Contributors

Jennifer Ohman-Rodriguez recently graduated from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota with a Master of Divinity degree. During the height of the pandemic, she served as Vicar and sole pastoral presence to the congregation of St. Andrew Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Currently, Ohman-Rodriguez is in the first call process in Word and…

Patrick B. Reyes, Ph.D., is the bestselling and award-winning author of The Purpose Gap: Empowering Communities of Color to Find Meaning and Thrive and Nobody Cries When We Die: God, Community, and Surviving to Adulthood. Learn more at patrickbreyes.com.

Daisy Mendoza is a 2022 high school graduate of Johnson Senior High School in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Melanie Heuiser Hill is an ELCA pastor and writer. She is a tireless advocate for the rhythm and wonders of the garden, the liturgical seasons in general, and Advent in particular. You can visit her website at MelanieHeuiserHill.com.

Sarah Hinlicky Wilson is Associate Pastor at Tokyo Lutheran Church in Japan, where she lives with her husband and son. She co-hosts a theology podcast, “Queen of the Sciences: Conversations between a Theologian and Her Dad,” with Paul R. Hinlicky, who is (you guessed it) her dad. Check out her e-newsletter “Theology & a Recipe”…

Pastor Eric Johnson lives in Lake Orion, MI, where he serves as pastor/redeveloper of King of Kings Lutheran Church. He is the author of the forthcoming book Provoke Life: How You Can Help Jesus Change The World (coming December 2022). His great loves are Jesus, his wife Laura, his daughters Emma and Leah, and Ohio…

Dr. Kelly Sherman-Conroy, a proud member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is a dynamic storyteller, poet, lover of all forms of art, dedicated mom, and scholar. As the first Native woman to earn a PhD in theology within the ELCA, she offers a groundbreaking blend of Indigenous spirituality and Christian teachings, opening paths to healing…

Bethany Ringdal is learning to live a Jesus-shaped life of hospitality and solidarity among global neighbors. She ministers with the International Association for Refugees’ Minneapolis/St. Paul team, shares community with asylum seeking refugees at Jonathan House and labors alongside the Minnesota Asylum Network. She lives with three generations in Crystal, MN, where her greatest aspiration…

Ross Murray is a Vice President at the GLAAD Media Institute and has secured national media interest in stories that bring examples of LGBTQ equality across diverse communities in America. Ross is also a founder and director of The Naming Project, a faith-based camp for LGBTQ youth and their allies and a producer for the…

Kimberly Knowle-Zeller is a writer, pastor, wife, mother of two, and the co-author of The Beauty of Motherhood: Grace-Filled Devotions for the Early Years (Morehouse Publishing, March 2023). She lives with her family in Cole Camp, Missouri. When she’s not at the park with her children, walking around town, or tending to the garden, you…

Terry Stokes is the Associate Pastor of Youth and Community Engagement at the Reformed Church of Highland Park, New Jersey.

Kristal Frazier is the CEO of FundJoy LLC and a Multi-Million Dollar Fundraiser. Kristal is the Founder of the Assertive Askâ„¢ Fundraising System, used by licensed trainers, organizations, and universities to help programs fund, sustain, and grow. Kristal can be reached at kristal@fundjoy.org or at her website www.kristalfrazier.com.

Christian Muellerleile is a Farmer Pastor who serves as Food Faith + Farm Manager at Good Courage Farm, an emerging agrarian ministry near Huchinson, MN. He also works alongside his friends at Prairie Drifter Farm CSA, Jomas Hill Vineyard, and enjoys helping with longer term pulpit supply in the Crow River Conference of the SWMN…

Kari Alice Olsen is a Deacon in the ELCA. She currently serves as the Director and Mission Developer of Shobi’s Table. Her favorite thing to do in the kitchen is open the refrigerator and make up a new meal with whatever is there. She lives in St Paul, MN with her beautiful baby daughter and…

Rev. Corinne Freedman Ellis is a United Church of Christ minister serving as Clergy Expansion Organizer with ISAIAH/Faith in Minnesota. She is passionate about co-creating a better future and is inspired in that work by her children, 3-year-old Phoebe and 4-month-old Ori.