This 4-session study hall will be led by Rev. Mia M. McClain with guest facilitators on some sessions. This is a hybrid opportunity (in-person and virtual). Each session will put scripture in conversation with current events and modern lived experiences. Come prepared to ask hard questions and to engage in collective learning as we navigate complex and taboo topics together.

If attending in-person, the building will open at 6:30pm. Feel free to bring your dinner!

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April 17: Let's Talk About Sex Pt. 1

Is the Bible a Blue Print or Nah? Why is “the Church” so obsessed with sex yet rarely holds healthy conversations about it?

Join us for a 2-pt conversation about sexualities, ethics, the bible, and our faith journeys. Bring your questions.

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April 24: Let's Talk About Sex Pt. 2

We will shift toward how the politics of sex has dominated religious life, and how Queer Theologies are helping us to deconstruct what we’ve been taught.

Guest Co-Facilitator: Reverend Sam Kinsman

About Rev. Sam Kinsman | Rev. Sam Kinsman has journeyed far from his childhood in rural California. From a childhood spent preaching and singing through his studies in an MFA Acting program to his time at Union Theological Seminary, the Spirit molds and guides him to serve as Christ would. As he rediscovered his childhood call to Ministry, opportunities such as hospice Chaplaincy, camp counseling for LGBTQ+ youth, and large-scale food justice programming in Manhattan sharpened his senses to the work of supporting and liberating in faith-based justice. His Ministry exists at the apex of theatre-making, discerning the Spirit’s cry, and profound geekiness. Following his tenure as the Associate Minister of Children, Families and Justice at West End Collegiate Church, he moved closer to family in the Finger Lakes region of New York with his partner Julian. He is currently a campus Chaplain at both the University of Rochester and the Rochester Institute of Technology as he is called to empower and interrogate what the beloved Church might become for Gen Z and beyond.

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May 1: In My Right Mind

Does God still love me even if I’m not in my “right” mind? If I take medication for mental illness or go to therapy, what does that say about my faith in God?

Joins us as we kickoff Mental Health Awareness Month with a conversation about mental health, and harmful + helpful biblical interpretations. 

Guest Co-Facilitator: Reverend Anika Wilson-Brown, PhD

About Rev. Anika Wilson-Brown, PhD | Dynamic. Engaging. Transformative. These three words give witness to what has become the lifework of Spiritual Leader and Therapeutic Coach, Rev. Anika Wilson Brown, PhD putting her in a category of her own.

One of the most sought-after speakers on the topic of merging faith and psychotherapy, Dr. Anika has spoken on diverse platforms, ranging from arena-sized gatherings to one-on-one small sessions. Dr. Anika skillfully crafts an approach to wholeness that embraces and balances both the science behind the behavior as well as the spiritual solutions to healing. This concept is a foundational one for Dr. Anika’s pastoral work. As a servant leader and preacher’s daughter, Dr. Anika’s sensitivity to people’s real-world problems developed out of her personal struggles for perfection and acceptance. To that end, she continues to have prophetic inter-generational impact as Lead Pastor at Union Temple Baptist Church in Washington, DC. Her approach helps people access the God within themselves to live life at higher levels.

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May 8: Jesus Wept

Join us for a discussion on depictions of death, dying, and grief in the bible and how that can inform our grief journeys.