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
Prayer Team
Members of the prayer team make a six month commitment to weekly prayer to nurture, encourage, and strengthen the individuals on the Leadership & Support Teams, in the Discipleship Program, or who have asked for prayer from Sanctuary Collective. They also pray for people, situations, and issues that are brought forth by these groups.
Angel Collie
Raleigh, NC
Prayer Team
Angel is studying at UNC with hopes to one day be a minister. He works for the MCC, and brings his passion for prayer to our Sanctuary Collective team.
Marie MacIntyre
Prayer Team
Marie is a lover of Jesus and a beloved child of God. She is a great believer in prayer and works through her Mennonite church on peace and justice issues. Her daughter Cait is teaching her everyday how to be an ally.
Matthew Beams
Jersey City, NJ
Leadership Team, Prayer Team
Matt began working for social justice in 1990, when he, a handful of LGBT students, and their allies started the “Lambda Coalition” at the University of Richmond, Virginia. The Lambda Coalition hosted a number of events that challenged the University’s established order including a well-attended rally on campus hosting LGBT veterans fighting for the rights of all people to serve in the military. Today Matt lives in Jersey City, NJ, in an apartment he shares with friends, close to his family. He loves Star Trek for its beautiful promise of a future in which all folks work together for a common purpose with peace in mind. He also sings in the Festival of Voices choir and serves as the co-chair of the Young Adult Fellowship at Marble Church.
Vincent Cervantes
Riverside, CA
Prayer Team, Support Team
Vincent is a gay Christian activist with a dedication to theatre, music, and performance art. As a religious studies major, he spends much of his time exploring and researching different walks of faith and their interactions with the LGBTQ community and he plans to pursue ordination. He was a rider on the 2007 Soulforce Q Equality Ride, serves on the board of the Reconciling Ministries Network (United Methodist), and is a survivor of the “ex-gay” movement.