Our Vision

This vision took root back in 2007 while living in Long Island—Kate in art school and Sean helping to launch a Christian ministry. We wanted to start then, but the Lord knew we weren’t ready and that we had a lot of growing to do.  He planted the seed.  We look back and can see it influencing everything that we have ever done. We put it to words when we planted our church in Pittsburgh: Messengers of God’s radical grace to the skeptic and wounded. This vision has never gone away. It has only grown as we have gained more experience. We feel the Lord telling us that it is time.

We moved our family to Long Island this summer to begin laying the foundation for Dandelion Ministries. 

Dandelion Ministries will be a missional arts community that can be a place of retreat, sabbatical, recovery, and incubator of new ministries. It’s going to take time, but the process is just as important.  We are artist missionaries.  That means we are pastors who know art has a way of cutting down people’s defenses and going to the place of pain that needs the word of hope.  We love to preach, teach and worship God with others with creative space to experience his grace.  We hope you join in.

We will work closely with a cohort of others starting new ministries through the Diocese of New England (see the Oversight page).  We are not alone.  Leaders who have been there before are with us.   

John 12:24: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

Why Now?

He is calling us now, after a year of loss on every front, when the whole country is reeling itself.  Perhaps we can all relate to the dead dandelion weed, grey with loss? 

We have big plans but we need to rest first and start slowly.  This will be a new place (though it feels like home) with new needs.  After a year of loss, we need to take care of ourselves before we can care for others.  We hope you are encouraged to do the same.

We need patrons of the arts and a family of faith to help us seed this ministry while we are still the dandelion puff.  The Lord will breathe new life.  He has before.  This time, we sense he wants to connect us first in grief, in the grey, and watch his Spirit blow (that’s why we must start now—before, we’ve rested—and invite you into it).

Check out our video of grace & art in action…