Background
About Myself
Name: Wendy Elaine Nelles
Gender: Female
Birthday: January 9 (too soon after Christmas & New Years festivities for most people to remember - which might be a good thing!)
Based: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Education: MA, with High Honour
School: Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois
Major: Communications
Education: BA, with High Honour
School: Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario
Major: English Literature & Psychology
MY CONTACT info
Profession:
Journalist, Writer & Editor
Co-Founder of The Word Guild, a national association of Canadian writers and editors who are Christian, incorporated as a registered not-for-profit charitable organization.
CURRENT Favourites
Books: unChristian: What A New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity... And Why It Matters by David Kinnamon; Simply Christian by N. T. Wright; The End of Religion by Bruxy Cavey.
Writers: John Stott, N. T. Wright, Philip Yancey, Mark Buchanan.
Quote: Jesus is a subversive, anti-institutional revolutionary who calls us out of religion, rules, regulations, rituals and routines... and into relationship with Himself, the Divine who came to us in our own context and our own form (paraphrase, Bruxy Cavey, teaching pastor, The Meeting House).
Favourite Ways to Spend Free Time: (what free time?)
Visiting the farm and family.
Meaningful conversations with a wide range of friends.
Cultural pursuits: reading; music; concerts; theatre; film; exploring the city and discovering new favourites. Actually, I have eclectic tastes in all the above - the determining factor is quality.
Thought-provoking, relevant Biblical teaching that actually engages contemporary culture, an outward-looking philosophy of ministry that keeps the focus on spiritual growth and service to others... and a refreshing absence of baggage, at The Meeting House (5,000 people at 6 locations in Southern Ontario, plus global listeners by audio podcast and video podcast).
Food: Chinese & Dim Sum; good, fresh-roasted, fair trade, organic decaf coffee; homemade oatmeal cookies.
Writer, Journalist, Editor, Speaker, Instructor
Wendy Elaine Nelles is an award-winning journalist, writer, editor and speaker with wide-ranging experience in the corporate, not-for-profit and publishing sectors. Her news articles, features and profiles have appeared on the front pages of Canadian Christian publications.
She holds an MA in Communications with high honour from Wheaton College, Illinois, for which she received the department award for top student; and a BA in English Literature and Psychology with high honour from Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, for which she received department medals for top academic achievement, both majors.
Her work has impacted many of Canada’s writers and editors who are Christian, through co-founding The Word Guild in 2002 and directing many writing awards programs and writers’ conferences. The Toronto resident has served on the leadership team of Canada’s largest Christian writers’ conference, Write! Canada, for 20 consecutive years.
Wendy with Gail Reid (R), managing editor of Faith Today, March 2006 in Calgary at the Leading Women Awards presentation.
Wendy was honoured nationally for distinctive achievement in her field with the Leading Women Award for Excellence in Communications and Media at an awards presentation in Calgary, Alberta in 2006. Other winners in this category for “outstanding contribution to work and ministry in their areas of influence” have been Karen Pascal, filmmaker (2002); Maxine Hancock, author, professor and broadcaster (2004); and Lorna Dueck, broadcaster and journalist (2008).
Writing with My Heart and Soul
Photo Credit: Photos by Sue Careless
