EARLY BIRD SALE: Registration ONLY $200 each if you book by Friday, Nov 29th
EARLY BIRD SALE: Registration ONLY $200 each if you book by Friday, Nov 29th
Edward Seaton and Diane Johnson-Seaton are a married Christian couple for over 40 years. They have a passion for Marriage Ministries with over 30 years of experience in Chicago, New Jersey and Puerto Rico.
The Seatons are from Chicago and grew up in the same neighborhood. When they saw each other as children, it was love at first sight. They understood very young the importance of love, respect, family, and community. They have a passion for connecting people together to experience the goodness of God.
In 2000, their first marriage ministry began at Dupage AME Church in Lisle, IL. with a Valentine’s dinner dance as the main event. As work would relocate them to different cities, they would start a marriage ministry with each church they joined. When Diane's job moved her to Puerto Rico, Ed said "let’s change it to a Couples Ministry to include more people not just married couples". The thought was to focus on relationships and invite singles too.
As a result, they held the first 3-day Couples Retreat in 2017 with the support and partnership of The Family Church in Rincon, Puerto Rico. Most of the activities were outdoors so the community could join in, and people could see that Christians are fun, happy and love life. It was so successful that they decided to have another retreat in 2019 with the same format, an opening sunset reception at the local Harbor Restaurant, Community Zumba at the Rincon balneario, and Workshops at the beach gazebo. Of course, they still had to have a dress up dinner dance as they did with the first ministry.
When the Covid Pandemic hit in 2020, everyone was locked up in their homes. There was a profound feeling of being disconnected because many people were ordered to stay at home or "Shelter in Place". Although you had your immediate family, there was no connection with friends, little contact with community and everyone wore mask. The laughter, smiles, hugs, and neighborly love was missing.
Therefore, Diane and Edward started having Zoom meetings called 1st Friday’s Couples Connection Sessions. It was here they were able to re-connect with friends and make new friends. Topics were discussed o make relationships stronger. Experts were brought in to give advice and well as recording artist to provide live entertainment, including soloists and musicians. There was even a comedian where the group laughed until they cried.
This couple saw up close and personal and the importance of staying connected in all situations. As they were preparing for the 2022 couples retreat in Ponce, Puerto Rico, people were contacting their friends and family and inviting them to the event. They mentioned that the 1st Friday’s Couples Connection Session was a lifeline during the pandemic and it brought people to Puerto Rico from all different age, cultural and financial backgrounds. It was a beautiful mixture of people like Thanksgiving (horn or plenty) Cornucopia. That is when God put on the Seaton's hearts to form the non-profit called Cornucopia Connections where they minister to the community with the love of Jesus.
Ed is a retired Cook County Correctional Officer and Diane is a retired Healthcare Director of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs. In 2021 she earned a Masters in Ministry from Liberty School of Divinity, Lynchburg VA.
The Reverend Dr. Jon Robinson is an Ordained
Itinerant Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal
Church and has been actively engaged in ministry
since accepting his call to preach in November
2000.
Community building and outreach have been a
central focus of Dr. Robinson’s 20-year ministry. In
order more fully address the challenges affecting
young people, Dr. Robinson founded and currently
serves as the C.E.O. of The Building Up Our Youth
Foundation, (B.U.O.Y. - www.buoyfoundation.org) a
non-profit, 501 (c) 3 youth services organization
that develops young people educationally, socially
and spiritually.
For the past two decades Dr. Robinson has
established church and nonprofit partnerships with
local and national businesses, foundations, and
schools to provide opportunities for middle and
high school students to participate in programs that
develop their knowledge base and skill sets in
science, technology, engineering and math (STEM),
and business and leadership development.
Dr. Robinson also leads short-term mission trips,
exposing young people to the importance of service
and meeting the needs of God’s people around the
world.
Dr. Robinson is the founder and lead strategist for
the GRW Group ( www.thegrw.org ) which offers
strategic coaching and consulting services for
organizations seeking to maximize their social
impact. In 2021 Dr. Robinson was appointed as the
Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for the
Oikos Institute for Social Impact which addresses
the cultural and organizational challenges of
congregations in bridging their faith with the capital
necessary to engage in meaningful and impactful
ministry.
Dr. Robinson holds a Bachelor of Arts in
Management degree from Benedictine University in
Lisle, IL, and Master of Divinity and Doctor of
Ministry degrees from Garrett Evangelical
Theological Seminary, Evanston, IL. He also holds
certifications in youth ministry from Princeton
Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ, and church
leadership and nonprofit management from the
Northwestern University Kellogg School of
Management in Evanston, IL.
Dr. Robinson is an international preacher and
teacher who has shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Michelle Robinson is a seasoned executive with more than twenty years of leadership experience in operations, strategy, service, and innovation. She sets and thrives in inclusive culture creating excellence not excuses.
She has held Global leadership roles with Covance (now LabCorp), Baxter Health, and GE. She has successfully designed and led strategic plans, managed over 300 million-dollar budgets positively impacting multibillion-dollar revenue targets, all while delivering improved efficiencies and developing highly engaged workforces.
She met the healthcare needs of the greater Chicagoland communities serving as an Advocate Health System Executive and as the President of Heartland Blood Centers.
She currently leads strategy and finance for CommonSpirit Health National laboratories.
She is a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt, has a BS in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University West Lafayette, IN and an MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg in Evanston, IL.
Throughout her professional career, Michelle has served on several boards and has received recognition and awards for volunteer work. She most recently served as Treasure on the Connections for Abused Women and their Children Board (CAWC.org) in Chicago. Michelle is married to Rev. Dr. Jon Robinson and together they work to fulfill their mission of “Loving others through Service”.