Advocating Justice for all in Michigan

Exec Board Members:

Chair:  Rev. Dr. Roland Stringfellow, Senior Pastor Metropolitan Community Church of Detroit, Director of Umoja Project

Secretary: Sharon Pedersen, Universalist Unitarian Church of East Liberty (Clarklake/Jackson) Treasurer and past Religious Education Coordinator, Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network (MUUSJN) LGBTQ+ Justice Organizer, nonprofit organization specialist, Executive Director, Jackson Pride Center, Jackson, MI. " 

Treasurer & Communications Committee Chairperson: Wayne Burling, Salem United church of Christ, Farmington, MI.  Founder of the Michigan Open and Affirming Coalition, a coalition of the Michigan Conference of the United Church of Christ.

Vice President and  Congregation & Faith Group Outreach Committee Chairperson: Rev.  JM Richardson (They/Them), Using their extensive management and organizational leadership training, JM creates innovative approaches and curated experiences connecting with new and existing members.    

A skilled speaker, singer, street theologian, and public figure, JM has been a lifelong leader within the church, navigating the intersectionality of faith, race, and LGBTQ affirmation. JM is currently a Religion and Theology seminarian studying at the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities and serves as Minister of Innovation and Technology at Salem United Church of Christ, Farmington, MI.

 Legislation Committee Chairperson, Randy Block: Director and founder of the Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network (MUUSJN). It organizes for action on a range of justice issues, including LGBTQ rights and welcoming. For more information, go to: www.uujustice.org


Full Board

Pat Horton, Former member of the Social Justice Committee to establish Open and Affirming status at First Congregational Church-U.C.C., Battle Creek; and, currently attending Unity Church, Bay City. Former Chair Michigan Fairness Forum and the Peninsula Group. In addition, Pat has had a long time personal history with United Methodist, Catholic and Unitarian Universalist traditions.

Chaplain/Pastor Pj Anderson DMIN, Founder, Space for Grace Fellowship Ministries, UCC, Lansing

Michelle Fox  Executive director and co-founder Gender Identity Network Alliance, She is also a deacon at Metropolitan Community Church of Detroit, and connected to the boards of Pflag Detroit and Clinton Township.

Lois Jelneck, past co-chair and 20 year member of the Southeast Michigan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Diversity Task Force on Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression, and  member of First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor

Rev. Joseph Summers, Pastor of The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Coordinator of Oasis TBLG Outreach Ministry

"Rev. Dean Aponte-Safe, serves as interim pastor to the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ordained in the tradition of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Dean spent five and a half years in two rural southeastern Minnesota congregations prior to coming to Michigan. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Waldorf University, a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary, a Master of Sacred Theology from Chicago Theological Seminary, and is currently working on a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Pacific School of Religion, where he is committed to lifting up the spiritual resiliency of rural LGBTQIA+ Christians. He lives in Westland, Michigan, with his husband Gerardo (also serving as Episcopal clergy), and their golden retriever puppy Finnegan. 


John-Marc Ormechea (He/Him), serves as a lay leader at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing, where you can find him occasionally leading worship as well as a member of both the Leadership Development Committee and Widening the Circle of Concern committee. He is currently attending United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities where he is working towards an MDiv in UU Studies as well as an MA in Theology and Religion. Passionate about exploring ideas of spiritual resistance through the lens of Punk Theology he is also a co-editor of a zine called "Altar Punk".