I am a bi-vocational solo pastor of a multi-cultural Presbyterian congregation. I am a wife, a daughter, and a sister. I am a bicycle commuter (when the weather is nice), a hiker and camper (when the bugs aren’t too bad), and a runner (when the hills aren’t too high). I am Rev., M.Div., and INTP. As a new resident of Massachusetts, I am realizing that I am (more than I might like to admit) a displaced Southerner.
My congregation is the Eliot Presbyterian Church in downtown Lowell, Massachusetts. We are made up of people from Cambodia, Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Brazil, the United States, and more. On a Sunday morning you might find 100 people in our 150-year-old sanctuary. On Pentecost, I had no trouble finding seven people to read the Bible in seven languages – though we use English as our common tongue. We enjoy fellowship across our cultural groups and are working to make sure our diversity reaches deep into the structures and systems of the church.
I run a small travel business, Progressive Pilgrimage, to provide global travel opportunities that stimulate the mind, enrich the spirit, and build relationships among people of different religions and cultures. Our trips to places like the Holy Land have a distinctly Protestant spirituality and a commitment to intellectual integrity. I love watching travelers encounter the stories of Scripture or history with new geographic authenticity. I also love witnessing men and women from different cultures encounter one another and share their stories. I am learning what it means to write a business plan, buy liability insurance, and balance two vocations.