The Collective
We seek not to be an organization or a corporation but an interconnected (and interdependent!) collective yearning for God's Kingdom, on earth as it is in heaven, and called to particular ministry and outreach around LGBTQ issues. As such, we see ourselves as an inclusive group and invite any who resonate with our mission to identify as “part of the Sanctuary Collective.” We also recognize that different individuals may desire varying levels of commitment and engagement with Sanctuary Collective. We've developed the following groupings to help folks make sense of their roles within the Sanctuary Collective.
Leadership Team | Support Team | Prayer Team | NYC Community | Discipleship Program
Discipleship Program
Participants in the Discipleship Program have committed themselves to a year of working in their Christian communities toward justice and inclusion for LGBTQ people. Sanctuary Collective challenges them and supports them in their work by providing training, mentorship, and fellowship with one another.
Visit the project page for more information.
Delfin Bautista
New Haven, CT
Discipleship Program
Delfin hails from Miami, FL and is currently in his last year at Yale Divinity school. He is the first openly queer and Latin@ student council president at YDS, has a Masters of Social Work, participated in the 2007 Soulforce Q Equality Ride, worked with the Religious Institute since 2008. Deflin’s extensive background includes HIV/AIDS case management, trauma therapy with victims of crime, and working in child welfare. He is committed to bridging religion with LGBTQ issues, social justice, and issues of violence. He is deeply thrilled, thankful, and exuberant to be involved with Sanctuary Collective.
Emily West
Holland, MI
Discipleship Program
I believe in Sanctuary Collective. I celebrate its passion and love and grace as a crucial part of the body of Christ. I am excited by how the spirit is moving. I celebrate the haven that Sanctuary Collective is and the divine goodness it will continue to channel. I am thrilled and honored to be invited to be a part of this collective community that can and will challenge me to love.
Kate Fontana
Seattle, WA
Discipleship Program
My life as a person of faith has been full of blessings and full of challenge. I struggle to live as a queer person within a faith tradition not overtly welcoming to such people—but I am not yet willing to give up on my church community, and understand it to be a powerful instrument for personal and social transformation. I carry within myself just as many prejudices and ideas that separate rather than unite. But I hope through my involvement with the Sanctuary Collective to be given the chance to grow in community with others who face similar challenges; develop skills to let go of my own judgements and listen with compassion to those with whom I do not agree or who are different; and seek out ways to live as my whole self with my church community.
Kelsey Pacha
San Francisco, CA
Discipleship Program
Kelsey is an Iowa transplant to San Francisco, CA, who works in social services with people with disabilities and homeless youth. While struggling to be an out, queer Christian, Kelsey found Christian service and fellowship through Young Life and a weekly accountability group with friends to be a significant part of the high school experience. A passionate leader within LGBT communities, Kelsey seeks reconciliation with faith traditions. Kelsey feels extraordinarily blessed to be working with some old buddies to make a Christian organization that is affirming for people of all sexualities and genders.
Lauren Parke
Seattle, WA
Discipleship Program
I envision a type of activism that doesn’t stop at identifying and decrying the problems and injustices that surround us, but that offers new and creative alternatives and models of a culture based on justice and compassion. The Sanctuary Collective represents this type of positive, collaborative work. I’m anxious to learn from and network with others in the Collective as I work toward a more inclusive model of activism in my own life. As a participant in the Discipleship Program, I look forward to being challenged and inspired in unanticipated ways, allowing me to enter this upcoming year with greater energy and renewed hope.
Sam Crowell
Bronx, NY
Discipleship Program, NYC Community
Sam recently moved from Kansas and his walk in faith has seen changes after living in a new environment. Through life’s twists and turns he believes that God provides too much beauty in the world to give up. Sam lives a life full of optimistic values, and tries to share them through his involvement with Marble Collegiate Church, previous involvement with Young Life, and the family and friends that he holds close. Being an ally to the LGBTQ community has been one of the most meaningful aspects of his Christian journey, and feels blessed to have had the chance to meet and befriend those involved with Sanctuary Collective.