Blake Smith is a southern boy at heart who loves beaches and warm weather yet has spent the last 30 years moving around the too often cold Midwest where he currently serves as Mission Center President and Financial Officer for the Chicago Mission Center. Blake is a Seventy with a heart for mission and a passion for social justice. Blake enjoys singing, dancing, woodworking, reading, movie watching, game playing and anything that involves spending time with his family or creating sacred community.

Kassie Ripsam is a member of Community of Christ in the Alabama – Northwest Florida mission center. She enjoys being homeschooled, reading, art, and writing her own books. Kassie loves volunteering at a local Dyslexia tutoring center and yearly mission trips to the Navajo Nation reservation, and participating in both traditional and contemporary services. She looks forward to one day joining the Peace Corps and ministering to God’s precious creation.

Mary Anne Bennett-Ripsam is a member of Community of Christ in the Alabama – Northwest Florida mission center. She enjoys being homeschooled, space, and computer coding. Mary Anne loves volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and at a local Dyslexia tutoring center, and participating in both traditional and contemporary worship services. She looks forward to a career in engineering, and ministry.