I am truly humbled to have received the endorsement of the LGBTQ+ Caucus for President of the House of Deputies. The LGBTQ+ Caucus is doing incredible work for this 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church and I encourage you to check out their website.

On July 1, I hosted a casual Meet the Candidate Zoom Meeting. For those who could not make it to the meeting, a recording is available.

Note: For those who could not make it, a recording of the July 1 “Meet the Candidate” Zoom is available here. Hello fellow deputies, I hope this letter finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. Like many of you, I have begun thinking about what to expect and what to pack as we…

Each candidate for President of the House of Deputies and Vice President of the House of Deputies was invited to fill out a candidate survey. My answers are below: 1. Briefly describe your experience in church governance. I am grateful to have had experience serving in various levels of governance throughout the church. You can…

It’s an honor to have been nominated and accepted into the Gathering of Leaders first-ever Lay Leader Pilot Gathering. Like so many institutions across our church, the Gathering of Leaders is implementing new and creative programs to reach leaders that we do not typically focus on in our trainings, such as lay leaders, clergy of…

Thank you Presiding Bishop, Presiding Bishop Curry, President Jennings, Canon Barlowe, Fellow Council Members, Episcopal Church Staff and guests. As always, I will begin my report by thanking my fellow members of Mission Within. I appreciate their passion, expertise, and commitment as we went about our committee work during this extended triennium. Mission Within members…

Thank you Presiding Bishop, Presiding Bishop Curry, President Jennings, Canon Barlowe, Fellow Council Members, Episcopal Church Staff and guests. You will note that three resolutions have been placed on the consent calendar. MW053 pertains to the United Thank Offering ‘s upcoming criteria. Their three-year focus is on addressing the worldwide incarceration crisis. The 2023-2025 UTO…

Thank you Presiding Bishop, Presiding Bishop Curry, President Jennings, Canon Barlowe, Fellow Council Members, Episcopal Church Staff and guests. You will note that the resolution MW049 has been placed on the consent calendar. This resolution pertains to The Becoming Beloved Community Grants that have the focus on responding to Hatred Against the Asian American Pacific…

Executive Council | June, 2021 In this plenary session we will break out in small groups and be led by a facilitator, who is also an executive council member, through a series of reflection questions. The facilitators’ role is not to lead necessarily but to ensure that the conversation is flowing. Naturally, during this time…

Thank you Presiding Bishop, Presiding Bishop Curry, President Jennings, Fellow Council Members, Episcopal Church Staff and guests. You will note that all five of our resolutions have been placed on the consent calendar. These five resolutions pertain to important work that our church is doing through various grant processes and I hope that you will…

You will note that three of our resolutions have been placed on the consent calendar. All three resolutions pertain to important work that our church is doing through various grant processes. MW037 pertains to the disbursement of over $180,000 from the Roanridge Trust grant funds toward several inspiring projects. MW038 contains grant recommendations from the…

Thank you Presiding Bishop Curry, President Jennings, Fellow Council Members, Episcopal Church Staff and guests. You will note that three of our resolutions have been placed on the consent calendar. All three resolutions pertain to important work that our church is doing through various grant processes. MW033 pertains to the disbursement of over $133,000 toward…

This reflection was written as part of the Way of Love’s 2020 #AdventWord series To BLESS is the act of honoring the divine in the other. Sometimes it is as simple as yielding your place in line to someone at the grocery store. Other times it takes a more sacramental approach. When blessing others, in…

Thank you Presiding Bishop Curry, President Jennings, Fellow Council Members, Episcopal Church Staff and guests. Everyday, but most especially today, Indigenous People’s Day, I honor those whose lands I am reporting from. The land on which I reside in central Oklahoma was the traditional home of the Caddo Nation and the Wichita Tribes. This territory…

This reflection was included in The Episcopal Church’s Sermons that Work” bulletin inserts. October 11, 2020 – Pentecost 19 (A) Requested Topic: The U.S. Election and Voting Today’s reading from Exodus is a familiar one, but each time I read the passage I find something new to meditate on. Here we find the Israelites out…

Thank you Presiding Bishop Curry, President Jennings, Fellow Council Members, Episcopal Church Staff and guests. I am honored to have been appointed Chair of Mission Within the Episcopal Church. I never would have guessed that my first meeting as chair would be conducted under these circumstances. I want to start off by thanking the members…

When I received the email asking me to deliver today’s sermon, I was at a café with a bright teenage girl from my church’s youth group, helping her write her first sermon. I had just said to her, “You’ve been listening to sermons your whole life and you already know what they’re like. So, don’t…

This reflection was part of a Lenten series of reflections, essays, and meditations on sexual harassment and exploitation in the church published on the House of Deputies website. My #metoo Lenten reflection begins before I became Episcopalian. My father is from Mexico and my mother is European-American. I was raised by my mother’s family, a…

This reflection was part of the Good Book Club program. Acts 10:17 – 13:12 Can you imagine it? Word of the events at Cornelius’ home get back to the Church in Jerusalem and the believers are shocked and angry with Peter. How could he possibly include those Gentiles in their community? ‘The Holy Spirit is…

The Acts 8 Movement asked the following question to Episcopal Church Executive Council nominees running for election this General Convention. “How will you share your love of Jesus inside and outside the church, and how must the church change in order to be more effective at proclaiming resurrection?” Below is my response. I am inspired…