Pastor Valerie L. Jackson, D. Min. is an unapologetic, visionary faith and community leader; Womanist homiletician; author; and advocate for the sacred worth and potential of all human beings.
She was ordained an elder in full connection in the United Methodist Church in 2018 in Ogden, Utah. On January 1, 2020, Dr. Jackson became the first African American and out queer lead pastor of Cameron UMC in Denver and congregational resource minister for the Mile High Metro District of the Mountain Sky Conference. She is also adjunct faculty at the Iliff School of Theology.
Rev. Dr. Jackson has lived in Denver since 2009. In addition, in the earthly absence of Valerie’s first loves, her mother and daughter; and one of her fathers and all grandparents, God has blessed Valerie with a very loving and faithful family and support system in Dr. Andriette Jordan-Fields, Willie M. Jordan, Alana, Brittany and Jordan Fields.
Reverend Denise Bender serves as Children's Minister for Cameron Church through a contract with Sacred Stones Ministries, Inc., a non-profit consulting team which helps to equip individuals and communities to connect more deeply with God, each other, and the world. Ordained in 2005 as a Deacon in Full Connection, her vision for leading through education and service in order to transform lives is being lived out in contracts with Cameron UMC, Bethany UMC (Sacred Doors), and Church of the Beloved Ecumenical Catholic Community.
Denise’s life partner is her husband Mike who is a civil engineer and works for the State of Colorado. They have four adult children and seven grandchildren. Along with traveling and spending time with family, Denise enjoys Spanish lessons and gardening. They share their home in North Denver with their rescue dogs and cat.
Rev. Jeremy McLeod serves as Cameron's Music/Arts Director. Choral/Vocal music is a passion for him that’s all about developing the vocal skills of individuals/ensembles over a very broad range of musical styles from the 8th century to the 21st and back again. Cameron’s musical traditions are deep and wide, including a long-standing enjoyment of bluegrass and string band music. Jeremy takes delight in helping to create worship experiences full of vibrant live music. New musicians/performers are always welcome to join in making all kinds of joyful noises at Cameron Church, especially now that we're working to discover what all this can be as we live into the world created by 2020's Pandemic.
Jeremy and his hubby of 25 years, Mike, have called Denver home for a long time now. Life and ministry also took them to Manassas, VA, Detroit, MI, and Chicago, IL as Jeremy served as pastor of United Church of Christ congregations and as a hospice chaplain. When Jeremy retired in 2015, they returned home to Denver. That "retirement" is grounded in the joy of being part of the musically rich culture at Cameron. Of late that joy has turned to amazement as Cameron has waded into the new world of Online Worship with music playing an integral part of the experience.
Linda Rae Roggensack is the Cameron Church Office Assistant, and unofficial photographer of church life. Linda Rae is a retired executive assistant, formerly with Wings over the Rockies Air and Space Museum. She freelances as an editor/proofreader and volunteers as Cameron’s office assistant. Her favorite pastime is cooking, as evidenced by her collection of a thousand or so cookbooks. A native of California, she is blessed with three marvelous children: identical twin sons, David in Salt Lake and Denny in Littleton, and a daughter, Heidi, in Tucson. Linda Rae shares her home in laughter and love with Prince Charming, Max Donaldson, and their sweet little alley cat, Booger.
Katie Seiffertt is the Nursery Attendant at Cameron Church. Katie has always enjoyed working with the younger church members. Being able to introduce them to the Christian faith and watch them grow to find their place in the church is a delight to her. Being part of a church like Cameron has allowed Katie’s family of six (husband, Michael, and their 14 year old twins, 9 year old and 6 year old) to find a place with open minds and hearts and grow in their faith as well.
During the week, Katie is the Operations Manager at WideFoc.us, a social media agency.
Maryann Christensen is the Cameron Church Accompanist. Maryann has been playing piano for over 20 years. Coming from a large musical family, she has always loved making music with others, whether it’s chamber music with her cellist brother, piano duets with her mom, or accompanying her singing dad. She has a bachelor's degree in Piano Performance from MSU Denver, where she earned multiple talent awards and was a winner of the 2012 Concerto Competition. For the past few years, Maryann has enjoyed working as an accompanist with various choirs in the Denver area including the Anschutz Campus Choir, the Rhythm of Life Community Chorus, elementary school choirs, and the choir at Cameron. She also shares her love of music by teaching private piano lessons.
During the week Maryann works in the office at High Altitude Tennis, an after school tennis company. When she’s not working or practicing piano, she likes bike riding, trivia nights, and spending time with her 19 year old kitty, Midnight.
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