Colors of Hope

Alysha Laperche (they/them) and Rev. Luther Young (he/him) bring a message of hope to conclude another amazing volume of voices hoping in color.

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Learn everything you need to know about the Colors of Hope project here: http://disciplesallianceq.org/colors-of-hope/

Chrissy was raised in the legacy industrial city of Youngstown, Ohio. Chrissy devotes passion for social justice to their union-laborer father and concern for Latin American solidarity to their mother, who found refuge in the US from Medellin, Colombia, during the height of the civil war in the 1980s. Chrissy received a BA in International and Financial Management from Hiram College and an MA/MEd in Higher Education Administration and Counseling from Kent State University.  At Kent, Chrissy worked in Student Affairs, coordinated experiential education, civic engagement and service learning trips, taught Student Development and Leadership courses and served on the staff Sustainability, Equity and Professional Development committees.  While studying at Hiram College, Chrissy helped with the creation of the 501c3 Hiram Farm Living and Learning community for people with autism spectrum disorders, and co-founded the Olive Branch fair trade store at Hiram College.

Learn everything you need to know about the Colors of Hope project here: http://disciplesallianceq.org/colors-of-hope/

Hello! I’m Michael or Marren Jennys (they/she), a Queer, trans, Genderfluid, Enby, Image Bearer!

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Learn everything you need to know about the Colors of Hope project here: http://disciplesallianceq.org/colors-of-hope/

Logan Rozos (he/him) is a 20 year-old actor and gay Black trans man. He made his professional acting debut in 2019 on the Peabody-nominated television drama David Makes Man, and voiced the audiobook of Stonewall Award-nominated author Kacen Callender’s 2020 book Felix Ever After. He was an honoree in Teen Vogue’s inaugural 20 Under 20 Queer Artists and Activists To Watch and a recipient of the 2019 Parity Award for outstanding work by LGBTQ people of faith. He is currently working on a documentary about trans masculinities and mental health called What Will I Become? You can check out Logan on Instagram @loganrozos, his poetry @thedelinquentporpoise, and his documentary @whatwillibecome_doc

Access the transcript here.

Learn everything you need to know about the Colors of Hope project here: http://disciplesallianceq.org/colors-of-hope/

Melissa Guthrie Loy (she/her) is an ordained minister with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) with a passion for ecumenism. Setting a place at the table for all has always been a part of Melissa’s call. Perhaps because she was asked to leave a leadership position in a church when she came out as gay. Perhaps because she and her son were unwelcome in a different church because of his disabilities. Perhaps because she understands God as an embodied God whose image is in every body. She’s intentional about affirming every single body: queer bodies, disabled bodies, everybody.

Access the transcript here.

Learn everything you need to know about the Colors of Hope project here: http://disciplesallianceq.org/colors-of-hope/

William DeShay C. Jackson is a third-year Master of Divinity student, a fourth-generation Disciple of Christ, and is seeking ordination with the Mid-America region of the Christian Church DOC. They earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Culver-Stockton College with an emphasis in piano and voice. Outside of Culver-Stockton, DeShay has performed as a solo and collaborative musician with a host of instrumental and vocal ensembles in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and Texas, providing music at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, LA, Illinois Music Educators Conference, and multiple schools, churches, and homes..

DeShay currently serves as Minister of Music for First Christian Church in Granbury, TX, Vice-President for Brite Black Seminarians, and serves on the Brite Chapel Planning Team. DeShay loves sloths, Jazz, and aspires to a “Womanist Co-Conspirator.”

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Learn everything you need to know about the Colors of Hope project here: http://disciplesallianceq.org/colors-of-hope/

Kyle Miller-Shawnee (he/him)

Kyle Miller-Shawnee is a Disciples of Christ musician, justice advocate, and queer theologue who focuses on the intersection of queer justice and the Hebrew Bible. Kyle is a graduate of Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma and currently serves this institution in educational ministry.

A proud queer man, Kyle also delights in serving as the choirmaster at the Parish Church of St. Jerome, Tulsa’s first and oldest queer-affirming church. Serving in a diverse parish that has recognized the inherent value of queer children of God since its inception in 1996 empowers Kyle to use the theological and community-building skills learned in seminary to listen, engage, and help build a queer, justice-orientated heaven on earth.

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Learn everything you need to know about the Colors of Hope project here: http://disciplesallianceq.org/colors-of-hope/

Nadia Tavera (she/they) is a student of Master of Divinity at Pacific School of Religion in CA.  She has experience working with the LGBTQ+ community in Mexico City since 2007. She comes  from a long Pentecostal tradition in their family. Their Theology looks to decolonize traditional  interpretations of the Bible and provide new ways of liberation for the oppressed (LGBTQ+,  women, poor) based on God's grace and Love. Nadia strongly believes in the Holy Spirit's power  for healing and restoring hearts and bodies and maintaining unity among believers.

Access the transcript here.

Learn everything you need to know about the Colors of Hope project here: http://disciplesallianceq.org/colors-of-hope/

Rev. Sandhya Jha delivers a message about community, proclamation, and courage through the lens of the color Pink and the theme of Sex from the original pride flag by Gilbert Baker.

Sandhya Jha (she/they) serves as Founder and Connections Consultant for the Oakland Peace Center, a collective of 40 organizations working to create equity, access and dignity as the means of creating peace in Oakland and the Bay Area. A queer-identifying ordained pastor with a master's in public policy, Sandhya is comfortable in the pulpit, on the picket line or hanging out with friends and friends-to-be over a good cup of tea and a good story. They serve as an anti-racism trainer in the DOC Northern California-Nevada region.

Access the transcript here.

Learn everything you need to know about the Colors of Hope project here: http://disciplesallianceq.org/colors-of-hope/

For eight weeks, queer leaders of faith have reflected on colors and themes from Gilbert Baker's original Pride flag. This week, we join those voices together with a few new ones in a special culmination episode entitled, "Rainbow". The question is: What does hope look like in our changing landscape? What color is hope?

As our podcast series, "Colors of Hope" comes to a close - we want to emphasize our gratitude for the generosity of those who lifted their voices and shared a message in these past 8 weeks.

Alysha Laperche, Rev. Sophia Jackson, Andy Deeb, Rev. Melissa Guthrie Loy, YaNi Davis, Rev. Luther Young, Rev. Chaim (CJ) Rodriguez, Rev. Allen V. Harris, Nicki Arnold-Swindle, Rev. Marian Edmonds-Allen, and Cameron Van Kooten Laughead.