Tell us about yourself I graduated from Concordia University Wisconsin with degrees in Interior Design and Business and a minor in Youth Ministry. Since then I have been attempting to find the perfect balance between my love for design, my love for ministry with teenagers and my deep desire to make justice a reality for all people. I am currently pursuing a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Christian Education at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL with a concentration in urban ministry and am seeking ordination in the Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church as a deacon.
What do you do as the Minister of Youth and Families? I spend time with and guide amazing teenagers who are changing the world with compassion and enthusiasm. I also oversee and work with an incredible group of adult volunteers who love spending time with students, teaching, planning mission trips, playing games, distributing scholarships and generally excel at being awesome. When the job is too big for him to handle alone, I serve as Assistant Coffee Maker to Pastor Dan.
What is the best part of your job? It is really hard to pick the best part when you spend your time laughing and helping students create change in their communities. The staff here is stellar - I love working with people who ask difficult questions, are supportive in all areas of my life and challenge me to practice grace and love in everything I do. I am blessed to be surrounded by people who don't roll their eyes when I say "but what if we..." and don't hate me for always questioning the status quo.
What do you think you would be doing right now if God had not called you to be in ministry? I would probably either be designing commercial interiors at an architectural firm or would be doing web design full-time.
What is your favorite movie quote? In the immortal words of The Doors, 'The time to hesitate is through.' -Lucas, Empire Records
What's on your iPod? Randomness. Current favorites include Goldfrapp, Family Force 5, Innocence Mission, Naughty by Nature, Psalters, Old Crow Medicine Show, Stavesacre, Madison Greene, Of Montreal, Mewithoutyou and Sufjan Stevens. Also, NPR. I'm working on breaking a habit that includes starting every sentence with, "I heard this thing on NPR this morning..."
If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Without a doubt, teleportation.
What are you currently reading? I've found myself stuck in Gully by Roger Bonair-Agard for the past couple of months. When it stops haunting me, I'll probably shift my poetry focus back to Pablo Neruda. At school, I'm fully engrossed in the theology of Jurgen Moltmann, longing for a church that embraces and celebrates God's presence in all of creation. On the youth ministry front, I'm reading The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry by Andy Root and Kenda Dean and Lives to Offer: Accompanying Youth on Their Vocational Quests by Dori Grinenko Baker and Joyce Mercer
Your first car? I have very fond memories of the powder blue 1984 Chevy Cavalier station wagon I inherited from my great grandmother when I went to college.