Were you raised in a faith tradition?
I was raised as a Seventh Day Adventist but have worshiped in Episcopal churches since I was nine years old. I love the Episcopal Church.

What brought you to the Episcopal Church?
Singing in the choir.

My mother was selling religious books at a county fair and got into conversation with an Episcopal priest. She told him she hoped her children would have the same musical experience she had as a child.

The priest told her that a summer choir course for children was about to begin and she signed me up. The choirmaster became my English teacher in high school. He also became my mentor. Because of that experience choirs have always been my second family.

What does music mean to you?
It’s always there. If I’m dealing with something difficult and just sing, listen to music or play something then I’m grounded again.

In my opinion it’s the only perfect metaphor for God’s creation. So many different things that shouldn’t work together do and sound beautiful.

How long have you worshiped at Saint Philip’s?
Since the fall of 2021.

What about Saint Philip’s resonates with you?
The good liturgical music. But also how families and children are treated.

My wife, Jenni, and I didn’t have kids when we first started attending but we knew we wanted them. So when we visited other churches and didn’t see any kids, we doubted those churches would survive. I’ve seen a lot of churches with money but no youth, and that usually means those churches have finite lives.

Would you describe your experience with Saint Philip’s CFYM community?
The Parents Formation group is just wonderful. It’s supportive, and nobody thinks they’re 100% right about anything. Jenni and I have two young children and it’s nice to be able to talk with other parents about what we will face, as well as what we’re dealing with now.

How else are you involved at Saint Philip’s?
I sing in the choir and co-facilitate the 20s & 30s group.

Up until recently my studies made it possible to sing only Choral Evensong. So when I joined the UK Residency in 2022 I knew only three people in the choir. But during that trip I got to know adults, kids, choristers—pretty much everyone involved in any level with the choir. And now that intergenerational group is a great second family.

What motivated you to launch the 20s/30s group?
My co-facilitator, Nohemi Maciel, and I had spoken independently with Mtr Taylor and she brought us together. In pretty much every church I’ve ever attended I see kids who turn 18 leave the church. They’re adults but usually have to participate in gatherings that are comprised of people 30 to 40 years older than they are.

Those 18 year olds return to church only when they have their own children. So Nohemi and I wanted to create an in between space for younger adults to develop their faith—and find community.

We lived into the experiment last year and right now organic, spontaneous conversations seem to be what is appreciated most.

What do you do professionally?
I’m a PhD candidate in higher education–college students specifically.

I work at the new Frontiers of Sound Science and Technology Center at the University of Arizona. My specific area is in the emerging frontier of topological acoustics. That deals with how sound waves interact with the geometry of objects and how that can be used for advancing cell phone technology, quantum computing, and health.

My work involves running the center’s education programs. I provide workshops for Community College students to learn about this field, oversee summer internships, and travel to eight other universities that work with us.

What engages you about this work?
So much! If the experts are right–and I think they are–this new field will change all of technology. It’ll use less energy and be more efficient.

What I like particularly about the center is that it cares not just about the science but also about the technology’s societal impact, i.e, about how it will affect people. Not all engineers have that approach.

What is an ordinary place that feels extraordinary because of what happened there?
The church I grew up singing in.

It’s a small little parish in the middle of a city. It’s non-descript, and pretty much like every other urban church. It has some mildew, it’s old and dark in areas, and it has a creepy basement.

But I know every single inch of that space. The sound of it and the feel of it—it’s solidly in my memory because that’s where I learned from my mentor how to be me.

What’s something that scares you?
A lot of things scare me. And that’s new.

I used to say that things didn’t scare me. And that was true because the worst thing that could happen is that I would die. And because of my faith I was ok with that. My experience is that struggles have helped me develop into something better than I was.

But now that I’m a parent I’m afraid of everything. If Jenni is late getting home I immediately think about how I’ll handle taking care of two children if she dies. Being a parent is hard–and terrifying.

What does faith mean to you?
I think people often get faith wrong. It’s less about whether one has faith or one doesn’t. I think everybody has faith. The issue is what people have faith in.

I have faith in God, in Jesus, and that I am always looked after. I have faith that at the end there will be rest in Christ. That faith means I can live for today and that every day I have now is about trying to be the person that Jesus and God have made me to be.

My faith gives me a sense of relief because it allows me to let go of worry—my parenting fears notwithstanding.

What’s something you’re proud of?
I’m proud of my kids every day. They’re so cool! And I’m proud of my students.

But I’m proudest of my wife. Dr. Batchelder is brilliant and so cool. She has a PhD in Higher Education Leadership. She works at the University of Arizona with under-represented STEM students.

What’s something you find challenging?
Finances. I’m terrible with money. Thankfully Jenni is great with money.

Is there a decision you made that had a big impact on your life?
Yes—but I think that single decision was the culmination of a lot of tiny choices. I’ll share two of those choices here.

I met Jenni at a conference in Texas. I learned about the conference only because I happened to check facebook one day. And I checked facebook only because I decided I needed to widen my job search beyond California.

I shook Jenni’s hand and knew I was going to marry her. I told my roommate—who didn’t believe me. But here we are.

What’s something you know now that your younger self didn’t?
I understand better now how much every decision I make is impacted by systems and power. I still have a lot to learn and grow into but at least I understand how important it is to think about my position and complicity in the systems I’m part of.

What are some of your core values?
Understanding others and connecting with them. I also believe that change is vital. We shouldn’t be content with who we are. Stagnation is death.

What’s one of your guiding principles?
I think everyone has a natural direction they’re inclined to go. As an educator, my role is to help students learn what their direction is and help guide them toward that.

What’s something you’re grateful for?
My family. My mentors. My friends.

What’s one of your super powers?
My ability to connect with people.

What’s something about you that friends have said they really appreciate?
That I don’t give up on them. I keep calling and leave the door open.

What’s something you haven’t done yet?
So many things! I’ve never had a vacation without a purpose, and Jenni deserves that.

What’s something that people might be surprised to learn about you?
My undergraduate degree is in organ performance but I have non-essential tremors which means that my muscles shake all the time. So I stopped playing for anyone else but myself.

It was during graduate school that I realized I had made music more important than my faith. So I prayed for that to change. One year later my tremors started. They aren’t very noticeable but they’re definitely there. The more tired I am and the stronger my emotions, the stronger the tremors are.

Losing organ performance as a career option forced me to connect with my faith, and directed me in a new direction.