I have always felt my calling is to help people find the place where they belong and to facilitate belonging whenever and wherever possible. Belong is essential to human survival and I believe that our yearning to belong can sometimes cause us to act ways that are counter to our cause. The Dalai Lama teaches: “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”
I became active in social justice movements early, but engaged fully in college. I attended Ithaca College in upstate New York in the mid-late 1980’s. I was actively involved in the Divestment Movement (Anti-Apartheid) during my college years. I was also very involved in the Take Back the Night marches and the battered Woman’s Shelter in Ithaca. The death of my first lover in 1985 was a difficult time for me and I was not able to manage that loss. In July of 1987, I began attending 12 step programs to manage my life. I have been sober since that year. Her life and death changed my focus, moving me towards ministry.
My call to prophetic ministry has brought me to a number of different kinds of ministries. I was serving in Arizona when GA was held there in 2012 and was active in local planning. I served the Santa Cruz Fellowship where, together we built a strong connections and organized with others in the community. This ministry was a place of deep learning and service, it was also where I began my transition from female to male in 2004. I am politically active in my personal life and prefer a congregation that is interested in being engaged in moral and civic life. The leadership training I have received in my community organizing activities has been profoundly helpful in congregational development and relationship building. All of these life experiences are grounding in belonging and understanding that we all have a place, we are all loved, no matter what.
My degree in Restorative Practices brings together my interests in community organizing, conflict management, and the calling to collective liberation. Restorative Practices are a set of principles and practices that seek to repair harm, restore relationship and build community. These practices invite us to be more authentic and more vulnerable with one another. I have integrated new ways of thinking about how we care for each other in beloved community and bring these skills to the congregations that I serve.
I have a regular spiritual practice and I am an avid kayaker and hiker. I have a strong network of friends and colleagues all over the world and FB, for all its evils, allows me to remain connected in many ways. Attending collegial events is important for my self-care.
Samples of my sermons can be found on the front page.