Rev. Dr. Pat Langlois
Rev. Pat comes to us with a wealth of experience from a variety of settings. Raised Catholic, she joined Metropolitan Community Church of Stockton when she was nineteen and life has never been the same since. In Stockton, she served on the board as treasurer and vice moderator for eight years. After that she was a member of MCC’s in Santa Cruz, California (where she started to study for the ministry), then to MCC’s in Concord, San Jose and then San Francisco. From San Francisco, where she served as an assistant pastor, she stepped into her first senior pastor position in Albuquerque, New Mexico, pastoring Emmanuel MCC, a social justice-oriented, interfaith congregation that believed in being the “Hands and Feet of Christ in the World” inviting people to “Come as you are.” These two mottoes are now integral parts of Rev. Pat’s ministry. Leaving the Land of Enchantment after serving there for seven years, she came to Los Angeles where she served as the Minister of Congregational Life at MCC Los Angeles/Founders MCC. During her twelve-year tenure there, she was responsible for volunteers and ministries/programs. At one time there were over 140 volunteers reaching out through 40 ministries! Leaving there in January, 2015, she had been a member at Woodland Hills Community Church (a United Church of Christ) where she was a member and assisted in special projects.
Rev. Pat has worked in churches as small as 10 to as large as 500. She is passionate about living our faith in all that we do. While ministries are outflows of the presence of God in our lives, she believes we must first have a firm foundation from which to serve. Her goal is to ensure that relationships are strong and healthy…first with God, then ourselves and then with one another. Her focus during her first year with us was to guide us through the many emotions we had during a time of transition. She facilitated us to remember who we have been, and more importantly who we will become.
She is strong believer in “Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing”…in other words, in all that we do, let’s keep our eyes and hearts centered in God/Goddess/Spirit/Christ.
She is a compassionate listener; an enthusiastic organizer; a teacher; and an engaging preacher. Her goal in worship is that all who enter leave transformed…even if that means they went from a bad mood to a smile on one’s face when they leave!
Her ministry began during the height of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the Eighties which deepened her compassion and understanding of those in the midst of life and death. She has fought in the streets and in legislatures for fairness and equality for the GLBT community as well as for immigration and other justice issues. She has sat with those of completely different theological perspectives to be able to find some common ground of understanding. She has prayed with, celebrated with, and grieved with countless individuals as well as communities who have journeyed through triumphs and losses.
As a doctoral graduate of the University of Creation Spirituality (Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox), and as the Co-President of the Los Angeles Queer Interfaith Clergy Council, she is quite comfortable with all faith traditions. She is well-versed in ecumenical ventures.
Her life and her ministry has been enhanced by her teenager, reminding her that we must always live in the present, in the now…and when we do, we can find God.
