Rev. Dr. Marti Zimmerman
Leader for "The Beauty and Courage of Sudan"
Marti is Senior Pastor of Smoky Hill United Methodist Church, a suburban congregation of over 900 members outside Denver. Smoky Hill UMC exists to Connect People to God and each other through worship, prayer and small groups, to Transform people of all ages into fully committed disciples of Christ, and to Serve God in our church and our world.
Rev. Dr. Marti is a native of Colorado. She studied at the University of Colorado at Boulder (BA - International Affairs and German), a Master's of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in NYC and a Doctor of Ministry in the area of Preaching and Consumer Culture from the Iliff School of Theology. She enjoys using her research (and is available) to lead UMW retreats at the Conference and local church level on the theme, "Heaven's Wealth and Earthly Treasure."
She previously worked at the Church Center for the UN in NYC designing educational seminars, as a Mission Intern pastor in Chile, on the international affairs staff of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland, as the Continuing Education director of the Iliff School of Theology, Denver and as associate pastor in Lamar, Colorado.
Marti has taught in the Schools of Mission since 1979, leading over 50 Regional and Conference events. Marti loves movies, theater, skiing and travel. She speaks German, Spanish and some French. Marti is married to Mack Lovvorn, a retired UM pastor. They have 3 older children, Kristen, Lindsey (Barnard College) and Jessica soon to graduate and head off to University of Las Vegas in Entertainment Engineering.