Sunshine Cathedral Lumination: The Visioning Conference

Crafting Spiritual Communities Beyond Covid

Participate Through October 2023 | Virtual Conference

Our Visioning

Crafting Beyond COVID

Our spiritual communities have forever changed these past few years.
COVID has luminated the best (and worst) aspects of our spirituality, perhaps forever changing how communities will gather, communicate, and offer support to their members and beyond. Spirituality, at its best, offers personal growth, inner peace, and indomitable hope. How will our spiritual communities meet these needs and communicate to the broader world that our faith based hubs are committed to such healing work? Some of the best progressive spiritual leaders of our time will help us envision a spiritual message and mission for the needs of our day rather simply recycling the ways and words of the past.

Sunshine Cathedral Lumination: The Visioning Conference will create a space for exploration, conversation, and crafting of visions of what our spiritual communities will look like after COVID. 
Join us, become inspired and learn new ways to craft your vision.

Rev. Dr. Robert Griffin

Co-Founder

Register Now

Participate in the conference Through October 2023.

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Learn about sponsorship and vending opportunities here.

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Keynote Luminaries

Diana Butler Bass

religious and contemporary spirituality commentator

Rev. Sheila McKeithen

UFBL president

Rev. Dr. Rebecca Voelkel

Director of the Center for Sustainable Justice

Rabbi Rami Shapiro

Founding member of Snowmass Group

Leading from the 2nd Chair:

The Importance of Implementers

Robert Griffin

Executive Minister

MDiv, Episcopal Divinity School; DMin, Florida Center for Theological Studies.

Dr. Griffin was a licentiate Baptist minister before becoming ordained in Metropolitan Community Churches. He has served as a youth pastor, a Religious Programming Specialist in the U.S. Navy, a founding pastor of a church in Western Maryland, and at Sunshine Cathedral he has been a Minister of Education, Social Justice Minister, Chief Operations Minister, and Executive Minister. Rev. Robert held various leadership positions within Metropolitan Community Churches (AIDS Field Ministry, Regional Elder’s Assistant, Clergy Development, Special Assistant to the Moderator) and has served on denominational, non-profit, and seminary boards.

Don Eastman

Leadership consultant

Former Vice Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches. Former Gap Pastor (Founder’s MCC in Los Angeles), Executive Pastor (MCC Toronto), Senior Pastor (MCC Dallas). Graduate of Central Bible College.

Meeting Human Needs:

The Importance of Helping Ministries

Anne Atwell

Minister of Connections

BS, Florida Atlantic University. MDiv, St. Thomas University. DMin, Boston University.

After a career in Human Resources, Rev. Anne answered the call to ministry, serving as a Board member, a Deacon, and finally, an ordained clergy person at Sunshine Cathedral. Dr. Atwell supervises our Food Sharing ministries, leads a bereavement group, oversees diaconal leaders, and serves as a member of the Executive Staff. She is also one of Sunshine Cathedral’s primary worship leaders.

Kevin Tisdol

Minister of Education

BS, Manhattan College; MA, St. Thomas College.

In addition to his Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministries, Rev. Kevin also did additional coursework at the Episcopal Divinity School. He is retired from the NYC Transit Authority. While working in New York, Rev. Kevin was an active leader of a suburban church in New Jersey, becoming the Chair of the Deacon Board. After retiring to Florida, Rev. Kevin joined the staff of the Sunshine Cathedral where he assists with volunteer and educational programming and also is an administrator for the Divine Science Federation which is housed at Sunshine Cathedral.

Virtual Worship is Real Worship

BK Hipsher

Virtual Church Minister

Virtual Church Minister (Second Life). BS, California Coast University; MATS/Advanced Certificate/DMin, Episcopal Divinity School. Dr. Hipsher created and leads Sunshine Cathedral’s ministry in Second Life. Raised fundamentalist, she was confirmed Episcopalian, ordained in Metropolitan Community Churches, and is also a clergy spouse (her spouse is a Rabbi). BK was a student of feminist lesbian theologian Carter Heyward and a mentee of literary scholar and Queer, Feminist, and Trans* Theologies scholar, Virginia Ramey Mollenkott. Justice focused, interreligious, technology capable ministry is BK’s passion and expertise.

Darren Loli

Executive Producer

Director of Communications, Producer of Sunday morning live-streamed worship, Network Chair of Happening Out Television Network (seen on YouTube, Facebook, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Google TV, and Roku). BSM, BF.Com., BSTV Tulane University.