Rev. Mandy Sloan McDow is a native of Knoxville, Tennessee. After hearing her call to ministry while working on staff at Camp Wesley Woods, Mandy attended Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA, which, ironically, had no religion department. Regardless, Mandy was admitted to Princeton Theological Seminary, from which she received her Masters of Divinity. Mandy has served rural churches in New Jersey, urban churches in Atlanta, and oceanside churches in California. Today, she is the senior minister of Los Angeles First United Methodist Church, the church with land and no building that worships in a parking lot. In solidarity with their houseless neighbors, LA First UMC has pledged to remain unhoused until they can create housing for those who need it the most.
Mindy’s LEAD talk topic: Developing a Theology of Place: how congregations can determine the best ways to love God and their neighbor in their specific communities.
