Dear friends,
We are so excited to introduce to you our next Executive Director for LOVEboldly, Ben Huelskamp! We believe that Ben will be a fantastic addition to our team and that his unique perspective and experiences will help us to grow and change in the direction that God is leading us as an organization.
Born and raised in Ohio, Ben (he/him/his) grew up attending Catholic schools in Cambridge and Zanesville. He earned a BA in Philosophy from Sewanee: The University of the South and MEd in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Vermont. Ben is currently a candidate for the EdD in Educational Leadership (specializing in Religion and Ministry) at the University of the Cumberlands. He is writing his dissertation on the leadership of LGBTQ+ Christians in church spaces.
Brought up in the Roman Catholic Church, Ben has always been active in the church in various roles, particularly in music. He joined the Episcopal Church in college and has attended a variety of congregations coming to consider the gray area between the Episcopal Church and the United Church of Christ to be his theological home. He is an active digital member of Middle Collegiate Church and will be looking for an in-person church home in Westerville.
Knowing from a young age that he was gay, Ben came out during college and became involved in social justice work. He is committed to addressing oppression in all its forms. He identifies as a Queer cis-gender man.
Ben describes himself as “quirky” and enjoys such diverse things as Christian music, folk music, art, tea, a good book, and everything pertaining to the Oxford comma. He is a family man with most of his family in Ohio and is a particularly doting uncle. He will be relocating to a cozy apartment in Westerville, OH, in the next month.
As we look forward to this new season for our organization, we recognize that we would not be where we are without the tireless work and passion of our founder and former Executive Director, Heidi Weaver-Smith. We are so thankful for Heidi and her leadership over the past decade and the incredible work that she has done to empower willing Christians and LGBTQ+ individuals to step towards loving one another more boldly. She will be greatly missed, but we are so excited for the work that God has called her into in this next season of life and are thankful that she will continue to be a part of LOVEboldly as a member of our board of directors.
We are so excited for you to get to meet Ben in the coming months as he steps into this new role. He will be attending our upcoming Devoted conference in November, so we hope you will be able to meet him there! We want to thank you for your prayers & support during this time of transition and ask that you continue to pray for all that is ahead for us here at LOVEboldly.
In Christ,
The LOVEboldly Team