I am a father of two young children who keep me young in spirit and are my greatest inspiration to address my deep concern what kind of world they and their children will inherit.
I have lived in the Chicago area since 2003. I moved from the Seattle area to serve Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Oak Park as their lead minister. My 18 years with this inspiring congregation was a wild ride that included a quickly expanding congregation, the development of social justice ministries, and the restoration of their iconic building, and the building of the Unity Temple Community Center.
For me, it is so much more important to address questions like
“How shall we live?”
“What do we love?”
“How do we bring forth and act on what we love?”
rather than “What do you believe?” I have put my life in the service of cultivating community around these questions about what we commonly love and value. For what ultimately binds us together, in my experience, is not any creed or doctrine but the promises and agreements we make with one another, whether explicitly or implicitly.
In 2011, I awakened to the power of faith-based community organizing. I discovered that at the heart of justice-seeking and justice-making work is ordinary people getting to know and gathering with one another. While ministry is ultimately about transforming one heart at a time, community organizing is bringing those transformed hearts together. So many feel powerless—and we are when we’re isolated. However finding common cause with others allows for the building of a relational network that has the power to influence the making of real change.
My life-partner, Angelica, is a fabulous mom and strategic planner. She is from Mexico and our hearts break for the current violence, corruption, and human rights abuses throughout the globe. She has a MBA from Lausanne, Switzerland, and was educated in the intersection of business and social impact. She’s the secret of my success and my journey has been made possible by our life journey together.
I grew up in Bakersfield, California, attended Pomona College where I majored in religion, then worked with abused children for four years. Between positions working with abused children, I took a 7 month trip to India to explore traditions that bring Hindus and Muslims together. I discovered my calling to ministry at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland where I found a depth spirituality coupled with a commitment to social justice. For the first time spiritually and religiously, I was home.
For seminary, I attended Starr King for the Ministry at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. I have worked as a Chaplain on the AIDS Ministry Team at San Francisco General Hospital, an Interim Minister and First Church Unitarian in Littleton, MA, and served the Woodinville Unitarian Universalist Church in the Seattle area on their journey to fund and build their beautiful worship home.
Here in the Chicago area, I co-founded Prevail, now a part of Housing Forward, providing emergency assistance and job training to people in need. I participate actively with Community Renewal Society, Faith in Place, and several other advocacy organizations. As the president of the Community of Congregations, I fostered multi-faith participation in fostering relationships across Austin Blvd that separates Oak Park and Chicago’s west side as well as Oak Park’s development of the first truly inclusive sanctuary city ordinance in the nation, now an exemplary template for other municipalities to consider.
I provide support to leaders and people of compassion to stay connected to their core values, which includes taking care of or our bodies, minds, and spirits.
In the service of my own self care, I regularly enjoy racquetball, yoga, cooking, walking, and reading historical fiction and an occasional mystery novel.