Lee Ann Bryce
This interview is with Lee Ann Bryce, who speaks to the liberating experience of coming out as lesbian and getting to live freely. Lee Ann attended seminary at Iliff School of Theology and became the youth director in an Episcopal Church in Boulder, Colorado before Lee Ann was effectively fired due to her sexual orientation. Lee Ann is known for preaching progressive theology and ensuring that safe spaces exist for people from all walks of life. Currently the Pastor at UCC in Fort Worth, Lee Ann is navigating being a religious leader during COVID, hosting most meetings through Zoom, and hoping that Zoom communications will continue after the pandemic.
Neil Blumofe
This interview is with Rabbi Neil Blumofe, leader of the Agudas Achim congregation at the Dell Jewish Community Center. Rabbi Blumofe speaks about what the future may look like for congregations that want to maintain the benefits of online worship while eventually returning to traditional services. He considers the challenge of balancing a plurality of needs and perspectives in a community of diverse voices.
Mara Nathan
This interview is with Rabbi Mara Nathan, leader of the Reform synagogue Temple Beth-El in San Antonio. Mara tells the stories of her congregation’s history and of the arrival and growth of Jewish communities in Texas. She talks about her experience managing community engagement during the pandemic and moving into a hybrid worship model as it becomes safe to do so. She also describes her experience working from home and interacting with her family in new ways, both heartening and frustrating.
Shadia Igram
This interview is with Shadia Igram, founding member and executive director of Muslim Space in Austin, TX. Shadia speaks about the challenges and blessings of leadership and community engagement during the pandemic. She relates the unique opportunities that online worship has raised for Muslim Space to connect with people around the world and push the boundaries of Muslim women’s religious leadership.
Usama Malik
This interview is with Usama Malik, a Muslim Chaplain at Muslim Space in Austin, Texas. Usama shares the story of his upbringing in Round Rock, Texas, a community with few Muslims. He discusses the discrimination he faced growing up, and the ways he now practices undoing the internalization he experienced. Usama connects his story to the larger Muslim narrative in the United States, and how the approach of teaching Islam in America has changed in the past decade.
Marie Betcher
This interview is with Rabbi-Cantor Marie Betcher, a female rabbi in Austin, Texas. Rabbi Betcher discusses her upbringing, growing up in Brooklyn, NY in an Italian family. She shares her multicultural background and the migration story of her family. She also discusses the gender dynamics she experiences as a female rabbi. In this interview, we hear her account of life in the pandemic and her involvement in the community. She currently serves as a chaplain with the Austin Police Department.
Marialena Cristerna
This interview is with Marialena Cristerna, who is a pastor in Eagle Pass, Texas. Marialena has been preaching to an Episcopalian congregation for 23 years between the border of Texas and Mexico. Her community outreach includes frequent trips to Piedras Negras, Mexico, where she delivers groceries to families in need. She and her husband, who is also an Episcopal priest, pastor two congregations in Piedras Negras. Since the pandemic, Marialena has made it her mission to assist students. With the help of the church, she ensures students have iPads and computers to attend online school. In this interview, she discusses the strength of her faith, the value in community work, and the importance of hope during this time.
Billie Watts and Kerry Kirtley
This interview is with Billie Watts and Kerry Kirtley, co-pastors of the Touchstone Community Church. Billie and Kirtley share their passion for creating an inclusive, justice-seeking community outside of their previous ties to certain denomination’s discriminatory practices. Billie and Kerry discuss both past challenges of leaving behind a community that was not accepting of their children and the current challenges of COVID-19 era co-pastor duties.
Daryl Horton
This interview is with Daryl Horton, a minister at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Daryl discusses helping students sustain their faith and community through the pandemic and transitioning his congregation to church in this time. He talks about his experience working with Interfaith Action of Central Texas (iACT) and his involvement in the interfaith space in Austin. Daryl also shares his story as a native Austinite and his perspective as a Black pastor on the growing inequality in the city.
Neil Thomas
This interview is with Reverend Dr. Neil Thomas. Reverend Dr. Neil Thomas is a well known reverend who has served as a pastor in the United Kingdom, Los Angeles, CA and Dallas, TX. Reverend Thomas is currently the pastor for the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, a member congregation of the United Church of Christ that strives to promote diversity and inclusivity. In this interview, Revered Thomas discusses his leadership and activism in the church and larger community. He shares navigating preaching during the pandemic, how the goals of faith have changed, and the new structure of church via Zoom. We learn through his insights, the connection and engagement found through faith and how the pandemic can reteach one’s relationship with God.