Ministry

“God, rest in my heart and fortify me, take away my hunger for answers, let the hours play upon my body like the hands of my beloved.” – Mary Oliver, “Sometimes” from Red Bird
flower in vase

Theology

All my paths converged when I answered the call to ministry and applied to seminary. I’m a writer, teacher, and a seeker of social justice. I see the world through the lens of panentheism. That means, my theological understanding is that God is the source of all love, and it is both greater than what we can comprehend and as clear as the sound of our own pulse. The manifestation of what is holy is evident in everything we experience.

I use the word “God” interchangeable for the Divine, the Spirit of Life, and the Great Mystery. I use it because I have spent so many years praying to that name, and it feels familiar to me. I walked a solitarian Wiccan path as a younger adult so during my own spiritual practice, I continue to cast my pagan circles and light candles prior to meditation and prayer. I call in my guides, pull insight from my tarot decks, and I contemplate a large variety of poetry. I study the Sufi interpretation of the Ninety-Nine names of Allah, which I find deeply rich and stirring to my spirit. I welcome both theological study and mysticism into my continued practices and those I share with others.

Unitarian Universalism has become the container that holds my spiritual practices and continual religious curiosity. What drew me to Unitarian Universalism is that while I didn’t have a set religion, I very much had my own spiritual covenant with the Divine. I recognized within this religious home I could explore my panentheistic theology and the multireligiosity I longed for. After only one visit to First Unitarian Universalist Church in Portland, Oregon, I knew I’d found a home for myself and my family. We became members in 2008 and in over thirteen years, my husband and I volunteered in classrooms and pageants, and I volunteered as the Usher Coordinator, with the Adult Programs Committee and on the Transitions Committee.

Currently, I am the Staff Chaplain at Inova Loudoun Hospital. I am grateful my ministry led me in this direction so I can engage my multireligiosity in the clinical setting. My chaplain supervisor said, “God is already in the room. We must simply connect.” With that invitation, I continue to fulfill my call to ministry.

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