Rev. Priscilla Austin

Rev. Priscilla Paris-Austin (she/her) is pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle, a congregation that takes seriously their calling to be a Sanctuary that is Open and Affirming of all persons of every gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, ability, age and status, while aspiring to be AntiRacist, knowing it’s a journey not a destination. As a mom of 3 amazing humans and in partnership with her spouse of 20+ years, she lives into her call to justice and love by serving on leadership teams for Diversity, Youth Ministry and the arts throughout the ELCA, as well as with regional ecumenical partners and within her children’s school.

Additional Resources:

• Discussion Questions

Additional Resources:

• Discussion Questions

Rev. Misael Fajarado Perez

We know this name and face! Rev. Misael Farjarado Perez (he/his) served in our synod first as an Intern Pastor and then as the Mission Developer for the Wenatchee Valley Lutheran Latino Ministry. Originally from Mexico City, Misael came to the United States when he was 18 years old. He attended Trinity Lutheran College, Issaquah, WA. After graduation, he was called to work with young people in the multicultural context of Yakima, WA at Tree of Life Lutheran. He went on to earn his Masters of Divinity from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, CA, graduating in May, 2013 with a concentration on evangelism and justice. Currently, Rev. Misael serves in the ELCA’s Pacifica Synod with St. Peter Lutheran / Iglesia Luterana San Pedro in Santa Ana, California.

Rev. Nicolette Peñaranda

Rev. Nicolette Peñaranda (she/her) serves as the pastor of First Lutheran Church of the Trinity (Chicago). She brings to her role a wealth of knowledge and experience: in addition to her Masters of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, she has a Masters in Business Administration! Before coming to Chicago, Nicolette served as a Horizon International Intern at Iglesia San Lucas in Grand Bourg, Argentina. Outside of parish ministry, Nicolette is a community organizer and a political candidate for city council in her community. She is the creator and facilitator of MONadvocacy, an adaptation of “Monopoly” designed to explore the intersection of race, class, and policy. This tool has been utilized by bishops, clergy, lay folk, adults and youth, and folks of various social backgrounds and featured at major ELCA events.

Additional Resources:

• Discussion Questions

Additional Resources:

• Discussion Questions

• Psalm 139 - Seen and Known

Francisco Herrera
Ph.D. candidate, Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago

Francisco Herrera (he/him/mother) left a life in classical music (viola, orchestra conducting) to begin divinity studies at Chicago Theological Seminary, (MDiv 2012). Since beginning his PhD work at LSTC he has exercised his Christian agitation skills as a seminary instructor at LSTC and the Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest, co-founded the collective #decolonizeLutheranism, written for 1517 Media and Sojourners Magazine, and is currently knee-deep in preparing a dissertation on intersectionality and church planting. Other than that, polymath and scatterbrain that he is, Francisco blogs at loveasrevolution.blogspot.com, tweets at @PolyglotEvangel, and raises money in the name of Jesus.

Rev. Kara Skatrud Baylor

Rev. Kara Baylor (she/her) serves as the campus pastor for Carthage College, a small college founded by Lutheran pioneers in 1847 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, bringing to her position more than 20 years of experience in youth ministry from her work with congregations in Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota. Her new blog, #pissedoffpastor, is the exact opposite of who Rev. Kara Baylor has been in her first twenty years of ministry. While she still recognizes times where being a calm and peaceful presence is a good thing, she is also seeing the need for fire –to comfort and warm the lives of those who are afflicted, to inspire movement and change for those who are comfortable, to light the way for the transformations we need as individual Christians and as church together.

Additional Resources:

• Discussion Questions

Rev. Tuhina Verma Rasche

Rev. Tuhina Verma Rasche (she/her) has a complicated relationship with Jesus. She lives a hyphenated life as a second-generation Indian-American raised in a devout Hindu household and often finds herself in liminal spaces. She is an ordained minister of Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and currently serves as the Minister of Small Groups at University AME Zion Church in Palo Alto, CA. Tuhina is also the Young Adult Coordinator for Arts | Religion | Culture. She is a sought after speaker and writer, recently speaking at the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering.

Kelly Sherman-Conroy
Ph.D. candidate, Luther Seminary

As a proud member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Kelly (she/her) is a Native American Theologian who has grounded her life in the Holy Spirit and the deep spiritual practices intertwined between her Lakota identity and Christian beliefs. As she pursues her PhD at Luther Seminary, she also serves as the Minister of Social Justice & Advocacy for CYF Ministries at Nativity Lutheran Church in Minnesota.

Additional Resources

• Discussion Questions

Additional resources

• Full Service

• Bulletin

Rev. Lamont Wells

Rev. Lamont Wells (he/him) is the program director for LuMin/Campus Ministry in the ELCA, which is a network of inclusive faith communities celebrating God’s love and grace on and near 240 college and university campuses. He is also the president of the African Descent Lutheran Association, which aims to engage, involve and invest in the gifts, interests and capacity of people of African descent in every aspect of the life of the ELCA.