My Journey

My path to ordained ministry

I first encountered this Gospel as a student at Kenyon College when I began to study Liberation Theology as articulated by the great Latin American theologian Gustavo Gutierrez. Until this point, I had lived a mostly secular life. Liberation Theology, and those who gave their lives in pursuit of the Gospel--Oscar Romero, Camilo Torres Restrepo, the martyrs of the UCA massacre in El Salvador,  and many others, filled me with a passion and conviction to follow in their footsteps and dedicate my life to solidarity and justice for the poor. This strong sense of calling led me to sign up as a Union Organizer with the Service Employees International Union. I worked for the Union for five years, organizing low-wage workers across the country to stand up and fight for a better life for themselves, their families, and all working people. During this time, the ethics of Liberation Theology and the example of Jesus formed the bedrock of my personal spirituality. These same convictions and desire to follow Jesus were also the deepest motivations surrounding my decision to pursue pastoral ministry. I obtained my Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. During that time I discovered a faith home in the United Church of Christ through my formation at Park Avenue Christian Church and also my first call to ordained ministry at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Since then, I have joined Fort Washington Collegiate Church, where I serve as the Associate Minister for Congregational Life. I remain committed to building the church at the intersection of social justice activism and pastoral ministry.