I was born and raised in Kelseyville, CA. No, that is not a misprint, I am truly Kelsey from Kelseyville. Kelseyville is a small town, a little north of the Napa Valley, nestled along the shores of Clear Lake. It was there that I first began my spiritual journey. My family moved from the Methodist to the Presbyterian Church in Kelseyville when I was in elementary school. Through the supportive and loving community of Kelseyville Presbyterian Church, my spiritual base was formed.
I left Kelseyville when I graduated from high school, and I attended the University of California, Davis. My hope was to become a doctor, but I soon realized after struggling through pre-med classes that being a doctor was not my calling. Thankfully, a fellow classmate, and friend, discerned my talents for the ministry and suggested I switch majors to Religious Studies. I quickly did so, and never looked back.
While I was at UC David I joined a Christian Sorority, where I fostered my call to ministry and service. After four years, I received my BA in religious Studies. While in college I worked at Westminster Woods Camp and Conference Center for four summers. Working at the camp implanted in me a passion for teaching and sharing the gospel with youth, and also provided a future husband, Donne, who was equally as passionate.
One of the speakers at Westminster Woods was a pastor at Faith Presbyterian Church in Sacramento. He recognized my love for teaching and leading, and he offered me a position as a youth intern. That position turned into a full-time Youth Director Position. It was a blessing to have that experience of serving at a church full-time, learning new skills needed to lead, teach, delegate, and guide hearts to Christ.
I was at Faith Presbyterian Church for four years before I fully realized the call to seminary. We packed our bags, and I went to seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. I graduated from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in 2009. Donne and I had our first son, Jordan, while we were in Dubuque, and I was pregnant when we moved back to Northern California. Liam was born in 2010 and Grace was born in 2012.
I became the Director for Family Ministries at the First Presbyterian Church in Ukiah, CA in the summer of 2009. I was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament (Teaching Elder) at the same church as their Associate Pastor for Youth and Families in February of 2011. Our time at FPCU has been blessed in countless ways, but we are looking forward to following the movement of the Holy Spirit. We are excited to see what God has in store for us as we make our home in Newport.
Kelsey
