Nancy Wichmann

I found Steve on Facebook and invited him to connect. Steve was the minister at Harvard Avenue United Methodist Church when we started there, and is the minister who married us. I think he's responsible for igniting my study of the Bible, but let's not downplay the Holy Spirit.

A short time after the invitation, I got an email asking if I used to live in Oklahoma. I replied stating my old name. I didn't hear anything for over a day, so I was worried that the Methodist stance on the LGBT community had put him off.

But he finally wrote back this morning, so I called him after church. Of course, I had to explain the name change. Yes, he accepts me as me, and, as a matter of fact, is concerned about the right wingers who have pushed for the unloving stance within the UMC. After hearing the twists and turns of my life and faith journey, he doesn't think I can possibly keep my essay down to 2,500 words.

By the way, I was with Steve when the Holy Spirit lit me up the first time. He also encouraged me to go to the UMC's Certified Lay Speaker training, and gave me the opportunity to lead the whole service six times.

I hope we don't lose track of each other again.