise of Restorative Justice: New Approaches for Criminal Justice and Beyond. Lynne Rienner Publishers.
"Church boards: Boring or fulfilling; Transforming committees into communities of spiritual leaders" with Jill Schellenberg in The Christian Leader November 2006.
Send email to Clare Ann Ruth-Heffelbower. Last update August 4, 2023.