A World Communion Sunday 2024 Liturgy

Short Bio

From the stage to the pulpit, Mia integrates her artistic, academic, and spiritual callings in pursuit of life and liberation. An artist-turned-pastor, she holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Syracuse University, a Master of Arts from New York University, and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, Mia serves as the Senior Pastor of Riverside Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. where she is the first African American and first woman to lead the congregation in its 165-year history. A  published songwriter and  liturgical designer, she is recognized for her work in decolonizing worship, cultivating inclusive spiritual spaces, and integrating artistic practice into congregational life. She is a sought-after preacher, facilitator, and contributor to ecumenical worship and formation initiatives.

Long Bio

From the stage to the pulpit, Mia integrates her artistic, academic, and spiritual callings in pursuit of life and liberation.  A native of New Orleans, she began training early in dance, piano, voice, and violin, performing in both community and professional theatre. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Syracuse University’s Department of Drama and built a distinguished career as a performer.As an actor, Mia appeared on stages across the country including Portland Centre Stage, Syracuse Stage, Northshore Music Theatre, and Westchester Broadway Theatre in shows including Hairspray, All Shook Up, Ain’t Misbehavin, Sistas: The Musical, and more. As a published songwriter, arranger, and composer, she has written for solo artists, musical groups, denominations, and conferences, and is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

Mia’s academic work explores the intersection of performance art, spirituality, and identity. She holds a Master’s degree from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she examined the relationship between performance arts and Black identity politics. Her culminating thesis was an original, interactive one-woman show titled Color Me. Inspired by her pastor to deepen her theological imagination, she pursued a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, concentrating in homiletics and psychology. During her time at Union, she was active in the Black Women’s Caucus and awarded both the Jonathan Kneeland Preaching Fellowship and the Karen Ziegler Feminist Preaching Prize.

Mia was licensed to preach at the First Corinthian Baptist Church (Harlem) and ordained in the United Church of Christ. She currently serves as the Senior Pastor of Riverside Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., making history as the church’s first African American and first woman to hold the role in its 165-year legacy. Her previous ministry roles include Associate Minister of Faith Formation and Outreach at Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was the first African-American member of Senior Staff, and Interim Director of Children’s Ministries at Fort Washington Collegiate Church in New York City.

Mia continues to innovate and integrate: liturgically, homiletically, and artistically. In 2020, she received an Innovation Grant from Duke Divinity School’s Foundations of Christian Leadership program, supporting her research on decolonizing liturgical practice and space, which led to the creation of her ongoing course, “Decolonizing Liturgy.” The course has been engaged in Baptist, UCC, and ecumenical settings. Additionally, She has served as liturgist and songwriter for the United Church of Christ at General Synods 33 and 34, and as songwriter for the United Church of Canada and United Church of Christ’s Advent Unwrapped projects (2022 and 2023). Her creative and liturgical work has been commissioned by the Central Atlantic Conference of the United Church of Christ, the UCC’s Media Justice Ministry, Duke Divinity, Church & Society of the United Methodist Church, the Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership, the RISE Together Conference for Women of Color in Ministry, and the Alliance of Baptists Thrive Initiative. A sought-after proclaimer, Mia has been featured on podcasts, at protests, and in pulpits, embodying and empowering revolutionary discipleship that transforms the conditions of our living together. 

She is the proud mom of Harry (poodle) and Mr. Trio (cat), a connoisseur of king cake, and a tomato gardener.