Mary Lou Codman- Wilson, PhD.
Bio
The amount of acculturation people experience is a choice. I have chosen to be changed as I have internalized many exceptional values of the Asian peoples and cultures with whom I have been engaged. One Chinese international student was in a seminar I co-taught in the USA with an Asian Indian. Midway through the seminar the student gave this assessment of me to the whole class: “I know who you are,” he said to me. “You are a hard-boiled egg. I am Chinese. I am yellow on the outside (Chinese looking) but I am white on the inside (with Caucasian values). You are white on the outside but yellow on the inside.” (Hence the title of this book: Of Bananas and Hard-Boiled Eggs, An ESL Curriculum on the Journey Towards Biculturalism.) The Chinese student’s statement was a great compliment to me because he could see how Asian values were evident in my behavior, in what I emphasized in the teaching of that seminar and in how my Asian colleague and I co-taught and interacted together.
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VITA
REV. DR. MARY LOU CODMAN-WILSON
I. PERSONAL
Full Name: Rev. Dr. Mary Lou Codman-Wilson
E-mail: mlcodman@gmail.com.
Spouse: Keith Duane Wilson
II. RECENT PUBLICATIONS
May 2022: Supracultural Cospel, Bridging the Gospel from West to East. Co-author Alex Zhou JSD, William Carey Library.
September 2017: Salmon Swimers; The Resilience and Courage to Fulfill God’s Purpose in the World, West Bow Press.
March 2012: Of Bananas and Hard-Boiled Eggs, Thriving in a Foreign Culture Through the Journey towards Biculturalism - an advanced ESL curriculum usable for immigrants and internationals, WestBow Press.
1999: “E. Stanley Jones, Witness in the Midst of Religious Plurality,” in Confident Witness- Changing World. Editor, Craig Van Gelder. Eerdmans. Grand Rapids.
III. PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE
May 2022 – Present: Guest Preacher at Ogden Dunes Community Church
August 2010 – Present: Pastor of New Hope Bible Fellowship, renamed 20120 New Hope Global Fellowship
2012- Present: Blog post: https://marylousreviews.blogspot.com/ – Weekly reviews of a book on leadership, missions, psychology, and Christian living, all sent to a global audience
August 2015 – Present: Daily Devotional, Scattered Flock, sent out to global audience
September 2012 – Presenter and Coordinator: Cultural Connections – a monthly outreach to International students, helping them acculturate to life in the U.S. (sponsored by College Church of Wheaton). Discussions are based on the book Of Bananas and Hard-Boiled Eggs.
2010-2014 - Part-time Chaplain at Belmont Village in Carol Stream, IL.
January 2001 – August 2010: Senior Pastor of Christ Community Church of Wheaton (a merger of Hope Fellowship Church and Geneva Road Baptist Church)
August 1997-September 1999: Associate Pastor of St. Andrew United Methodist Church with responsibilities for pastoral care, pastoral responsibility for evangelism, missions, Stephens Ministry, bi-monthly preaching, adult Christian education, Disciple Bible study.
Fall 1993 - 1997: Adjunct Faculty at G-ETS, teaching: Cross Cultural Theological Education, Field Education Supervisor, Effective Parish Ministry in a Cross-Cultural Setting, Asian Immersion Experience.
Fall 1996-May 1997: CITE (Cross-cultural International Theological Education) Coordinator at G-ETS.
10/92 - 1997: Director, Asian Community Team (ACT). ACT published the Cross-Cultural Quarterly BRIDGES, 1994-1997
2/93 - 1997: Part-time National International Student Minister for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, working directly with internationals and equipping others to minister effectively to internationals across culture and religious barriers.
10/90 - 10/92: Director, the Chicago Ashram of Jesus Christ - A church planting mission to Asians in the Chicago metropolitan area.Outreach included seeker spiritual growth groups, seminars on issues of generational tensions in immigrant communities
7/87 ‑ 10/90: Associate Director of the Chicago Ashram of Jesus Christ
6/85 ‑ 6/87 ‑ Assistant Executive Secretary for the Commission of Church Renewal of World Evangelical Fellowship with primary responsibility in Asia and North America. Dr. Codman-Wilson was involved in the creation of the Commission and was the primary acting staff in this capacity. Her responsibility included two seven week teaching trips on personal and church renewal to churches and seminaries in Singapore, Taipei, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Seoul (1986, 1987).
9/83 ‑ 5/85 ‑ Project Coordinator for Missions Education and Training at Association of Church Missions Committees. Dr. Codman-Wilson wrote an adult curriculum, A Disciple's Bifocals, for churches in North America and spoke extensively on education and religious topics in conferences in the U.S.
9/79 ‑ 8/83‑ Outreach Coordinator at Central Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, MD.
Staff position involved coordinating local and international outreach, adult missions education, short term training, leadership of the Missions Coordinating Fellowship team
IV. ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
Northwestern University/Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary 1992 Ph.D.
Joint Program in Religious and Theological Studies
Dissertation: Thai Cultural and Religious Identity and Understanding of Well-Being in North
America: An Ethnographic Study of an Immigrant Church.
Dissertation Committee: Dr. Jack Seymour, Chair, Christian Education G-ETS
Dr. John Hinkle, Pastoral Psychology and Counseling G-ETS
Dr. George Bond, Buddhism, Religion Department, NU
Dr. Helen Schwartzman, Psychological Anthropology, NU
Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary (G-ETS) 1989: Master of Theological Studies
Thesis: Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Dialogue: A Christian Response to Pluralism
Wheaton Graduate School 1986: Master of Arts in Intercultural Communication
Thesis--The publication of A Disciple's Bifocals, a four year adult education curriculum for the North American church, published by Association of Church Mission Committees
Goucher College 1961: Bachelor of Arts (cum laude)
Honors thesis: Christian Symbolism in the Works of John Bunyan
V. SELECTED ADDRESSES, SEMINARS AND CONFERENCES
June 16, 1998: Convenor, facilitator and presenter in seminar: “Handling Stress in Cross- Cultural Relationships”for United Methodist pastors in the Northern Illinois Conference
April 1996, March 1995, January 1994, and January 1992: Intensives at Seminary Consortium on Urban Pastor Education): "Christology and Culture: An Asian Perspective”
December 1996, 1993: Presenter at ISM (International Student Ministries) track at Urbana Missionary Conference -“Conversion: implications for changing from one religion to another,” “Cross cultural marriages: implications, promise and pitfalls,” “Breaking the paradigm: implications of being an evangelical feminist.”
June 1994: Keynote Address: "The Uniqueness of Christ in a Pluralistic Age" - National Association of Christian Ministries to Internationals Conference. Wheaton IL.
November 1994. Religious Education Association Biennial Conference Paper: "Cross-Cultural Theological Education: A Response to Pluralism in North America."
April 1993 Womens’ Retreat Speaker: “Living with Your Dreams: The Power of Hope,” South Valley Community Church, Gilroy California
September 1993: Conference Speaker: "Equipping the Bridge Walkers" City Team Youth Leaders. San Jose, CA.
March 1993 and 1992 - SCUPE Congress IL - Seminar: "Dealing with the Temples in Your Backyard"
March 1992: Plenary Speaker at Seminary Consortium for SCUPE (Urban Pastor Education Biennial Conference)., "New Faces of Partnership."
October 1992, 1987, 1986 Presbyterians United for Mission Advance Speaker in San Francisco Presbyterian churches, “Building Bridges Across Religious And Cultural Barriers” VI.
VI. REFERENCES
Rev. Ned Hale
(608) 334 5418 | ned.hale@intervarsity.org
National Activist of IUCF; Former Director of International Student Ministry USA
Dr. Michiko Takahashi
5-3-1-601 Higashi- Koigakubo, Kokubunji, Tokyo 185-0014, Japan z94wlkwj@u-gakugei.ac.jp , Former Professor, Department Chair at The Center for Early Childhood Development, Education, and Policy Research at University of Tokyo