Hi, I’m Lin! I am a recent graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, where I completed my Master of Divinity with a concentration in Theology, Ecology, and Faith Formation. On the side, I worked at the Farminary, a small-scale regenerative farm that doubles as an outdoor classroom for the seminary. I am especially passionate about reading and preaching scripture with an ecological lens.
I was born and raised in a small village in Upstate New York by my wonderful parents, who are both sociology professors. I am lucky to have been formed in a close-knit community where people look out for one another, against the backdrop of a beautiful natural landscape. My parents raised me in the church, prayed with me, and were integral to my faith formation. Along with my godmother, they continue to be incredibly important conversation partners and sources of support.
In my undergraduate studies at Georgetown University, I became passionate about religion and meaning-making from my experiences both inside and outside of the classroom. I took beautiful classes on human flourishing and studied ancient texts, and I also learned from the diverse campus ministry at Georgetown. I helped run a spiritually-grounded retreat for people of any and no religion, and I worked for the interreligious team supporting Jewish, Muslim, and Dharmic life. At Georgetown, I fell in love with religion and philosophy from all over the world, and through this love was able to see my own tradition with new eyes. With the help of my amazing university chaplain, I began discerning a call to ministry.
Meanwhile, over the summers, I started farming back home in Upstate New York. During the pandemic, farming was a lifeline that connected me both to my really special coworkers and to the more-than-human world. Farming helped me to foster a deep, ecological spirituality, and a sense of connection to God’s creation. Before my senior year, I won a Kalorama fellowship to write my thesis about farming as spiritual practice, and I spent the summer conducting ethnographic research and interviewing my coworkers about their sense of place and connection with the wider world. I like to say that in my ethnography of the farm, I put the “field” in field research.
Both my call to ministry and my interest in regenerative agriculture as spiritual practice attracted me to the Farminary at Princeton Seminary, where I continued to grow my faith alongside my ecological sensibilities. In seminary, I paired rigorous classroom learning with practical internships in the church, university, and hospital setting. I worked with the Princeton University Office of Religious Life, Upper Dublin Lutheran Church, Penn Medicine Princeton, and Princeton Presbyterians. On the side, I worked as the Communications and Social Media Coordinator for the Farminary all three years of seminary. I also was involved in student groups including the Theological Ecological Initiative, PTS Community Garden, and the illustrious PTS Craft Club (founded and co-moderated by me and a seminary bestie).
In my first semester of seminary, I found my church home at Christ Congregation, where I eventually became a Member in Discernment while working with a Local Discernment Committee. When it came time to choose a denomination for myself, I looked for a queer-affirming church where I could bring my whole self to the congregation. In the United Church of Christ, I found a denomination that would not just accept but celebrate my identities. I also found a denomination that matched my values, particularly around faith-based environmental justice, interreligious and ecumenical outreach, and radical hospitality. I have loved strengthening my UCC identity through learning history and polity as well as through living in community at the church, Association, and Conference level.
This fall, I am beginning a two-year pastoral residency at Village Church, a UCC congregation in Wellesley, MA, where I will continue building the skills and resources I need for ministry.
