Dear PRCC Family,

I am so pleased to introduce you to Kathleen McMurray, a second year graduate student from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary on the campus of Northwestern University. Kathleen will be serving as our Student Intern from September to May of this year. She is very faithful, gifted, and engaging, and has much to offer us. So, too, we have much to offer her as she comes to PRCC to learn how we serve God and neighbor in this place.  I am deeply grateful to our Board of Directors for making it possible for us to take this step in becoming a teaching parish, a place where we can take part in educating and inspiring those just entering the ministry.

Grace and Peace,

Brett

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Dear Park Ridge Community Church,

My name is Kathleen McMurray. I am a Southern girl, born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. I graduated from LSU Summa Cum Laude with full College Honors and a B.A. in Theatre before moving to Evanston to attend Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and pursue a Masters of Divinity.

I play the piano and a little bit of guitar and love music and dance. In my life I have participated in over 50 theatrical productions, both communally and professionally, and was even a street mime in high school. I also am a serious LSU tiger fan, having stood in the rain for College Gameday, camped out for Sugar Bowl tickets, and taken an overnight road-trip to the NCAA Baseball World Series. Like any Southern lady, I enjoy cooking, baking, sewing, and entertaining in addition to building projects and camping.

I joke about Southern Hospitality being my roots, but it is true that the hospitality I learned growing up drives me in my thoughts about radical hospitality being at the core of Christianity. I am driven to learn about others around the world, how they experience God, how we can be more open and hospitable to ideas and cultures different from our own, and how we can work together to bring about a more just, peaceful, loving world. I am currently traveling to Thailand to experience this hands-on, working alongside other peoples for social justice in that area.

I am so excited to be a part of PRCC, to discuss and practice diversity of thought, inclusivity, and active love. Thank you for welcoming me into your community!

Peace,