Emmy is a member of First Congregational UCC, where she is working toward ordination. She has become an active leader and beloved partner at The Open Table Connection. She has helped lead prayer nights, table at campus events, participate in Ashes on the Go and the Pride Parade, and co-leads our queer theology conversations.
Emmy’s connection to campus ministry began long before The Open Table, but her early experiences were very different from what she encounters at The Open Table. Growing up Southern Baptist, she became involved with several evangelical campus ministries where she encountered a faith centered on evangelizing, separating from “worldly people,” and conforming to a particular interpretation of Christianity. “In our quest for spiritual growth and being the best Christians we could,” Emmy recalled, “we just ended up having a lot of guilt and shame.”
That history helps Emmy recognize what makes The Open Table so meaningful to her: “I like the openness and accepting people for who they are,” she said. Instead of asking students to “trim away” the parts of themselves that are different, Emmy sees The Open Table encouraging young adults “to find themselves, and how they fit into the world.” She describes the ministry’s message as one in which people are “exactly who God created them to be,” and where being transgender or part of the LGBTQIA+ community is not treated as something to erase, but as part of the unique way God has created each person. “They’re like a work of art in themselves,” Emmy said. Even the ministry’s presence on campus communicates that message, from the house “covered in the rainbow flags” to the chalk messages proclaiming God’s love for everyone. “If I was walking across campus 20 years ago and saw something like that,” Emmy reflected, “I think it would have really helped me and given me peace.”
For Emmy, that sense of welcome is not merely theological; it becomes tangible in moments of ministry and worship. Participating in the Pride Parade and offering communion to people who may not have received it in years was “really meaningful,” she said, remembering how “so many people” had tears in their eyes. Those brief encounters showed her how a simple act of welcome can carry profound spiritual meaning. At The Open Table, Emmy has found a community where faith can be a source of healing, and where students are given room to become “who God created them to be”.