Rev. Dr. Pattie Kitchen

Why did you choose to become a minister?
That’s a long story! I’m happy to share it when time allows.  

What is your role at Wellshire?
My role is to work with the congregation as we open windows, doors, and crawl spaces of grace… and to provide practical, hands-on love in my capacity as the Associate Pastor for Mission and Outreach.

What is the greatest thing about being a minister at Wellshire?
The ethos of “yes” (including welcoming animals into worship) and the comradeship that permeates the staff and congregation.  

What is the biggest opportunity for our Wellshire community?
To experience the tenderness, strength and laughter of God within this spiritual home of Wellshire.
       
How would you describe your personal theology?
The wondrous mysteries of God quietly reside in places where we are surprised by Grace – whether in urban slums, rural poverty, in the Grand Canyon, or in a neo-natal hospital unit. God’s genius is proclaimed in the constellation of stars and in the maze of human relationships.

Our task, as those whose faith was reborn in a humble Bethlehem barn, is to “Be strong, yet tender; humble, yet bold; swayed always by beauty and truth.” I believe we are to love unabashedly, to forgive frequently, and to celebrate heartily. God has done so.

What is the most memorable sermon you’ve ever given?
I am always preaching at myself. One was entitled, “Dangerous Dreams.”

What is your favorite bible verse and why?
Psalm 30:11 – “Thou hast turned my mourning into dancing.” Sometimes, we can only see the brightness of the light of Christ after stumbling through a valley of great darkness.

Where do you find inspiration?
The thought-inducing poetry of Mary Oliver, E.E. Cummings and Wendell Berry… The anguish and hope of the Prophet Isaiah… The honesty of authors, Frederick Buechner, Rachel Carson and Edward Abbey…

What are the things that make you happiest?
Riding horses with my husband, Jim, on his childhood farm in Pennsylvania… Christmas Eve with my children… The quiet wonders of the natural world in Colorado, Big Sur, and Maine… Libraries and architecture…

When you’re not at Wellshire, where are you likely to be?
Reading somewhere quiet.

What is one thing that very few people know about you?
I did a mother-daughter Outward Bound trek through the Florida Everglades. We navigated by the stars, finally understanding the peace that comes from “being in the current.”