Dallas, Texas, United States
In 7th grade, I knew that God was calling me to ministry in the church. While I wasn't sure how that would play out, I knew that I had a lot of questions about God. I wanted to keep asking those questions, and I was hopeful that someday I could make a profession out of asking them. With the language I have now, I get great joy by processing theological epistemologies with deconstructing students. In other words, I offer pastoral care for young adults who are questioning what they believe and why. In 7th grade I had no idea what would be coming for me down the road. Eventually, I came out as queer, falling in love with an amazing woman. We were married in the church, and I am continuing my journey toward ordination as a deacon in the Untied Methodist Church. Often queer and Christian have not been able to co-exist, but I am living this life and God celebrates it! My hope as a pastor and care giver is to create space where folks can ask big questions about the nature of God and the world. I hope that we can process a theological hope of liberation and love, co-creating a world that God desires.
Created and facilitated the monthly I Experience God Project to offer new and innovative religious life on Centenary’s campus Attended the annual Campus Ministry Board of Review for the Louisiana Conference of the UMC to assist chaplain with a presentation on campus ministry and apply for grant funding Facilitated United Methodist Student Movement and Theology on Tap monthly to offer both academic and spiritual formation for Centenary students Advised the local chapter of interfaith gatherings; engaged in two Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) conferences as both a student and pastoral care leader
As a student ambassador, I led over 30 integrative and highly informative campus tours to assist the Centenary Admissions Office. Additionally I hosted prospective students during Centenary Open Houses in order to give prospective a better feel of the student life on campus
Interning for two summers, I coordinated a one-day service project in the Central Texas Conference for churches to learn and serve within the realm of food insecurity. Through the project I developed partnerships with food banks within the conference and with Texas Hunger Initiative to enhance our efforts of combating food insecurity in Central Texas. In addition, I spearheaded and orchestrated four trainings in various districts for church mission leaders to learn how to responsibly combat food insecurity in their own communities.