A Strange Start to Seminary :: When we moved to Hyde Park on the South Side of Chicago in the fall of 2020, none of us knew what to expect of our first semester of seminary at LSTC. A small group of our starting class decided to cluster together, so that we could nurture some sense of community amid the chaos of COVID. Thank goodness Katie was in that little group. By the middle of the semester, nights of games and laughter, walks in Hyde Park, and long chats about our YAGM experiences, the church, and the world had led not just to the seeds of friendship, but the sparks of something more. So one October afternoon, what was going to be a trip together to look at architecture around Oak Park ended up being a first date. And with that, Katie & I's story began.

Growing Together :: Seeing as we're studying to be pastors, Katie & I's calls to ministry have been intertwined as long as we've known one another. I'm honored to share my life with a person whose love and wisdom challenges and encourages my own. Our experiences in Chicago and beyond have only deepened our faith and trust in one another and in God. Traveling together to Holden Village in central Washington-state for a January-term course was a blessing, as we got to travel together for the first time. Both Katie and I have a love for seeing new places and meeting new people - sharing our seminary years has been such a wonderful opportunity to grow in so many different ways. We met each other's families, shared so many wonderful evenings with friends and loved ones, and by the end of our second year at LSTC I knew - I knew Katie was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. So in the fall of 2022, when I asked if she'd marry me, Katie's "yes!" was an affirmation of something we already knew: two years was the start of a whole life together.

New Chapters :: As we finished our final year of classes at LSTC and looked ahead to internship, an amazing opportunity fell into our laps: to serve our internship year at two congregations in the Boston area of Massachusetts. What a blessing this year has been. We've had the chance to travel and see amazing sights around New England: fall leaves in the White Mountains, a solar eclipse in southern Canada, and a summer sunset in Maine at a lighthouse overlooking the Atlantic. But moreso, this year has helped us learn and grow in faithful and loving relationship with one another as we live more fully into our calls to pastoral ministry. Our internship year is now nearly at its close, we are looking at last towards two wonderful occasions: our wedding and our ordinations. That this time in our lives should be marked both with this commitment to one another and to our faith and the church - to me - is the confirmation of so much love and joy, even in a wild and crazy time such as this. Katie and I know we're surrounded with so much prayer and support, and give thanks for the many communities we've called home these past few years. We're so excited to celebrate all this love with you in November.