I have been attending Christ Church Cranbrook, with my husband Jon, since July 2019. I was born and raised Roman Catholic, but in my mid 20’s, I no longer felt welcome. For the next 15 years, I had no religious affiliation and did not attend church. At that point, I did not believe it would be even possible. I still believed in God, but through a spiritual nature. Then, at the urging of a couple of friends, I began attending Metropolitan Community Church of Detroit. The MCC denomination was founded as a church where the LGBTQ+ community would feel welcome. It renewed my faith that there was a place for me in church and that I was a beloved child of God. While there, I served as an usher/welcome ambassador, as well as a member of the hospitality team. I also served one three year term on the Board of Directors. My greatest blessing while attending MCCD was meeting Jon, which proved to be life changing. I attended MCCD for about 15 years, but shortly after my Mom died, I felt this calling to get back to my religious roots. Jon and I had driven by Christ Church Cranbrook many times and wondered what it was like inside. After attending our first service, we met with Fr. Chris for about 30 minutes, and we had the opportunity to meet with Fr. Bill, Pastor Manisha and several parishioners as well. On our way home, Jon and I looked at each other, and wondered what had just happened. Finally, a church home that reminded us so much of our religious upbringing and most importantly, a place where EVERYONE is included and celebrated as a beloved child of God. I have a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Accounting/Computer Science, from Davenport University (formerly known as Detroit College of Business). I currently hold the Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) designation from the Association of Financial Professionals (AFP). I retired about a year and a half ago after serving 22 years as a Senior Treasury Analyst in the Treasurer’s Office at the University of Michigan. The first 10 years, I worked in the Cash Management area, where my primary responsibility, among other things, was to ensure that the University’s operating bank accounts had sufficient funds to meet the daily financial needs of the University. The final 12 years were spent in the Debt Management area, where my primary responsibilities were focused on the issuance of debt, which went towards the construction of buildings on the campus and the subsequent monthly payments made to repay the debt. I also was involved with the monitoring of the liquidity of the University, to ensure funds were available to meet the financial needs of the University on a daily, monthly and yearly basis. Prior to working at the University, I spent 15 years at Amerisure Insurance Companies, where similar responsibilities were performed. This past year, Jon and I celebrated 20 years together and 8 years of being married. Since being retired, much of my time has been spent volunteering at church. Some of my hobbies include: traveling, attending the theatre and symphony, spending time with friends and walking for exercise. I’m a big fan of professional and collegiate sports.