Passionate about transformative Justice for all.
Rachael (they/them) is a Queer Practical Theologian and LGBTQ+ activist. Rachael has founded several movements devoted to transformation of queer bodies such as, Bible Queery, Atlanta LGBTQIA+ History Project, how To Be Human Podcast & more.
They believe in the cyclical nature of life & death and infinite possibilities for transformation within our shared unique imprint of the Imago Dei. Rachael approaches care through the lens of activism, pastoral presence and queer scholarship. They ground their work within ministry, activism, and scholarship through adrienne maree brown’s "Emergent Strategy:
Rachael looks toward care of self and others through a soil metaphor that derives from scriptural “dust to dust” mentality:
Reducing Tillage and Soil Traffic - Intellectual Self-Care:
“Mindful tilling promotes life” - Daily Writing
Increase Organic Matter - Missional Self-Care:
Clarissa Pinkola Estés writes, “one is supposed to get to one’s feet and go in search of what one belongs to.” - Spiritual Direction Mentor
Use Cover Crops - Spiritual Self-Care:
“Setting an intention that is practical” - Keeping Sabbath
Toxins & Provide Habitat for Organisms: Emotional Self-Care:
“Soil needs an entire ecosystem to keep it thriving; an embodied effort to keep beneficial organisms alive.” - Therapy
Rotate Crops - Physical Self-Care:
“Rotating crops in the soil helps break up disease and manages weeds.” - Biking & hiking
Manage Nutrients: Relational Self-Care:
“Soil needs intentionally planned care of relational components that help create a bed for thriving plant growth.” - Circle of Close Friends
Belief
I believe in the divine dance. I believe in the power of choice which invites the mystic nature of the Trinity – God, Holy Spirit, and Christ’s - compassionate grace to create home for all.
I believe in uncertainty. I believe in the power of doubt in the face of God’s intervening, the Holy Spirit’s prompts, and the compassion of Christ’s guidance.
I believe in Christ’s ministry which embraces the poor, the captive, the marginalized, the forgotten, the other, and the world as whole for the sake of flourishing.
I believe in God’s shalom with and for one another.
I believe in the table that offers sustenance. I believe in the welcoming, nourishing, and open table that belongs to God and all who wish to rest, eat, and drink from it.
I believe in the dirt that Adam coughed up in their first breaths. I believe in the humility of knowing from which you came and remembering those origins in time, action, and redemption.
I believe in the holy Church and its first eucharist. A meal of divine dance where Christ broke bread and poured wine, which became our gatherings of worship. I believe in our bodies of which God blessed and called “good.”
I believe in God as incarnate, who meets creation where they dwell to resound in quotidian moments to speak over “I am God” whom loves you. I believe in the divine dance.
Statement of Faith
Adapted from the United Church of Christ’s Book of Worship - UCC Statement of Faith in the form of a doxology (p. 514)
We believe in you, O God, Eternal Spirit,
God of our Savior Jesus Christ and our God, and to your deeds we testify:
You call the worlds into being from the watery deep chaos and create persons in your own divine image from the ground, and set before each one the ways of life and death.
You seek the holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin.
You judge people and nations by your righteous will and grace declared through the prophets and apostles.
In Jesus Christ, a brown Palestinian Jew of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Savior,
you have come to us and shared our common lot,
conquering sin and death
and reconciling the world to yourself.
You bestow upon us your Holy Spirit,
creating and renewing the church of Jesus Christ,
binding in covenant faithful people of all ages,
tongues, races, sexuality, and gender diverse experiences.
You call us into your church
to to accept the cost and joy of discipleship,
to be your servants in the service of others,
to proclaim the gospel to all the world
and resist the powers of evil,
to share in Christ’s baptism and eat at his table,
to join him in his passion and victory.
You promise to all who trust you
forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace,
courage in the struggle for justice and peace,
your presence in trial and rejoicing,
and eternal life in your realm which has no end.
Blessing and honor, glory and power unto you.
Amen.
Art by Meg Roe
Being in relationship With God & Each Other
Since childhood I’ve been passionately interested in caring for and caring with others. I knew that God was in the midst of this care and my call inward and outward to be a blessing to one another. My fascination with humanity, I believe, comes from the deep held belief that we are kin to one another from the tehom to the groundling that emerged. My call to be a pastor is not one of prideful indulgence. I desire to be the dirt that is never spoken of yet yields gardens in partnership with others. To be a pastor of the people and the parishes I hope to be called to in my lifetime, is to till the dirt and never forget the nutrients that come from the ground. Thus, it is critical for me to show up to relationships in humanity no matter how difficult to bear witness to our diversity, our pain, our uniqueness, and be able to develop a pastoral sense of where it hurts verses our joy.
For the rest of my life, as God uses it, I hope to be a pastor who holds this tension of our human form in relationship with each other and the divine who created us and called us good.
Art by Kelly Latimore