Better preaching everywhere so God's Word can be heard anywhere.
The Charles Simeon Trust was founded to promote the growth of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world by training up the next generation of Biblical expositors. We accomplish this single focus through three initiatives: Workshops, online training, and the Chicago Course on Preaching. Each aims to increase the confidence and ability of pastors and Bible teachers to rightly handle God’s Word. We want each person to be convinced that God’s Word is powerful and eager to teach it to their people.
Global Reach
16,872
Registrations 2025
100,522
Cumulative Registrations
Values
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I.
Dependence
We depend entirely on God and his grace.
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II.
Character
We believe character counts, and who we are is as important as what we say.
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III.
Love
We love people because God in Christ first loved us.
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IV.
Excellence
We aim for excellence in all we do for the glory of God and good of others.
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V.
Innovation
We believe innovation is essential because progress is always possible.
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VI.
Generosity
We live generously seeking to give our lives and resources for the advance of the gospel.
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I.
Dependence
We depend entirely on God and his grace.
-
IV.
Excellence
We aim for excellence in all we do for the glory of God and good of others.
-
II.
Character
We believe character counts, and who we are is as important as what we say.
-
V.
Innovation
We believe innovation is essential because progress is always possible.
-
III.
Love
We love people because God in Christ first loved us.
-
VI.
Generosity
We live generously seeking to give our lives and resources for the advance of the gospel.
Team
David Helm
Chairman and Executive Director
David serves as the senior pastor of Christ Church Chicago and Chairman of the Board of the Charles Simeon Trust, an organization dedicated to the sound preaching of God’s Word. Before that, he served as Lead Pastor in the Hyde Park congregation of Holy Trinity Church. A graduate of Wheaton College, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, David is ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). For Crossway, he authored 1 & 2 Peter and Jude, The Big Picture Story Bible, and contributed to Preach the Word: Essays on Expository Preaching in Honor of Kent Hughes. He also authored One-to-One Bible Reading for Matthias Media and the 9Marks volume Expositional Preaching. David is married to Lisa, and they have five children: Noah Helm (married to Julie), Joanna Panner (married to Ben), Baxter (married to Kelsie), Silas, and Mariah. They also have nine grandchildren. David has served as Executive Director of the Charles Simeon Trust since its founding in 2001 and succeeded Kent Hughes as Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2008. He is responsible for all the work and initiatives of the Trust. He teaches in the training program, leads several Workshops per year, writes training materials, raises funds, and supervises the Director of Ministries.
Contact: dhelm@simeontrust.org
Kevin Walker
Director of Ministries
Kevin began serving as the Director of Ministries in 2024 after having been on the team since 2016. He also serves as the Assistant Pastor for Ministry Training at Holy Trinity Church in Chicago, Illinois. Kevin has served as lecturer in New Testament and Greek at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia and as the Principal of Kinshasa Christian School in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Moody Bible Institute and completed an MDiv at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is married to Alyssa and they live with their children, Manny and Sayira, in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.
Contact: kwalker@simeontrust.org
Jeremy Meeks
Director of Chicago Course on Preaching
Jeremy is the Director and Lead Instructor of the Chicago Course on Preaching. He is also the Assistant Pastor for Ministry Apprenticeships at Christ Church Chicago. Before moving to Chicago to work full-time for the Charles Simeon Trust, he served as the lead pastor of Hope Community Church in Nashville, TN. While there, he served as the Director of Spanish-Language Initiatives for the Charles Simeon Trust. Before that, he and his wife were church-planting missionaries in Nicaragua. Jeremy did his undergraduate work at Liberty University. He earned an MA in Bioethics from Trinity Graduate School. His thesis was on the distinction between robot and human bodies. He went on to complete a PhD in Theological Ethics from the University of Aberdeen. His dissertation utilized the rhetoric of Augustine to reorient human desires for happiness, which many believe they will find in sex with robots. He is married to Marjorie, and they have two children, Alexis and Jake. He continues to regularly instruct at Workshops around the world, serve as a guest preacher, and teach on sex and technology from a Christian perspective.
Contact: jmeeks@simeontrust.org
K. Edward Copeland
Associate Director of the Chicago Course on Preaching
K. Edward Copeland serves as pastor of New Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Rockford, Illinois. He earned a BA from the University of Illinois, a JD from the University of California, an MDiv from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, California, as well as a DMin from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has taught for the National Baptist Convention of America, USA Inc. as well as district associations, conventions, and conferences throughout the nation and across denominational lines. He is author of Riding in the Second Chariot: A Guide for Associate Ministers, and a contributing author to Entrusted with the Gospel by Crossway. He also serves as a Council Member of the Gospel Coalition. In his role as Associate Director of the Chicago Course on Preaching, he and the Director are responsible for leading our residential training efforts in Chicago. He also serves as a Lead Instructor in the Course.
Contact: kecopeland@simeontrust.org
Ben Panner
Director of Workshops
Ben became the Director of Workshops in 2024. Before joining the Trust, he spent 12 years serving as a pastor at College Church in Wheaton, IL (2012-2024). After earning a Bachelor’s in Business and Economics and a Master’s in Christian Formation and Ministry from Wheaton College, he continued his theological training by completing an MDiv through Reformed Theological Seminary. In 2024, he was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America. He has been a Workshop Instructor for the Simeon Trust since 2018. As the Director of Workshops, Ben will continue to instruct, train instructors, and work with a great team to coordinate workshops around the globe. Ben and his wife Joanna are enjoying the fullness of life with five young kids: Piper, Jeremiah, Levi, Simeon, and Seth.
Contact: bpanner@simeontrust.org
Colleen McFadden
Director of Women's Workshops and Church Partnerships Manager
Colleen joined the Charles Simeon Trust in 2007 and serves as the Director of Women’s Workshops, where she is responsible for all activities related to the Workshops for women Bible teachers. Prior to working with the Trust, she was in the corporate world for several years in sales and marketing. Colleen earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the College of Business, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Colleen and her husband, Kevin, live in the Philadelphia area, where he teaches New Testament at Cairn University. She also serves on the board of Matthias Media Ministries. At the Trust, Colleen is primarily responsible for overseeing our women’s initiatives. She manages the vision and coordination of the women’s Workshops on Biblical Exposition, contributes to our online courses, and works on collaborative projects with the team.
Contact: cmcfadden@simeontrust.org
Director of Women’s Workshops Job Description
Church Partnerships Manager Job Description
Marjorie Meeks
Associate Director of Women's Workshops
Marjorie joined the Charles Simeon Trust in 2022 and serves as the Associate Director of Women’s Workshops. She also serves as the Director of Women’s Ministries at Christ Church Chicago where she and her husband are members. Marjorie is a Chicago Course on Preaching graduate and serves on the board of Radstock Ministries. Previously, she and her husband were church planters in Nashville, Tennessee, and San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. In her role as Associate Director of Women’s Workshops, she works with our team to help plan and execute all our Workshops for women. She also frequently serves as an instructor.
Contact: mmeeks@simeontrust.org
Mervyn Eloff
Director of African Initiatives
Mervyn is the Rector of St James Church, Kenilworth in Cape Town South Africa. After completing undergraduate degrees in Science and Theology, he earned a DTh in New Testament Studies from the University of Stellenbosch. Before joining the staff at St James, Mervyn served in churches in London, Stellenbosch, and Cape Town and as a lecturer and vice Principal at George Whitefield College in Cape Town. He has contributed to Built on the Rock: Studies in Matthew’s Gospel (Eerdmans), The Proclamation Bible, and has authored Teaching 1,2, 3 John and Teaching James (PT Resources – Christian Focus). His doctoral thesis is titled From the Exile to the Christ: Exile, Restoration and the Theology of Matthew’s Gospel. In his role as Director of African Initiatives, he helps with the design and implementation of the workshop portfolio in Africa, focusing particularly on the training of instructors for international Workshops.
Contact: meloff@simeontrust.org
Alberto Puente
Director of Spanish-Language Initiatives
Alberto is one of the pastors at Iglesia Bautista Fe in Seville, Spain, where he has served since 2012. Since beginning there, Alberto has helped plant two more churches out of this church and is leading an initiative to help churches and planters receive assessment, training, and support to plant more churches across Spain. Alberto studied at The Crown College in Powell, Tennessee, and has an MDiv from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. In his role as Director of Spanish-Language Initiatives for the Charles Simeon Trust, he oversees the Spanish-language staff, the Spanish-language Workshops, and our Online Courses in Spanish.
Contact: apuente@simeontrust.org
Nicolás Osorio
Associate Director of Spanish-Language Initiatives (South America)
Nicolás serves as pastor of Iglesia Bautista Renacer en Bogotá, Colombia. He has a BS in Biblical Studies from Moody Bible Institute and is currently pursuing an MDiv at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also serves as the Associate Director of Spanish-Language Initiatives for the Charles Simeon Trust. Nicolás joined the team in May 2018 and is responsible for assisting in planning and executing the Workshop in South America and assisting in the Online Courses.
Contact: nosorio@simeontrust.org
Darrell Young
Director of Asian Initiatives and Executive Director (Canada)
Prior to serving with the Charles Simeon Trust Darrell served as the Lead Pastor at Strathmore Alliance Church near Calgary, Alberta, for 18 years. He studied at Simpson University and Simpson Graduate School of Theology in San Francisco and completed an MABTS at Ambrose Seminary in Calgary. He also serves as the Pastor of Crossway Community Church in Canmore, Alberta. In his role as Director of Asian Initiatives, he oversees the staff, the Workshops, and Online Courses of the Simeon Trust’s efforts in Asia. He is also responsible for advancement and operations in our Canadian office, serving on the board as the Executive Director.
Contact: dyoung@simeontrust.org
Guyton Garland
Manager of Online Resources
Guyton joined the Charles Simeon Trust in 2026 as Manager of Online Resources. He earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business from Dallas Baptist University. Upon completion of the Pastoral Residency at Hinson Baptist Church, he served as a Pastoral Assistant at High Pointe Baptist Church, and is currently a Pastoral Resident at Christ Church Chicago while he is a student at the Chicago Course on Preaching. As Manager of Online Resources, Guyton oversees online resources across all digital formats and translation projects of online courses in several languages.
Contact: ggarland@simeontrust.org
Ethan Rice
Manager of North American Initiatives
Ethan joined the Charles Simeon Trust in his role as the Manager of North American Initiatives in 2026. In his role, Ethan offers administrative oversight to the North American workshops team, and supports the Chicago Course on Preaching in various capacities. He earned a BA from Boyce college and a MDiv from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Ethan is happily married to Katelyn. Together with their two children, Sadie and Owen, they live in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago, and serve as members of Christ Church Chicago.
Contact: erice@simeontrust.org
Ethan Merck
Workshops Manager (Middle East)
Ethan serves in an evangelical church in the country of Jordan. He served previously on pastoral staff at several churches in the Middle East, including Redeemer Church of Al Ain in the UAE, which he helped plant. He earned a BS in Electrical Engineering and a Bible minor from Cedarville University, and also has a MS in Administration from Central Michigan University. Ethan is also Inter-Cultural Intelligence (ICI) and DiSC certified. Ethan joined CST as Workshops Manager (Middle East) in 2020 and is responsible for assisting in planning and executing Workshops, as well as Online Courses in Arabic.
Contact: emerck@simeontrust.org
Josh Manley
Associate Director of MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Initiatives
Josh Manley planted and serves as Pastor of RAK Evangelical Church in Ras al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. Josh earned his M.Div and Th.M from Southern Seminary. Josh has written for different ministries such as Desiring God, Radical, 9 Marks, and The Gospel Coalition. He founded and serves on the Steering Committee of Ekklesia International – an association of International Churches that seeks to plant and strengthen trade language churches in the 10/40 window and around the world. He is happily married to Jenny, and they have five children. Prior to entering ministry, Josh worked as a senior aide in the United States Senate.
Contact: jmanley@simeontrust.org
Andrew McAlister
Manager of Portuguese-Language Initiatives
Andrew serves as Director of Communications for Igreja Cristã Nova Vida (ICNV), assisting the denomination’s college of bishops and presbytery. He also manages Instituto Bispo Roberto McAlister de Estudos Cristãos (IBRMEC), the denomination’s online seminary. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Portuguese language and literature from Pontifícia Universidade Católica and studied theology at IBRMEC. Andrew and his wife, Livia, are members of ICNV Catedral church, in Rio de Janeiro, where he is part of the worship team and oversees the local bookstore, having previously worked with the church’s youth. Andrew is primarily responsible for assisting in the design and implementation of the Workshop portfolio in Brazil, hosting the Rio de Janeiro Workshop, and assisting in the production of Portuguese resources.
Contact: amcalister@simeontrust.org
Vonny Hewitt
Workshops Administrator
Vonny joined the Charles Simeon Trust in 2024 as Workshop Administrator. She previously worked on staff at Hinson Baptist Church and currently continues to volunteer in the women’s ministry there as a bible study leader. At the Trust, Vonny is primarily responsible for coordinating the Workshops on Biblical Exposition. She coordinates the execution of these Workshops, working with the host churches, speakers, and participants.
Contact: vhewitt@simeontrust.org
Amy Buehler
Workshop Administrator
Amy joined the Charles Simeon Trust as the Workshops Administrator in 2023. She also serves as the Co-Director of Women’s Ministry at Holy Trinity Church Chicago Downtown. She worked previously as a Communications Project Manager for a national not-for-profit organization that had the unique role of supporting law-related projects and programs that advance the administration of justice. She has a BA from the Moody Bible Institute. Amy and her husband Joe live in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago with their three children. At the Trust, Amy is primarily responsible for coordinating the Workshops on Biblical Exposition for men. She coordinates the execution of these Workshops by working with the host churches, speakers, and participants.
Velma Bedderson
Workshop Administrator (Africa)
Velma joined the Charles Simeon Trust as the Workshop Administrator (Africa) in 2023. She previously worked in website administration and project management in the private sector, converting to part-time church administration roles while raising her two kids. Velma has a BSocSci in Industrial Sociology from University of Cape Town. Velma is married to Gary and they live in Paarl, on the outskirts of beautiful Cape Town, South Africa. They are members of Christ Church Paarl, where Gary is the Rector. She currently also works part-time for The Gospel Coalition Africa and her local church.
Contact: vbedderson@simeontrust.org
Eva Dors
Workshops Administrator (Canada)
Eva joined the Charles Simeon Trust Canada as Workshops Administrator in 2022. Eva is originally from Montreal, Quebec, and then moved to Toronto, Ontario, where she graduated from Seneca College with a graphic arts design degree. She and her husband, Rick, served faithfully for many years amongst the Slavic people at the Slavic Evangelical Baptist Church Toronto and at the Evangelical Baptist Camp in Fergus, Ontario, where Eva took on the role of Camp Program Director. They are currently members at Maple Avenue Baptist Church in Georgetown where Eva works full-time as the Director of Administration, providing executive and administrative support to the senior pastor. She also serves on the Finance Team, helps lead the Women’s Bible Study Team, and is a Women’s Bible Study Teacher. At the Trust, Eva is primarily responsible for coordinating the Workshops on Biblical Exposition in Canada. She coordinates the execution of these Workshops, working with the host churches, speakers, and participants.
Contact: edors@simeontrust.org
Lourdes Llorens
Workshops Administrator (Spanish-Language)
Lourdes is married to Alexis Perez and they serve at Nueva Vida Baptist Church in Havana, Cuba. She is a graduate of the Baptist Seminary in Havana. Lourdes teaches women in the church and serves by organizing Spanish Workshops and supporting the Trust’s Spanish team.
Contact: lllorens@simeontrust.org
Jesse Amaya
Spanish Workshops Administrator
Jesse Amaya is one of the pastors at Fellowship Church, in Beaumont, California, where he has served primarily in the Spanish Ministry since 2018. He graduated from La Sierra University with a BA in French and Spanish and taught High School World Languages for over 20 years before being called to teach and preach God’s Word. He is married to Teresa and have four children, Kaleb, Sofia, David and Mateo. He joined the Charles Simeon Trust in 2025 and serves as a Spanish Workshops Administrator.
Contact: jamaya@simeontrust.org
Sandi Tollefson
Executive Assistant to Kevin Walker
Sandi Tollefson joined the Charles Simeon Trust as Executive Assistant to Kevin Walker in 2026. She has a B.A. in Mathematics from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She also holds an Advanced Certificate in Ministry Studies from Boyce College. Sandi and her husband live in Lindstrom, Minnesota, and have four adult children. She attends Lakes Free Church and leads a women’s Bible study.
Contact: stollefson@simeontrust.org
Walter Carter, III
Practice Group Leader for the Chicago Course on Preaching
Walter serves as a Practice Group Leader for the Chicago Course on Preaching. He also serves as the Senior Pastor of Union Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois.
Contact: wcarter@simeontrust.org
Abby Sweeney
Financial Administrator
Abby joined the Charles Simeon Trust as Financial Administrator in 2023. She earned her accounting degree from Kent State University and worked previously as a financial planner and trust officer. She and her husband Marty live in Youngstown, Ohio. For the past 10 years she has been home schooling their four children as well as working seasonally preparing income tax returns. They are members of Old North Church where Marty is on staff and Abby is involved with women’s ministry.
Allie Martin
Financial Administrator
Allie Martin joined the team in 2022 as the Financial Administrator for the Charles Simeon Trust in Canada. After graduating in 2017 with a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of New Brunswick, she worked as a pediatric emergency nurse in Toronto. She has attended Grace Fellowship Church of West Toronto since its inception in 2001, and is now employed as Office Administrator. Her main role involves coordinating services and events, and she enjoys serving on the worship, special needs, women’s and young adults’ ministry teams.
Contact: almartin@simeontrust.org
Christy Nieh
Manager of Finance and Operations
Christy joined the Charles Simeon Trust as the Finance and Operations Manager in 2022. She worked previously as a Project Manager, consulting private sector and government clients in real estate. Christy has a BA in Political Science and History from the University of California San Diego, and a Master of Public Administration, with an emphasis in Public Finance from the University of Southern California. Christy is married to Bing and they live in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago with their four children. They are members of Christ Church Chicago, where Bing is an Associate Pastor. At the Trust, she manages the Finance, Human Resources and Operational aspects of the organization.
Contact: cnieh@simeontrust.org
Randy Scheil
Workshop Coordinator (Volunteer)
Randy served as the Associate Director of International Workshops at the Charles Simeon Trust in 2019 and now serves as a volunteer Workshop Coordinator. Before that, he served as the Lead Pastor of Stonebridge Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for 27 years. He has also served in churches in both South Dakota and Texas. He has earned both a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary and a DMin from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. In his role as Associate Director of International Workshops, he is primarily responsible for the Workshop portfolio in Brazil and collaborates on the rest of the international Workshops portfolio. He is also responsible for some of the advancement efforts in the United States.
Contact: rscheil@simeontrust.org
Alyssa Walker
Director of Advancement
Contact: awalker@simeontrust.org
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