Hello everyone!!
My name is Erin Gresham, pronouns she/her/they/them.
I grew up in the Disciples of Christ denomination, dedicated and a member at Mackinaw Christian Church. I remember being taught in bible school about the unending amount of love God gives us and Jesus came to earth to remind us of that unending love and how we are in turn to love others.
I took that love as giving a smile, being nice and friendly, and I thought that was enough.
As I grew up, I started to realize God was calling me to love others and myself by seeking and learning about injustices, not just in our world, but the injustices happening in our own church. Soon, I found myself in environments of justice ministry, learning what social justice is and what does it have to do with the church? I believe what I found from diving into that question, opened up a door for me to work in social justice ministry.
I decided to enroll in seminary to learn more about this calling God put on my heart. I am currently at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma, seeking a Master of Arts (Social Justice) degree. Through my education, experiences, and personal ministry, I have learned I have a strong passion for environmental justice, LGBTQ+ justice, and mental health awareness. This summer I plan to focus on creating conversations and ideas about, what does it look like when we live a sustainable communal lifestyle?
In other words, how can we live in a way that takes care of ourselves, takes care of others in our own communities, while caring for the earth at the same time. How do we move towards wholeness in this fragmented world?