Community Services for Children welcomes Rev. Dr. Christine Nelson to Board of Directors

Community Services for Children is honored to welcome Rev. Dr. Christine Nelson to its Board of Directors.

Rev. Dr. Nelson, of Allentown, is the retired Director of Seminary Advancement at Moravian Seminary/College.  She was called to this position in August 2013 to plan, guide and lead the Seminary’s overall development efforts.  Before that, she was the Executive Director of Lehigh County Conference of Churches and under her 14 year tutelage, they grew to 140 churches and faith based organizations annually assisting 12,000 of the area’s most vulnerable with food, housing, mental health and youth succeeding ministries, expanding the budget to $3.5 million and increasing the Conference’s impact in the community.

Christine received her Doctor of Ministry from Hartford Seminary and holds a Masters of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, S. Hamilton, MA and a BA in Psychology from Edinboro University, Edinboro, PA.  She was ordained in 1978 by the United Church of Christ.

Her community involvements include Lehigh Valley Health Network Board of Associates and its Executive Committee, the Women’s Leadership Council of the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, the Muhlenberg College Board of Associates, and Rotary International, Bethlehem Club.  Christine also has many community awards including Lehigh Valley Woman of Distinction from the Great Valley Council of the Girl Scouts, Peace Pilgrim of the Year Award from the Lehigh Valley Peace Pilgrimage, and the Distinguished Partner Award from Communities in Schools of the Allentown school system.

Rev. Dr. Nelson is a frequent contributor to the Morning Call religious and editorial pages.  She also served for a number of years on the Sacred Heart Hospital Ethics Committee, being the first Protestant to serve on this Catholic Board.  Community initiatives include the Allentown/Lehigh County 10-year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness and the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Affordable Housing Task Force.

Community Services for Children is a regional leader in early childhood education and family services, affecting the lives of 40,000 children annually. CSC’s Head Start/Early Head Start program is recognized as a national center of excellence and innovation.