As people join the common life of our community, we invite all people to consider the gifts and talents they have to strengthen and sustain our church family. There are many avenues for involvement in various ministry teams. Take a look and consider how you might give of our yourself to the ministries at Land of the Sky UCC. We hope that people will choose ministries that match their gifts with their passions.
Our Leadership. At Land of the Sky UCC, our ministry takes place in teams that often model shared power in leadership. The ministries of Land of the Sky UCC are carried out by the Leadership Team and the ministry teams who work on behalf of the community and report to the Leadership Team. The team includes liaisons to various ministry teams.
Leadership Team:
The leadership team meets the 3rd Monday of each month to discuss the needs of the church, evaluate finances, and cultivate the future vision of the church. The Leadership Team consists of two co-facilitators and a variety of leadership liaisons connected to the ministries of the church. Future team members are chosen by the current team based on needed gifts and an aim for diversity of voices from across the community. Members are confirmed at the Fall Congregational through a Blessing of the Leadership.
Our 2024 Leadership Team includes:
Kathy Thornton, Co-Facilitator
Kim H., Co-Facilitator
LK Kauffman-Bissell, Co-Facilitator-Elect
Shawna Bryce, Ministry Support
Barry Smith, Community Life Liaison
Greg Feightner, Spiritual Formation Liaison
Kallum Bradley, Member at Large
Gary Catlett, Finance Liaison
Noah Wiese, Justice Team Liaison
To contact the Leadership Team, you may email them at: serve{at}landoftheskychurch.org
Staff
Rev. Sara Wilcox (she/her/hers)
Co-founder of Land of the Sky United Church of Christ in 2009, Sara now serves as its sole pastor as they navigate the teen years of congregational life. they work to live more justly, love more abundantly and walk more humbly in the ways of Jesus. She is servant-hearted, justice-minded, a receiver and giver of grace, rooted in a growth mindset, a connector of dots, and a navigator of obstacles. She believes deeply in the power of relationship and collaboration as a means to change the church and the world.
Sara attended Chicago Theological Seminary where she came to see God’s preference for those on the margins. In her pastoral work, she serves in the wider community as a member of Faith for Justice, committed to provoking justice for black and brown-bodied people, and Faith Communities Organizing for Sanctuary, an interfaith and ecumenical group gathered to work in partnership with our immigrant neighbors.
She has served in pastoral leadership in a variety of church families, served as a chaplain to patients and their families at Mission Hospital, assisted families in the midst of decisions about organ donation, and served as the Director of New Church Initiatives for the Center for Progressive Renewal, now Convergence. She is an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation.
She lives in Asheville, NC with her spouse Jeff and their daughters Anna and Ella. She is an 8 on the enneagram with a 7 wing. She is seeking to run 3 miles 30 minutes, a year after open-heart surgery. You can find her watching Netflix or trying to transcend the many tabs open in her head at any given time.
co-Minister of Music Ryan
Life should be a journey meant to teach and mold us into the best that we can be; mine has been just that.
Born in a small rural town in Northwest Iowa, I began my journey in a simple way. I was taught love and kindness, the importance of hard work and dedication, and the importance of family (biological OR chosen) above all else. Being true to myself and discovering my true nature, growing up in a Lutheran Church was not necessarily easy, but I learned a great deal that would eventually serve as the foundation of my life in ministry. I have felt a call to music ministry from a very young age. It has played a pivotal role in both my life and faith journeys. It has been the cornerstone through all my growth and change.
Life has not been without its struggles. Questioning my resolve in the Christian church, addiction, failed endeavors and relationships have all been part of my story, but the one truth that has carried me through and connected me to the universe has been my ministry in music. Music can soothe a wounded soul, comfort a tortured mind, and heal a broken heart.
Being a part of a faith community that builds upon a foundation of extravagant welcome and inclusivity is incredibly important to me. I have grown and changed through the Lutheran Church, the Metropolitan Community Church, and have found a home within the United Church of Christ. I believe that God is still speaking to all people and calls us to ask questions, challenge the status quo, and to be open to the message that all people are welcome within the community of the Spirit.
MINISTER OF BECOMING + BELONGING
LASHAUNA
As an ordained minister, LaShauna looks for ways to engage faith communities in anti-racism work. LaShauna serves as the Minister of Becoming and Belonging with the Land of the Sky, United Church of Christ, in Asheville, NC. In her work as the Minister of Becoming and Belonging, she preaches, leads reading groups and other groups online, and provides leadership for our Racial Justice and Reparations subgroup. In collaboration with the Culture Mill Lab, located in Saxapahaw NC, a vision was cast to reclaim the experience of multiracial fellowship and community action. Through this collaboration, Barn Church was born. Barn Church is a time for close community, food, lifting the voices of people of color, celebrating diversity across identities, and immersing whole selves into the beauty of creative arts.
operations manager sydney
Sydney is an enthusiasm enthusiast! If she is not running lots and lots of miles in the mountains of western North Carolina, she is eating donuts with her beloved hound dog, Olive. She has lived in Asheville for 6 years, attends Circle of Mercy, and enjoys baking and reading in her spare time. She is delighted to journey alongside Land of the Sky UCC.
Building Caretaker Andy
Though a Hoosier by birth, Andy Ford has lived in the Mountain South since 2005. He comes to Land of Sky UCC from Windhorse Zen Center north of Asheville. He is a student of Roshi Sunya Kjolhede and is a semi-monastic resident on staff there. When he's not cleaning baseboards, you may find him playing piano, cooking, or weightlifting. Andy is excited about serving alongside LOS UCC by keeping the facilities clean so LOS UCC can focus on living justly, loving abundantly, and walking humbly.
co-Minister of Music kate
I grew up in a small mountain town in Colorado, surrounded by beauty. If I were to pick three things that brought shelter from the storm during that time, it would be the old rickety piano I would play for hours at a time, a peach journal that I would keep my thoughts in, and the big wheel I would ride around our deck with my brother Will.
I think those things translate into my passions now: writing and playing music for my community and beyond, writing books and poetry, and the friends and family that make my life meaningful.
I toured around the world for 13 years playing my original music and teaching and sharing my story in places as diverse as castles in Germany to poor villages in India. I have made 6 albums of my original music and have been on several other compilations including Enter the Worship Circle.
I also produced an album of houseless people’s music in San Francisco where I taught songwriting classes at a needle exchange shelter.
My last recording project was a live worship album with 7 other artists which was such a beautiful experience.
I now have my own business teaching music lessons. My greatest joy is the sponsorship program I started that is allowing several low income students to have free lessons and free instruments. I started a similar program in San Diego where I taught refugees for free.
I also love to write and have written two books, Getting Naked Later: Making Sense of the Unexpected Single Life which was published several years ago, and the book I am writing now called Prodigal Mind: Change Your Story One Thought at a Time which is about becoming a compassionate observer of our inner landscape. I am also a certified life coach, and I specialize in“mindset coaching.”
My newest adventure has been getting married in 2021 at the age of 46. That marriage also brought me the joy of becoming a stepmom to 4 kids that I deeply love. My new family has requited a longing I have had for most of my life, and I am very grateful for this new chapter of my story.
I am so excited to be a part of this vibrant community!
Kids Ministry Coordinator
Vicki
Dr. Vicki Garlock will join the Land of the Sky UCC staff for the 2023-2024 programming year. Vicki served with Jubilee Community for 12 years and helped coordinate kids’ spiritual formation there. Vicki’s doctorate work is in childhood cognitive development and she writes her own curriculum.
Co- Youth COORDINATOR
Brett
Born and raised in the mountains of NC, Brett Barker has always loved being in nature. Whether it’s hiking, swimming, or snowboarding, Brett enjoys anything that involves being outside. He has found he feels closest to God when he’s out in nature, surrounded by the beautiful creation.
Brett graduated from UNCA in 2016 with a BS in psychology. His college experience also led him to explore philosophy and religious studies. As a life-long learner and advocate, Brett enjoys encouraging curiosity and discussion; and creating spaces of open acceptance and mutual respect that allow for growth. Excited to work with the youth at Land of the Sky UCC, Brett hopes to help them grow into themselves as they learn to “live justly, love abundantly, and walk humbly in the ways of Christ."
Co-YOUTH COORDINATOR
Abby
In her role as a youth leader, Abby Teed effortlessly blends experience with genuine passion. With a casual yet dedicated approach, Abby has been actively involved with children and teens for years, initially finding her footing in faith in her own youth group during her own teenage years.
Abby's connection with teens is refreshingly real – she loves their energy and spunk. Outside the church, you'll catch her soaking up the outdoors and building connections that go beyond the surface.
Her mantra is simple yet impactful: "You are God's favorite." Abby embraces this belief, encouraging teens to discover the thrilling opportunities life holds for them. Abby hopes to create a space where everyone feels valued and at ease in their faith exploration.
Would you like to learn more about the story of LOS? Read about our beginnings here.