I serve as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Martinsville, Virginia. I believe that Christian Ethics is best done among communities of faith seeking to be followers of Jesus Christ together, and to that end, she focuses my preaching, teaching, and leadership in challenging and pastorally-sensitive calls for justice and peacemaking among the people of God.
I am also interested in the intersection of faith & public policy, and continuing my research and practice in the field of ethics and justice. I have authored a book entitled Privilege, Risk, and Solidarity: Understanding Undocumented Immigration through Feminist Christian Ethics, published by Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2017.
I completed a Doctor of Ministry degree with a focus in Justice & Peacemaking at McAfee School of Theology (Mercer University) while continuing my work in pastoral ministry. My thesis project is entitled, “Learning to Dialogue and Discern: Conversations that Matter in the Local Church.” I completed a Master of Arts in Theology, Ethics, and Culture at the University of Virginia Department of Religious Studies with a focus in Christian feminist social ethics in 2015. My MA thesis is entitled “Privilege, Risk, and Solidarity: How Christian Feminist Ethics Speaks to the Issue of Undocumented Immigration.”
I earned a Master of Divinity degree at McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta, Georgia in December 2010, with a concentration in Academic Research. My M.Div. thesis is titled “The Baptist Response to Undocumented Immigration” and explores through scriptural exegesis, church history, and legal analysis how Baptists can best think about, teach about, and react publicly to this polarizing issue.
Other prominent areas of interest include Christian feminist approaches to the following issues: the role of women in church/religious leadership, racial equity, and religious liberty.
I earned my B.A. in Spanish from Shorter College, summa cum laude, in May 2007, with minors in Religion and English. As a member of the Academy of Aristaeus honors program,I presented a senior thesis entitled, “Spanglish: Una Mezcla Positiva for the 21st Century?” I am a member of Alpha Chi honors society.
In addition to my ministerial work, I was employed as an Immigration Paralegal at Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC from May 2007 to June 2017. Prior to this employment, I was employed as a writing tutor at Mercer University in 2010 and a tutor in writing, Spanish, and religion at Shorter College from 2005-2007.
