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Jones
Jones (they/them) is a queer non-binary trouble maker, a grassroots mobilizer, and a lover. They are committed to courageously inclusive community. They live in Little Rock, Arkansas with their wife Jacqui and bunnies Benny and Jet.
Joel Simpson
Joel Simpson is the pastor at First United Methodist Church in Taylorsville, NC. He partners with the Poor People's Campaign, Repairers of the Breach, and Red Letter Christians in a variety of ways. In 2017, Joel co-founded Unity in Community, a non-profit committed to achieving racial equity in North Mecklenburg County, NC. He is a believer in love and justice, which has landed him in jail, testifying with church members before Congress, standing with people in the streets against Border Patrol, and organizing rallies and protests all across NC, advocating for a moral federal budget. Currently, Joel is pursuing his Doctor of Ministry at Duke University with a focus on Missional Innovation. He has a book coming out this fall, Saving Christians: The gift of a multifaith world, focused on how interfaith relationships can help Christians be more faithful to love and justice in their own tradition. He blogs regularly at https://substack.com/@joelsimpson.
Mike Maeshiro
Mike Maeshiro is the founder of Numa, an organization dedicated to supporting individuals recovering from religious toxicity, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community. A prominent voice in both the LGBTQ+ and deconstruction movements, Mike draws on his experiences as a gay man navigating his Christian upbringing and ministry to share profound insights about faith and identity. As a former instructor at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, known for his class Discerning of Spirits, Mike now focuses on emotional health and redemptive deconstruction. He serves as a consultant and coach for gay men transitioning away from evangelicalism, leading a team of coaches who assist those whose faith is evolving. In addition to his advocacy, Mike is a social media influencer and thought leader, emphasizing the transformative power of living authentically and reclaiming spirituality in affirming ways.
Josh Scott
Josh Scott has been a pastor for more than twenty years. He currently serves as the Lead Pastor at GracePointe Church in Nashville. The focus of his work is reimagining, reframing, and reclaiming faith through a Progressive Christian lens. He is the author of several books including Advent Can Still Change the World: Bringing Christmas Past Into Christmas Present, which releases in 2026. You can read his latest thoughts at joshscott.online. He lives near Nashville with his family.
HuDost
Electric-Folk, Americana, Global-Rock ensemble, HuDost, performs with refined wildness and their latest album reached #4 in the Canadian National Folk/Roots/Blues Chart and #9 in the US Folk Radio Charts. HuDost’s last album received rave reviews and as an independent release reached #24 in the BILLBOARD SALES CHARTS for Folk/Americana and won The Independent Music Award for Social Action Song. They have been fortunate to have incredible performance opportunities throughout the years and have toured internationally since 2006 collaborating with wild, astonishing, and respected artists, musicians, dancers, and activists. HuDost are committed advocates/activists for ONE (non-profit organization). Their performances are “…enchanting, moving, wild, and inspiring while infused with totally Canadian humor!”
Tony Beyer
Tony Beyer is a community builder, storyteller, and facilitator creating spaces where people can wrestle honestly with faith, meaning, and the stories shaping their lives. As a queer man, Tony brings a perspective shaped by authenticity, curiosity, and lived experience. He serves as a Commissioned Pastor with New Springs Community Church, a Cultivator with Heartland Presbytery and 1001 New Worshiping Communities, and is the founder of Story Haven KC, a 1001 New Worshiping Community. Through Story Haven and grassroots gatherings, Tony brings people together around conversation, creativity, and spiritual exploration. He believes that when people are given space to tell the truth about their lives, something sacred emerges. At Wild Goose Festival, he looks forward to cultivating honest, hopeful conversations grounded in real life.
Ann Stillwater
Neurodiverse, certified yoga instructor, nurse researcher and retired school nurse Ann Stillwater(she/they, M Ed, BSN, ADN, BA) learns and teaches that healing from traumas and “mistakes” leads to a deeper, richer, experience of this adventure called life. Anchored in personal experience, Ann’s research on “second victims” (published in 2018) introduced school nurses to the idea that those in helping professions may suffer emotional trauma when things do not go as expected. Ann completed Plum Village’s Mindfulness for Educators training in 2020, & continues to learn evidence-based strategies and a gentler, kinder way of relating to self and others in this traumatized world. Grateful to be a healer, spouse, parent of amazing grown children, & active citizen!
Kevin M. Young
Rev. Dr. Kevin M. Young is an author, pastor, influencer, coach, and avid weightlifter. His book “Reconstruct Your Faith: Ancient Ways to Make Your Relationship with God While Again” recounts his deconstruction from Evangelicalism to a progressive and open ecumenicalism. He is a graduate of Cedarville University, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Portland Seminary. While he has been fortunate to pastor several of the largest and fastest-growing churches in America, his current work is as lead clergy of Christ’s Table, a grassroots hybrid ministry dedicated to bringing advocacy, community, and spiritual resources to those who are disappointed, disillusioned, or done with the church. He is a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach, and he is one half of the “Jacked Theology” podcast.
Jon Carl Lewis
Jon Carl Lewis (he/him) is a liberative theologian and spiritual embodiment coach. He helps serious followers of Jesus explore healthy, justice-oriented, Jesus-centered and joyful attitudes and practices around sexuality, relating, and the body. He invites people of faith into conversation around discerning the truly Good News of our sexual and relational diversity as witness to Spirit moving through and remaking the world. Jon Carl brings theological and spiritual curiosity—and a geeky love of peer-reviewed science—to the diversity, complexity, and fluidity of real people’s lived sexual/spiritual experiences.
Chris Furr
Chris Furr is an author, podcaster, and pastor in Cary, NC. His book, Straight White Male: A Faith-Based Guide to Deconstructing Your Privilege was published by WJK Press in 2022, and the accompanying podcast is now in its second season. Chris has degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University Divinity School, and currently serves as the pastor of Covenant Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Cary, NC, where he lives with his wife and two sons.
Sally Sharp
Mom of two wonderful now adults and (too-long) time wife, Sally Sharp is a former elementary school educator for a large urban school district turned grassroots coordinator with a women-led conservation organization. For the last six years, she has supported amazing grassroots chapter leaders across ten states in preserving and protecting public lands. She has spoken up to advocate for various causes from halls of Congress to her local County Commission, City Council and local political rallies. Through her work, she has brought together speakers about public lands issues to present national webinars. She loves to teach and see people use their passions to promote political change for the well-being of community, wildlife, and the earth.
BETWEEN
Matthew G. Mattson (Matt) is a writer, speaker, social mystic, and spiritual leader devoted to cultivating sacred human connection. He is the founder of BETWEEN, a highly inclusive, love-filled global faith community exploring what it means to encounter the sacred beyond walls, doctrines, and certainty. Matt’s work blends ancient wisdom with modern longing, inviting people to rediscover faith as presence, curiosity, and relationship. With a background in education, leadership, and entrepreneurship, he has spent his career growing purpose-driven communities and helping people find meaning in the spaces between us. His book Cathedrals of Connection invites readers into the simplest church on earth: the sacred space between themselves and the next person they encounter.
Ryan Ahlgrim
Ryan Ahlgrim is the lead pastor of First Mennonite Church of Richmond, Virginia. He earned his M.Div. from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (Elkhart, IN) and his D.Min. from McCormick Theological Seminary (Chicago). In addition to being a featured preacher for the video resource, A Sermon for Every Sunday, he has written scores of articles for a variety of Christian magazines and journals, including Christian Century and Sojourners, and has authored three books. His most recent book is a historical novella, Spying on Jesus (Resource Publications, 2025).
Rev Tara Eastman
Rev. Tara Lamont Eastman is an ecumenical Pastor, host of Holy Shenanigans Podcast and writer of poetry. Eastman has served over thirty years in various ecumenical contexts with the ELCA and PCUSA - now serving a pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Warren, PA. They are a graduate of Wartburg Theological Seminary’s Theological Education for Emerging Ministry Program, Youth and Theology Certificate Program at Princeton Seminary and currently studying Theopoetics with Earlham School of Religion.
Dr. Shaleen Kendrick
Rev. Dr. Shaleen Kendrick is an Open and Relational Neurotheologian working at the intersection of neuroscience, sacred storytelling, and culture — exploring how all three shape humans from the cellular to the relational. Neurospirituality — the neuroscience of spirituality as an innate human capacity — is her domain. She educates, trains NRI practitioners, and consults across corporate and faith-based spaces. Same science. Language adjusted to fit the context. Her book Your Three Brains: The Neuroscience & Spirituality of Wholeness (Orbis Books), now on presale, makes wholeness-making who you are and what you do — practically integrated as a way of daily life. She lives in Phoenix with her spouse, four kids, and three puppies — convinced that integration as spiritual praxis is human evolution in practice.
Natalie Coe
Natalie Coe is an eco-poet and social justice advocate living in coastal North Carolina. For nearly twenty years she taught science at a small liberal arts college in Vermont. During the summers she taught a fiber arts course as part of a farm intensive experience. She holds a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Minnesota and is currently an MFA candidate in poetry at UNC Wilmington. She has published in multiple scientific journals and books, her topics including obese mice, nature and culture, beech trees, and most recently, bell hooks. Her literary work is published or forthcoming in Story South, About Place, The Rumpus and Her Words. If not writing, she is in her garden or knitting or dyeing and spinning fibers of all kinds!
Beer & Hymns Band
The Festival Beer and Hymns band is made up of Beer and Hymns musicians and leaders from across the US -nightly leading group singing high-spirited hymns (and songs that aren't but should be)!
Leslie Withers
Leslie Withers plays flute and Irish penny whistle. She also enjoys singing with the church choir at Oakhurst Baptist Church, where she is a member of the worship planning team. She began exploring the meditative music of the Taize Community several years ago and has led Taize vesper services at Wild Goose since 2017, along with other musicians from Oakhurst Baptist Church. These services have brought together scores of musicians who love singing and praying together. Leslie appreciates the transformative effect that ensemble singing and instrumental music can have as a spiritual exercise. An activist as well as a musician, she serves on the Georgia state coordinating committee for the Poor People's Campaign, a National Call for a Moral Revival.
Ronald Bonner
Ronald Bonner has participated in justice-focused events since the early 1960s. During the late 1970s through the early 1990s, he served in Corporate America for Xerox, IBM, and AT&T. His positions ranged from sales and marketing to Human Resources, serving as an EEO Investigator for AT&T and a National Account Data Sales Manager. After his stint in Corporate America, he attended seminary and, after graduating, served as the Assistant to the President of the United Church of Christ for Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity. Later, he served as Manager of Multicultural Resources at Augsburg Fortress Publishers. He has served as an ordained minister in both the United Church of Christ and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for nearly thirty years. In 1995, he earned his Master of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary. In 2022, he received his Doctor of Ministry degree from the Candler School of Theology and an online Master’s Certificate HKS.
Bryson Gray
Born in the Piedmont of North Carolina and raised in the fundamental evangelical churches of Christ, Bryson knows generational religious experiences well. Four generations of his family attended the same church until his parents’ divorce created a rift. And his great-grandfather founded a summer Bible camp, making him a legacy of sorts. He attended that church and Bible camp most of his life as well, but coming to terms with and coming out as being gay were a catalyst for his faith transition. Being semi-accepted but also semi-rejected by church community, Bible camp, and family, Bryson struggled to find his place in relationships, community, and his own faith. He’s done a lot of deconstruction work that took him away from church for several years, but ultimately brought him back to it. His passion is creating safe and diverse community that is centered on open conversations.
maria lund
Maria Lund retired from First Sun EAP where she was co-founder and President/COO. First Sun EAP is a national provider of employee assistance program services based in South Carolina. Maria has over 30 years of experience in counseling and EAP. She has a master’s degree in clinical psychology and is a Licensed Professional Counselor. For 17 years, Maria was Chair of the EAPA Communications Committee and a standing lead columnist for the Journal of Employee Assistance. She later served as Editor of the Journal and as a Commissioner on the Employee Assistance Certification Commission. Maria lives with her husband, Lyndon Harris, in Charleston, South Carolina and is currently working with him to provide forgiveness education and training.
Mitch Cohen
Mitch is an Internal Family Systems (IFS) Practitioner, Rabbi and Non-Relgion-specific Spiritual Director and ICF Certified Life Coach, with a focus on difficult life transitions, “stuckness” and religious abuse and trauma. He is also is an Enneagram Consultant. A May 2020 graduate of Zeitgeist Non-faith-based Spiritual Director program, Mitch supports anyone on their individual personal spiritual journey, regardless of their beliefs or past observance or faith tradition - or no faith tradition. He has been teaching Jewish mysticism, Enneagram and IFS classes for spiritual growth, Yoga and interfaith spirituality since the mid-1990's. Mitch co-authored a book, Men and Grief: Stories of Growth through Struggles with Trauma and Loss. Among the causes he supports are: The Link Counseling Center; The Jung Society of Atlanta; and Zeitgeist - Atlanta's Home for the Spiritually Independent
Jen Johannsen
Dr. Jen Johannsen works at the intersection of politics, culture, and leadership. She leads a program supporting over 90 progressive candidates for the U.S. House and Senate and consults on a select number of campaigns. She partners with the Reasoned Reality Project, a media initiative focused on replacing fear-driven religious and political messaging with grounded, reality-based narratives while uplifting changemakers across politics and social justice. Originally from New York and now based in the Bible Belt near Liberty University, Jen brings an on-the-ground perspective to understanding and confronting Christian nationalism through local engagement and community dialogue. Her work integrates moral clarity with a nervous-system–informed approach, helping leaders navigate polarization, power, and high-integrity persuasion in high-stakes environments.
Holly Berkley Fletcher
Holly Berkley Fletcher is an author, historian, artist, and former intelligence analyst. She was raised in Kenya by evangelical missionary parents. She earned a PhD in American history and taught in universities for several years before being hired as an Africa analyst by the Central Intelligence Agency, where she worked for nineteen years. She writes the substack A Zebra Without Stripes, and her most recent book is The Missionary Kids: Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism. She lives in the Washington, DC, area with her husband, two kids, and delinquent rescue dog.
SoFeya SahRa Joseph
SoFeya is the Founder & Creator of i'MAGiNT LiFE, a pioneering approach to transformational learning and spiritual embodiment. With a Master's in Spiritual Psychology, certification as a High Performance Coach, and a background in Olympic Figure Skating Coaching, she specializes in bridging knowledge and embodied wisdom for lasting transformation. A bestselling author, instructional designer, and international speaker, she has guided individuals on a journey of self-discovery and awakening. Rooted in the revealed i'MAGiNT LiFE Method and inspired by St. Francis of Assisi’s wisdom, her work fosters presence, resilience, and higher consciousness through practice, not preaching. As a Choreographer of Awakening, she fulfills a sacred mission inspired by Luke 4:18—bringing healing, liberation, and revelation.
Mary McKinney
Mary is a sometimes speaker, not-often-enough poet, aspiring memoirist, full-time Marriage & Family Therapist (psychotherapist), Community Chaplain in Training, overtime worker for Mental Health and Harm Reduction Justice, Circle Keeper, reluctant and clumsy leader, passionate stigma shatterer, eager student, and all-the-time proud mother and lover of my family (legal and chosen), critters, trees, trails, music, and all things purple. Mary founded Just Love and Just Love's work of installing Purple Pantries at community locations (at community agencies, churches, public spaces...) for 24/7 access to supplies and resources for Harm Reduction (including naloxone and testing strips, and information), Multiple Paths to Recovery, and Grief Support (for folx who have lost a loved one to overdose or other substance use cause, or live with that fear - including a Purple Mailbox for letters of remembrance, hope, fear, and grief).
The Piedmont Raging Grannies
The Piedmont Raging Grannies (PRG) was established in the summer of 2023 in Greensboro, NC. Our initial engagement with the local community has expanded across the world through social media after being featured by The Rachel Maddow Show and other media outlets in the spring of 2025. Our music videos have been viewed and shared across social media platforms millions of times and are noted to be a source of inspiration, comfort, hope, and sometimes, a good laugh! We are just one of many gaggles throughout the US and Canada since the Raging Grannies International began in 1987 in British Columbia. We dress like proverbial sweet little old ladies and use melodies from familiar old songs, writing new lyrics to address the issues of the day. Our whimsical, colourful hats and aprons, decorated with flowers and political buttons, shawls, and other granny attire add visual humor to our Sings, which is often echoed by a bit of pointed sass in our lyrics.
Linda Lee
Linda Lee is a botanist and artist from South Carolina.
JD Stillwater
A graduate of Cornell University, JD Stillwater is a science ambassador and author who writes and speaks about profound insights from natural reality, insights that drive paradigm shifts and cultural awakening. This work springs from JD’s love of science and his gift for making difficult concepts graspable for non-scientists. He has spoken by invitation at the Parliament of the World's Religions, Chautauqua Institution, and dozens of academic institutions, churches, civic groups, and global podcasts and webinars. JD is also the founding curator of the Wild Goose Science Tent. JD is an officer of the Religious Naturalist Association, a global community of people who take nature to heart, serves on the governing Council of the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science, and is a Fellow of Sinai and Synapses. JD is married (since 1987) with two grown children.
Charles Gupton
Charles is a photographer/filmmaker/storyteller whose career has spanned 40+ years. That experience convinced him that every person has a story that needs to be told – and heard. For the 2022-24 Wild Goose festivals, Charles and his wife, Linda, facilitated Goose workshops centered around the power of stories and how they affect our physical and emotional health. During this festival, they will also be helping co-facilitate the Relating Arts tent.
Cindy Caldwell
Dr. Cindy Caldwell has a PhD in Mythological Studies with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology (Carl Jung psychology). Her dissertation was titled, The Changing Myth of Mary Magdalene. She is now a mid-level student at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA working towards her dual program of a Master of Divinity and a Master of Public Theology. Recently, Cindy’s focus has been Eve in Genesis and how traditional interpretations of the story have influenced us in how we see and treat women and men, as well as the concept of sin. Her true goal for seminary is to create various classes that unpack and update our interpretations of the traditional tellings of Bible stories. Cindy also has a daughter, Katie, who is the director of an outdoor education facility in northern Michigan. Katie is her favorite person in the world and is extremely grateful for their wonderful relationship!
SC Nealy, LPC
With over 16 years working in the mental health field, SC Nealy, LPC, ACS, NCC, CCMHC (they/she) is the owner of LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative, providing accessible queer-celebratory mental health services and promoting LGBT+ rights and inclusion in legislative policies throughout Virginia. SC was also named the 2024 Humanitarian and Caring Person Award recipient from Virginia Counselors Association and recipient of Arlington County 2025 Women of Vision Award from Arlington County, 2025 Queer Leader’s Award for Corporate Inclusion/Workplaces from We Create Spaces, 2025 Best LGBT-Owned Business in DC by the Washington Blade, and Arlington County Chamber of Commerce's 2025 Best Business Award in Service. Their first non-fiction book, Healing Sacred Wounds: A Guide for Healing from Religious and Spiritual Trauma, releases from Bloomsbury Academics in August 2026, and they regularly speak on religious trauma in mental health on podcasts, online, and speaking engagements.
Emily Harkins
Rev. Emily Harkins is a Colorado native, Midwest transplant, and now a Southern belle who drinks Cheerwine and says “y’all” with ease. Ordained in the ELCA in 2020, she is the founding pastor and mission developer of The Dwelling in Winston-Salem, NC. Her ministry centers on faith, justice, and the dignity of every person, especially neighbors experiencing homelessness. Emily is a storyteller, preacher, and organizer who builds relationships across difference and believes belovedness is never tied to housing, sobriety, or status. Her work lives where worship meets the street and advocacy becomes gospel practice. She is known for naming hard truths with compassion and inviting others into a participatory, dignity-rooted vision of church. Emily brings creativity, leadership, and theological imagination to her work, leading with a voice both tender and bold. She is also a wife, dog-lover, and Diet Coke enthusiast.
Wild Goose Recovery/Sober Space
Scott Bass is a mental health and addictions therapist in Wilmington, North Carolina. He is a long-time participant in the Wild Goose Festival and a frequent presenter. He has helped with Recovery at the Goose for the past four years. He is serving as a point of contact for the team providing the recovery space. Scott is a native of eastern North Carolina and lifelong resident of the state. When not working he enjoys time on the beach, walking, fishing, gardening, and playing pickleball. In addition to clinical work, he has extensive experience providing workshops and retreats, facilitating groups, public speaking and providing trainings.
Gareth Higgins
Gareth Higgins was born in Belfast, grew up during the northern Ireland Troubles, and now spends much of his time engaged in the work of transformative storytelling in the US, and Ireland. He writes and speaks about the power of storytelling to shape our lives and world, peace and making justice, and how to take life seriously without believing your own propaganda. He has been involved in peace-building and violence reduction in northern Ireland and helping address the legacy of conflict, received a Ph.D. in Sociology from Queen’s University Belfast, and helped teach the world’s first graduate course in Reconciliation Studies at Trinity College Dublin. He also helped found the Wild Goose, New Story and Movies & Meaning festivals. Gareth leads retreats in North America and Ireland; and he founded The Porch Magazine. His books include How Not to be Afraid, The Seventh Story (co-authored with Brian McLaren) and A Whole Life in Twelve Movies (co-authored with Kathleen Norris).
Jim Meisner Jr.
Pastor Jim Meisner, Jr. is the author of the novel Faith, Hope, and Baseball and the nonfiction biography Soar to Success the Wright Way. Learn more about Jim at www.faithonthefringe.com, where he writes about faith on the fringe of the mainstream culture.
Natalie Taylor
Natalie Taylor recently completed a hospital chaplaincy residency and has served in congregational and non-profit settings. She cares deeply about addressing cycles of pain in our communities. She completed seminary at the Candler School of Theology. While at Candler, she completed a prison chaplaincy ministry at Lee Arrendale Women's Prison and worked at Neighborhood Church, a United Methodist church plant. She lives in Upstate South Carolina with her wife Hillary, who works for criminal justice reform in South Carolina.
Kerra Becker English
Kerra Becker English (she/her) From almost her very first words, Kerra has been fascinated with the question, “why.” Why is the basic question of the curious. Kerra likes exploring this question both in nature and in her practice of listening to firsthand accounts of wonder as a Spiritual Director. Her deep fascination with spirituality led her to participate in the Johns Hopkins research that recruited religious leaders of various traditions to explore the mysteries of the psychedelic realm through psilocybin and report on their experience. As a spiritual leader, she has pastored churches in metropolitan Richmond, Virginia; Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Altoona, Pennsylvania. Her book, “True Awakening: The Highs, The Lows, and the Mess of Spiritual Transformation” came out in June, 2025.
Dr. Sharon Jacob
Sharon Jacob is a professor and public speaker who refuses easy answers and shallow faith. Her work sits at the intersection of critical thinking, social justice, and the unfinished work of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. She brings a sharp, compassionate lens to the stories we tell—about God, power, identity, and one another. With over 12 years of experience training more than 200 leaders—including clergy, activists, organizers, and nonprofit professionals—Sharon is known for sessions that are challenging, disruptive, and deeply energizing. She surfaces silenced voices, interrogates dominant narratives, and invites communities to move from comfort to courage. Her work has been described as engaging, empowering, prophetic, and impossible to unhear.
Kim
Dr. Kimberly Brien is a neurodivergent, professor, scientist, seminarian, musician and active member of her community in Memphis TN. She is Associate Professor of Chemistry at Rhodes College mostly teaching the organic sequence and conducts research on the purity and composition of essential oils. At Rhodes College, she enjoys singing with the Rhodes Choral Collaborative, mentors students through the Posse Foundation and serves on several committees. She promotes interfaith dialogue through membership in the Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH), serves her community as lifeguard at the YMCA of Downtown Memphis and is nationally active in The FragileX Foundation. Kim is a member of the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science (IRAS) and the Religious Naturalist Association (RNA) and attends their annual conference on Star Island. Kim is currently a seminarian at Starr King School for the Ministry working on an MDiv in chaplaincy with a concentration in psychedelic
Paula Fong
With a voice that can vary from lilting trad folk, to upbeat country toe tappers, to soulful grit, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Paula Fong delivers a captivating Americana/folk sound rooted in her refined yet adventurous musicality. You can hear the influence of the classic voices of Joni Mitchell and Patti Griffin, as well as indie folk groups such as The Wailin' Jennys and NickelCreek in her sound. From 2015-2019 she teamed up with Seattle based singer-songwriter Tom Kell and they released two albums of co-written music. In the fall of 2024 she released her first solo EP, Chestnut Mare. Currently she sings back up vocals and tours with Abby Posner's band - Abby Posner and the Big Fall, is an MD for an Americana/folk music church service (think Watkin's Family Hour if it was a church service) and in 2025 was nominated as a finalist in the International Acoustic Music Awards and semi finalist in the Unsigned Only music competition.
Travis Smith
Travis is a United Methodist pastor, nonprofit executive director, and grief counselor with 25 years of service across Western North Carolina and Charlotte. He holds a bachelor’s in religious studies and an M.Div. in Pastoral Counseling from Gardner-Webb University. Recently, he earned his Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary, focusing his dissertation on the epidemic of loneliness and the restorative role of Fresh Expressions of Church. In 2014, Travis and his wife, Allyson, founded Blue Ridge Hope, a nonprofit providing mental health services regardless of a client's ability to pay. As Executive Director, he is dedicated to removing barriers to quality care. Additionally, for 12 years, he has led Sacred Ale, a Fresh Expression gathering that fosters open dialogue on faith, doubt, life, and theology. Through both his clinical and pastoral work, Travis remains committed to fostering community and healing in an increasingly isolated world.
Sarah M. Wells
Sarah M. Wells is the author of seven books, most recently To Say One Million Times, WOW: Essays on Awe, Faith, and Family from America's Great Outdoors (and Some Hotel Rooms). She is also the author of two essay collections, two poetry collections, and two Family Bible Devotionals. Her work has been honored with four Pushcart Prize nominations and six of her essays have been listed as Notable Essays in The Best American Essays. She is a full-time freelance writer, editor, and speaker who is passionate about building bridges between sacred spaces and the broader community.
Jim Sharp
Jim Sharp has been teaching religious studies and philosophy at Colorado State University - Pueblo since 2017. With Sally Sharp he is the co-creator of two wonderful human beings - a daughter who lives in Alaska and a son who lives in Minnesota. He is deeply concerned with how we can learn to understand and communicate with those we disagree with in this pluralistic experiment we call the United States of America. He has a master's degree in theology from Fuller Seminary and a PhD in philosophy of religion from Claremont Graduate University. In his free time he enjoys gardening and spending time in the Colorado mountains.
Phil Dieke
Rev. Phil Dieke is a United Methodist pastor, eco-spiritualist, activist, friend of trees, dad, avid hiker, and outdoor enthusiast. Phil's work is rooted in relationship, deep connection, and open hearted theology. You can find him most days on the White Rock Trail in Dallas, serving a variety of communities in Texas, hanging with his kids, reading, and co-hosting the podcast Radical Sacred. Phil also serves as the Peace with Justice Coordinator and Board Chair of Church and Society for the Horizon Texas Annual Conference of the UMC. Additionally he is the current President of Texas Impact - an interfaith advocacy organization in the state of Texas. His work in social activism is deeply influenced by people like Howard Thurman and Liza Rankow. He strongly believes we must continue to nurture our souls as we engage in the imaginal work of healing and reparation for our communities and world.
Joyce Hagen-McIntosh
Joyce Hagen-McIntosh In all aspects of her life, Joyce experiences the overlap of faith, music (she plays the violin, at least once in a while!), justice, LGBTQ+ identity, and parenting. She believes that social justice action can take place in stores, libraries, classrooms, over meals, in our churches - in any conversation or space! You can find her podcast, “Books, Bible, Beer & Queer,” at Podcast – Joyce Stands Up and see on socials @joycestandsup or via email, joycestandsup@gmail.com. Joyce currently works with an organization that engages in First Amendment education, litigation, and advocacy, and she provides support for library workers and community members experiencing censorship attempts in their public or public-school library.
Arlo Tysinger
Pastor Arlo serves Elkin Presbyterian Church in North Carolina. Originally from Southern California, she previously ministered at Shadow Hills Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Metuchen. A graduate of Columbia Theological Seminary, she moderated Imago Dei (the LGBTQ+ student alliance), helped organize participation in the National Equality March in Washington, D.C., and advocated for inclusive housing policies. In Atlanta, Arlo volunteered and worked with StandUp for Kids, mentoring LGBTQ+ youth forced into prostitution, and was recognized as Volunteer of the Year. She has also served on the board of Ahead With Horses, a therapeutic equestrian program for children with disabilities, and currently leads weekly Crafting & Conversations gatherings at the local Ark homeless shelter. Arlo is passionate about community care, justice, and faithful stewardship of creation. She and her husband are raising two wonderful children. You can also find her on TikTok at PastorArlo
Urban Village
Rev. Dr. Beth Garrod-Logsdon is a cradle Presbyterian. Since 2007, she has been the pastor of Wilmore Presbyterian Church in Wilmore, Kentucky, and, in 2003, she added the role of executive director/mission developer of Urban Village, a faith-based community center in nearby Nicholasville. Through the shared work of congregation and community center, Beth has cultivated a ministry that combines her love for serving small-membership congregations and leading children's and youth ministry - two passions that are rarely found in the same place. Through ministries designed to reach and welcome persons with neurodiversity and their families, Urban Village provides a safe place where all are welcome and can explore their faith through their own unique gifts and skills. Beth leads a weekly middle and high school youth group that was the study location for her dissertation titled “Beyond Fidgets: Engaging Neurodiverse Youth (grades 5 through 9) Through Ancient Spiritual Practices.”
Dr. Roberto Che Espinoza
Roberto Che Espinoza, Ph.D., was born to a Mexican woman and Anglo father in the piney woods of East Texas, where he first learned that the red clay between his toes was called ‘dirt’. He locates himself in the entangled history of violence, colonialism, and war. Roberto Che is born of Mestizaje histories and he holds both colonizer and Indigenous histories in his material, creaturely body. He is a Politicized Theologian, Pastor, and Professor. He writes on Substack at Our Collective Becoming.
J.J. Collins
Joy-bringer. Truth-seeker. Space-holder. Tribe-builder. Way-maker. J.J. believes in defiant joy – a joy that isn’t wrapped in saccharine and bows (although glitter & unicorns are always welcome). Defiant joy is a joy the exists in the dark night of the soul and in the valley of the shadow of death. Defiant joy is resilient in the face of fear and steadfast in the onslaught of negativity. J.J. is committed to helping people find their people and build their tribes. As Ram Dass said, we are all just walking each other home. She believes we must build intentional circles of support and love around us, to rejoice with us in the good times and to hold our hands through the hard times. Without other people, life begins to lose meaning. Without other people, we cannot serve, and we cannot be helped. J.J. is the pastor and music minister at Wesley Oak in Savannah. She has a Master of Music in voice from Johns Hopkins and is working on her M.Div. at McAfee School of Theology.
Donna
Donna Bollinger, DMin, MDiv, is the Director of United Nations Advocacy for the United Church of Christ. Beginning her career as a grassroots organizer with the UMC, her experience includes serving as Executive Director of Religions for Peace USA to the WCC Advocacy Officer to the UN advancing global faith-based advocacy to: G20 Interfaith Forum, Global Network of Religions for Children, Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities, Financing for Development, Commission on the Status of Women, Human Rights Treaty Bodies, the Summit of the Future, and advancing SDGs. Bollinger was selected as a civil society representative to the inaugural Global Ministerial to End Violence Against Children held in Bogota, Colombia in November of 2024. Her DMin research was conducted in Nigeria where she worked with survivors of kidnapping and Gender Based Violence. She continues advancing humanitarian advocacy through Storytelling as a Critical Aspect of Healing from Trauma.
SkyBlew
☁️ SkyBlew is a ColorfulDreamer who doesn't RAP... He Paints The Sky,Blew!!! ☁️ His music is positive and inspirational, but it still gets the fans attention with infectious beats & COLORFUL lyrics! ✨ Speaking from his life experiences such as foster care and homelessness, he uses his powerful message of LOVE, in hopes to make a difference in the world!! ✨ This Jazz SpaceMan consistently perseveres and has built a following that reaches far beyond the borders of the US! SkyBlew's music has also been featured in multiple video games & anime!! He has shared the stage with PRESTIGIOUS artists such as: Kendrick Lamar, Arrested Development, Souls Of Mischief, Del The Funky Homosapien, and many more! SkyBlew is destined for GREAT things!! ✨ Having garnered MILLIONS of views and streams, he is painting the sky an elevated shade of BLEW!!! ☁️
Lyndon Harris
LYNDON HARRIS, a former Episcopal priest, began his journey to forgiveness at the foot of the South Tower of the World Trade Center on the fateful morning of September 11, 2001. The heights of ecstasy he experienced in serving the needs of first responders were later to be matched by the depths of his despair as his life unraveled due to PTSD, depression, and a whole lot of bitterness. But the mercy of God, the love of dear friends and the power of forgiveness gave him a new beginning. Harris is a forgiveness coach, workshop leader, global speaker, and community healer. His work after 9/11 has been covered widely, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal. Harris is the coauthor, with Frederic Luskin, of The Forgive for Good Recovery Workbook. His 9/11 memoir, Forgiveness at Ground Zero: A Journey of Service, Loss and Redemption after 9/11 is published by Bloomsbury Academic and available June 27, 2026.
Paula Stone Williams
Rev. Dr. Paula Stone Williams is a Pastoral Counselor and internationally known speaker on gender equity and religious tolerance. She lives in Lyons, Colorado, where she serves as Mayor Pro Tem. Paula has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, PBS, NBC, CNN,and many other media outlets. Her TED talks have had over ten million views. Paula’s memoir, As A Woman, What I Learned About Power, Sex, and the Patriarchy After I Transitioned, was published by Simon & Schuster.
Matt Hartley
Matt Hartley is a Christian Interfaith Educator and Adjunct Professor of Religion at University of North Florida. He served as Director of the UNF Interfaith Center from 2018 to 2023. He earned a Master’s of Arts in Religion from University of Florida and has served in professional ministry for 20 years. He preaches at churches around the Jacksonville, FL community, specializing in topics of diversity and Interfaith connection. His latest work was helping launch the nonprofit, Young Adult Transformation Collective, which supports young adult through discernment programs and equips the professionals who accompany them.
Marilyn Brien
Marilyn Brien is a religious naturalist now living in Occupied Memphis, where she participates in interfaith, social justice, and environmental activism. She is a retired science teacher, working mostly with inner city minority students in San Antonio, Texas. She is blessed with good health and at 87 years of age she is still able to find joy in camping, hiking, world travel, nature bathing, and gardening. The current focus of her 40 year genealogical research is in coordination with Coming to the Table Linked Descendants and Wikitree in researching her slaveholding ancestors and those persons they enslaved in repairing and healing the wounds of slavery and racism. She is a founding member of the Religious Naturalist Association and Vice-President, Membership Engagement, Institute on Religion in an Age of Science (IRAS).
Ray D. Waters
Ray Waters is a storyteller, bridge-builder, and pastor to people who never thought they’d have a pastor again. Raised evangelical in the South, Ray spent decades leading The Village Church in South Atlanta—a community that journeyed with him from conservative roots toward a bold, fully inclusive faith. In 2009, the church became LGBTQ+ affirming, and in 2011, Ray officiated his first same-sex wedding. Known for preaching with tenderness and truth, Ray asks better questions than he gives answers. He creates space for spiritual misfits, deconstructing hearts, and weary souls to feel seen, safe, and valued. His voice is conversational, courageous, and grounded in a deep love for people and justice. Ray lives in Atlanta with his wife, Jane—his partner and closest friend. At Wild Goose, Ray brings a voice shaped by experience, softened by grace, and committed to a love that includes everybody.
Shannon Cline
Dr. Shannon Cline is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Recreation Management at Appalachian State University and an award-winning educator who helps people build confidence, connection, and belonging in the outdoors. She teaches courses in backpacking, hiking, and outdoor leadership, and regularly leads students on trail experiences designed to be both accessible and transformative. Shannon (Trail name Flamingo) is a section hiker on the Appalachian Trail and finds her deepest sense of clarity and spirituality outdoors. Her work focuses on breaking down barriers that keep people from engaging with nature and creating spaces where beginners feel welcome. She holds close Aldo Leopold’s words: “There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot.” for she is one who cannot
Hunt Priest
Hunt Priest, the founder of Ligare: A Christian Psychedelic Society, was a participant in a Johns Hopkins/NYU psilocybin study for religious leaders in 2016. His encounters with psilocybin opened him to the healing and consciousness-raising power of sacred plants and fungi and their connection to his own Christian practice and ministry. The epiphanies forever changed the trajectory of his work and led him to start Ligare in 2021. Ligare networks with psychedelic researchers, mental health clinicians, spiritual guides and teachers, healers, philanthropists and people of goodwill, regardless of creed, to co-create a movement of healing and wholeness. Striving for justice and peace among all people, Ligare grounds its work in the Christian contemplative tradition and is committed to seeking and serving Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Danny Lybarger
Danny Lybarger is the founding pastor of The Well, a radically inclusive church in one of the most conservative regions in the state of Missouri. Under his leadership, The Well has become a rapidly growing and thriving community where LGBTQ+ folks, ex-evangelicals, conservatives, skeptics, and seekers worship side by side. They are guided by one mantra: Your Seat at The Table Can't Cost Someone Else Theirs. Danny also hosts The Deconstruction Zone podcast, regularly writes on his Substack, A Bigger Table, and has been featured in national conversations about faith, identity, and belonging on Jubilee Media. He’s deeply passionate about his mission to preach radical inclusion until it's no longer radical.
Jim Holmes
I am Jim Holmes. I have played guitar for over 50 years and have recently worked with the Poor People's Campaign in Georgia as a Theomusicologist leading songs for the Poor People's Campaign. I also write songs --some of which have to do with social justice and protest. I have taken classes at the Frank Hamilton Folk School in Decatur on Songs that Shaped America and Protest Songs taught by Frank Hamilton himself. (Frank Hamilton is a folk singer who sang with the Weavers and is credited with the copyright for We Shall Overcome that was created at the Highlander Folk School. Very recently I have joined the Singing Resistance movement (attended a meeting on Friday 2/27/2026). It has been very active in Minneapolis MN with their recent surge of ICE and the resistance to our National Government's attempts to terrify and deport people of color and anyone who stands up in protest to them. I am interested in getting people at Wild Goose to sing some of their new songs.
Adiel Pollydore
Project 21:12 aims to provide clear on-ramps for community-building and solidarity organizing to former evangelicals (“Exvangelicals” or “post-evangelicals”) in order to help folks make meaning of their experiences, be emboldened in community with others, and take action to diminish the power of rising Christian Nationalism fueled in part by evangelical leaders, while building the power of a social justice solidarity movement.
Alexis Rice
Alexis Rice is the creator and host of The Sacred Slope podcast, where the slippery slope becomes sacred ground, heard and watched in 90+ countries. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, her work is shaped by a journey through evangelical megachurch culture, deconstruction, and reimagined faith, informed by global travel and time living abroad. She challenges white Christian nationalism by lifting up voices that reflect the joy and diversity of a global, inclusive Christianity. She has interviewed Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, John Fugelsang, Jen Hatmaker, Sarah Bessey, Derek Webb, Tripp Fuller, Pastor Paul Drees, Rev. Gerlyn Henry, Tim Whitaker, and David Hayward, along with 60+ clergy, artists, politicians, and scholars. Professionally, she has worked in AI and digital and social media at Microsoft, Twitter, and Stanford Graduate School of Business, helping people connect at the intersection of technology and storytelling.
Randy Dawson
I am a Chaplain serving both the adult and juvenile male communities. My focus “inside the razor wire”, along with providing spiritual care, is reentry preparedness. I also facilitate a ministry / agency in my local community of Marion, Ohio called “Journey Together”. Our Mission and Vision is: “Restorative justice through journeying together with individuals on all sides of the rehabilitation and corrections systems” And we serve our area’s Returning and Restored Citizens, both adults and juveniles. We provide support, advocacy and pathways to assistive services both directly and by partnering with local social service agencies as well as the faith based communities. The Journey Together Alliance also provides mentors (we use the term allies), for both pre-release and post-release individuals, as well as several
Matt Lammers
I am a retired high school science teacher involved in my church and community in various capacities. While a science teacher I led two aquatic ecology excursions in local streams and ponds. Currently my main ‘job’ is helper while caring for 3 grandsons whose father died a couple of years ago. Additionally, I am percussionist with a myriad of experiences in musical group settings and leading high school students in ‘drum’ circle experiences. My goal is to also get some other musicians I work with to join me in this endeavor/adventure.
Sondra Eklund
Sondra Eklund is a librarian who sings in the choir and leads a small group at at her church. She has memorized Scripture since childhood, including the entire book of Psalms. Her faith has transformed since those days, but she still loves Psalms and writing psalms. Her website, prayingwiththepsalmists.com, provides tools for using ten patterns from Psalms to deepen your prayers, opening your heart honestly to God. Sondra is also celebrating her 25th year of writing book reviews at Sonderbooks.com, where you can find thousands of reviews of books for all age levels, including many Christian books that uplift, inspire, and provoke thought.
Billie Hoard
Billie Hoard is a trans woman, a high school history teacher, an author, and something of an Anabaptist radical. A consummate generalist, she holds an MA in liberal arts from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, and she writes on topics ranging from fairy tales and C. S. Lewis to theology and philosophy. She and her brother, Paul Hoard, are the authors of Eucontamination: Disgust Theology and the Christian Life.
Kelly Leffler
Kelly Leffler is an artist of connection who believes creativity is one of the most powerful forms of healing we have. Her heart lives in spaces where healing, art, community, and imagination meet—places where people can show up exactly as they are and make something beautiful together. Her days are spent as a Health IT nerd, playing Auntie Kelly with her littles, cuddling her doodle Hope, floating in the springs of North Florida, and learning to live bigger, love deeper, and find rest along the way. Her work is shaped by lived experience in the messy, human parts of life. Her healing journey has taught her that creativity isn’t optional—it’s essential. It’s how we process, connect, and find our way back to ourselves and each other. And sometimes, the most radical thing we can do is nap. You’ll likely find Kelly in the Studio tent—covered in paint, glitter, and glue—offering hugs, an open seat, and an invitation into the beautiful chaos of making something together.
Kaleb Graves
Rev. Kaleb Graves is a Baptist preacher and apocalypse defier living in the NC Triangle. Kaleb received his MDiv from Duke Divinity School, and he is currently completing an MA in psychology from Fayetteville State University. He has been interviewed for or published in Missiology, Journal of Psychedelic Studies, Religion News Service, Baptist News Global, and The Christian Parapsychologist. In the entheogen realm, Kaleb founded Psychedelic Theology, a resource to bridge the gap between psychedelics and Christianity. In the realm of faith-based organizing, he is also the Congregational Mobilizer for the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of North Carolina and a lecturer on global liberation theologies, safety and solidarity practices, and political/religious extremism.
Brian Recker
Brian was an evangelical pastor for over 8 years before stepping away and deconstructing many aspects of his conservative faith, which has resulted in a richer and more inclusive spirituality. He seeks to help people feel seen and validated in their own spiritual evolution, wherever that takes them.
Jeff Eddings
Rev. Jeff Eddings is the Spiritual Formation and Coaching Associate for 1001 New Worshiping Communities of the Presbyterian Church (USA). He has over 30 years of church leadership experience and started a church on the South Side of Pittsburgh where he served for 17 years. Jeff is also a certified coach (ACC), trained in contemplative spirituality through the Shalem Institute and is a spiritual director for The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Jeff loves coffee, books, hiking, and sitting under a star filled sky. You can learn more about him and his work at www.jeffeddings.com
Flamy Grant
Drag queen, musician, entertainer — Flamy Grant is a trailblazing artist from Asheville, North Carolina. No matter the category, she sets stages ablaze with blistering vocals, bold looks, brilliant songwriting, and brave storytelling. Flamy made drag history in 2023 when her debut album Bible Belt Baby reached #1 on the iTunes Christian music charts, earning her headlines in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Billboard, People, and more. Too big for just one genre, Flamy snatched a 2026 International Folk Music Award nomination for Best Album for her sophomore record CHURCH — which also hit #8 on the iTunes Country charts. Beautifully blending her Appalachian roots with drag artistry and musical excellence, Flamy has stormed stages from Los Angeles to London, from New York to the Netherlands, racking up over 1.5 million streams on digital music platforms. She serves up a therapeutic, theatrical experience that is fearless, flamboyant, and full of heart.
Donald Guffey
Rev. Donald Guffey is an ordained interfaith minister and Reiki Master Teacher who teaches energy healing and New Thought metaphysics as tools to help people realize their own divinity and power. He and his fiance Hawk Webster reside in Western North Carolina and are loving members of Unitarian Universalist Church of the Catawba Valley.
Lisa Jacobson, Present LIfe Counseling
Lisa Jacobson is a psychotherapist, somatic guide, and facilitator who helps individuals and groups slow down enough to hear what’s actually alive beneath habit, identity, and urgency. Her work sits at the intersection of psychology, embodied spirituality, and relational presence, with a particular love for spaces where meaning emerges through experience rather than instruction. Lisa is less interested in helping people “fix” themselves and more curious about what becomes possible when we create the conditions for deeper listening—within the body, between people, and in community. She brings a gentle, grounded approach shaped by over two decades of yoga practice, group facilitation, and work with highly capable, thoughtful humans navigating complexity, grief, and change. At gatherings like Wild Goose, Lisa serves as a container-holder rather than a lecturer, inviting co-creative experiences rooted in presence, nervous system awareness, and shared humanity.
Natalie Hamrick
Natalie Hamrick, Ph.D. is an author, speaker and creator of healing journey experiences. She combines her expertise in Psychology, faith-based meditation and expressive art to facilitate healing and wholeness.
Jo'el Adifon
Jo’el Adifon is a practicing taumaturgo whose high-jinks involve the likes of saints and wonders, vampire-witches and curse wars, and real life anime powers. Drawing from his Italian origins and West African roots, Jo’el blends his extensive and eclectic studies (including a MA in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University) with lifelong immersion in the supernatural. The 2021 winner of the IONS Consciousness in Action Award, Jo’el boldly emphasizes blessing and healing, hexbreaking and justice, and miracles as fun and awesome.
Honoring the Journey
Honoring the Journey is a podcast for people who are questioning, shifting, or reimagining what they’ve always believed. It’s for those who were handed a version of faith that no longer fits, but who still long for meaning, connection, and something deeper. Through honest conversations and real stories, this space explores what it looks like to deconstruct fear-based beliefs and create room for something more grounded and true. It’s not about telling people what to believe. It’s about helping them feel safe enough to explore what they already sense might be true. Hosted by Leslie Nease, a former Christian radio host turned coach and spiritual director in training, Honoring the Journey offers a compassionate, non-judgmental space to question, process, and grow- at your own pace.
Kristin Du Mez
Kristin Kobes Du Mez is a New York Times bestselling author and Professor of History at Calvin University whose research focuses on the intersection of gender, religion, and politics. She is a Senior Democracy Fellow with the Public Religion Research Institute and has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Politico, and interviewed on NPR, CBS, the BBC, and many other outlets. She is the author of Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation and the much-anticipated Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made, which releases September 15, 2026.
Linda Serepca
Linda is a 12 year WGF veteran with two decades of spiritual direction experience. She is the Executive Director of the Charlotte Spirituality Center which provides spiritual direction training and one on one spiritual companionship to the local and nationwide community. She has a passion for her work and loves nothing more than the creative artistry of spiritual direction. She believes everything belongs in the context of spiritual direction because everything affects our spirit! She is well versed in contemplative life, discernment, IFS, enneagram, and 12 step spirituality. Her hero is Dorothy Day and has close ties to the Catholic Worker community in NYC. She also curates a team of spiritual advisors to those on death row in Angola, LA. A progressive Catholic, she has deep appreciation for sitting with folx of all faith traditions, the spiritual but not religious, or anyone seeking inner peace.
Jessica Miller Kelly
Jessica Miller Kelley is Executive Editor at Westminster John Knox Press. For nearly twenty years, she has acquired and edited progressive Christian resources in the areas of spirituality, social justice, biblical studies, preaching, personal growth, and more. She met her husband, Matt, on the first night of orientation at Vanderbilt Divinity School way back in 2003. They now have three children and reside in Jessica’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. She is active in ministries at her home church, Middletown Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and recently published Growing in God’s Love: A Family Devotional.
OutoftheBox
Claire Helton is a small-group facilitator and retreat leader who finds life in creating spaces for deep reflection, community-building, and personal transformation. She has been a storyteller with OutoftheBox for several years and currently serves as an OutoftheBox Mentor. She has weaved her passions for storytelling and communal meaning-making into her work over the years in congregational ministry as well as hospice chaplaincy and bereavement support. She loves running OutoftheBox sessions with adults in her Unitarian Universalist church and with a local grief support group. She also facilitates online training courses for those who want to become OutoftheBox storytellers themselves. She’s excited to be at Wild Goose for the first time this year!
Tabitha Zeigler
Tabitha Zeigler is a dynamic humanist, autism advocate, and founder leading meaningful conversations and community engagement around neurodiversity and disability rights. As the host of the Staring Down the Storm: Autism Advocacy in America podcast, she amplifies the voices of those working “in the trenches” for inclusive support, access, and systemic change for autistic individuals and their families. Her work spans organizing, writing, and public speaking, all grounded in her lived experience as a parent and caregiver, and her passion for social justice, accessibility, and authentic storytelling. Tabitha blends her advocacy with a global perspective shaped by varied life and professional experiences, creating platforms that educate, empower, and connect diverse audiences across communities.
Larry Dickinson
Dr. Larry Dickinson is your classic nerdy entrepreneur and engineer on a personal Faith journey. Educated in Engineering and Applied Science, he has spent over 30 years researching, developing, and commercializing new plastic materials. After working at multiple large organizations (e.g. NASA, Lockheed) and small startups, he fessed up to being an entrepreneur and started a company to commercialize something. While having the worst boss he’s ever had (himself), he finally co-invented a new polymer alloy that enables desktop 3D printers to make plastic parts as strong as metal. He now seems to be conflating two separate concepts: “Living a vow of poverty” and “Running a start-up company.” He grew up in a small church in rural NC and has facilitated numerous classes in various congregations where he’s lived. His ongoing Faith Journey began in a conservative congregation of a progressive Christian denomination (UCC), and is now exploring broader perspectives with an interest in Mysticism.
Joe Graves
Joe Graves is a pastor, writer, and social entrepreneur exploring how the stories we tell shape faith, power, and possibility. He is the founding pastor of Central City Church—now Cityview Church—and has helped launch and lead multiple nonprofits, including the Columbus Violence Reduction Fund, Little Bottoms Free Store, and the Ohio Writers’ Association, where he currently serves as President. An author of both fiction and nonfiction, his work blends speculative imagination with ethical and spiritual questions; his recent novel, My Family at the End of Everything, uses science fiction to explore themes of faith, politics, and the futures we imagine together. Across his writing and leadership, Joe is passionate about renewal—of communities, organizations, and the narratives that bind or liberate us—and about creating spaces where people can imagine more compassionate and courageous ways of being together.
Dr Kevin Jenson
I’m Dr. Kevin Jenson. I have a PhD and an MDiv (in progress), but more importantly, I have the scars of someone who tried to live by the “old rules” and broke. I returned to the ancient texts to find a way out. There I discovered a God who loves the body and a theology that integrates faith and sexuality into one Incarnational reality! λογοσ σαρξ εγενετο Using a uniquely biblical method of textual analysis, I am developing a scholarly foundation for a new understanding of porneia and its use in New Testament texts (*hint – it’s not fornication). I also draw on original research and experience as an educator with Human Centered Learning LLC to partner with ministry leaders in the design and facilitation of embodied, transformational learning experiences! It takes more than a good speech to rewrite the story of the body, of sexuality, and of human identity! #sacrednotsinful
Sarah Renfro
Rev. Sarah Renfro, minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), partner of Rev. Kyle Brown, mom of 15-year-old Miriam, was an international fashion model from ages 14 to 21. Born in Lexington, KY, she traveled the world for work, but she always found her way back home. Raised in the Church, after retiring from modeling, Sarah developed a workshop on embodiment and faith. As a graduate of Lexington Theological Seminary, she served churches in Kentucky and Indiana and now serves as Asst. VP of Client Relations with Pension Fund of the Christian Church. Sarah continues to keynote and lead workshops connecting body image to beliefs in the Creator, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. She loves to write poetry, word puzzles, and moving her body, dancing especially.
Samara Price
Samara is the founder of Brew Naturals, an elderberry-focused craft food business rooted in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Her work centers around food, community, storytelling, and creating spaces where people feel connected and cared for. She recently launched the Heat + Eat Collective, a grassroots mutual aid initiative focused on community meal sharing and neighbor-to-neighbor support. Samara is passionate about relational advocacy, community resilience, and the ways food can help build connection across lines of difference.
3Practice Circles
Jim Henderson’s innovative work in crossing the difference divide has been reported by The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, and featured on This American Life with Ira Glass. Jim is a serial entrepreneur, film and live event producer, organizational leadership coach, and author of eight books. He makes his home in Seattle. Jim Hancock has a four decade history of designing content and delivering experience-based learning for organizations and institutions working on all sorts of interesting things. He’s authored and co-authored a dozen books and well north of 300 short films (and a couple of pretty long ones). He lives and works in Seattle.
Rev. Leo Jones-Morton / Connie Conover
Rev. Leo Jones-Morton is an unapologetically queer pastor, author, and creative force of nature. As Senior Pastor of Unifour Church (NC), he leads a radically inclusive community where love leads, everyone belongs, and hope is alive. Author of Glitter Psalms, Leo weaves poetry, theology, and raw humanity into a gospel of liberation. Beyond the pulpit, he transforms into Connie Conover, a drag entertainer and sacred storyteller who turns the stage into a sanctuary. Together, Leo & Connie invite audiences to deconstruct fear, rediscover joy, and dance in divine authenticity. Their work defies boundaries and reimagines what holy looks like—because sometimes, the Spirit shows up in sequins.
Mark Wingfield
Mark Wingfield serves as executive director and publisher of Baptist News Global. This is his second time working as a journalist, having worked in print journalism for 21 years before becoming the associate pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas for nearly 17 years. He is the author of five books, including Why Churches Need to Talk About Sexuality and Honestly: Telling the Truth About the Bible and Ourselves. He gave a TEDx Talk in Charlottesville, Va., in 2016 titled “The Baptist Pastor and His Transgender Friends.” Mark has become one of the foremost documenters of Christian nationalism in America and is a trusted source of news writing and commentary.
Teresa Conrads
Teresa received her YTT at the Himalayan Institute and is a Yoga Alliance Certified Hatha Yoga teacher. With an ALL LEVELS approach, Teresa’s classes focus on building the poses from the ground up, paying close attention to proper alignment and breath. Teresa's journey to the heart of yoga came in her search for a holistic approach to heal from Fibromyalgia and CPTSD. She attributes her wellness and continued healing to this ancient somatic practice. This ancient practice of honoring the temple that is our body, through movement and breath awareness counteracts environmental stressors, increases relaxation, and restores balance to the body, mind, and spirit. This daily moving meditation connects us to the miraculous healing powers that exist within us. No matter your range of motion or fitness level Teresa’s teaching style is available to the beginner while still offering challenges to the intermediate yogi.
The Order of Hildegard
We are the training and ordaining Community Chaplains, growing community and tending thresholds. Mission: The Order of Hildegard is an unaffiliated community of practice which exists to center, celebrate and develop the interfaith cross-vocational spiritual leadership of those marginalized by traditional religious structures such as LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, people with disabilities and neurodiversities and those otherwise disillusioned with harmful, puritanical patriarchal religious structures. We transform public and private spiritual ethics and practices in a wide range of settings and traditions, cultivating a vibrant, widespread community while sharing resources for the thriving of our members and to impact the larger culture. The Order of Saint Hildegard INC is a registered 501c3
Lisa Sharon Harper
Lisa Sharon Harper is the founder and president of Freedom Road, a groundbreaking consulting group that crafts experiences that bring common understanding and common commitments that lead to common action toward a more just world. Lisa is a public theologian whose writing, speaking, activism and training has sparked and fed the fires of re-formation in the church from Ferguson and Charlottesville to South Africa, Brazil, Australia and Ireland. Lisa’s book, Fortune: How Race Broke My Family And The World--And How To Repair It All was named one of the “Best Books of 2022” and The Very Good Gospel was named 2016 “Book of the Year” by Englewood Review of Books. The Huffington Post identified Lisa as one of 50 Women Religious Leaders to Celebrate on International Women’s Day. Lisa is host of the Freedom Road Podcast, cohost of The FOUR Podcast and author of her weekly column on Substack, “The Truth Is...”. Ms. Harper is currently pursuing her PhD in womanist ethics at the Vrije Universiteit
Kathleen Shepherd
Kathleen is a former engineer turned financial advisor that seeks to bring connectedness into every part of her life. She experienced Soul Focused Healing first as a recipient and a few years later completed the Level 1 training. Soul Focused Healing has deepened her spiritual connectedness and professional practices in surprising ways and she's looking forward to exchanging experiences with other collaborators at Wild Goose Festival.
Tracy Howe
Rev. Dr. Tracy Howe is a songwriter, author, theologian, and organizer and uses their creative expression in cultural organizing towards a world of beauty, belonging, and care. Tracy uses community singing to ground participants in settings from rapid response trainings countering I.C.E. harm, to joyful home gatherings. Her songs have been used by faith communities and in movement work globally and her latest collection, Our Bodies Hold Worlds, is an offering of interfaith songs that can be carried from prayer and worship into the streets. She is a contributing author to Building Up a New World, Congregational Organizing for Transformative Impact (Pilgrim Press 2023), founder of Restoration Village Arts, a 501©3, and completed her Ph.D. this year in Applied Intercultural Arts Research at the University of Arizona.
Christian Athlete Circles
Christian Athlete Circles equips athletes and coaches to live into the fullness of who God created them to be. We are a movement within the athletic community seeking wholeness and flourishing for all people. We host Spirit of Sport podcast, a platform We take seriously the call to love God, love others, and love ourselves by honoring God’s creativity in and through diversity. Co-Founded by The Rev. Kelsey Davis & Rev. Georgia McKee, CAC is a faith community where formation is practiced through compassion and healing, a spiritual home for athletes and leaders to BELONG, GROW, PRAY, and ACT. Together we are creating Beloved Community with and for athletes, shaping a culture of wholeness in the world of sport.
Terry and Kirsti
Terry and Kirsti have been making music together since they met in 1994. The Wild Goose has become their home over the years, and they are responsible for the music programming and stage management. They are honored to host Goose in the Round and highlight the singer-songwriters of the Goose.
Lisa M DeLay
Lisa Colón DeLay is a Puertorican-born author, broadcaster, teacher, and spiritual companion who centers her projects on spiritual formation. Her first book The Wild Land Within: Cultivating Wholeness to Spiritual Practice offers insights into our unseen interior world where memories, wounds, fears, hopes, and potential reside; and features historically marginalized perspectives. Her second book The Way of the Desert Elders: How Ancient Christians Can Sustain Us Today features the lives, stories, and wisdom of the spiritual Fathers and Mothers in the Desert Movement Era of Christianity (circa 300-600 CE). The insights on spiritual practices and the nine afflicting thoughts move us toward faithfulness, virtue, and freedom from the vices we continue to struggle with in our time. website: lisadelay.com desert website: desert.lisadelay.com youtube: youtube.com/@Saprkmymuse Substack: sparkmymuse.substack.com insta: @lisacolondelay facebook: facebook.com/lisacolondelay
Patrick L Young
In the early 2000s, Patrick joined a monthly film meetup that became Javaflix, a 20-year int’l film discussion community. He curated Javaflix in Savannah, Bluffton, and Jacksonville for over six years, cultivating community through conversations on the art of film. Patrick told his first hauntingly awful story at a Philadelphia slam in 2010. In 2014 he co-founded The Story Arts Workshop in Savannah, fostering true personal storytelling at open mics, slams, and curated events. He has since produced storytelling gatherings, from rowdy full houses to intimate settings.
Will Cooper
Will Cooper grew up in a conservative Southern Baptist household, met and married a United Methodist clergy person during his deconstruction, and still wrestles with what belief and faith mean to him today. Will is the Chief Operating Officer at Hope Partnership and is a nonprofit leader with over a decade of experience advancing housing stability and poverty alleviation efforts in Central Florida. He is passionate about empowering both team members and community members, and is committed to advancing trauma-informed, person-centered approaches that restore dignity and promote long-term stability for individuals and families experiencing poverty and homelessness.
Richard S Schaffer
Richard Schaffer graduated from college at the age of 46. He started a second career teaching Adult Basic Education in a community college and decision making in his local prison and juvenile detention center. He wrote a book for his grandchildren when they were graduating from high school to pass on his values and family history. Now retired, Richard engages his community in conversation around thinking about life and invites people to share their thoughts and beliefs with others.
Steve Finlan
Steve Finlan is the Pastor of The First Church of West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and is a biblical scholar with eleven books published, including Problems with Atonement, Theosis, Bullying in the Churches, To Unite the Scattered Children of God, and The Drama of Job.
Grace Ji-Sun Kim
Grace Ji-Sun Kim was born in Korea, educated in Canada and now teaches in the USA as Professor of Theology at Earlham School of Religion. She is the author or editor of 26 books, most recently, Earthbound, When God Became White, Invisible, and Spirit Life. Kim is the host of Madang podcast which is sponsored by Faith and Reason. She blogs on her Substack: Loving Life and has written for Huffington Post, The Nation, Sojourners, Baptist News Global, Faith and Leadership and TIME. Kim has appeared on MSNBC, PBS and C-Span. She has been a guest on BBC Radio, ABC Soul Search Radio, WBEZ Radio, and Keep Hope Alive Radio. She is a book series Co-Editor for Palgrave Macmillan Series, “Asian Christianity in the Diaspora,” and has served on the American Academy of Religion’s Board of Directors. Kim is honored to be included in the Englewood Review of Book‘s list of “Ten Important Women Theologians That You Should Be Reading”.
Yvette Flunder
Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder, a San Francisco native, has served her call through prophetic action and ministry for justice for over thirty years. This call to “blend proclamation, worship, service and advocacy on behalf of those most marginalized in church and in society” led to the founding of the City of Refuge United Church of Christ in 1991. In 2003, Rev. Dr. Flunder was consecrated Presiding Bishop of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, a multi-denominational coalition of over 100 primarily African American Christian leaders and laity. Rev. Dr. Flunder is on the Board of Starr King School for the Ministry and DEMOS and has taught at many theological schools. She is a graduate of the Certificate of Ministry and Master of Arts programs at Pacific School of Religion, and received her Doctor of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary. She is also an award winning gospel music artist and author of Where the Edge Gathers: A Theology of Homiletic and Radical Inclusion.
Debonee
Debonee Morgan is a Certified Spiritual Director, licensed psychotherapist (specializing with Religious Trauma) and the Exec Director and principal teacher at non-profit Zeitgeist – creating education, practice and community for Spiritually Independent people in Atlanta and beyond. Ordained by Rabbi Rami Shapiro as a Holy Rascal and honored to be a graduate of the inaugural cohort of Richard Rohr's Living School, Debonee is committed to the perennial and panentheistic tradition, (as Richard says, “What’s true is true everywhere.”) She is a certified as an End-Of-Life Doula and in Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy by the California Institute for Integral Studies.
Carrilea Hall
Carrilea Hall grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina. She earned a BA in Health Science Studies from Brevard College (where she also played soccer), a Master of Divinity and Certificate in Religion and Health from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and most recently a Master of Social Work from UNC Charlotte. Carrilea is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church and currently works at the North Carolina Council of Churches. Her work centers on helping congregations become spaces of healing — reducing stigma, building resilience, and cultivating communities where mind, body, and spirit belong together. She lives in Statesville, NC, with her partner Andrew and their two daughters. They have also been foster parents to numerous children so much of her passion for trauma-informed care and community healing is shaped by this. She loves the outdoors, thoughtful conversation, creative justice work, and building communities where healing is not a solo ac
Deborah Happel
Deb Happel likes change. That's a good thing for someone who's lived in 10 states, raised five children, and worked jobs ranging from newspaper journalist to tween ministry coordinator to massage therapist. That said, some changes stink. When Donald Trump took office in 2017, Deb found herself protesting for the first time in her life. Two years later when her beloved church made a horrible decision banning gay ordination and marriage, Deb decided to leave. The thing that kept her relatively sane was her book club. Called The Others after Will Willimon's Fear the Other, the group started meeting right after the 2017 inauguration and is still meeting today. Its lifelong community servants and the insightful works they discussed assured Deb she wasn't alone. The Jim Wallises, Richard Rohrs, and Nadia Bolz-Webers of the world had already graveled her bumpy road. The Others led Deb to the Goose. She's hoping to celebrate that gift by starting a book club at this year's festival.
Brother James
Brother James is a spiritual singer-songwriter whose genre-bending arrangements blend with contemplative storytelling in pursuit of a deep meaningful life. Imagine that Paul Simon, Pete Seeger, and Paul McCartney became monks and then delivered hand-made monastery wine to your door — if that's appealing to you, Brother James' heart-forward indie-folk is for you.
Hillary Taylor
Rev. Hillary Taylor is the Executive Director of South Carolinians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (SCADP). Before working for SCADP, Hillary spent time working as a young adult missionary in South Africa and Miami, FL, a pastor in Saluda, SC, and a hospital chaplain at Greenville Memorial Hospital. A graduate of both Furman University and Candler School of Theology (Emory University), Hillary has been working against the death penalty since organizing with the #KellyOnMyMind Campaign in 2015 for Kelly Gissendaner in Georgia. When she returned to South Carolina, she became the spiritual advisor to Brad Sigmon, who was executed on March 7, 2025. She continues abolition work in his memory. When she is not working, Hillary loves being outdoors, doing yard work, and spending time with her wife and pets.
Carl McColman
Carl McColman writes and teaches at the intersection of contemplation and wonder. A spiritual director and retreat leader, he is the author of over twenty books exploring contemplative practice, Celtic spirituality, mystical living, and earth-honoring paths. His writing reflects an interspiritual vision grounded in silence, compassion, and the possibility of divine intimacy in everyday life. A perennial seeker formed by the silence and cadences of the monastery yet immersed in the joys and challenges of life in the world, Carl loves prayer, meditation, interfaith dialogue, and the gentle art of living with an awakened heart. He is a commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer introductory workshops; co-host of the Encountering Silence podcast, and a blogger-turned-Substack author. Part nonbinary hippie and part zen druid, Carl pairs thoughtful scholarship with a playful spirit — inviting you to discover a spirituality that is spacious, compassionate, and quietly luminous.
Beth Garrod-Logsdon
Rev. Dr. Beth Garrod-Logsdon is a cradle Presbyterian. Since 2007, she has been the pastor of Wilmore Presbyterian Church in Wilmore, Kentucky, and, in 2003, she added the role of executive director/mission developer of Urban Village, a faith-based community center in nearby Nicholasville. Through the shared work of congregation and community center, Beth has cultivated a ministry that combines her love for serving small-membership congregations and leading children's and youth ministry - two passions that are rarely found in the same place. Through ministries designed to reach and welcome persons with neurodiversity and their families, Urban Village provides a safe place where all are welcome and can explore their faith through their own unique gifts and skills. Beth leads a weekly middle and high school youth group that was the study location for her dissertation titled “Beyond Fidgets: Engaging Neurodiverse Youth (grades 5 through 9) Through Ancient Spiritual Practices.”
Read. Pray. Write. Spiritual Reading for Modern Life
Jean P. Kelly is a “lectio divina evangelista” who teaches that a modern approach to an ancient monastic practice (using art, music, life experience, and books of all types in addition to Scripture as starting point for prayer) makes meditation accessible to all. The founding philosophy of Read. Pray. Write. podcast, now in its eighth season, is “If you can read, you can meditate. If you can write, you can pray.” The show features both audio and video guided meditations featuring influential faith-forward creatives performing or reading their work. She also interviews these thought leaders about how their personal spiritual practices inform a life of creativity, humility and social action. Past Wild Goose podcast guests and collaborators have included Flamy Grant, Kenneth McIntosh, Jacqui Lewis, AJ Levine.
Cody Burton
Cody Burton is the Director of Operations for the Wild Goose Festival, where he oversees logistics and onsite infrastructure and helps weave the threads of community, creativity, and justice into the fabric of the festival experience. A devoted advocate for radical inclusion, LGBTQ+ liberation, and collective transformation, Cody has been on the festival staff since 2018, helping to ground the festival’s vibrant spirit. In addition to his operational role, Cody also brings the party to life as one of the DJs for the festival’s popular Silent Disco.
Justin Cox
Justin Cox is an ordained minister, late-night baker, and storyteller. His writings have appeared in Mockingbird Magazine, Huff Post, and the Baptist Peacemaker. He’s a regular contributor at Good Faith Media, Salvation South, Baptist News Global, and The Christian Citizen. A collection of his ghost stories were featured in the Winter edition of 96th of October. Justin and his family live in the South, where he talks excessively about a radically inclusive Jesus, the sacredness of Waffle House, Baptist iconoclast Will D. Campbell, and his patron sinner Anthony Bourdain. He rambles from time to time at Black Sheep Baptist.
Jim McGee
Jim McGee is a wilderness sojourner, hiker, X-country skier, kayaker, psychotherapist, chaplain, Presbyterian minister and musician in Louisville, Kentucky. As a therapist, he incorporates nature into the healing arts,offering Forest therapy & trail talk as healing modalities. He writes songs poetry about faith, social justice and spiritual connection with nature.
Rana
Rana is a long time Open Heart Mediation and Reiki Tummo Practitioner as well as a psychotherapist in private practice in Asheville, NC. Rana enjoys supporting individuals and groups to explore the intersections of spirituality, personal values, healing and growth.
Hanna Broome
Dr. Hanna R. Broome is a preacher, social activist, and strategic leader whose work bridges the church, community, and public square. She serves as the National Director of Religious Affairs for Repairers of the Breach and Director of Project 100, a civic engagement resource for the AME Zion Church. An ordained elder in the AME Zion Church, Dr. Broome brings more than two decades of ministry, leadership development, and community engagement experience to her work with clergy, congregations, and justice movements. She is past president of the North Carolina Council of Churches and former Regional Director for North Carolina for the Oikos Institute for Social Impact. Dr. Broome is known for helping faith communities move from vision to strategy to measurable impact. She holds a Doctor of Ministry in Courageous Leadership in a Changing Culture from Drew Theological Seminary and leads with prophetic courage, pastoral wisdom, and practical clarity across traditions and generations.
Joe Webb
Joe Webb is a proud Appalachian and retired United Methodist clergy person. His blog and podcast, Accidental Tomatoes, highlights the journey of religious deconstruction as it relates to issues of justice and liberation. Joe currently serves as a Fresh Expressions trainer for the West Virginia Conference of the UMC and seeks to help empower leaders to create and nurture communities beyond the confines of the institutional church. He is the founder of New Wineskins, an online pub church community meeting monthly via Zoom, and New Wineskins Network, a nonprofit seeking to resource mini- and micro-faith communities
Sara Cunningham
Sara Cunningham is a mother, author, speaker, and founder of Free Mom Hugs, a national nonprofit empowering the world to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community through visibility, education, and conversation. Her journey has been featured in The New York Times, on national television, and in the documentary Mama Bears. She is the author of How We Sleep at Night and the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
Chantal Morales McKinney
Chantal McKinney is an author, a mystic Christian and visionary, a faith-based entrepreneur, a nationwide speaker, coach, and consultant for a wide diversity of churches, faith communities, and non-profits. She is the founder of Root Thrive Soar, the Founding Pastor for Christ’s Beloved Community, and the founder of Contemporary Mystics Publishing. She has established supportive networks and circles for women affected by harm in the church and for spiritually expansive individuals. Originally ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church, she now continually strives to be God’s priest, with a particular heart for the millions of people who are in exile and on the margins of church. She lives in North Carolina with her family. Her first book, Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls: A Catalyst for Your Spiritual Growth, is available for purchase. Learn more at chantalmckinney.com, rootthrivesoar.com, and contemporarymysticspublishing.com.
Zach Helton
Zachary Helton is an author and spiritual care counselor reclaiming sacred stories for healing and liberation. He is the author of Metta Valley Gospel—a literary reimagining of the Jesus story through the lens of interspiritual wisdom, taking the story back from narratives of shame, fear, and control. His work appears in Braided Way Magazine and Flash Fiction Magazine, and he was nominated for the 2024 Orison Best Spiritual Literature Award. When he’s not writing, he’s usually thinking about writing (or meditating—both of which involve a fair amount of staring at walls).
Aimée Bostwick
Aimée Bostwick is a spiritual director whose work is rooted in The Episcopal Church and shaped by interspiritual, embodied practices. She holds a Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation from the Seminary of the Southwest, with additional formation in forest bathing, interfaith and interspiritual chaplaincy through the Order of Hildegard, and yoga (200-hour YTT). She serves Kanuga as Senior Advisor for Program Innovation, cultivating experiences that invite connection to self, community, the natural world, and the Sacred.
Ken Medema
Wild Goose Bio for 2026 Ken Medema has shared his passion for learning and discovery through storytelling and music with an ever-growing circle of followers around the world. Ken has been performing for 53 years in many different venues: churches, conventions, colleges, corporations and more, for groups ranging from 50 to 50,000 people. Though blind from birth, Ken sees and hears with heart and mind, singing stories from his audience and accenting themes and perspectives from speakers and workshop leaders. At Wild Goose, Ken will sit side stage while leaders/speakers speak – and then he’ll provide a spot-on, on-the-spot musical response. It’s another amazing Wild Goose experience.
Jeff Genung
Jeff serves as Managing Director of ProSocial World. A non-profit organization whose mission is to consciously evolve a world that works for all. He also co-founded Contemplative Life, a digital hub connecting people and communities with transformative practices. Most recently, he helped launch Prosocial Spirituality, a learning and research initiative exploring the integration of evolutionary science and evolutionary spirituality. Jeff’s main focus is exploring the integration of science, spirituality, the arts, and technology as a means of conscious and compassionate cultural evolution. https://www.prosocial.world/ https://contemplativelife.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffgenung/
Greg Mellor
Greg's ministerial and work experience includes high school and college campus ministry as well as prison chaplaincy. His educational background is in philosophy, theology, and Christian spirituality. In February of 2025, he resigned from his role as Catholic Chaplain at California State Prison, Sacramento in Folsom, CA, in order to explore Catholic Worker life. From July, 2025 to June, 2026, Greg worked and lived with the Los Angeles Catholic Worker Community where he focused his energy on building community and preparing free meals at the Hippie Kitchen in the Skid Row neighborhood. After a six-year stint in CA, Greg recently returned to the East Coast to move closer to family and to pursue Catholic Worker life in Baltimore. Greg also serves as a spiritual director and is a certified enneagram teacher in the Narrative Tradition.
Sarah Stankorb
Sarah Stankorb is the author of Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion (out September 2026) and the national best-seller Disobedient Women. The award-winning, Ohio-based writer is a fan of heartfelt truth-telling. Her work has appeared in publications including Elle, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, O Magazine, Marie Claire, Vogue, Longreads, Glamour, Catapult, Slate, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Newsweek, and many others. She writes about religion, politics, feminism, and the public good.
Patti Amadio
Recently (mostly) retired from medicine, Patti finds freedom in expressing her earlier interest in the visual arts and in various crafts. Her Christian faith is currently unhoused or perhaps free range. She lives in northeast Tennessee with her husband of 32 years, her co-creator daughter, and elderly cat.
Donna Blanton
Entering her third act in this auspicious Year of the Fire Horse, Donna Beck Blanton is a native of Atlanta, lover of languages, curious world citizen, human rights advocate, former high school French teacher and current ESOL instructor of adult immigrants and refugees, wife of 35+ years, mom of 2 young adult daughters, INFJ, HSP, Enneagram 4w5, and de/reconstructing follower of Jesus.
Meredith Rawls
Meredith is a North Carolina native with a BSW in Social Work and a minor in Spanish from Appalachian State University. She later earned dual Master’s degrees in Divinity from Duke Divinity School and Social Work from UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work, graduating in 2021 with a Certificate in Prison Studies and an MSW focused on Communities and Organizations. An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Meredith is passionate about the intersection of faith and justice and envisions the Church as a creative, radically inclusive force for shalom. She previously served as a hospital chaplain and now works with the NC Council of Churches. She loves cultivating community, urban farming, travel, and exploring with her dog, Yogi.
Betsy McGeorge
Betsy has been attending the Wild Goose Festival since 2012. She volunteered for many years in the beer tent and has led pub trivia and karaoke for the past two years.
John Pavlovitz
John Pavlovitz is a writer, pastor, and activist known for his bold voice at the intersection of faith and justice. A former megachurch pastor, he speaks with about the days in which we find ourselves. John's bestselling books include A Bigger Table, and If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk, and his most recent, Worth Fighting For, arrived this past year. He currently curates The Beautiful Mess on Substack, a vibrant hub for people of faith, morality, and conscience, and directs Empathetic People Network, an expansive online community that connects human beings from all over the world who want to create a more compassionate planet.
Charlotte Donlon
Charlotte Donlon is a writer, spiritual director, and gatherer whose work centers on helping people explore themes of belonging through art, spiritual growth, and how to Flourish Anyway™, even when life is full, busy, or chaotic.With a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and a certificate in spiritual direction, Charlotte guides writers and other creative souls in fostering sanctuaries of acceptance and connection—her approach warmly welcomes people from all backgrounds, regardless of faith tradition or spiritual inclinations. Her books include The Great Belonging (Broadleaf Books, 2020), Spiritual Direction for Writers (Here Below Books, 2026), The Great Belonging Project (Thoughtful Books Etc., 2026), and Take More Retreats Anthology (Thoughtful Books Etc., 2026). Learn more at charlottedonlon.com.
Unbound Love Podcast
Rev. Gayle Tabor is a United Methodist pastor, church planter, and advocate for radical inclusion. Gayle serves as Pastor of Crossroads Church in Fayetteville, NC, and is planting SALT United Methodist in Wilmington NC - creating spaces where people can bring their whole selves and know they belong. Known as the “Pub Pastor,” Gayle finds the sacred beyond the sanctuary—in pubs, on bike trails, and around shared tables. With backgrounds in marketing and law, Gayle brings practical insight to faith and leadership. Ordained through the Pacific Northwest Conference under the Safe Harbor program, Gayle also serves as vice president of Wilmington Faith Leaders United and co-hosts Unbound Love. A cyclist, Cubs fan, LEGO enthusiast, and Dalmatian rescuer, Gayle’s ministry centers on love, justice, curiosity, and belonging.
Em Cross
Hello and welcome! I'm Em, a neurospicy member of the Goose family for five years now. I live in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, and am inspired by nature and my experience of the divine among its creatures.
R. J. Lee
R. J. Lee, a native of Natchez, Ms, received his B.A. from the U. of the South (Sewanee), where he studied Creative Writing under then 'Sewanee Review' editor, Andrew Lytle. He has since published 17 cozy, Southern humorous and mystery novels with Putnam and Kensington in New York and Madville Publishing in Texas. After living in New Orleans for thirty years, he now resides in Oxford, Ms. His 18th work--STILL IN THE UNIVERSE: mother, brother, husband details the unusual incidents he experienced with those three people after they had departed this life. This memoir summarizes his thesis on continued existence in the universe through multiple-life assignments and challenges. It encourages dialogue among all belief systems with a non-dogmatic outreach consisting of an open heart and mind.
Rob Schenck
Rob Schenck is a dissenting evangelical voice and a loving but fierce critic of his religious tribe. He spent nearly 40 years as a leading figure among U.S. evangelicals and 35 years of them as an activist on the religious right, but today identifies as a Christian progressive. An ordained evangelical minister, Rob was trained in evangelical institutions, has led national evangelical organizations, and is widely published in evangelical journals. MAGA operatives in Congress placed him in their crosshairs after he exposed a years-long stealth attempt to buy off conservative Supreme Court justices. Rob is the subject of Abigail Disney's Emmy Award-winning film The Armor of Light, examining the evangelical embrace of popular gun culture. Producer Rob Reiner features him in the documentary, God & Country, about the danger of Christian nationalism, and he's currently a focus in HBO 's The Wealth of the Wicked. Rob says this season of his life is a pilgrimage of penance and reparation.
Rebecca Yarosh
Rebecca is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and mother to four adult children. Rebecca is an advocate for those who are LGBTQIA+.
PeaceCYCLE
Amber Rose is the founder of PeaceCYCLE, a social business in Haiti designed to provide dignifying work while cleaning the environment. They collect a pervasive form of plastic trash, reforming it through a labor intensive craft, into durable and desirable products. The journey of observing problems to taking actionable steps in addressing them, has not been a simple process in the poverty stricken and politically unstable nation. PeaceCYCLE's objective is to insert a CYCLE of Peace in the midst of the ongoing negative cycles that plague Haiti. Illiteracy, violence, malnutrition, pollution, gang activity, prostitution, and poverty are a few of the cycles that are interrupted with the insertion of dignifying employment. Simultaneously, the products created at PeaceCYCLE act as a source of education, raising awareness to the consumer, outside of Haiti. Rose's dream is that this CYCLE of Peace will spread, creating a more dignifying, just, and equitable world.
Jon Reese
Jon Reese is a retired educator and current book editor who has led professional retreats for collegiate staff, journalism workshops for high school students, and environmental programs for The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center. He has planned and facilitated congregational retreats for the UU Congregation of Atlanta, co-facilitated workshops with The Work That Reconnects, and led breakout sessions at the Southeastern Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute. He currently leads his church's Climate Action Team and participates in international programming around issues of collapse, resilience, and regeneration.
Kagan Parker
Kagan Parker is a certified mindfulness instructor, diversity educator, singer songwriter, and poet. They serve as the spiritual director of the 11:11 service at Fort Worth United Methodist Church, where they help cultivate spaces for curiosity, reflection, and community. Drawing inspiration from the natural world and everyday moments of life, Kagan writes music and poetry that seek to lift the soul, encourage self love, and bring joy even in difficult seasons. Their work blends spirituality, creativity, and storytelling to invite people into deeper authenticity and connection with themselves and one another. As a person of color and a member of the queer community, Kagan is deeply committed to creating spaces where honest, illuminating, and intimate conversations can take place. In their spare time, they enjoy hiking, watching anime, reading, and going on epic adventures.
Thomas Jay Oord
Thomas Jay Oord, Ph.D., is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. Oord directs the Center for Open and Relational Theology and doctoral students at Northwind Theological Seminary. He is an award-winning author and has written or edited more than forty books. A gifted speaker, Oord lectures at universities, conferences, churches, and institutions. He is known for his contributions to research on love, science and religion, open and relational theology, the problem of suffering, and advocacy for the full inclusion of queer people. Website: thomasjayoord.com
Rebecca Herman
I’ve been attending the Wild Goose Festival since 2012. I live in Blacksburg, VA and am a member of a progressive UCC community there called Glade Church. I am a retired educator in the field of Deaf Ed and graduated w my Masters from Gallaudet University. At the WGF I’ve served as a volunteer sign language Interpreter for a few years alongside other professionally qualified Interpreters. “DEI” (diversity, equal access and inclusion) and social justice issues are areas of interest to me and I would like to read and discuss books on these topics with other WGF folks. I have been in several long-term book groups and have experience coordinating them via Zoom. I am hoping to meet other WGF participants who would like to join me in an on-going book group, covering a variety of books, meeting monthly on Zoom, over the coming year. The book I’ll lead a discussion of at this year’s festival is The Justice of Jesus by Joash Thomas.
hot glue & the gun
hot glue & the gun craft transformative, interactive theater-rock and assemblage art! Founding members Carrie Klein & joEL McGlynn met serving seafood and brunch to hungry upper west siders in New York City. At first irritated by each other, they became friends in the brunch trenches, and then, in an act of ordinary mysticism, simply decided to spend as many days as possible together. So they do. They co-form hot glue & the gun to explore the GLUEY intersections of artistry & community. They invite their co-creative participants to infuse their song, story, and assemblage art with the broken, beautiful pieces of their sacred selves. Let it go. Let it grow. #betheglue with us.
Jennifer Butler
Rev. Jen Butler is a faith leader, author, and strategist who has spent over three decades strengthening the progressive faith movement. Her books include Who Stole My Bible: Reclaiming Scripture as a Handbook for Resisting Tyranny and Born Again: The Christian Right Globalized. She founded and led Faith in Public Life for twenty years. Under her leadership, FPL helped pass the Affordable Care Act, blocked discriminatory religious freedom bills, and organized faith leaders to resist Trump-era authoritarianism and racism. She also served as national faith engagement director for the Harris presidential campaign and chaired President Obama's third Advisory Council on Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships. Today, Jen leads Faith in Democracy, a network she launched in 2024 to support faith-based democracy defenders worldwide.
Hannah Rowen Fry
Hannah Rowen Fry is a writer and speaker passionate about spiritual formation. Her thoughtful reflections on Scripture invite those who feel overwhelmed to slow down, choose simplicity, and experience greater joy in the present moment. She has helped countless followers of Jesus find freedom through teaching biblical literacy and making theology clear and accessible. Hannah is a featured YouVersion Bible Plan writer, disciples short-term missionaries internationally, and uses her platform to highlight diverse voices and educate communities about equality, equity, and flourishing for all. Read more about Hannah and her work at www.hannahrowenfry.com.
Tony Caldwell
Tony Caldwell is a Jungian analyst living and working in Nashville, Tennessee. His past talks have been at diverse venues such as Jack White's venue, The Blue Room at Third Man Records, Victor Wooten's Music and Nature Camps, St. Augustine’s Episcopal Chapel, Kanuga Retreat Center, The Nashville Jung Circle, The C.G. Jung Society of New Orleans, college campuses, churches, spiritual gatherings, retreat centers, and various other settings across the U.S. Tony is a faculty member at the Haden Institute and a PhD Researcher at GCAS in Dublin, Ireland. In becoming a Jungian analyst, he trained and analyzed for 13 years under the guidance of renowned Jungian analysts, including James Hollis, Ph.D. As a writer, Tony is a member of the Red Letter Christian network of writers and speakers, has contributed a chapter to the graduate textbook “Contemporary Perspectives on Spirituality in Education,” and has written for many other publications, including the Bitter Southerner.
Amy Cox
Amy Cox is a singer-songwriter, storyteller, and worship leader with a deep passion for God, people, and stories. With music that grasps the ache of the soul, Amy writes from her own personal journey, interweaving stories, prayers, and scripture with simple, beautiful melodies.
Rabia (Eliria)
Rev. Rabia (Eliria) Harris of Abingdon, VA, is an interfaith minister ordained and officiates at weddings in Virginia and Tennessee. She also volunteers at monthly ecumenical Taize services, is a healing prayer minister with the ecumenical International Order of St. Luke the Physician, a member of United Religions Initiative, a student of the Urantia Book, and an initiate of an interfaith Sufi Order. She has volunteered at six Wild Goose Festivals, for both the United Religions Initiative and the Urantia Book Fellowship.
Jenny Misslin
Jenny Misslin is an Eco Spiritual Director, Enneagram teacher, retreat leader, bird watcher, mushroom forager, mom, podcaster, writer, feminist, and an outdoor enthusiast. Jenny's life work is centered around helping people find their own unique expressions of spirituality and of encouraging people to reconnect to their own deep roots through nature, community and connection. You can find her most days exploring the trails and wild spaces near her home in Northern France with her little dog Mooch, reading, writing on Substack, and co-hosting the Radical Sacred Podcast.
Laura Beth Buchleiter
Laura Beth is a pastor, writer, speaker, and musician with over 30 years of ministry experience. She frequently speaks about spiritual trauma, gender identity, and personal, spiritual wholeness. She also likes to play on the water!
Kate Elliott
Kate's passion is making beautiful things. Sometimes they are also useful things but it's the beauty that keeps her making and sharing the things she makes with the world. Currently, Kate has the privilege of working at a public library promoting visual and performing arts in her rural community. She believes that creative practice that engages our imaginations, brings us together in community, and encourages play and joy is critical to human progress because we can't create a world that we can't imagine. She's been part of the Wild Goose Community since 2012 and sharing her art at here since 2018.
Jaymi Hendrix
The Collage gathers people at the intersection of creativity, spirituality, & collective liberation. Our co-founder, Jaymi Hendrix, is a chaplain candidate with The Order of Hildegard, an apprentice with 1001 New Worshipping Communities, pastor of SpicyChurch, & a forest bathing practitioner. Jaymi’s work focuses on helping people untangle from religious harm & rebuild a spirituality that feels safe, honest, & fully their own. As an AuDHD queer human attempting to raise NeuroSpicy kids - Jaymi brings both lived experience & a grounded, spacious approach to cultivating environments where questions are sacred, stories are honored, & belonging is not something to earn. There’s room here for the messy, the curious, the skeptical—& yes, even the overstimulated. Through The Collage gatherings, healing modalities & in partnership with other community practitioners, Jaymi invites others into a more expansive, embodied, & liberating spirituality rooted in authenticity, curiosity, & love.
Meera Raphael
Meera Raphael is a mystic poet and musician crafting and staging the spiritual soundtrack to the Revolution. Steeped in song and performance art as magic throughout childhood, she learned to embody and channel ancestral deity and divine energy through classical Kuchipudi dance and Carnatic voice under the guidance of Prafulla Velury at PADAM and grew up in a house that hosted weekly bhajans and multidenominational spiritual education as the Sai Center of Rhode Island. Initiated as a musical channel for the Divine Feminine at 14, and has served as a worship leader at Peace Dale Congregational Church since 2021. Through her devotion, Meera has written hundreds of song spells that serve as mantras for revolutionary consciousness, and in her musical ceremonies, loving guide her audience through collective grief and healing, reflection and realignment with the spirit of Unity, Peace, Love and Justice, and then activates her audience into outlets of mutual aid.
Bri Woodson 'The Controversial Blonde'
Bri Woodson, known online as The Controversial Blonde, is a content creator, advocate, and former congressional candidate for Georgia's 12th Congressional District. As the youngest Black woman in Georgia history to run for Congress, her work centers on Black history, civic engagement, and challenging systems of white supremacy through education and dialogue. A survivor of trafficking and recovery from active addiction, Bri transformed her lived experience into a calling of service and now works as a Substance Use Therapist in Residency. Through her advocacy, storytelling, and community work, she brings a powerful perspective on healing, justice, faith, and the possibility of transformation.
Mitch Randall
Mitch is the chief executive officer of Good Faith Media. Before joining GFM, he was the executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics. In addition, he pastored churches in Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma for over 20 years, and he holds a Master’s of Divinity with Biblical Languages from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry degree from George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Mitch is a citizen of the Muscogee Creek Nation with his ancestors reaching back to the McIntosh and Childers clans. He is married to Missy Randall and they reside in Norman, Oklahoma. They have two adult sons.
Pr. Paul Drees
Pastor Paul Drees is an ELCA pastor who started posting to TikTok in 2021, after he got in trouble for talking about justice from the pulpit. Since then he has created over 600 videos, which have become more popular than he could have imagined. These videos have been seen over 200 million times, and he has roughly 1.1 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. His faith is rooted in Liberation theology (which he first learned from the writings of Oscar Romero), and the Lutheran understanding of Grace (that God’s salvation is a gift, not something we can earn). Paul lives in the Driftless region of Southwest Wisconsin with his wife, Anna. Omnia donum est.
ValLimar Jansen & Frank Jansen
ValLimar has dazzled audiences all over the world with her amazing and powerful voice. She is joined by her fantastic band which includes legendary drummer, Mr. Burleigh Drummond (Ambrosia), and Mr. James East on bass (Patti LaBelle, Lionel Richie, Sergio Mendez, Eric Clapton). On guitar will be Ms. Patricia Manion (Kid Rock) and on keyboards, Mr. Frank Jansen (Platters, Coasters, Jan Berry-Jan & Dean, and Grammy Winner Jay Migliori).
Julian DeShazier/J.Kwest
As a national speaker, advocate and emcee, Julian “J.Kwest” DeShazier has appeared on ABC, CBS, FOX, and Dr. Maya Angelou’s “Oprah & Friends” radio program. J.Kwest is also an Emmy Award-winning musician, featured in the video “Strange Fruit,” a commemoration of the Billie Holiday song and a meditation on racial violence. In 2012 he and his group, Verbal Kwest, appeared in the OXFAM and Bread for the World-produced documentary The Line, providing a critical voice against poverty and violence in the US. The Chicago native and graduate of Morehouse College and the University of Chicago is also pastor of University Church, which most recently worked on a campaign for a trauma center on Chicago’s South Side. J is an adjunct professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School and McCormick Theological Seminary, and is a regular contributor to Sojourners and Huffington Post publications.
Andy Barlow
Andy Barlow, PhD, is a linguist-New Testament scholar with twenty years of experience as a Bible translator in Cameroon and Quebec, seven years as a pastor in Tennessee, and eight years in refugee resettlement in Lexington, Kentucky. His academic degrees are in Intercultural Studies, Linguistics, Theology, Religious Studies, and Biblical Studies. His academic interests are in Petrine studies, Social Identity Theory, and New Covenant Theology. Andy has been wounded by the institutional church and has deconstructed and reconstructed multiple times in both his academic and faith journeys. His interests are fishing, kayaking, cooking, reading, and spending time with his wife and four daughters.
Shikera Thomason
Shikera is a educator and human service provider who lives my the mantra of being the difference. She loves creating unique jewelry, singing, writing, and spending time with her family and friends. Shikera continually finds new ways to love God and others as she navigates deconstructing as well as reconstructing her faith in healthy way individually and corporately with her tribe at the Village Church of Atlanta. Shikera and her wife reside in West Georgia.
Foosie
All you need to know about Foosie is, he’s a Redeemed Son of Yahweh. He has an All-American Ghetto style of music & storytelling that shows us just how much we actually relate. Everybody has a struggle, and everybody has a story to tell. Foosie speaks for all the names unknown, and all the stories untold.
John Roedel
John Roedel is a comic who unexpectedly gained notability as a writer and poet through his heartfelt Facebook conversations that went viral and became an Amazon best-selling book titled, Hey God. Hey John. He then authored eight more books— Any Given Someday, Untied, Remedy, Upon Departure, Fitting In Is For Sardines, WonderAche, And Now A Word From Your Ghosts and his latest work, Anoint This Threshold, which is a collection of prayers and blessings for this wild modern worn world. Offering a sincere and very relatable look at his faith crisis, mental health, personal struggles, perception of our world, and even his fashion sense, John's writing has been shared millions of times across social media and lauded by fans and readers worldwide. He teaches at universities and retreat centers across the US, blending his trademark comedy with creative exercises, journaling, dialogue, and introspection to help people fearlessly embrace and share their personal stories.
Frank Schaeffer
Frank Schaeffer is an artist and a New York Times bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction. Frank is a much sought-after speaker and has lectured at a wide range of venues from Harvard’s Kennedy School to the Hammer Museum/UCLA, Princeton University, Riverside Church Cathedral, DePaul University, and the Kansas City Public Library. Frank has been a frequent guest on the Rachel Maddow Show on NBC, has appeared on Oprah, been interviewed by Terri Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air and appeared on the Today Show, BBC News and many other media outlets. Frank is also a blogger on Huffington Post, Alternet, and Patheos.
Eden Farm
Eden Farm LLC is a collective of holistic wellness practitioners integrating mental healthcare with nature, animals, and spirituality. The farm is home to a collaborative group of licensed therapists, a reiki master/hypnotherapist, 6 horses, 2 therapy dogs, 2 roosters, a flock of Meghans, a sweet bunny, and an adored feline. Our work blends traditional talk-based therapy with other healing modalities like hypnotherapy, reiki, soundbowls, mediumship, and somatic-based therapies with the goal of reclaiming the sacred spirit within each of us.
Gee Bree
Gee Bree is an author of two Christian books, currently working on her third about Christianity and asexuality that she hopes to publish under her real name. Find her on Blue Sky.
John Sankey
John Sankey knows a thing or two about solid foundations. A retired geotechnical engineer, John spent his career exploring the earth across more than 40 countries, including dedicated service with Engineers Without Borders. For John, the secret to a well-lived life is all about leverage: balancing the quiet inner work of the soul with the tangible work of the hands. Whether he’s advocating for global health or practicing what he preaches, John stays grounded in community. You can find him at the beer tent, where he’ll be pouring the perfect pint and sharing stories from the road.
Melinda Emily Thomas
Melinda Emily Thomas is an author, poet, yoga teacher, and contemplative practitioner. Through books, poetry, and her Substack, The Journal of Elements and Seasons, Melinda offer spiritual companionship rooted in embodiment, creativity, and compassionate presence for people longing to live with more balance, wonder, and wholeness. She is the author of Elements of Being: A Spiritual Memoir in Verse (2025), a poetry collection that takes you on a journey of motherhood from grief to delight, from earth to spirit, and into your own sacred heart. Her debut book, Sacred Balance: Aligning Body and Spirit Through Yoga and the Benedictine Way, was named a Best Spiritual Book of 2020 by Spirituality & Practice. Melinda lives in North Carolina with her son and their cat and always has flowers on her kitchen table.
Varina Buntin Willse
Varina Buntin Willse is an award-winning author of spiritual and narrative nonfiction with degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Oxford University. Her forthcoming book, BENEATH AND BETWEEN: AND OTHER OVERLOOKED WORDS THAT ILLUMINATE GOD, gives readers a fresh vocabulary to experience the ineffable divine. Varina is the creative force behind Ponder Effect, a platform for inquiring and discerning hearts, and a veteran teacher, who leads spiritual retreats and regularly speaks on matters of the soul. She and her family live in a treehouse in Nashville, Tennessee.
Shannon Mullen
Shannon Mullen is a Lutheran pastor who sometimes wonders if he's still Lutheran. His current answer to that question is that he thinks he is already what Lutherans are becoming! He serves a congregation in Beaufort SC which strives to be open and welcoming, sharing grace and serving in the community. As with so many church leaders, Shannon sometimes needs to seek out church - that is community, joy, hope, and renewal of the spirit - in a place other than the place where he serves. He finds that in various creative spaces and endeavors, in places as diverse as his hopelessly cluttered woodshop, a Lady Gaga concert, and of course – the Wild Goose Festival. As for credentials which qualify him to serve at the Goose and help with the studio: Shannon has an undergraduate degree in studio art, prefers to paint signs freehand with no advance planning, and makes a wicked churn of homemade Cheerwine ice cream.
Cheryl Hall
Cheryl Hall PA-C, MHS, ChT, Family Constellation Facilitator graduated from Duke University's PA program in 1992. Ms Hall has acquired a vast amount of experience with highly complex patients. Working rural health as a Primary Care sole provider, Urgent Care, Echo Psych, Addiction treatment, Department of Corrections, Psychiatry, as well as the privilege of helping Wounded Warriors she witnessed and experienced that when physical issues presented that it was an indicator that there were underlying issues that needed to be addressed. So she expanded her Western medical knowledge base with alternative/holistic training. As she explored these options, she began to heal her traumas and shared these modalities with patients regardless of the setting. Now she has been able to integrate modalities into a powerful path to heal physically, emotionally and spiritually. Her goal is to teach others how to heal themselves easily and quickly without reliving the trauma over and over.
Stephanie Lynn Shaefer
Stephanie Ehulani Shaefer (“Stevie”), Ph.D., Psychology, M.Ed. Community Mental Health has over 35 years of experience as a Marriage Child and Family Therapist and a Professional School Counselor in the Washington, D.C. area and Honolulu, Hawaii, working with individuals, couples, families and multiple family groups, and currently resides in Alexandria and Front Royal, Virginia. She is a Trainer/ Facilitator of Intercultural, Interfaith and “Inner faith” Communication and Conflict Resolution Skill Training. As a former Visiting Professor at George Mason University’s Departments of Communication, Center for Global Education, and the Center for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, courses included Field Studies in Intercultural and Interfaith Conflict Resolution. Research interests include Commonalities of Faith, Cultural Methods of Family and Community Problem- Solving, International Conflict Resolution, Global Democratic World Government, Enforceable World Law, and UN Reform.
James Clarke
Rev. James Clarke is an ordained interfaith community chaplain who currently works as an activities specialist at the local county jail. His specialty is festival chaplaincy, having served as a freelance chaplain at the annual Camp Punksylvania music festival for the last three years. He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Kristen, daughter, Cordelia, and he possesses masters degrees in English, Education, and Divinity.
Joy Celeste Crawford
Joy is a spiritual director deeply attuned to the Divine Feminine, guiding the many facets of the soul with curiosity, compassion, and care. She blends this devotion with Internal Family Systems, inviting gentle journeys into the inner landscape. Through Ligare, a Christian psychedelic society, she leads Tending the Divine Feminine, a circle for the sacred integration of expanded states of consciousness. With dual master’s degrees in Theology and Christian Education, Joy has long moved as a thoughtful outlier within academic Christianity. She is founder of the Spiritual Life Center of Virginia, LLC, and co-founder of Church of the Wild River, a contemplative, earth-honoring community. Through retreats, circles, and nuanced guidance, Joy creates spaces where the sacred meets the self, where spirit and soul dance in transformation, and where every encounter becomes a passage into deeper knowing.
Gayle Smith
Gayle Smith, the daughter of a Southern Baptist pastor, became involved in ministry at an early age. While she played the piano for services, she also saw social ministry modeled for her by her parents. Upon graduation from high school, she immediately began youth and mission work. After college, following in her Dad’s footsteps, Gayle has worked in church ministry as the Director of Music and/or Missions for 35 years where she has planned events and pageants, cantatas and concerts for as many as 800 people, mostly in Charlotte. Gayle’s roles have spanned programming, writing, and catering. She founded a music camp program in Charlotte, NC that enabled175 children in lower socio–economic areas to be able to take private lessons in piano, violin, guitar, and drums. She later facilitated Project Harmony to begin at St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church in Charlotte, NC. These two programs were in addition to the usual ministry work of providing worship music for three services, dir
Jaki Shelton Green
Jaki Shelton Green, ninth Poet Laureate of North Carolina appointed in 2018, is the first African American and third woman to be appointed. Some of her recognitions include 2022 Forbes Magazine 50 Over 50 Lifestyle List, 2021 UNC Chapel Hill Frank B. Hanes Writer in Residence, 2019 NC Humanities Council Caldwell Award, 2019 Academy of American Poet Laureate Fellow, 2014 Induction into NC Literary Hall of Fame, 2009 NC Piedmont Laureate appointment, 2003 NC Award for Literature recipient. She is the author of ten collections of poetry, cd's, and a vinyl LP. Jaki Shelton Green is the owner of SistaWRITE providing creativity retreats for women writers across the US, North Africa, and Europe. Recently retired from teaching Documentary Poetry at Duke University Center for Documentary Studies and the Poet Laureate for the NC Museum of Art, she currently serves as the 2026 Artist in Residence for the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and is poetry editor for WALTER Magazine.
Melody R Winderweedle
I am a wife, mother, MDiv Graduate, and public speaker. I am also the lead Pastor at Ekklesia Christian Fellowship in Chattanooga, TN. I am passionate about reclaiming Christianity and Jesus from the christian nationalists who have used God’s name in vain. And I talk honestly about ways that we can subversively work against the damaging system of patriarchy and the hierarchies of power that have controlled the narrative for too long. I am passionate about finding creative solutions to this oppressive structure. I get excited about wrestling and reclaiming scripture that has been used as a weapon for patriarchal ideas. I love dialoguing about the tough questions of the faith, and sharing the Good News that we are all members of New Creation Life in Christ.
Rodney Sadler
After completing his Bachelor of Science and Master Divinity Degrees at Howard University, and doing studies at Hebrew University, Rodney S Sadler, Jr. completed his PhD in Hebrew Bible and Biblical Archaeology at Duke University. He currently lives in Charlotte North Carolina, where he serves as Associate Professor of Bible and Director of the Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation at Union Presbyterian Seminary, as the Pastor of Justice and Education at Collective Liberation Church, Co-Founder of the Reimagining America Project, and as a Tri-chair for the North Carolina Poor People’s Champaign. He is the author of Can a Cushite Change His Skin?, the co-author of the Genesis of Liberation, the managing editor of the African-American Devotional, Bible, and an Associate Editor of the Africana Bible.
Liz Dyer
Liz Dyer (she/her) is a writer, speaker, activist, and the founder of Real Mama Bears. In 2014, she created a private Facebook group for moms of LGBTQ+ kids hoping to offer connection, support, resources, and a place where moms could work together to make the world safer and more inclusive for LGBTQ+ people. That dream has grown into an organization serving more than 100,000 families annually, 60+ chapters, a variety of private groups, and seven programs serving the LGBTQ+ community. Real Mama Bears has been featured in major media, including the Schitt’s Creek documentary and the award-winning Mama Bears film. Learn more at realmamabears.org.
Katy Cuthill
Rev. Katy Cuthill is an entrepreneurial pastor, always inventing new ways to invite people into loving God, self and others. She is also an avid DnD player and is excited to bring the joy of the game to Wild Goose. Joy is an oft neglected, but deeply valuable piece, of being made in the image of God which is essential to who we are and how we love. Come play!
Betsy Gomez
Betsy Gomez is a corporate number cruncher by day and a beekeeper/aspiring farmer on her spare time. Even though she was born in Cuba and raised in the concrete jungle of Miami, FL, she has always felt at home in the country or the mountains. Four years ago she took a beekeeping course, bought her first two hives and has been growing her apiary ever since. She finds peace and spirituality through beekeeping. Growing up Catholic, she began reshaping her faith in adulthood. Betsy now finds religion through meditation, spirituality and nature.
Sarah Frinks Morgan
Sarah Frinks Morgan is a Board Certified Cognitive Specialist who loves round-peg-thinkers in this square-hole-world. Sarah celebrates neurodiversity, helping all kinds of humans appreciate their own brains and lean into their strengths. She founded the non-profit, Engaging Minds of Many Kinds, which advocates for neurodiversity in all spaces to be normalized, not just accommodated. Sarah is a public speaker, consultant, and the author of a book series on best practices for engaging neurodiversity in public spaces. As an Executive Function Coach she helps people develop life-skills, reach their own goals, or just get their sh*t together. Most of her clients have Autism or ADHD (diagnosed or not!). She holds graduate degrees in Cognitive Science and Interdisciplinary Studies at the intersection of Psychology, Education & Philosophy. Sarah is a passionate public speaker and writer. www.EFGameplan.com
Missy Caldwell
Missy brings nearly two decades of experience as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a 500‑hour Registered Yoga Teacher, with advanced training in yoga therapy. She blends breathwork, trauma-informed mindfulness, and embodied awareness to create a nurturing container for deep inner work. Missy holds an MSSW from the University of Tennessee and a yoga therapy certification from Inner Peace in Colorado, and she continues to evolve her craft through ongoing IAYT training.
Christi Hayes
Christi looks for joy every day in Asheville NC, where she lives with a mischievous Doodle named Shaggy (who actually belongs to her dead husband). She studied psychology and law and has taught critical thinking and writing. Most recently she has been directing Trauma Intervention Program, a nonprofit whose volunteers respond to scenes of sudden tragedy to provide emotional and practical support to survivors at the request of law enforcement, fire or EMS. She has had the privilege of caring for numerous friends and family at the end of life and is a death doula trained by Going with Grace.
Will Rogers
Will Rogers lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, on lands traditionally stewarded by the Eno, Shakori, and other native peoples. He works as a nurse, and he puts attention into networks of care. As a Quaker, he advocates for the abolition of prison and war through evidence-based prevention, de-escalation, and transformative justice practices.
Christy Doucette
Christy Doucette is a woman on a journey home to her truest Self. She embodies this work of re-membering all parts of ourselves in mind, body, heart, and spirit. Her professional work began with a Masters in Counseling Psychology, and has continued unfolding and expanding through offering therapeutic breathwork, yoga therapy, and teaching yoga. It is through the body and breath that our healing becomes more integrated and embodied. Christy is enamored with equal parts solitude and time with loved ones. She enjoys play of all kinds, her pets, laughter, movement, connection, the outdoors, reading, and exploring the mystery and depth of life. Christy offers 1:1 holistic therapy sessions as well as individual and group breathwork. Her work is focused on creating space for people to reconnect to their intuition and deep knowing through movement, breath, narrative, laughter, tears, and more.
Jeff Clark
With over five decades of hands-on social justice work and many years of production experience, I joined the Wild Goose family in 2013 to collaborate on some promo videos, and before we knew it, was appointed Technical Director, later invited to Chair the Board, and now serve as the CEO/Producer and Board Member. I'm a strategic thinker who loves both the technical and creative sides of things, and I've been lucky enough to bring my passion for both execution and creativity, grounded in a PhD in Systems and a DMin, to my Wild Goose vision. When I'm not working at Wild Goose, you might find me indulging in ice cream, dancing the night away, or going on a road bike trip.
Anne Sims
Anne Sims is a United Methodist pastor, a spouse, a parent to two ridiculous dogs, and a woman living with ADHD in midlife...and so she has learned to be a very unlikely contemplative. Long silences and retreats don't fit into her lifestyle, but so much that is beautiful and good does, if she just takes it in small bites. In the rest of her free time, she does many different crafts (none of them particularly well, but all with enthusiasm), reads fantasy novels, and collects recipes like she's actually going to cook. She enjoys long mornings at her local coffee shop, watching the river roll by at her local park in Oriental, NC, and helping people connect with one another and with God in any way she can. Got questions? Want to plan a retreat? Need a book recommendation? Email her at asims@nccumc.org.
Cathy Tyner
Cathy Tyner has lived most of her life in NC, and she has attended more than 10 years of the Goose. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing (with an emphasis on poetry) from Bowling Green State University. Some of her work is published in literary journals, and she has also done extensive work translating contemporary German poetry into English. She works with a variety of topics and imagery in her poetry. A central theme focuses on shifting reader perspectives about the other. Cathy strives to engage her voice for social justice through poetic storytelling - to build community by cultivating familiarity and by encouraging understanding of difference - with the hope of planting seeds of empathy that will encourage people to embrace kindness and work for the common good.
Kristen Mcgeorge
Kristen is an artist, educator, and most importantly the leader of the beer team at the festival. Find her writing puns on the side of the beer trailer and suggest a good one.
Melanie Lynn Griffin
Melanie Lynn Griffin is a faith-based environmental writer, speaker, and community organizer. As a Sierra Club lobbyist on Capitol Hill, she directed lands and wildlife programs and created a nationwide outreach program to equip faith communities to act on behalf of God’s creation. After thirty years at Sierra Club, she earned a Masters in Creative Nonfiction from Johns Hopkins University and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from the National Cathedral. Melanie served for three years as the Pastor of Prayer and Healing at Cedar Ridge Community Church in Spencerville, Maryland. Aging quietly did not suit her, especially with the planet being on fire and all, so she joined Third Act, where she organizes older Americans to protect our climate and our democracy. When not out protesting in the streets, Melanie enjoys leading contemplative retreats and writing workshops and working on her spiritual memoir, The Soul of a Lobbyist. She splits her time between Maryland and New Hampshire.
Jonathan Bentley
Jonathan Bentley spent thirty years as a technology entrepreneur in fintech and fifty years as a church layman, elder, and Bible study leader. After selling his company and retiring, he set out in 2023 to get beyond a two-decade deconstruction journey—walking 120 miles through Italy on the Way of St. Francis. His theological path has wound from the barefoot Jesus Movement of the 1970s through charismatic and non-denominational evangelicalism toward progressive Christianity and Open and Relational Theology. That pilgrimage became the book Shadowing St. Francis: A Pilgrimage of Sacred Emergence in the Age of AI, a spiritual memoir exploring faith, technology, and what wants to emerge when we finally let go. He writes about spirituality and AI at jesusmoves.org and lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Nasif Majeed
Nasif Ibn Majeed is a Charlotte-based assistant imam, community organizer, and founder of the Charlotte Muslim Caucus. He serves as Chair of Keep Charlotte Beautiful and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Organizational Leadership at Bayan Islamic Graduate School, with a focus on Islamic ethics and community leadership. He is a devoted husband and father committed to servant leadership and lifelong learning.
Aline Defiglia
Founder of Relating Arts Tent, Co-Creator of Wisdom/Eden Camp 2023-2025 Aline is a licensed psychotherapist and coach who delights in building community and encouraging healing through experiential learning. She has been a long-time attendee and co-creator at the Goose including facilitating interactive experiences at Wisdom Camp, curating Relating Arts Tent programming, and nurturing the evolution of The Grove. Aline lives and works in Chattanooga, TN where she parents an exuberant 7 year old son and owns and operates a group, mental health practice called Ascend Coaching and Therapy. In March 2026, she opened a holistic healing center, Ashara, where she integrates her expertise in mental health, personal growth, interdisciplinary collaboration and community building. Aline attends a beautiful, quirky little church experiment called Ekklesia and loves to go on adventures of all types in her beautiful city.
Kali Cawthon-Freels
Kali Cawthon-Freels is a Virginia-based pastor and author who writes about the intersection of queerness and faith. She is also the director of the Faithful Pride Initiative at Good Faith Media, where she seeks to elevate the stories of queer people of faith and create resources for their flourishing. Her newest book A Queer Gospel: Jesus’s Life through Rainbow Eyes invites readers to understand Jesus’s story through common queer experiences, allowing all of us to see ourselves in Christ and Christ in ourselves.
Julie McElmurry
I create infrastructure so nonfiction stories thrive. I have created dozens of open mic storytelling nights around North Carolina, setting the stage for hundreds of people to share real life stories. I created a book, Living and Serving in the Way of St. Francis, a collection of writings by 40 young people. I am a self-taught documentary filmmaker and have completed seven short documentaries about women religious (aka nuns) with dozens of women telling their own stories. I love teaching adults, teaching other people how to teach adults and nudging people just enough that they realize that their stories enrich us all. I've heard storytelling called an empathy rollercoaster and I love doing what I can to bring more empathy to the surface. I grew up on the campground owned by my parents, in the Great Smoky Mountains siphoning marshmallows from our campers, running amok, swimming and wandering through our woods . I've always loved bringing people together to build community.
Bec
Bec Cranford is a self-identified Bapticostal-misfit from Atlanta, Georgia floating in the mystical world of ecumenism and interfaith conversations. She’s also one tough mother and an advocate for the unhoused. Currently, she is working as a spiritual director and a contextual education supervisor for Candler School of Theology. Bec grew up in southern-fried “churchianity.” She has known pain and anger, grief, and struggle. But she has also been loved. Bec is eager to work toward ecumenicism, interfaith, and love. She believes in the Church, despite her own hypocrisy and the pain we all have experienced. When Bec’s not hanging out with her dope family, you can find her hitting the trails of Georgia or painting wild icons. She makes a little money offering church consulting, spiritual direction, and nonprofit and ministry consulting; leading group retreats; teaching, writing, and preaching; and marrying folks. And most Sundays, she’s with the Methodists.
Judy Wilburn
As a retired educator/school counselor, I have found new career paths through volunteer work that have included being a puppy raiser for Guide Dogs for the Blind, teaching English as a Second Language to immigrants, tutoring kids who have learning differences, and helping to support a refugee family of 6 from Afghanistan. In my retirement, I have had time to volunteer with the SOB (South of the Broad) Democrats Club, coordinating groups to write postcards to legislators, helping register new voters, and serving as a poll watcher at voting sites. I am happy with how my life as expanded in retirement, as I've relocated to Bluffton, SC, a red state that I had feared would be limited in opportunities for personal growth, but which drew me because of the beauty of the Low Country. On the contrary, I have learned there are like minds everywhere and there are volunteer opportunities that allow me to give back unboundedly.
Sheri Pallas PhD
Sheri Pallas holds a PhD in Comparative Religion and is dedicated to confronting the harm caused by exclusionary religious systems, misinformation, and religious trauma. Her 2024 book, We Have Ruined God: My Journey Out of Religion and Into Unconditional Love, explores the patriarchal power structures and agenda-driven dogma that have shaped religion for centuries. Grounded in love, peace, and social justice, she advocates for the marginalized and disenfranchised while fostering transformative dialogue through 176 episodes of *Fireside Creators*.
danae casteel
Danae Casteel is a Spiritual Life Coach specializing in deconstruction and life after. Raised in conservative, evangelical Christianity and a preacher’s kid no less, she spent several years in ministry herself as a campus minister, youth minister, and involvement and outreach minister. She also has extensive experience as an editor, graphic designer, and commincation and marketing strategist. But her sacred soul work is to help those who are questioning their faith and/or who have been hurt by church to process their grief, deconstruct their belief systems, and rebuild towards spiritual health and wholeness. Regardless of where others’ journeys lead them, Danae’s desire is that they don’t have to walk it alone.
David Gushee
Dr. David P. Gushee is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University, Chair of Christian Social Ethics at Vrije Universiteit (Free University) Amsterdam, and Senior Research Fellow, International Baptist Theological Study Centre. He is the elected past-president of both the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Christian Ethics. Dr. Gushee is the author, co-author, or editor of 31 books, including the bestsellers Kingdom Ethics and Changing Our Mind. His other most notable works are Still Christian, After Evangelicalism, Righteous Gentiles of the Holocaust, and Defending Democracy from its Christian Enemies. With his works read around the world, and an active lecturing schedule on several continents, he has global impact in the field of Christian ethics. A leader in the growing post-evangelical movement, he has also put feet to his faith in several activist campaigns. Gushee and his wife, Jeanie, live in Atlanta.
Art Wright
Art Wright is a New Testament scholar and senior pastor of Williamsburg Baptist Church, a welcoming and affirming congregation in Williamsburg, Virginia. He previously served as Associate Professor of Spirituality and New Testament at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond (BTSR). Art has helped churches and denominational organizations work toward more affirming and inclusive ministry for LGBTQIA+ persons. A graduate of Union Presbyterian Seminary (PhD), Art has published numerous writings on the New Testament and the Roman imperial world. He serves on the steering committee for the Contextual Biblical Interpretation unit of the Society of Biblical Literature and is the book review editor for the Review & Expositor journal.
Wendy Cliff
Wendy Cliff is an Eco-Spiritual Director, Interfaith Chaplain, and Episcopal priest, devoted to cultivating meaningful connection between people, Spirit, and the more-than-human world. Grounded in trauma-informed care, her work draws from diverse settings including hospitals, prisons, the VA, hospice, foster care, and parish ministry. A graduate of Seminary of the Wild and UC Berkeley’s Center for the Science of Psychedelics facilitator training, she currently curates legal psilocybin retreats in Oregon and offers group and individual spiritual direction—online and on the land—supporting those navigating personal and collective change and seeking to live their values in embodied, ecologically connected ways. Based in Bend, Oregon, she delights in sacred storytelling, good food, long hikes, and finds year-round joy in the outdoors, trusting that attentive presence can open pathways toward healing, belonging, and renewed imagination.
Sterling Spann
Sterling Spann is a returning citizen 20-year prison journey. In 1982, Sterling was wrongfully convicted of capital murder in Clover, SC and spent 17 years on South Carolina’s death row. He currently works as a security officer in the Charlotte area. When he is not working or speaking about the death penalty, you can find him taking care of his grandchildren, fishing, and spending time with the love of his life, Jacqueline. To book him as a speaker, contact him at 864-625-3245.
Redefine Therapy (Creative Mindfulness)
Dr. Jamie Marich (she/they), LPCC-S, REAT travels internationally teaching on topics related to trauma, EMDR therapy, expressive arts, yoga, and spiritual trauma while maintaining a private clinical practice and online education operations in her home base of Akron, OH. Marich is the author of over a dozen books and manuals in the field of trauma and expressive arts, including Dissociation Made Simple (2023), Trauma and the 12 Steps (2012/2020), and Dancing Mindfulness (2015). Her most recent release, “You Lied to Me About God: A Memoir” (North Atlantic Books, 2024) received a Kirkus starred review. Marich grew up with one Catholic parent, one Evangelical parent, has a brother who is a Roman Catholic priest, and also survived a yoga ashram experience. They are currently enrolled at The Chaplaincy Institute, pursuing interfaith ordination.
Whistleblowers for the Gospel
Joe Carson, PE, is a long-time Wild Goose participant, co-creator, volunteer and sponsor. Joe is the apparent GOAT - Greatest of All Time - career federal agency employee whistleblower. (Yes, his 30+ year-long trudge and unresolved whistleblower disclosures have troubling implications for nuclear weapon material security and much else relevant to public health, safety, security and welfare). Joe also describes himself as engineer zero - as catalyst to the engineering profession consciously evolving its mission to Engineers apply laws of math and discoveries of science to the universe's natural resources to create a world that works for all. Joe aspires, in his remaining spins around the sun, to move the needle away from all-too-possible civilization doom in coming decades and towards a world that works for all in his spheres of particular public influence as a necessary understanding of the Gospel of Jesus. President@ChristianEngineer.org
Charles Bretan
Three bloggers, one Jewish & two Christian, blogging about faith, cigars, depression, justice, cigars, and other interfaith issues. Oh, & cigars. They/Them
Sammy DiBiaso
Sammy (she/her) is a pastor in the ELCA, a big fan of birds, and a pittie-puppy mom. As a young adult in her life and ministry, she cares deeply about helping make space for young adults to build community.
Rex Foster
Rex Foster is a minister, researcher, and chaplain. His work lives at the intersection of community, spirituality, and change – helping churches and organizations strengthen community and respond to shifting realities, and accompanying individuals seeking grounding, healing, and hope. Rex cares deeply about cultivating belonging in a fragmented world, and about practices that help us stay rooted and present. He is also the creator of “Stations of the Heart” a meditation card deck and spiritual formation curriculum. Rex lives in Austin, TX with his family - lots of tacos and live music!
Kenneth McIntosh
Kenneth McIntosh is a writer and speaker who explores the wonders of Christ, the natural world, mythology, and global wisdom traditions. He is always testing how ancient pathways can guide us through today's challenges and injustices. He is best known for his books Water from an Ancient Well: Celtic Spirituality for Modern Life, Oak and Lotus, Brigid’s Mantle, and The Secret of the Green Man’s Soul. He has led workshops in Ireland, the UK, and across the United States, taught comparative religion at the college level, and is a Veriditas-certified labyrinth facilitator. He and his partner-in-adventure Marsha have walked hundreds of miles on the Camino and other pilgrim routes, and make their home in the Western Finger Lakes region of New York with their cat, Bunty.
Starlette Thomas
Starlette Thomas is a poet, practical theologian, and itinerant prophet for a coming undivided “kin-dom.” As the director of The Raceless Gospel Initiative at Good Faith Media, she proclaims a raceless gospel for ex-colored people who have lost faith in white-body supremacy and a washed- up church that has forgotten baptismal identity was supposed to make waves. A former denominational leader and pastor, she now tries to step on the heels of Jesus during protests of police brutality and prays with her feet against all efforts to marginalize, minoritize, and otherize human beings. Author of Take Me to the Water: The Raceless Gospel as Baptismal Pedagogy for a Desegregated Church, Starlette works to undermine the credibility of race and white- body supremacy, arguing for semantic and somatic sovereignty through the lens of somebodiness.
Matt Zemon
Matt Zemon helps ordinary people reclaim their birthright to direct spiritual experience through psychedelics. With a Master's in Psychology and Neuroscience from King's College London and a Doctor of Ministry from Pacific School of Religion, he serves an entheogenic community focused on direct experience while documenting best practices for risk-reduced spiritual experiences. Author of five bestselling books, Matt's work demonstrates that personal healing creates collective healing. When individuals remember who they really are through direct spiritual experience, they carry that remembrance into their families, communities, and world. Rather than promoting psychedelics as shortcuts or cures, he reminds us: I am not telling anyone to believe in light. I am helping them remember they are a candle.
Destiny DiMattei
I’m a neurodivergent, partially blind, asexual, genderqueer person living in Baltimore. I am a peer recovery specialist, coleader of Body Liberation Baltimore and Plush Bodies Book Club. I’m also trained to facilitate Intentional Peer Support. My passions include body liberation LGBT, inclusion and rights, disability justice, and much more! My fun passions include horror movies, podcasts, and more.
Jaime Erin Fivecoat
Jaime is an active and passionate advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, the transgender community, and for issues related to obesity and addiction. She associated with 864 Pride, the Obesity Action Coalition; SMART Recovery, Trinity Lutheran Church Greenville,The UofSC Medical School Patient Engagement Studio. In all her roles her primary focus is patient advocacy. She also a guest lecturers at the UofSC Medical School, Clemson University, and Furman University. She retired in 2016.
paula rainey benson
paula rainey benson is a visual artist and songwriter whose work explores the concepts of authenticity, alignment, wholeheartedness, and embodiment... and how those concepts intersect the lived experience of growing up in a faith tradition that often discourages those ideas.
Kelly Abbe
Kelly Abbe (she/her) is social justice songwriter and energy and sound healing practitioner. She is in the process of reconstructing her faith since she experienced church trauma as a teenager when she was outed for being a lesbian. Throughout the years she has healed much of this trauma with energy work, sound healing, and finding a community of like-minded folks. She has recently come back to her lifelong passion of singing and songwriting. She put down her guitar over two decades ago because of how intertwined it was with her church trauma. In 2023, she picked it up again and began to write about her life experiences with church, social justice, and queer relationships. She also holds support groups for folks with church hurt and visits churches to talk about the church trauma experience and the healing journey she is on.
Robb Ryerse
Robb Ryerse is a pastor-turned-political strategist who works at the intersection of faith, justice, and democracy. After 25 years of pastoral ministry, Robb is a candidate for Congress in Arkansas’ 3rd District. He also serves as the Political Director of Vote Common Good, helping faith-forward candidates run with moral courage. He is the co-founder of Vintage Fellowship and Vortex PAC, the author of Running for Our Lives, Fundamorphosis, and The Gospel According to Donald Trump. He also leads development for New Beginnings, a nonprofit develops neighborhoods that ends chronic homelessness in Northwest Arkansas. Robb lives in Northwest Arkansas with his wife Vanessa. Together, they have four kids and two cats.
Colby Martin
As a pastor for more than 20 years (first in the evangelical world, and now in the post-evangelical, Progressive Christian scene), Colby Martin advocates for a Christian faith rooted in the Way of Jesus while being adaptive to the world we live in. In addition to being part of the Preaching Team at Denver Community Church, Colby tours the country as a speaker and preacher, and in 2025 founded The UnClobber Initiative—a resource and education ministry to promote Better Beliefs about LGBTQ inclusion. His third book, But What About, releases in late 2026 and is a follow up to his Bestselling book, UnClobber.
Kendal McDevitt
Kendal McDevitt Bio Kendal McDevitt is a certified Soul Focused Energy Healing (SFH) practitioner and teacher and Authentic Movement (AM) facilitator. Kendal holds a master’s degree in Somatic Psychology with a concentration in Dance/Movement Therapy from Naropa University and has over 30 years of experience in meditation and contemplative practices. She began studying AM in college and was introduced to SFH in 2014 during her 15-year career at Appalachian State University, where she worked in counseling, public health, and wellness. In 2018, a personal health crisis prompted Kendal to establish her own healing practice. She currently lives in Boone, NC and offers in-person and remote SFH sessions and trainings, and AM classes.
Creative Kate
Kate Thomas is a multidisciplinary artist by night and a digital and visual designer by day, supporting cause-related work. As a visual art coach, she has led workshops at DC Climate week, ArtFarm Annapolis, at Wild Goose, and with church congregations in Maryland to deepen personal and community connections. She invites participants to follow their creative curiosities, stand in wonder at the wisdom within, and find healing through artful self-expression.
Matthew Ray Lyda
Matthew Ray Lyda is a goofy goober who drives a 2012 Honda minivan sporting a unicorn license plate. Secondly, an inhabitant of the foothills of South Carolina, the former hunting grounds of the Cherokee people, and thirdly, a fan of many Kevin Cosner films (esp. Robin Hood & Dances with Wolves). He’s served overseas in Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, and Kolkata. Married to his best friend and college sweetheart, he fathers three glorious children who could not care less about the credentials and post-nominals that tag on like a caboose to his name.
Rochelle
As a long time Quaker - and accidental biblical scholar - who believes in diversity, justice and equality enough to spend 20 + years researching the formation of Christianity and what is waiting to be reclaimed to create a more heavenly existence, I'm ready to share what I've uncovered. I conducted a similar workshop for FGC Friends General Conference last year, which was well attended and well received. I've conducted many workshops on multiple topics, but it's the unbinding of ignored and intentionally hidden aspects we need to reclaim that we will explore at Wild Goose. I have an MS in Organizational Development with emphasis in religion.
Dr. Carmen / Eirene Integrative Wellness
Dr. Carmen Llavona Hopkinson (Founder of Eirene Integrative Wellness) is a Board Certified Doctor of Functional Medicine dedicated to helping individuals uncover the root causes of chronic health concerns. With decades of commitment to wellness, she combines science-based functional medicine with a compassionate, whole-person approach that honors the connection between body, mind, and spirit. Her practice is located in the Raleigh area, and she is available through telehealth elsewhere. Dr. Carmen integrates advanced laboratory testing with personalized care plans designed to restore balance and support the body’s natural ability to heal. She believes every person deserves to feel heard, understood, and empowered on their journey toward lasting wellness. Some health concerns addressed: Longevity & Healthy Aging Chronic Condition Management / Fatigue Hormone Balance - All Genders Peptides/GLP-1/Weight Management (Conventional and Holistic Alternative) Gut Function and Nutrition
Chanequa Walker-Barnes
Chanequa Walker-Barnes, Ph.D., is a prominent scholar, theologian, and author, known for her thought-provoking work on racial justice and spirituality. With a deep commitment to social change, she combines her expertise in clinical psychology and theology to tackle issues of systemic oppression, cultural trauma, and their impact on individuals and society. Through her research, writing, and speaking, Dr. Chanequa strives to inspire others to transformative social action and wholistic self-care. A professor at Columbia Theological Seminary, she has authored three books – Sacred Self-Care, I Bring the Voices of My People, and Too Heavy a Yoke. Her faith has been shaped by Methodist, Baptist, and evangelical social justice communities as well as by Buddhism and Islam. In her thirty years in higher education, she has been a Hurricane (U. Miami), Gator (U. Florida), Tar Heel (UNC-Chapel Hill), and Blue Devil (Duke). Yet somehow, she is still not a sports fan.
Michelle Scott-Huffman
Rev. Michelle Scott-Huffman is an ecumenical minister, Courage & Renewal® facilitator, and campus ministry leader serving at the intersection of higher education, interfaith exploration, and justice-centered community building. She directs Ekklesia Campus Ministry and serves First Unitarian Universalist Church of Springfield, Missouri. Ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Michelle is passionate about widening the circle of belonging and helping people discover or reclaim their authentic spiritual path during and after deconstruction. Michelle and her wife, Stephanie, are a clergy couple navigating empty nesting and exploring the meaning of life on their hobby farm where deep questions meet potential answers in piles of manure and frozen water troughs. They are the proud parents of Alexis and Morgan, two incredible young adults heading into their own vocations in teaching and nursing.
Starchild
Starchild (they/them) is a musician, poet, and pastoral counselor based in Williamsburg, VA. They have been leading ecstatic dances at Wild Goose since 2013. They have released five music albums which are available on all streaming platforms: Bloom (2021), Dolly for President (2023), Butterfly (2025), Rise Up & Shake the Earth (2025), & Burning Bush (2026). They have released three poetry books: Becoming God (2022), Almah (2023), and Shipwrecked Viking (2025). Their writing can be found at wayofthefool.substack.com.
Rev. Victoria Robb Powers
Rev. Victoria Robb Powers is the Senior Pastor of Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas and is the first woman to serve as Senior Pastor of a Baptist church in the DFW Metroplex. Her preaching and leadership have been featured in the Dallas Morning News, the Lake Highlands and Preston Hollow Advocate Magazines, and Preston Hollow People, where she was named one of Dallas’s fierce female leaders. She was recently interviewed on CNN, speaking against the Southern Baptist Convention’s exclusion of women in ministry. A sought-after speaker, Victoria has led numerous preaching workshops and been featured on diverse podcasts. Her sermons can be found on her Substack, Good News Worth Keeping. She is also a children’s book author: her first children’s book was published by Tommy Nelson (an imprint of HarperCollins) in 2023, with additional titles forthcoming in 2027. Victoria also runs @reverendmamas, resourcing parents who want to raise their children in the Christian faith.
Robin Fillmore
Robin is the Housing Director for the Wild Goose Festival. A retired United Methodist pastor who has lived across the globe but currently lives in NE Pennsylvania , Robin has spent her career at the intersection of faith and justice, serving with organizations like Sojourners, the National Council of Churches, and the Faith and Politics Institute. While her professional journey is extensive, her true claim to fame in these woods is as a founder and one of the original namers of the Wild Goose Festival. When she isn’t managing hotels and glamping for the Goose, she’s likely hanging out with her husband, John Sankey (he pours a perfect pint at the beer tent), or planning her next adventure with their five adult children and eight grandchildren who now live all over the world. If you see her around the festival, be sure to ask her how the Goose got its name—it’s a tale involving Doug Pagitt, a paper-mâché masterpiece, and a bit of Holy Spirit mischief.
Cheryl Wilder
As a poet, Cheryl Wilder uses the personal lyric to actively take-hold of her emotional life. Receiving honorable mention and second finalist in two book awards, Cheryl’s debut collection Anything That Happens (Press 53) is an acute examination of shame in the aftermath of a life-altering car crash. Its companion collection, Singing Riptide (Press 53), supported by the NC Arts Council, is her journey from all-consuming shame to self-realization and belonging. Cheryl developed her voice and style working with North Carolina modern architect Ligon Flynn where she researched architectural space and how it influences occupants, which she adopted to poem-making and how space influences readers. Cheryl received residency at SAFTA to outline her nonfiction work-in-progress about the experience. Cheryl is a North Carolina Poetry Society board member, Burlington Writers Club student contest chair, and a For Alamance community leader. She received her MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Tuf Francis
Tuf (pronounced toof) Francis began playing music on a single Middle Eastern drum, called a derbeke, 30+ years ago. He is now a multi-instrumentalist, stage performer, and studio recording artist. He released his first solo album, OUTSIDE, in June 2024 and his second album, DAY, in September 2025. Tuf also hosts musical events in and around Detroit and is a lead member of Detroit and the national Beer & Hymns group. Professionally, Tuf was a high school social studies teacher from 1997-2007. He finished a doctorate in teacher education at the University of Michigan and is currently a family man, tenured professor, scholar, public speaker, and active musician. His speaking and musical efforts focus on helping churches and other organizations raise money for philanthropic causes. Learn more about Tuf and his music: www.tuffrancismusic.com & https://tuffrancis.bandcamp.com
Diana Butler Bass
Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., is an award-winning author, speaker, and one of America’s most trusted voices on religion and contemporary spirituality. She shares ideas that help people rethink faith, culture, and their place in the world—with intelligence, humor, and insight. Praised as “iconic,” “spontaneous,” and possessing both a “razor-sharp mind” and “mystical heart,” her work reaches audiences across books, media, and social platforms. Diana holds a doctorate in religious studies from Duke University and has written eleven books. Her work has appeared in major outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, The Atlantic, and USA Today, and she has been featured widely across broadcast and digital media. Her writing has earned numerous honors, including multiple Wilbur Awards, Religion News Association awards, Nautilus medals, and recognition from Publishers Weekly. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband, their dog, and a sometimes-successful backyard garden.
Stan Mitchell
Stan Mitchell is a respected pastor, speaker, and advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion in faith communities. As the founder of GracePointe Church in Tennessee, he made headlines in 2015 when he publicly announced his support for same-sex marriage, becoming one of the first openly gay-affirming evangelical pastors. Mitchell's courageous stance challenged traditional beliefs and sparked important conversations about the intersection of faith, sexuality, and inclusion. Through his compassionate and progressive approach to ministry, he has created a welcoming space for LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies, fostering a community that values love, acceptance, and equality. In addition to his pastoral work, Mitchell is a sought-after speaker who addresses audiences worldwide on topics such as faith, sexuality, and social justice. He is known for his ability to bridge theological divides and engage in meaningful dialogue with individuals from various backgrounds.
CeCe Jones Davis
Cece Jones-Davis is an award-winning faith leader, impact strategist, musician, and public theologian working at the powerful intersection of faith and social justice. For more than two decades, she has mobilized communities, advised high-impact campaigns, and partnered with cultural institutions and global brands to advance equity, justice, and systemic change. She is the founder of the national #JusticeforJulius campaign, which successfully halted the execution of Julius Jones in 2021, and has led transformative advocacy efforts across the country. Her leadership also includes service in the Obama Administration, where she contributed to initiatives at the nexus of policy, community engagement, and social impact. Born in Halifax County, Virginia, Cece’s upbringing deeply informs her unwavering commitment to justice, dignity, and collective liberation. Her work has earned national recognition, including an Emmy nomination, Change.org’s Changemaker of the Year, and honors from the In
Hilda J Downer
Hilda Downer is the inaugural High Country Poet Laureate and author of four collections of poetry and forthcoming chapbook, Seeds of Gems and Metals. Her second book, Sky Under the Roof, was a Nautilus Golden Poetry Winner in Books for a Better World. She edited the anthology, Had I a Dove: Appalachian Poets on the Helene Flood released in September 2025 by Redhawk Publications with all proceeds going to a Helene Flood Relief Fund. Had I a Dove won the American Writing Award in the Poetry Anthology category, was a finalist in the American Writing Award Nonfiction category, and has won an award not announced until mid-March. Retired from teaching English at Appalachian State University, she has recently retired as a psychiatric nurse. She holds an MFA from Vermont College and is a long-term member of the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative, the Appalachian Studies Association, North Carolina Writers Network, and the North Carolina Writers Conference. She grew up in Bandana of Mitch
Tom Banks
Tom has been around the Wild Goose Festival since 2013. He currently lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina where he works in higher education, volunteers at the local community garden, and spends as much time as he can on hiking trails.
Chebon Kernell
Chebon Kernell has been an executive in the United Methodist church for the past decade. He has worked for the General Board of Global Ministries and the denomination’s Native American Comprehensive Plan. In this role, he has worked with the World Council of Churches, the New International Financial and Economic Architecture (NIFEA), the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the United Methodist Church’s Council of Bishops assisting in a denominational mandated effort to improve relationships with Indigenous People through dialogue, study and local or regional acts of repentance acknowledging harms inflicted upon Indigenous communities. In addition, he spends his time raising awareness, increasing advocacy, and supporting the empowerment of Native American and Indigenous communities globally. Chebon is of Seminole and Muscogee Creek heritage and is a traditional practitioner of Indigenous culture.
Paul McAllister
Rev. Dr. Paul A. McAllister is the founder and president of Global Leaders in Unity and Evolvement (GLUE), a 501(c)(3) network of academic and industry professionals across many disciplines within the international think tank community. In addition to serving on international task forces on peace, security, global governance, science, and digitization, he is a member of the Faith and Order Convening Table of the National Council of Churches (USA) and contributed two chapters to its two most recent publications via Friendship Press: Nicaea: The Council and Creed that Defined Christianity (2025) and Confronting Racism and White Supremacy in the US: Twenty-First-Century Theological Perspectives (2024). He is chair of the Interfaith Caucus of the NC Democratic Party, a Bonhoeffer Fellow of the Miller Center of Interreligious Learning and Leadership at Hebrew College in Newton, Mass., and serves on the Board of Directors of Mecklenburg Ministries Interfaith Network in Charlotte, NC.
The Rev. Nathan Empsall
Rev. Nathan has written about white Christian nationalism for NBC, Time, Newsweek, and Red Letter Christians, among other publications, and been a guest on numerous podcasts. He is an Episcopal priest and organizer with national experience at Faithful America, the Sierra Club, OFA, the Episcopal Church's offices for public policy and the United Nations, and more. Originally from Texas and Idaho, he is currently the priest-in-charge at St. PJ's in New Haven, CT, and is also in the process of launching a new non-profit and writing his first book. Rev. Nathan is obsessed with Christmas, Star Trek, and roots music, and he is delighted to be back for his fourth Goose.
Will Brown
Will Brown is a Baptist minister and hospital chaplain serving in Charlottesville, Virginia. With pastoral experience in both congregational ministry and chaplaincy, Will is committed to helping people of faith think deeply about questions that matter, bringing together mind and heart in service to God and their community. His experience parenting a nonbinary child and ministering to gender- expansive people has given him a passion for creating more space in faith communities for understanding and embracing all God’s children. His first book, No Longer Male and Female, was released in fall of 2026. This is Will's first Wild Goose Festival, and he's thrilled to be here!
Artists for Joy
Dr. Merideth Hite Estevez is a coach, educator, oboist, and author of The Artist’s Joy. Through her workshops, her award-winning podcast Artists for Joy, and her one-to-one coaching, she is a spiritual space-maker for artists, leading thousands in various fields to creative recovery. Dr. Estevez has performed with top orchestras and holds degrees in oboe from The Juilliard School and Yale School of Music. Her writing, which Publishers Weekly calls “expansive and joyful,” illuminates the spiritual journey of the artist. Her next book, Art Is How God Loves Us, debuts in July 2026. She hails from Abbeville, SC, but now lives in Metro Detroit, Michigan, with her husband, Rev. Dr. Edwin Estevez, and their two children.
Claire Clyburn
Claire Clyburn loves connecting faith and people in third places for Beer and Hymns and storytelling events. She is the co-founder of Open Table, Open Mike, a monthly storytelling event held at Dinner Bell Farm. Claire is the Corridor District Superintendent in the North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Richard Beck
Dr. Richard Beck is Professor of Psychology and Senior Fellow of the Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing at Abilene Christian University. He is the author of nine books, most recently The Book of Love: A Better Way to Read the Bible (Broadleaf Books). Richard also serves as a prison chaplain at the maximum-security French Robertson Unit in Abilene and writes and speaks widely about his experiences with the incarcerated.
Faith & Resilience
Ellen Corcella is host of the podcast “Faith & Resilience,” and author of “Walk with Me: A Journey through the Landscape of Trauma”. She stepped down from a twenty-year career as a federal prosecutor, entered the seminary, and spent ten years as a hospital chaplain in urban Level One trauma centers — caring for people on the worst days of their lives. Corcella explores the complexities of the human experience while illuminating paths toward healing and hope. Ellen resides in Indianapolis, IN with her dog, Hope, and cats Harriet and Lil Tiger Princess.
Wooten Hill
Wooten Hill is the harmonious fusion of two remarkable musical journeys. Kim Hill—a Grammy-nominated, multi–Dove Award-winning artist with #1 hits and a CMT/VH-1 chart-topping country video—joins forces with Paulette Wooten, a celebrated worship songwriter, international touring musician, and award-winning film score composer. After successful careers in their respective musical worlds, Kim and Paulette chose to live and create authentically together, channeling their shared story into music that is honest, soulful, and deeply human. For the past six years, they have served as artists-in-residence at a small church in Burnsville, North Carolina, where they experienced healing, renewal, and a deeper connection to their faith. Now stepping into a new season, Wooten Hill shares songs and stories that invite connection and celebrate the beauty, struggle, and grace of the human experience—whether on grand stages or in intimate listening rooms.
Jenn Tabor
Jenn Tabor is a high school chemistry teacher who believes science is more than formulas and lab reports, it is a way of seeing the world with curiosity and courage. She is passionate about helping students think critically, ask better questions, and discover that chemistry connects to justice, sustainability, and everyday life. When she’s not in the classroom, she can be found riding her bicycle, spending time with her spouse and their two dalmatians, or playing ukulele for church and Beer & Hymns. She is especially interested in practical, hope-filled science that addresses real human needs, from clean water to climate resilience.
Chelsea Kim Long
Chelsea Kim Long is an author, lay theologian, and meditation teacher exploring Christianity through the lens of women’s embodied experiences and contemplative spirituality. Her work invites readers to reimagine Christianity beyond patriarchy and toward a more expansive and inclusive expression of faith. She lives in San Diego with her husband and three kids, where she co-leads an intentional neighborhood faith community grounded in belonging and justice. Her debut nonfiction book is Faithfully Dissident Daughters: Reclaiming Christian Womanhood Beyond Patriarchy. www.chelseakimlong.com
Beth Remmes
Beth Remmes is a facilitator for the Work That Reconnects, and Gaia Education’s “Design for Sustainability and Regeneration” online learning course. She is Coastal Outreach and Resiliency Coordinator for Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, where she works with a network of congregations along Georgia’s 100-mile coast, supporting their efforts to engage in faithful environmental actions environmental justice, resiliency campaigns, and nature connection activities. She has a Master of Science in Biomimicry from Arizona State University.
Abbey of the Arts
Abbey of the Arts is a virtual, global online monastery offering online programs & retreats, reflections, and resources which integrate contemplative practice and creative expression. We support you in becoming a monk in the world and an artist in everyday life. We believe in nourishing an earth-cherishing consciousness. We are not affiliated with any particular institution and open our doors to people from any denomination or none at all. We strive to create a place of welcome and hospitality where we might dialogue with one another and grow. Our own spirituality is shaped very much by the rich Christian mystical tradition, Celtic Spirituality, monastic wisdom, and transpersonal psychology. We celebrate diversity and strive to be radically inclusive. We are a queer-embracing, anti-racist, and anti-ableist community. Abbey of the Arts cultivates a wide circle where each member can show up as their truest selves.
Eclectic Cleric
Alon Ferency is a spiritual advisor, creativity coach, and mentor to artists, writers, performers, and social entrepreneurs. He guides seekers in exploring the intersections of faith, imagination, and vocation, helping them uncover meaning and deepen their creative and spiritual lives. Drawing on years of experience in teaching, coaching, and facilitating retreats, Alon cultivates spaces where curiosity, artistry, and soul converge. He believes that the best art emerges from the soul, and that creativity is both a path to self-discovery and a form of service to the world. Alon hosts collaborative gatherings, meditations, and workshops that nurture imagination, resilience, and connection, inviting participants to engage with the sacred in the studio, on the stage, and in daily life. His work is grounded in openness, joy, and the pursuit of what is enduring and true.
Luana Cook Scott
Rev. Luana Cook Scott is a United Methodist pastor, speaker, and stand-up theologian serving in New Jersey. She is passionate about prophetic imagination, justice-rooted community, and helping the church rediscover courage in complicated times. Luana blends liturgy, activism, humor, and storytelling to create spaces where faith feels alive and embodied. She is currently developing the Red Letter Lectionary, a creative re-imagining of Gospel readings that centers the narrative flow and radical voice of Jesus beyond inherited structures. Whether preaching, organizing, or riffing on church absurdities, Luana invites communities to laugh, risk, and imagine what faithful life could look like if we were truly unbound.
Jacqui Buschor
Jacqui is an above average home chef, a well below average home gardener, and trial-by-fire first-time bunny parent. She is an avid audiobook listener and loves a good DIY project. Jacqui is most energized by cultivating space for communities to grow and bringing diverse groups of people together to reimagine church, community, and what is possible in the world. Jacqui is an ordained ELCA pastor, currently serving Faith Lutheran Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she lives with her spouse and their bunnies, Bennie and Jett.
Sarah Skinner
Sarah Skinner is a poet and seeker who believes deeply in the power of words to cultivate courage, compassion, and connection. Born in South Carolina and shaped by places both far and near, Sarah’s voice has been nourished by the rich landscapes of diverse communities, from the bustling streets of China to the rolling green hills of Ireland. Today, Sarah has planted her roots in Appalachia, where the Blue Ridge Mountains speak to her soul. In her poetry, Sarah engages the tensions between grief and grace, inviting readers into stories of resilience, belonging, and justice. Her work embodies both prayer and protest, infused with the wisdom of spiritual seekers and social activists from varied traditions. Sarah’s poetry has become a voice in movement spaces, from local gatherings to national justice events, creating moments for dialogue and reflection. She believes the sharing of art is sacred work, a radical form of hospitality, and a pathway to a more inclusive, compassionate world. When not writing, Sarah can be found hiking in the wild Blue Ridge Mountains, tending her garden, or gathering with fellow seekers for conversations on love, spirit, and the shared journey that connects us all.
Reed Conley
Reed Conley is a pastor, worship leader, singer-songwriter, and actor based in Lincolnton, North Carolina. He serves as the founding pastor of Artisan Church, a new worshiping community in the Presbyterian Church (USA) focused on loving all like Jesus and building an inclusive, justice-minded faith. Reed is passionate about curating and creating worship music with expansive language that helps more people feel seen, safe, and spiritually at home. Drawing from both church leadership and the performing arts, he brings a creative, collaborative approach to worship rooted in authenticity and storytelling. Reed is also a husband and the proud father of four daughters, who continue to shape his understanding of faith, love, and belonging.
Bobby Jo Valentine
Bobby Jo Valentine is an explorative, award-winning queer poet, songwriter and mystic who strives to make art that is good medicine for everyone. Bobby Jo has won multiple awards for his songwriting, given a Tedx Talk, published a poetry book, and is a believer in the soft and steady power of everyday acts of love to heal our world.
Catherine Powell
Catherine Powell is part of the Center for Children and Theology, a group of educators, contemplatives, and explorers who approach theology with curiosity and open-mindedness. Recent foci at the Center have been in the integration of faith and science, teaching an appreciation for world religions, and creating the beloved community. Catherine is a retired Episcopal priest who worked in both schools and parishes. She teaches Tai Chi in the Chen Man Ching lineage.
Colin Cutler
Army veteran to anti-war banjo- and guitar-playing songwriter--fundamentalist childhood to poet and storyteller focused on the human--Colin Cutler is a Greensboro, North Carolina-based artist whose musical roots draw from the breadth of American folk music, from oldtime to blues to gospel to country to rock’n’roll, to form what No Depression has described as “one magnificent tapestry of roots music.” Cutler's first few albums were inspired by his background in oldtime music; his most recent effort went electric. Tarwater was inspired by his life and characters of Georgia author Flannery O'Connor, achieving ...a juke joint energy coursing through it and a humidity that seems to sweat out the sins and the booze that these characters are often soaked in” (Paste). Colin Cutler performs solo and with his band, Hot Pepper Jam--from the NC Folk Festival and Merlefest to Notre Dame, Georgetown, Ole Miss and the Romanian National Museum of Literature, with dive bars and BBQ joints between.
Mister tim
A nomadic bard for the post-apocalyptic wasteland we currently inhabit, musical storyteller Mister Tim combines organic vocal sounds with cyborg technology to sing tales of modern love, post-modern angst, end-of-the-world dance parties, ghosts that haunt us, and murderous pastries. Live-looping, beatbox, vocals, poetic angst.
Mari Larson
Pastor Mari Larson is an eclectic mix of character, education, and experience. She has spent 1/2 her life as an ELCA pastor (and half of that as part of the WGF community). She is an ecumenist, a creative, and an ally. She is also a wife and a cat-mom. Her doctoral work focused on how the church can be an asset in preventing suicide. Her post-doctoral studies include: church management, insurance, and DEI certification. She loves scripture and works hard to keep the church from being an obstacle to God's love.
Michael Adam Beck
Michael Beck is a pastor, professor, and author. Beck is a rare breed of both practitioner and scholar, actively engaged in frontline ministry while also researching and teaching at multiple academic institutions. Michael and wife Jill have led a series of revitalizations and unconventional church plants largely with those who have been invisiblized by the wider society. Michael serves as the Director of Fresh Expressions Florida and Director of Fresh Expressions UM. He currently teaches undergraduate sociology at the University of Florida and teaches as an adjunct professor at several seminaries including Emory, SMU, United, and Duke. Beck is the author of 18 books and widely considered the primary practitioner and thought leader of the Fresh Expressions movement in the United States.
Rev. Mara Richards Bim
Rev. Mara Richards Bim is a pastor, writer, speaker and spiritual director. She is the first Justice & Advocacy Fellow in the newly-launched Prophetic Leadership Program at Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas, TX, where she was ordained in 2025. Mara graduated from SMU's Perkins School of Theology in 2024 with a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction. Previously, Mara had a 20-year career as an award-winning theatre artist. She founded the nationally acclaimed Cry Havoc Theater Company which operated in Dallas from 2014-2023. In 2021 she was named one of D Magazine’s “78 Women Changing the Face of Dallas.” Mara is also a Clemons Fellow at Baptist News Global where she writes about immigration, religion and politics, and the threats posed by Christian fascism.
Joy Carroll Wallis
In 1994, Joy was one of the first women to be ordained in the Church of England. Her ministry in the inner - city embraced the needs of the poor, homeless, mentally ill, families, youth and the elderly. She was the inspiration behind the hit BBC sitcom, The Vicar of Dibley, starring Dawn French and authored The Woman Behind the Collar: The Pioneering Journey of an Episcopal Priest. As a parent, Joy was the commissioner of Little League Baseball, fundraiser, event planner, PTA President and President of the local High School Baseball Boosters. In 2024, she Co- founded ‘Building With Baseball’, a non- profit that takes public high school players to the Dominican Republic to engage in service projects and play baseball. In recent years she has enjoyed creating sea glass art with the beach glass she finds on Block Island. She is a founding board member and currently board Chair of the Wild Goose Festival. Joy currently ministers on the staff of St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Washington DC, where she lives with her husband, Jim Wallis. They have 2 adult sons, Luke and Jack and a grandson, James
Charity Muse
Charity Muse is an eco-spiritual facilitator and guide and the author of Dirt Church: Answering the Call to Rewild Spirit. Charity believes deeply in moving beyond institutionalism and into rooted and wild connection with earth and each other. She has extensive experience in working with spiritual trauma and training others to do the work. Charity is also a singer/songwriter, song leader, and novelist. She currently resides in North Georgia with her wife and kids where she facilitates WildWood Gathering, a small eco-spiritual community as part of the Wild Church Network. She provides eco-spiritual work for individuals and groups in-person and online through her Embodied Affirmation School.
Colin Ryan
Colin Ryan is a humorous financial and mental health speaker, a Moth and Monti award-winning storyteller, and the author of 'A Comedic Guide to Money' (2018) and 'Epic Tiny Victories: A Hopeful Story about Depression, Anxiety, and Reframing Your Life' (2026). Colin combines his lived experience with Bipolar 2, OCD, and depression into uplifting and human-centered stories about finding happiness and being courageous. His work has been featured on PBS, NPR, The Moth Radio Hour, World Channel, and more. Reader's Digest included one of Colin's stories in its The Best Stories in America collection! Colin lives in Durham with his wife, Lindsey, and their dogs Remy and Enzo.
Jesse
Azalea City Recordings artist Jesse Palidofsky is a Board-Certified hospice chaplain and a gifted experiential facilitator. He has facilitated Music and Healing; Singing in the Circle of Living and Dying and The Dance of Joy for the Association of Professional Chaplains, Common Ground on the Border, and National Hospice and Palliative Care Network. Jesse has led retreats in maximum security prisons in Oregon and Kansas. His I Am an Immigrant reached #1 on the Folk International Charts. Jesse’s radically inclusive America the Beautiful: 2024 has 74,000 YouTube hits. Jesse has shared stages with Crys Matthews, Pete Seeger, disappear fear and Reggie Harris. “Jesse's music….brings artistry and social concern together in a very powerful way!” Author Parker Palmer “Thank you for your musical sharing. Your beautiful way of being inspires and encourages. Martha Campbell Shalem Institute Jesse's songs will make you laugh, sigh & lift you up! Diane Crowe, WMCB-FM
Tim Clayton
Tim’s overall project regards retelling the story of Jesus with a lens to show his relationship to a living Earth and the more-than-human through his studies at the Yale Divinity School. His book on a reading of The Lord’s Prayer through this lens is coming out in June on Orbis Books. He leads a wonderful little church on Boston’s North Shore, where he lives in a wonderful but leaky old house with his wife and a humongous and bumbling Bernese Mountain Dog. One of his great passions is the outdoors and the wonder of the wild; he loves bicycling, ocean kayaking, and cross-country skiing.
Joe Michael
Joe has been curating the Healing Arts tent since 2021 and co creates healing experiences at the festival. He is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) with standing in Kentucky and a Druid member of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids (OBOD) and an apprentice of Post Tribal Shamanism with Kenn Day. Rev. Joe has a Master in Divinity, PhD in sociology, and clinical training in pastoral care. He also serves as wedding officiant, ceremony leader, spiritual coach, guest speaker, and more. Joe is available for spiritual retreats, speaking engagements, church pulpit supply, and consulting among other things.
Albie
Albie is an approved candidate for rostered ministry of Word and Sacrament in the ELCA, a midwesterner through and through, and a craftin' cat dad to Simon the Zealot and Lazarus the Living. He has been coming to the Goose annually since 2023 thanks to Jacqui and Jones! On any given day he can be found listening to curated playlists and at his creative arts desk getting into some holy trouble with collaging, letter-writing, zine-making, you name it, he has probably tried it! He is a graduate of Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University ('26), and received his undergraduate degree in Religious Studies with a minor in Creative Writing from the University of Northern Iowa ('21).
Pull up a Chair
Deborah L. Richardson-Moylan serves as a lead pastor and church planter in North Central Massachusetts. She is the founder and executive artistic director of City on a Hill Arts, a community theatre committed to cultivating creativity, compassion, and justice through the arts. In addition, Debbie hosts Pull up a Chair, a storytelling podcast produced under the Dinner Theatre Church banner, where conversations invite deeper connection and community.
Damon Garcia
Damon Garcia is a public theologian, writer, video essayist, and author of The God Who Riots, and his new book, You Don't Need a Calling: An Anti-Capitalist Manifesto for a Life of Purpose. He discovered his passion for ministering to spiritual misfits and radicals through evangelical youth and young adult ministry. This passion led him out of evangelicalism and into post-Christian spaces, where he continues to develop a liberative Christianity for a disillusioned generation through video essays and dialogue. Garcia’s work is inspired by liberation theology and anti-capitalist politics as he helps people unsettle and untangle oppressive ideologies. He lives in Santa Maria, California. Follow Damon’s work on Instagram @whoisdamon and at damongarcia.com.
Mark Price
Mark is a homegrown theologian, a song writer, and a recovering asshole of some note. Ask his wife. Like Adam, it’s a hell of a thing trying to see your way out. There is smoke pouring out of his eyeballs from the thistles and thorns crackling inside. ... Mark wants to imagine a new vision of the stories, and maybe get out of this mess. The Hebrew text follows the First Rule of Fight Club. Never talk about Fight Club! Show, don’t tell. So the first rule of Patriarchy Club: never mistake portrayal for approval. Sorry, it’s not quite as catchy as the First Rule of Fight Club, he’s working on it. Second, look precisely at the words. Some call it literary criticism. Most of us, when we try to read the stories in the bible, are not actually reading the story itself, but the stories we have been told about it. Mark is focusing on “what does it actually say,” and then putting on his Literary Reading Comprehension goggles to see what is there. It seems to be about dirt.
Doug Pagitt
Doug Pagitt is a pastor, author, and faith-and-democracy instigator who believes theology should have a good groove and justice should always be singable. He serves as executive director of Vote Common Good, organizing people of faith to push back against Christian nationalism and move the country toward a more compassionate, pluralistic democracy. Doug is the author of Flipped: The Provocative Truth That Changes Everything We Know About God, a frequent speaker, and an occasional guitar-strummer who knows that sometimes the truest theology shows up in a chorus, not a footnote. Based in Minneapolis, he’s still convinced love is the best refrain we’ve got—and worth playing loud.
Paul Hoard
Paul Hoard, PhD, LMHC, is a licensed counselor, psychoanalytic psychotherapist, and associate professor of counseling psychology at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. His work brings together Lacanian psychoanalysis, theology, and culture, with attention to desire, disgust, purity culture, trauma, and the formation of Christian communities. Paul writes and speaks internationally on faith, embodiment, and the practices that shape who we become. His work on board games as liturgy explores how games form desire, cultivate communal imagination, and rehearse ways of being together. He is the co-author, with his sister Billie Hoard, of Eucontamination: Disgust Theology and the Christian Life. He is also the co-founder of PraxPlay, a relational AI training platform, and serves as Chief Strategic Officer of SavvyTech, guiding the development of technology designed to deepen—not replace—human connection.
Rev. Amy Vaughan
Amy has led Wild Goose workshops since 2016 on poetry, social activism, healing, sabbath keeping, and grief and lament. She pastors an affirming and inclusive faith community, The Lakeshore Collective, that meets in public places and borrowed space. In addition to pastoring churches, she previously led a non-profit vocational arts program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She writes weekly on substack, and has written for her UMC Conference blog, for the Upper Room’s The Disciplines, as well as many, many sermons and poems. Her first collection of poetry, 40 Days of Grief and Lament, was published in 2017. Her year-long experiment in writing a poem every day resulted in material for many poetry collections to come. Using art, poetry, prayer, and contemplative spiritual practices, she coaches others through innovative practices rooted in ancient traditions.
Tim
Tim and his wife Jan are OG Goosers having stumbled upon the first ever event in 2011 at Shakori Hills. After spending that weekend crying, laughing and celebrating the existence of other folks who felt and believed the same as us we realized we had found our people! The festival has been an integral part of our lives ever since that summer. We live in Jacksonville, Florida and share our home with various and sundry cats and occasionally our three grandchildren.
Kyle Caudle
Kyle Caudle is an emerging Americana artist from Winston-Salem, NC. Known for his insightful lyrics and heartfelt songwriting, Kyle Caudle released his debut, the “Devices EP” in 2024. He has performed regionally including a featured appearance on The Martha Bassett Show. Caudle’s songs explore characters and places at the edge of hope and discovery, whether that’s a revisionist historical character study like “Elliott Roosevelt” or on “Lights,” a stargazing alt-country rambler to his most recent single “Florence Bonfire,” recorded with Doug Davis, that reimagines the historical Bonfire of the Vanities and places it within a youth group in the Bible Belt. Kyle Caudle and his band Timberline are currently working on their first full-length record at Fallen Trees Recording Studio in Mount Airy, NC.
Linda Gupton
Linda is a writer/editor who believes stories are the primary way humans share experiences and relate to one another. Linda and her husband, Charles, have facilitated Goose workshops centered around the power of stories and how they affect our physical and emotional health. During the 2026 festival, they will also be curating and facilitating the Relating Arts tent.
Emily Reina Kerkhof
Emily-Reina Kerkhof is currently an adjunct instructor and PhD Candidate in New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY. She grew up surrounded by Mennonites, but participated in Pentecostal, Baptist, and Methodist traditions. After leaving a high control religious environment she began deconstructing and found a place to reconstruct in a small Anabaptist homechurch collective. After stripping away nearly all her faith, she rested in the resurrection of Jesus and found new hope and direction in her faith and research. Her research areas are philosophical hermeneutics and storied interpretations of the Kingdom Parables. She is passionate about the power of story and sharing of human experience to bring healing and peace in areas of religious conflict. On her Sabbath she bakes bread from fresh-milled grains and cultivates food in a community garden for her community.
