Candidate 56 Profile

Section A. Background Information

10. Year of Ordination

2021

11. Denomination of Ordination

UCC

12. If not RCA, what classis or supervising body from the ordaining denomination recognizes your ordination?

UCC

13. Present denomination

UCC

14. Present classis or judicatory

UCC

15. If you are not now a member of the Reformed Church in America, can you, in good conscience, agree with the doctrine, discipline and government of the RCA?

Yes

16. Do you support the mission and division of the Reformed Church in America?

Yes.

17. Citizen of what country? If not USA, do you have permit to live and work in the USA?

USA

18. Previous Experience

19. Formal Education

20. Continuing Education

21. Languages (list any languages, other than English, in which you can preach or converse fluently)

Spanish (intermediate)

Section B. Reflection

1. Describe your strengths, the best of who you are, and what you bring in service to the church.

I approach ministry in Christ's church with a wide imagination and a earnest desire to bring love and justice to my community. To this endeavor, I employ my gifts of warm communication, poetry, songwriting, humor, and storytelling to bring my siblings in Christ along a journey toward healing and wholeness. I am at my best when I am expounding upon Scripture, weaving a relevant and engaging message that meets the needs of a diverse community. In the realm of leadership, I have the gift of discernment and forethought. I follow the news of the day and the zeitgeist of social media in order to speak adequately and sincerely to the times in which we live. I am affable, diplomatic, and rely upon my gift of consensus-building in times of conflict.

2. Name two or three mentors who have significantly contributed to your ministry, and explain why these people are important to you.

Dr. Martha Wiggins has served as my mentor in my current ministry. She has encouraged me to develop my voice as a leader and pastor, and has challenged me when I am tempted to step away from holding strong boundaries. I seek her counsel when I doubt myself, when I need an elder's perspective, and when I feel burdened by my calling. She does not sugar coat anything, and for that I am grateful.

I studied Clinical Pastoral Education for six years under the same mentor at Jewish Theological Seminary. Rev. Dr. Beth Glover guided me through my chaplaincy training to be a non-anxious presence in ministry to suffering people. She helped me to process my own experiences, and taught me the skills necessary to sit with people in despair, offering steadfast hope in tomorrow.

3. What caused you to enter ministry, and what are the core values that define your vision for ministry?

I am compelled to follow Christ into ministry to the Church, because I believe in the priesthood of all believers. We are all endowed with gifts for our communities. Because I am gifted to preach and teach, I find myself at home in church leadership and full time vocational ministry. If I were not working in ministry, I would be active in lay leadership. I love the Church, and I love to tell our story.

My core values:

Extravagant Welcome | Inclusivity | Advocacy for the powerless | Speaking truth to Power | Liberation of the Oppressed | Intergenerational Relationships | Stewardship of Our Resources | Art

4. Explain the strategies or ideas that most excite you for helping a church to become and remain missional.

The Pandemic changed everything. This is a critical moment to expand from the limits of brick and mortar and go where the people are. Go where God is. If the people in our communities are not showing up on Sundays at 10:30am to sit in pews and listen, then we must seize this opportunity to find them! Like the shepherd searching for the 100th lamb, we must go to the parks, the plays, the picnics, and the concerts looking for the people we are called to serve.

But we will not be an aroma of the Holy Spirit if we are not willing to stretch ourselves, challenge our comforts, and take a few risks. In this time where there is a "third place" vortex (Ray Oldenburg), I am excited to create spaces where people emerge from the stupor of survival to thrive in community.

5. Name three of your most passionate hopes for the Church at large, and why they are significant to you.

1. The church is called to demonstrate integrity, yet so many have become disillusioned by the failure of the church to be a standard of faithfulness and discernment. My hope for the Church at large would be a wise witness that contrasts the corruption and deception around us. Let us be truth tellers and standard bearers.

2. Christians must advocate for full inclusion of marginalized communities, including all people of color, women, children, people with disabilities, older adults, undocumented immigrants, and LGBTQ+ siblings. They will know we are Christians by our love.

3. The Church exists to model and proclaim the lovingkindness of God, the narrow way of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit. When we are at our best, we are sharing these pillars of our faith.

6. Give an example of how you would theologically address an issue facing your contemporary world. Please be thorough enough to help the reader to understand your thought processes and your life commitments.

My calling is to expound upon Scripture to address the problems in our world. I would begin there. If I were delivering a sermon based upon Luke 4: 16-21, I would examine this incredible moment of self-awareness and self-exposure when Jesus tells us all what he is about. He stands before the people at the synagogue and lays out an agenda of liberation and healing. If Jesus' mission is to heal and liberate, then it is our mission. And what does this mean for those who are suffering around us? What does this mean for the people who are locked up at Riker's Island for months or years before trial? What does this mean for the people around us who do not have enough food to eat? What does this mean for those who are isolated by a world that doesn't know how to engage illness or disability? It means we must find a way to "proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" today.

7. What theologians, pastors, authors or other leaders have had the greatest influence upon your life and thought? (List up to 3 and explain.)

As a child my spiritual imagination was captured in the pages of The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis. This image of an all-powerful, all-loving, sacrificial lion became my understudy for an image of God.

As a young person, I found inspiration in thinkers who helped me to channel my zeal - Watchman Nee, AW Tozer, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

As an experienced, seminary-trained pastor, I have been exposed to so many others, and finally women. I am a student of my former professor, Dr. James Cone, Wil Gafney, Gustavo Gutierrez, Justo Gonzalez, Rachel Held Evans, Shelly Rambo, Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, and more.

8. How do you hope someone influenced by your ministry would describe what s/he considers to be most important?

I hope that the people I encounter would be formed by love and compassion. Jesus told us what really matters: Love God and love your neighbor. Our path as followers of Christ is forged by our ability to look past the temptations of power and comfort so that we might show love to those around us and ultimately our Creator.

I hope the people I influence can hold the balance of "love and justice" as perfect book ends to God's character.

I hope that people can see themselves as advocates for a just world, in place of a punitive, oppressive set of systems.

9. Name at least one challenge for a pastor who accepts a Call to lead a church whose culture is other than his/her own.

The challenge of engaging a new church culture is discerning how to lead in new directions and how to simultaneously be led by the passion and gifts of the local congregation. Ideally those two directions are unified into one path, but the truth is that everyone involved has to be open to the direction of the Holy Spirit, the source of all wisdom.

Areas of disagreement over church culture are usually not questions of moral right and wrong, but preference, calling, tradition, and emotional attachment. If the church is functioning in healthy ways, these areas become a robust and fruitful dialogue among passionate participants and leaders. The HOW of the conversation becomes more important than where the decisions land.

10. Describe your vision and hopes for the Church over the next 5-10 years.

Over the next five years, my hope is a journey of post-pandemic rebuilding that is based not upon "how things have always been done", but upon "how God is inspiring our community." We can continue to love our traditions and our identifying events and features, but we must also look at this new world and say, "where is God speaking? Where is God showing up among us?" The answers will include technology, social engagement, fellowship, spiritual and mental healthcare, and intergenerational connections.

11. If there is anything else you would like to add about yourself that you think would help a search team to better understand and consider you as their next pastor, please elaborate here.

I hope that you gleaned from my profile that I love to teach, preach, and draw people together for community. I have extensive experience with a diverse community, and I am gifted in music leadership, and family engagement. I am looking for a pastorate where I can support the vision of the worshiping families and deliver excellent educational and preaching content. I have endless energy for spiritual formation and worship, and I look forward to sharing that enthusiasm with you in the next steps.

Due to space constraints, I had to leave out a significant portion of my work. I write curriculum, liturgy, and music for Illustrated Ministry (2017-present). This is a joy and a ministry in itself.