Rev. Dr. Debra J. K. Bronkema

Debbie is the Director of New Worshiping Initiatives for Hudson River Presbytery, and Executive Director of the PCUSA new worshiping community, connect.faith. Until December 2023, she served as  Pastor of Pleasantville Presbyterian Church in Pleasantville, New York. She earned her Doctorate of Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary in 2011, with an emphasis in Creative Writing as a Spiritual Practice, and leads programs and retreats on this topic throughout the country. Since 2022, Debbie has served as Chris’ partner in the healing music he provides through Transformations, a new worshiping community that meets online.

Prior to their move to Pleasantville, Debbie and her husband John were Co-Executive Directors of Cedarkirk Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center in Lithia, Florida. Debbie grew up in Michigan and was a CPA when she heard a call to ministry. Debbie and John have 4 children, Cali, Dylan, Logan and Caleb.
In 2018 Debbie published her first novel, Finding Manna, the story of a young woman searching for the life that is hers to live. Her book, Midweek Meditations is a collection of devotions, published in December of 2020.  In September 2022, Debbie published Writing toward wholeness:exploring creativity and spirituality, with Cyclical Publishing, a leader in Faithful Innovation.

Chris Dingman

Chris Dingman is a vibraphonist and composer known for his rich and expansive soundscapes. In his captivating solo performances, he casts an enveloping atmosphere with layers of sound – soaring melodies, swirling textures, and undulating pedal tones. It’s an immersive listening experience that many have described as transportive and deeply healing. He has worked for the past two decades as “an extremely gifted composer, bandleader, and recording artist” (Jon Weber, NPR), including with legendary artists Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, and many of today’s jazz, creative, and world music luminaries. He brings together this background with a host of influences from around the world, in service of taking listeners on a journey to a transcendent place.

On his journey to becoming a solo artist, Chris documented his improvisations privately for many years, until his world changed. When his father entered hospice care in 2018, he created the 5-hour extended album Peace, recorded as he played it for his father, and ultimately released in 2020. That profound experience caused him to re-examine the role that solo performing played in his life and career – imbuing it with an even deeper sense of mission and introspection. Since then, he has brought his special brand of healing music far and wide, from traditional concert venues throughout the US, to retreat centers, meditation and sound healing events, to medical conferences, hospitals, hospice centers, and to live streams worldwide. Since 2022 he has led sessions for the New Worshipping Community Transformations in partnership with Debra Bronkema and Connect.faith, finding creative new ways to hold space for healing and community through music. In these meditative and creative sessions on Zoom, Chris invites participants to set intentions, and to share issues and hardships they’re facing, and he channels this into the music. This exchange has proven to be very meaningful, leading participants to describe the experience as “immediately energizing and healing on a physical, emotional and spiritual level.” Chris has been profiled by NPR, the New York Times, AMNY, and many other publications, and has received fellowships and grants from Chamber Music America, New Music USA, South Arts, and the Thelonious Monk Institute.