365 Meditations for Couples

Robert H. Lauer, Ph.D. and his wife are the authors of more than 20 books on family relations and intimacy, including Becoming Family, The Ties That Bind, No Secrets, Watersheds: Mastering Life's Unpredictable Crises, and 'Til Death Do Us Part. In addition, they have published hundreds of articles in professional journals and such popular publications as Family Weekly, Ladies' Home Journal, Reader's Digest, and Marriage Partnership. He is a member of the American Sociological Association, National Council on Family Relations, and Association for Couples in Marriage Enrichment.

Dr. Rev. Safiyah Fosua has roots in both Kansas and Oklahoma.  Her academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University of Evanston, Illinois; a Master of Divinity degree from Oral Roberts Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and a Doctor of Ministry degree from the United Theological Seminary of Dayton, Ohio, in Afrocentric Pastoring and Preaching. 

 

Safiyah writes weekly lectionary-based preaching helps and articles for the General Board of Discipleships worship web page and has written for Upper Room publications, Cokesburys Daily Bible Study, Urban Ministries, Inc., and contributed to the Women of Color Study Bible.   Among her published works are Mother Wit: 365 Meditations for African-American Women (1996), Jesus and Prayer (2002), and a tract titled Learning New Habits (2005).  Safiyah also served as the associate editor of the Africana Worship Book, series (2006-2008) and the Companion to the Africana Worship Book (2008).   Currently, Safiyah is a member of the Africana Hymnal Study Committee for the United Methodist Church and a writing coach for GBODs Open Source Liturgy Project empowering writers to produce ecumenically-grounded contextual, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic liturgies for use in local church worship.

 

Dr. Fosua is a clergy member of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference.  Her pastoral experience includes ministry in the large downtown church, the unique ministry of the rural circuit, and the ministry challenges of the small inner-city congregation.  Safiyah Fosua is married to Rev. Dr. Kwasi I. Kena. Prior to her current appointment as Director of Preaching Ministries for  the General Board of Discipleship, Safiyah and her husband, Kwasi, spent a number of years as missionaries in Ghana, West Africa. The couple has two adult sons, and two grandchildren. Dr. Kwasi Issa Kena has taught numerous collegiate courses in communication, social science, and religion, and has written curriculum resources for Urban Ministries Inc. Dr. Kena and his wife, Dr. Safiyah Fosua (author of Mother Wit), formerly served as missionaries to Ghana, West Africa and were jointly appointed to start an African-American United Methodist Church in Waterloo, Iowa, which became the Jubilee United Methodist Church. Warren and Mary are both certified marriage counselors who have conducted marriage-enrichment workshops. They have served mission teams in Alaska, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Grenada. 2001 KEL GROSECLOSE is Minister of Congregational Care, First United Methodist Church, Wenatchee, Washington.