Statement of Faith

I am a Christian Friend; I believe in an engaged and merciful God who revealed God’s self to us through the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe the Holy Spirit continuously reveals the Divine to us in worship and prayer, in everyday activities, and in moments both large and small. I believe we can experience this love in every breath, movement, and thought when we are open to the Eternal’s leadings. 

I understand God to be at work in the world through the good works of sincere, righteous, and oftentimes flawed people.

Call to Ministry

My call to ministry is to work in the world. I am engaged, resilient, introspective, and critically aware. The joys and pains of life deepen my faith in ways that give glory to God and creation. It sets my heart on fire with the flow of the universe.

I feel led to a ministry of caring for communities and people in small but impactful ways, and to better recognize openings that bring me closer and closer to God. I do not have grand plans to make large changes in the world. I came to ESR with an initial plan to focus on pastoral and spiritual care, but with the knowledge and acceptance that time and circumstances might change that call to congregational or other ministry. I will go where God leads.

I first experienced Quaker worship in the unprogrammed tradition, but I grew up in a religious tradition that emphasized the public reading of sacred Scripture and music as essential forms of worship. I think of worship in semi-programmed meetings as reflecting the Christian Friends’ practices and traditions of expectant worship, preaching, and Scripture that speak to the needs of a diverse congregation in a deliberate, structured, and thoughtful way. Silent worship is sacred, and so is the experience of pattern and ritual.

Spiritual Background

I grew up in a progressive post-Vatican II Catholic family and church. Good Shepherd Parish in Alexandria, VA, demonstrated a commitment to spiritual development and education, thoughtful ritual, and community engagement and support. Good Shepherd provided the foundation of my Catholic faith, but high school had the most decisive influence on my early spiritual formation.

My parents found a way to send me and my siblings to a local Catholic high school run by the Oblates of St. Francis DeSales. They modeled tolerance, tenderness, and sincere faith to me. The courses I took in the religion department strongly influenced my decision to major in philosophy in college.

As a Boy Scout, I learned reverence for the Earth and its resources. I belonged to a secular troop sponsored by the nearby Army post, so our religious services on campouts and trips were typically nondenominational. Worshipping in spaces other than church buildings reinforced the idea that any space could be holy.

I studied philosophy in the Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University. My classroom study was grounded in epistemology, ethics, and the philosophy of science. Outside of the classroom or tutorial, I was drawn to the work of United Campus Ministry, a United Church of Christ organization that served marginalized communities and emphasized faith in action. UCM was a place of social support, opportunities for community service, and public witness to faith.

After college, I became a spiritual humanist, but I remained unattached to a formal faith community or practice. I adopted a Stoic philosophy in personal and professional life. I sought to discern what I controlled or influenced, what I had a partial say in, and what fell in the larger bucket of things over which I had no influence. I cultivated the personal values of wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice. 

In time, I became a Seeker. I had long been a reader of mysticism in general and Quakerism in particular, and realized the consistency of its practices and theology with my personal values. I approached the local Friends meeting in Albany, NY, and found a spiritual home. I served as treasurer, a member of the trustees committee, and eventually became a formal member.

In Huntsville, AL, I attended the Friends Meeting and had the opportunity to engage with the Interfaith Mission Service during my final months in the area. It has focused my interest in ecumenism and interfaith harmony.

I left the FBI because the incongruity between my professional and faith lives was rending me. I read and struggled with Parker Palmer’s book A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey to an Undivided Life. I yielded and submitted to the leading to seminary and ministry. 

Earlham School of Religion’s focus on experiential learning, seminars, traditional study, and the opportunity to build relationships with faculty and staff drew me in. It clicks with my learning style. I was humbled and honored to be a Cooper scholar.