Bloom in the Desert Ministries is an open and affirming United Church of Christ and Reconciling Ministries congregation that worships weekly and connects daily with our community for good.
All are welcome.
Our Vision:
Bloom chooses to build a loving, safe, inclusive faith community that is intellectually challenging, emotionally supportive and filled with the strength, integrity and social responsibility that spirituality inspires.
Our Mission:
Guided by teachings of Jesus Christ, Bloom is a community of believers that strives to uplift and heal one another. We gather to worship God, witness our faith in the living of our lives and uphold one another in Christian living. United in our diversity we are inclusive and embracing. We agitate for God’s peace and justice in our community and around the world.
Our Core Values:
We are a people of God’s extravagant welcome.
We are a people of covenant.
We work toward a just and loving world through service and generosity.
We listen for the still-speaking God.
We encourage a life of inquisitive and thoughtful searching.
We are grounded by Christian faithfulness.
We celebrate the joy in life.
The Rev. Dr. Kevin A. Johnson is pastor and co-founder, with husband Michael Shear, of Bloom in the Desert Ministries, which first gathered in Bible study on September 18, 2002, for Sunday morning worship on March 9, 2003, and became a United Church of Christ on October 29, 2005. He graduated magna cum laude from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in December 1975, with a speech education degree and United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, with a Master of Divinity degree in June 1978. He was ordained an Elder in Wisconsin in the United Methodist Church in June 1979. Later being dismissed from a local church for coming out of the closet, he worked as a Chicago small business executive from 1982 to 2002. Through Bloom, he gained full ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ in 2013.
See full bio on the Bloom website