Monica serves as Pastor at First Christian Church of Oakland in Oakland, Ca., Associate Minister at Tapestry Ministries, Disciples of Christ, Christian Church in Berkeley, Ca., and Director of Women’s Ministries in the Christian Church Disciples of Christ in Northern California and Nevada (CCNCN). She is a Transformational Leader Fellow of the Sojourner Truth Leadership Circle of Auburn Seminary in New York, City, NY. Monica is the Founder of Global Prayer Network, Author of Reflections of a Prophet Without Honor – a book of reflections which emerge from her life with God, Authenticity and Imagination in the Face of Oppression – Autobiographical, it addresses gender, race, religion, sexuality, and strategies towards liberation. Monica is also on the Prophetic Council of the Poor People’s Campaign and the board of TransHeartline, a non-profit organization that provides support for transgender people.
Monica’s desire to serve on the Alumnx Council grows out of her experience at PSR, in her transgender community and encountering those who could never imagine a transgender person attending seminary. It is a desire to give back to the PSR community a blessing for the sacred and transformational time experienced in seminary. PSR is uniquely gifted to provide the critical liberative thinking the Religious community needs as they continue to grapple with diversity.
Monica’s lives and ministers at the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, religious, cultural, and political diversity. This is reflected in her dissertation on radically inclusive hospitality in Transitional Living Programs. Monica’s ministry has her in conversation with people from many different walks of life and belief systems. As a black transgender woman who is Director of Women’s Ministry in the CCNCN where most women are white and cisgender she is daily engaged in diversity. She would bring this experience to PSR.
She is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This has been her way of life. Her belief is that meeting the divine is most helped in sacred spaces of diversity, equity, and inclusion. If we long to see the divine, life-giving radical inclusiveness is the most welcoming facilitator.
