Thank You & My Upcoming Departure

Today I write to share with you the news that I will bid farewell to Believe Out Loud at the end of this month.

Since serving as director in late 2011, I have collaborated and listened to many of you as my team worked hard to find the best ways to curate and share the inspiring stories within the Christian movement for LGBTQ equality.

I am beyond grateful for the grace and friendship so many of you provided when I started this work almost two years ago. Your openness, candid feedback, and trust mean the world to me, and it helped our team create a new vision for Believe Out Loud. I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with an inspiring team throughout this journey, including Gwen Ashby, James Rowe, Alison Amyx, and my predecessor Sung Park.

Believe Out Loud is a much stronger initiative as a result of the collaborations and efforts of our passionate staff, the board of advisors, and the many advocates who contribute and use the Believe Out Loud platform on a daily basis.

My departure will make way for new leadership as Believe Out Loud begins the next chapter in its strategic life. In January 2014, we will close Believe Out Loud’s Washington D.C. office and operate in New York City as a program of Intersections International. In 2008, Intersections was part of a sixteen-member coalition of Believe Out Loud’s founding partners.

Since 2008, Intersections International and the Collegiate Churches of New York have served as managing organizational partners of Believe Out Loud and have supported our management team in various capacities. This shift is encouraging news, as the Believe Out Loud staff will have new opportunities to build deeper partnerships with these internal teams.

James Rowe, a senior staffer who has worn a variety of strategic hats as our Community Outreach Director, will be appointed as Acting Director of Believe Out Loud. He will support the efforts to integrate Believe Out Loud into Intersections International and help lead the search process for a new director. I’m sad to leave Believe Out Loud, but I look forward to cheering it on from the sidelines and watching its ongoing growth.

Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to James or me. It’s been an honor and privilege partnering with extraordinary organizations and movement leaders; hearing from incredible bloggers and advocates; as well as reading, listening, and watching the stories shared across this movement. I pray for our ongoing success as the Believe Out Loud team continues this work.

Thanks for everything you do to make this world a better place for all God’s children! You can keep up with my ongoing work via twitter.

Photo: Joseph Ward with Rev. Jacqui Lewis, Senior Minister at Middle Church