Since GIFT was created, pastoral care has been a significant part of our programming.  We provide personal support for LGBTQIA+ individuals, families, and couples and we understand that folks come from different experiences and journeys.  Please read the bios below of Grand Rapids local pastors. You can email them directly using the links provided. If you have any questions for the GIFT team please, contact us here.

 
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Jim Lucas

(he/him) (jimlucas12@gmail.com) provides pastoral care and counseling, leads support programs, and organizes life enrichment events for LGBT people and allies.  He speaks frequently in college classes and promotes the full inclusion of LGBT+ people. He is a graduate of both Calvin College (BA) and Calvin Seminary (MDiv).  He completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and has been a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains since 2008. Jim also serves as a chaplain for Spectrum Health. 

 
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Reverend Jo Bahr

(they/them) (fretoliv@gmail.com) is an ordained pastor and has been serving at Plymouth United Church of Christ for over eleven years.  Jo received their Masters of Divinity at Chicago Theological Seminary. A commitment to justice is at the heart and soul of Jo’s ministry and faith.  This means standing up for the least of these and being a pastor for all. They live in Grand Rapids, MI with their wife and two daughters.

 
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Rev. Colleen Squires

(she/her) (revcolleensquires@allsoulscommunity.org) is the Senior Minister at All Souls Community Church of West Michigan, a Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Colleen is a non-Christian minister. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Ministerial Formation at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago.  Colleen's focus in her ministry is around social justice issues concerning LGBTQ youth and to eradicate white supremacy from our world. She and her wife Linda live in Grand Rapids.

 
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Rev. Ricardo Tavárez

(he/him) (ricardo@envivochurch.org) volunteers as the pastor of En Vivo Church, a burgeoning church in the Grand Rapids area.  He is a graduate of Kuyper College and Calvin Seminary where he earned a Master's Degree in Divinity.  En Vivo is affirming of same-sex couples. Several of those attending the church identify as LGBTQ+. Ricardo is passionate about multicultural ministry, community engagement, and helping queer folks flourish in the Christian faith.