Keynoter: Casey Thompson is Pastor at Wayne Presbyterian Church in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Casey has had a varied career, including stints as a semi-professional juggler, magician’s assistant, youth minister, and George Washington impersonator (it’s a major plus that no one knows what George sounded like). If he has any regret in life, it is that he hasn’t created a dance crew to dominate America’s Best Dance Crew. As he doesn’t actually dance, it’s a small regret.

Keynoter: Shelli Latham, of West Chester, PA, is Associate Pastor for Preaching and Outreach at Westminster Presbyterian Church, where she is constantly challenged and inspired by the abundant mercy and creative power or our God. She thinks church should be a place where youth are seen and heard, dancing and laughter are abundant and enthusiastic, and people aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. Prefers to eat dessert first at church potlucks. Is a master packer and especially loves to load up her handy backpack for mission adventures in our beautiful, broken world. Looking forward to the adventure of MYC.

Preacher: Cleophus J. LaRue is Princeton Theological Seminary’s Francis Landey Patton Professor of Homiletics. He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Baylor University, his M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees from Princeton Seminary. He specializes in the theory and method of African American preaching and worship. An ordained minister in the National Baptist Convention of America, LaRue is the former pastor of two churches in Texas as well as the former interim pastor of churches in Harlem and Jamaica Queens, New York.

Receation Leader: Neeley Rentz Lane serves as the Director of High School Ministry at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC. She attended Presbyterian College, served as the Director of Christian Education at First Presbyterian Church in Hartsville, SC, and is currently studying at Union Presbyterian Seminary working on her Master of Divinity degree. Neeley enjoys family time, laughing, beach vacations, tap dancing, and playing with her dog Bailey.

Receation Leader: Lindsay Layendecker of Jacksonville, FL, is a middle school teacher and writer who attends Ft. King Presbyterian Church. Lindsay has been attending Montreat for the past 15 summers, doing everything from participating as a conferee to co-directing the Middle School Conference with her BFF, Neeley Rentz Lane! Lindsay enjoys many things, but nothing more than laughing. She will laugh with you, laugh at you, but mostly laugh at herself. Lindsay can’t wait to laugh with everyone during 2012 Youth Conferences!

Music Leader: Eric Timothy Nanz of Leesburg, VA is a guitar instructor at The Catoctin School of Music. As a former Montreat youth conferee and summer staffer, he holds a special fondness for the life-changing experiences found only behind the Montreat gates. His hobbies include trail running, eating Garden Salsa SunChips, and turning guitar amplifiers up to 11.