M. Macha NightMare to realign duties with Cherry Hill Seminary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oct. 15, 2008
Contact: Holli Emore, chs@cherryhillseminary.org or (888) 503-4131.

M. Macha NightMare to realign duties with Cherry Hill Seminary

Columbia, S.C. – M. Macha NightMare, a longtime teacher and administrator at Cherry Hill Seminary, will resign as Chair of the Public Ministry department and take a position on the Board of Directors, effective Oct. 31.

M. Macha NightMare

Alline O’Brien, Past President

Nightmare in 2002 designed and taught the online course, “Call of the Dark Mother: Working with Death and Dying.” “Call” has consistently remained one of the most popular courses offered by Cherry Hill. During that time NightMare also served as Public Information Officer and as Chair of the Department of Public Ministry. She helped raise funds and recruit many faculty and board members to the first graduate-level Pagan seminary in the United States.

NightMare says she has felt useful, appreciated and satisfied in her work with Cherry Hill. “I have found working toward growing the first viable online NeoPagan seminary to be tremendously rewarding,” says NightMare. “As we approach the goal of accreditation, I believe I can better use my peculiar set of gifts by serving on CHS’s Board of Directors, where I wish to continue my work fundraising, recruiting faculty and general networking. I’m both dazzled and humbled by the Pagans who affiliate with CHS, either as faculty or students.”

Holli Emore, CFRE, Executive Director of Cherry Hill, says she looks forward to continuing her work with NightMare in her new role as board member. “Working with Macha has been an amazing privilege. She genuinely loves meeting people and making the introductions which help people enhance their own best qualities. While we will miss her dedication and drive as a member of the management team, Macha’s command of the overarching issues in the national Pagan community, plus her widespread connectedness makes her an ideal board member.”

NightMare holds Elder and ministerial credentials through The Covenant of the Goddess. She is a former National First Officer and has served the Covenant in many other capacities since 1981. She is a member of the Biodiversity Project Spirituality Working Group, the Sacred Dying Foundation Advisory Council as well as the Nature Religion Scholars Network. NightMare is author of “Witchcraft and the Web: Weaving Pagan Traditions Online” and “Pagan Pride: Honoring the Craft and Culture of Earth and Goddess,” and co-author of “The Pagan Book of Living and Dying: Practical Rituals, Prayers, Blessings, and Meditations on Crossing Over.”

Cherry Hill Seminary provides quality higher education and practical training in Pagan ministry. CHS is the only graduate-level education for Pagan ministry in the world, through online distance-learning classes, regional workshops and intensive retreats. More information is available online at www.cherryhillseminary.org.