Devin grew up in a Mennonite Church located just south of the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country. A place where there are more cows and corn than there are people. But being queer in that environment was hard. And it eventually brought him to a point where he just had to get out.
So, he packed up what he could fit in his car, and drove himself across the country!
His first Sunday found him seated in the back of the MCC UCC Valley sanctuary, in spite of the promise he had made to himself that he would never again set foot in a church. . .and he felt at home. He knew the songs that were being sung. He cried happy tears during the sermon, the first in many years, but certainly not the last. He was welcomed with open arms (quite literally, there were as many hugs as he was willing to accept). Thus began his journey of healing and reconnecting with the God of his childhood: the God who welcomes the stranger, feeds the poor, and cares for the sick. The God who loves everyone, regardless of their skin color, sexuality, or religion. The God who healed the sick, without asking or caring if they could pay for it. The God who set up the dominos just so, to bring him to this church, kicking and screaming, that Sunday morning.
So many wonderful people have come into his life because of this church. And, through them, he has been given so many blessings. Now that he is in the place to do so, he is so eager, and honored, to be able to give back to the church that has given him so much.
