News from the Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples Alliance

Contents: April 2007

Nominating Committee fowards Ben Gerardy and Jill Kirchner as nominees for the Alliance Council

Ben Gerardy is a retired pastor, living in Winston Salem, NC, which helps balance the council with an East Coast presence.

Ben attended Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis where he received an M.Div. and then to San Francisco Theological Seminary for his Doctor of Ministry degree.  He served as a U.S. Army Chaplain with service in Viet Nam, Germany and in the U.S.  He has served small churches, as Associate Regional Minister in Kansas, and as Executive Regional Minister for Central Rocky Mountain Region and the Regional Minister of the Utah Region.

Ben has been effective in helping congregations he has served to become Open and Affirming.  The congregation he is currently serving is to vote on that issue very shortly.

Ben has been active on the Support and Advocacy Team and has attended a number of GLAD events through the years. He is the father of Tonja Gerardy, whom many members know from her work as a Council member.

Jill Kirchner is the Associate Minister at University Christian Church in San Diego, an Open & Affirming Congregation, where she has served almost 11 years.

Prior to serving University Christian Church, Jill served as Director of Youth Ministries at a Presbyterian Church in Riverside while teaching in a private school in Redlands.  Jill holds a B.A. degree in Liberal Studies from the University of California at Riverside, a Master of Divinity degree from Yale University, and a Doctorate of Ministry in Preaching from Chicago Theological Seminary.

Jill has traveled on mission trips to Zimbabwe, Kenya, India, and most recently Honduras.  Jill’s passions include her pets (dogs Amen and Alleluia, cat Spirit), traveling, nature, golf and tennis. 

She has been active in GLAD events and especially in GLAD-Pacifice Southwest Region Events where she served as Keynoter at the biennial event in 2006. She is a lesbian who is not totally "out," but comfortable with where she is at this time. Jill has a DMin degree, is an excellent speaker, and sought after by women's groups, regional events, and congregations where she has preached to rave reviews.

Jill is excited about serving on the GLAD Council because she seeks to create a church of radical inclusivity, a place where the Holy Spirit unites the most unlikely of people together.