Advocating Justice for all in Michigan
Inclusive Justice Selects JM Richardson For Congregational Outreach Coordinator
Rev. JM Richardson (They/He), a native Michigander, traveled and lived throughout the Midwest and Southern United States for 25 years, developing and nurturing multiple faith-based organizations while simultaneously matriculating through corporate management training programs as a restaurant manager. A skilled speaker and singer, Rev. JM has training in management, leadership, communications, music, and ministry.
In their role as Congregational Outreach Coordinator, Rev. JM will establish and nurture relationships with faith leaders across Michigan, assemble and create LGBTQ advocacy resources and educational opportunities for faith leaders, and be a public voice for LGBTQ persons of faith.
Inclusive Justice welcomes Rev. Dean Aponte-Safe to the board. 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.
Over 200 Michigan Faith Leaders Call for LGBTQ Nondiscrimination Protections!
In January 2021 Inclusive Justice, a statewide coalition of faith and community leaders advocating for LGBTQ equality, announced that 200 religious leaders, from Detroit to Marquette, added their names to a statement calling on Michigan’s elected officials to pass comprehensive federal and statewide LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections.
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