General Introduction: My journey to Christ Church Cranbrook took me through a childhood in the Christian Reformed Church, where for six years I was a missionary kid in Monrovia, Liberia, and then through early adulthood into the RCIA and the Roman Catholic Church as a wife and mother, until reaching the Episcopal Church. The last eight years had been especially challenging with the increasingly divisive discourse on sensitive issues affecting our loved ones. When our family decided we were ready to go back to “in-person” worship in February 2023, we chose to begin attending CCC. The wonderful Christ Church 101 classes helped us to feel so comfortable in this community of fellow searchers. I was accepted into the Episcopal Church by Bishop Bonnie in June, and we have enjoyed putting down roots in this welcoming space. I live in Bloomfield Hills with my husband Mark and our three children, with only one left home full-time. I have a degree from Calvin University in nursing and I spent my career as a labor and delivery and then perinatal office nurse. In 2011, I began a leadership role in an in depth bible study class in Birmingham and eventually co-led that class with Katy Knoer- who introduced us to CCC! I now divide my time between substitute teaching in the West Bloomfield School District and occasional school nursing while volunteering with CARE of Oakland County. In my personal time, I am an avid podcast listener, theater enjoyer, and I love travel and outdoor activities around Lake Michigan in the summers. CCC Participation: Member of Mission & Outreach Committee Cedarbrook Chaplain Sunday School substitute teacher Volunteer at VBS, CCC Pride Booth, Lighthouse, Sandwich Ministry, and Church Offices CCC Mission: Throughout my life, my Christian faith has been identified less by a specific denomination and more by the way my family approached their commitment to lives that reflect Jesus’ task to love our neighbors. I found a way to live in service to others in whatever faith community I’ve been a part of, but as time went on, it became increasingly difficult. In one of our first Christ Church 101 sessions, we were encouraged to share something we treasured from our previous traditions and what may have brought us to CCC. The thoughtful answers we shared laid a foundation that I have found consistent through our regular attendance and participation: Christ Church Cranbrook is a place where you can ask questions, where all are truly welcome, and where service to others is reflected in all manner of ways. It would be my joy to serve to further the vision of this church, a place where I can fully be myself in its pews.