Pastor
Friendship Presbyterian | Norwood Park
Co-founder & Co-facilitator
Creation Lab NFP | Belmont-Craigin Neighborhood, Chicago
Affiliate Faculty &
Associate Director of Experiential Education
McCormick Theological Seminary | Chicago
Board of Directors
The Night Ministry | Chicago
New Worshiping Communities Coach & Mentor
Presbyterian Church (PCUSA),
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary &
Center for Progressive Renewal
Projects and Work
Creation Lab
Creation Lab is a not-for-profit visual arts and incubator space that lives at the intersection of art, spirituality, and prophetic imagination. It is both a physical co-working studio space that offers retreats, workshops, facilitated spiritual and arts inquiry and community events as well as an online gathering space that curates collaborative brainstorming, learning communities and justice-centered art initiatives for Church leaders.
McCormick Seminary
I teach Reflections on the Practice of Ministry, and I collaborate with other staff and faculty to build networks of congregational and non-for-profit partners to serve as Field Placement sites and other Experiential Education opportunities for students. I also facilitate student placement and resource faculty in integrating Experiential Education in the classroom.
Coaching for New Worshiping Communities
One-on-one leadership and organizing pastor coaching, small group facilitation and teaching community development and principals of community organizing.
Friendship Presbyterian Church
First installed pastor of new/merged creative and risk-taking congregation in Norwood Park neighborhood on the Northwest side of Chicago. Responsible for supervising both ordained and non-ordained staff, designing creative worship, preaching, visioning, outreach, community development and organizing.
The Night Ministry
The Night Ministry is a Chicago faith-based NFP working to provide folks experiencing homelessness with housing, healthcare and human connection. I serve on the Board Governance and Development Committees.
Professional & Theological Artist
This is a sample list of my work as an artist; most of my projects include a spiritual component. Most often I collaborate with churches and not-for-profit organizations in order to help tell their story, to raise awareness about their mission or projects or to promote justice, antiracism and equity.
Paint live-action paintings in real time for conferences, congregations, festivals and storytelling events.
Organize and lead community art projects with communities who are re-visioning or beginning a new phase of their lives together.
Build liturgical and theological installations with and/or for worshiping communities and organizations.
Offer instruction through workshops and retreats on using imagination and visual art as a tool for worship, meditation, therapy and leadership development.
Mediate support groups for individuals and their families living with Early Onset Alzheimer’s disease through identifying and creating images that describe their experiences and tell their stories.
Retreats, Workshops, and Conferences
Arts Director at Wild Goose Festival, working to integrate visual arts expression across the festival as well as curating a maker-space and events tent where speakers and facilitators grapple with the intersections of justice-making, spirituality and art.
Curated Worship including the liturgy, music and liturgical arts installation at the NEXT Church Gathering in Chicago and have continued to curate creative maker-spaces at NEXT Church gatherings that provide opportunity for spiritual nourishment and reflection.
Served as Artist in Residency of the Synod of Lincoln Trails, offering worship/art support 2016 - 2017.
Painting Exodus: McCormick Days and D.Min. lecture at McCormick Theological Seminary (Chicago, IL)
Keynote Speaker, Synod of Lakes and Prairies Youth Gathering 2017 and 2018
Conference Artist and Co-creator, MOPAM Annual Music and Worship Conference, Mo Ranch, TX 2018
Live Painting as Worship & Practice: Christianity 21 (JoPa Productions) (Minneapolis, MN)
Visual Art in Dialogue With Story: Interface Story-telling Event with Chicago Storytellers: This Much Is True (Chicago, IL)
Available for
Comment/
Consultation on
Integrating visual arts into the life of your congregation or organization
Dynamic, Creative Worship
Organizing New/Emerging Worship Communities
Creative use of space/place
Church Redevelopment & Revitalization
Community Partnering & Organizing
Building resilient & celebratory spaces for LGBTQIA+ Communities
Artwork
Curated at
Art for God’s Sake
Work Appears In
Too Soon to Forget: The Journey of Younger Onset Alzheimer’s Disease (documentary film)
As well as: Presbyterians Outlook, Christianity Today, Call To Worship, Horizon Magazine, PLGRM, and The Christian Century.
Writings
“Worshiping a Creative God” in The Presbyterian Outlook [READ]
“Christianity Needs Creative Outlets to Fail and Learn” for Christianity Today [READ]
Cultivated Ministries for NEXT Church [READ]
Sermons available here
Writing and Liturgies here
Connect
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