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.
Associate Pastor Rev. Dale Fredrickson comes to us with a wealth of ministry experiences and a heart for creativity and the arts. Pastor Dale was 15 years old when his dad died from cancer -- a tragedy that set his life on a trajectory that he never could have imagined. Through the church, he found a living relationship with God that continues to surprise him with hope and healing. He found his calling to be a caring presence to those in need and teach the Bible and Theology with creativity and passion. Through his teaching and writing, he takes the rich traditions of Christian faith -- and all of the doubts, wonderings, pains and joys of the human heart -- to help people think about faith in fresh and new ways.
Dale considers it a great gift to be at Cameron Church, where his responsibilities include Children, Youth, and Spiritual Formation. He is interested in helping people see the endless connections between the Bible, art, culture, and building a better world.
Dale considers it a great gift to be at Cameron Church, where his responsibilities include Children, Youth, and Spiritual Formation. He is interested in helping people see the endless connections between the Bible, art, culture, and building a better world.
Dale is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Philosophy of Religion and Theology program at Claremont Graduate University. He has a master's degree in fom Iliff School of Theology in Biblical Studies. When he isn't listening to others, teaching, or writing he loves spending time with his wife and their three children.
Pastor Isabella ("Izzy") Sherwood-Reid Izzy, our first ever Pastor of New Ministries and Communications, is currently working on her Master’s in Divinity at the Iliff School of Theology. She has been working in digital ministry for the past few years, exploring new means of connection and community-building. Pastor Izzy is excited to see what the future of the church holds as we learn together what it means to be Christian and follow the teachings of Jesus, especially in the ways that we can live into his message of equality and social justice. Born and raised in Denver, Pastor Izzy loves taking full advantage of everything our wonderful city has to offer— especially when it comes to food. When not eating or studying, she sews historical clothing, reads fantasy novels with her partner, Eric, and walks her fur-baby around City Park.
As we look down the road of the 21st century toward the 22nd century, Pastor Izzy is joining the Cameron pastoral team, part-time, to help us find new ways of doing ministry and ways to connect with persons that we are not currently reaching. Persons that may be unchurched or wounded by the church; or persons that are simply looking for meaningful connections that create non-religious spaces for dialogue, community, growth, transformation and service. Send an email to Pastor Izzy if you are interested in New Ministries and Communications!
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.
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.
