Coffee with Katie Hays

Katie Hays and I had church. Church happened. And it's happening
now, as you read these words. And it will happen again when you
hit 'play.' Katie told us about church moments beyond
the church hour and walls. She told us about the random moment
when a cell phone interruption identified church happening in her
living room. Katie didn't recognize church happening then
but she recognized it in our podcast. We recognized our church
journey as threaded from a moment when she had church in the
'gayborhood.' And that thread goes back and back and back. Join
us today as we pick up the thread and participate in church, in
whatever form it is present to you, and move onward with courage.


After many years in ministry, I don't think Katie Hays wants
anyone rattling off her titles, schools and degrees. (Katie, just
avert your eyes and ears for a moment. I'm sorry.) The Rev.
Dr. Katie Hays has been to MIT, Princeton, Yale, has a
lifetime in the Church, about 20 years in traditional
ministry, lives in Texas and jumped ship from traditional
ministry about 3 years ago. Now she's planted a church in
Mansfield, TX ... where there are plenty of churches.


I'm really guessing about how she feels about being in the
spotlight. If she wanted to elevate herself I'm guessing she
would have remembered to tell me she's got a doctoral degree! I
barely discovered it on my own before publishing the episode,
thanks to someone's 5-star review on iTunes and an interview with
the Pension Fund of the Christian Church.


I'm just going to share some of the items published by Galileo
Church and let you marry those with what she says in the
interview to create your experience of Katie. I believe Katie is
truly being a conduit of both her community and God. All her
personal God-given gifts are being applied, her
math/science/engineering, her artistic creativity, her courage,
her writing and her interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. But
while all that is happening her ego and self are laid low in
service and kindness to a much greater happening. That's just me.
Feel free to tell me what you see under this episode's posting on
The Coffeepot Fellowship Facebook Page.


On Twitter (@Galileo_Church), Galileo Church describes itself
like this:


A quirky, LGBTQ+friendly church seeking spiritual refugees in
Mansfield, Texas. Who would Jesus love?


On Facebook they write:


Galileo Church has four missional priorities. (In other words,
what do believe God is calling us to DO?)


1. We do JUSTICE for LGBTQ people.


2. We do KINDNESS for people with mental illness or in emotional
distress, and we welcome the non-neurotypical.


3. We do BEAUTY for our God-Who-Is-Beautiful.


4. We do RELATIONSHIP, for real, no bullshit, ever.


Posts on our page almost always reflect our commitment to these
priorities. If they don't, please call us on it.


Mission Statement on Facebook:


Galileo Church exists to shelter spiritual refugees, rally
spiritual health for all who come, and fortify every tender soul
with strength to follow Jesus into a life of world-changing
service.


“Spiritual refugees” are any for whom “church” has become
painful, exclusive, boring, or irrelevant. If you're queer,
doubtful, blue, science-y, skeptical, bruised... we are searching
for you.


Millenials (born 1980-2000) are Galileo’s particular focus, but
all are welcome, including our LGBTQ neighbors.


“A bruised reed [we] will not break, and a dimly burning wick
[we] will not quench; [we] will faithfully bring forth justice.”
(Isaiah 42:3, modified)


In the end Katie and I agreed to share the good we're doing
to keep the good going on. And so we coined the
pay-it-forward notion "the good goes on." Feel free to greet the
souls you meet with this greeting, "the good goes on."  :)
 What are you doing to improve the world? You are keeping
the good going.


Links:


That's What She Said (Podcast on iTunes)


No H8 Campaign


Broken Stalks: Galileo Church Intro Video


Indigo Girls: Galileo Video


Another interview of Katie


United Faith Leaders