Meet New Minister in Discernment: Cypress Brannon

Our newest KO Member in Discernment had a very good reason to be excused from this year's Annual Meeting: they were attending a first-time-ever in-person gathering of their seminary cohort after beginning the program in the midst of the Covid pandemic. We hope to introduce Cypress in person next year, but for now, we extend a warm virtual welcome to our Conference!

Cypress Brannon (they/them) grew up in a Pentecostal church where they enjoyed lively music, inspiring testimonies, and unforgettable after-church lunches with family. Coming out as gay and later non-binary, however, Cypress sought to make sense of their seemingly clashing identities: being queer and Christian. Like others in the LGBTQIA+ community, Cypress found that the beliefs and values of their upbringing no longer breathed life or brought them joy, prompting a journey that would eventually lead them to their new home in the United Church of Christ.

A member and care-team volunteer at Wichita UCC, Cypress is also a student in the Master of Arts in Pastoral and Spiritual Care program at Iliff School of Theology - a low-residency program in Denver, CO. With the loving support of their husband Corbin, as well as the church community at WUCC, Cypress is exploring a call towards vocations like chaplaincy so that they can cultivate an awareness and respect of queer experiences around death and dying.