Speaker Profiles

Our speakers are three women who lead ordinary lives, yet share the desire to teach the Word of God to other women. Here are some of our past speakers:

Lesley Bentley
Lesley is a former CBC journalist who loves to teach the word of God. She and her husband Michael are active members of St. John’s, where Lesley serves as People’s Warden and leads Bible study. She is the mother of four sons, and enjoys running and knitting.

Beverley Greenwood
A native Australian, Dr. Bev Greenwood is a former teacher and academic who now writes award-winning novels for the young adult age group. She is passionate about communicating the life-changing power of the gospel. In her spare time, she loves sitting, knitting (while watching TV with her cat Lillee on her lap), and reading.

Tanya Hawke
Tanya Hawke is a wordsmith – she writes web sites and promotional materials for companies and organizations. When not at her keyboard, she’s probably playing tennis. Tanya and her husband Tim met and married at St. John’s, their spiritual home for almost 20 years. They live in Tsawwassen with their nine-year-old son.

Carolyn Hindmarsh
Carolyn has done an undergraduate and a graduate degree in theology, and she presently teaches Greek at Regent College where her husband Bruce is a professor. Their home is a lively place these days with three busy (and hungry) teenage children and many enthusiastic (and hungry) Regent students that come through the door--not to mention one extremely lively dog.

Marion Karasiuk
Marion is a former UBC engineer who lives in Toronto with husband Gary and two school age children. Marion’s passion for the Word of God led her to train as a Bible teacher and work as a lay preacher in a Toronto mission and at a nearby women’s prison. Marion has since been actively involved in a church planting project in central Toronto.

Polly Long
Polly was born and raised in East Tennessee. Since 2002, Polly has been teaching Homiletics, Greek and Academic writing at Regent College, where her husband Phil teaches the Old Testament. Polly is also involved with Project Genesis, a long-term recovery ministry for sexually exploited women and their children, here in Vancouver. She and Phil have four children and six grandchildren.

Marion Maxwell
Marion is presently the Executive Director of Genesis Vancouver, a long-term recovery ministry for sexually exploited women and their children. She has a degree in Physical Education, a Diploma in Christian Studies from Regent College, and her Clinical Pastoral Education training at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary. She has worked as a teacher, an IVCF staff member, running a home for delinquents, a chaplain, and a butler.