Megan Rohrer, MDiv

Curriculum Vitae

megan@oldfirst.org

 

 

Educational Experience:

1994-1998  Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, SD: While a student at Lincoln, Megan was an AP Scholar, received the President’s Award for Excellence, participated in track & field, science club as vice-president, Unique Learning Experience, chess club, orchestra as secretary, choir, key club, musical theater, and, in debate, Megan was voted debater of the year in 1998, placed 2nd in the state for Cross Examination Debate, 6th in the state in extemporaneous speaking, and reached the semi-finals of the national tournament in student congress.

 

1998-2001 BA at Augustana College in Sioux Falls SD:  Majoring in religion, with minors in art and gay and lesbian studies, Megan was on the Dean’s List, participated in debate, Out! Augustana as president, helped create the Augustana Coalition for Social Justice, started a straight ally organization, hosted a GLBTQ movie festival, was a member of Signs of the Spirit (an outreach team for deaf and hard of hearing Christians), was a staff writer and cartoonist for The Mirror, participated in New Student Orientation by writing two plays for Pieces of the Puzzle, was a member of the Viking Days central committee, was a member of koinonia, was a chapel musician and webmaster for several student organizations.

 

2002-2003 Student at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, CA: As a student at PLTS, Megan was in charge of the campus’ audio visual resources, participated in the youth gathering, the chair of the peace and justice committee and a member of the sexuality committee.  While a student, Megan lead a workshop on sexual boundaries and touch that included information on working with children, sharing the peace with integrity and creative role play activities.

 

2004-2005 Graduated Cum Laude with a Master of Divinity from the Pacific School for Religion in Berkeley, CA: As a student at PSR Megan presented a workshop at the prestigious Earl Lectures on Gender Plurality and the Church: Serving Transgendered Individuals in Communities of Faith.

 

Work Experience:

Director of the Welcome Ministry in San Francisco, CA (June 2001 - Present):  Megan functions at the director of a 501(c)3 not for profit that is affiliated with 7 inter-denominational churches and faith groups.  Megan is responsible for the operation of the Welcome Ministry, the Evening Outreach Program, Community Dinners and the Computer Room.  General tasks include: fund raising, grant writing, volunteer training and recruitment, bookkeeping, counseling, and pastoral care.  Megan also functions as a staff member at Old First Presbyterian Church and has begun educating and organizing the community, networking with political and city officials, working with city programs and preaching at affiliated churches and groups.

 

Child Care Counselor at the Children's Home Society in Sioux Falls, SD (September 2001 - January 2002): Megan worked as a counselor for battered, abused, neglected and at-risk children from ages 3-13.  While working at the Children's Home, she learned how to counsel children, manage aggressive behavior and deescalate situations.  Megan received over fifty hours of training, which included: MABS; safe holdings; sexual abuse; and prevention for sexually active children. 

 

Summer Conference Staff at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD (summers of 1998-2001): Megan prepared the campus for campus for conventions and conferences.  Her duties in this job included: rearranging facilities; helping with catering; managing, running and setting up AV equipment; managing the chapel during weddings; creating signs; secretarial work; filing; managing other students; preparing work schedules for other staff; managing billing for clients; guiding tours; and human resource work.

 

Papers, Presentations, Forums and Curriculums:

The World Would Be a Better Place if Everyone Were Naked: Paper presented at the American Academy of Religion meeting at Luther Seminary (1997).

 

Homosexuality, the Church and Reconciliation: Paper presented at the Augustana Symposium (1998).

 

Gender, Sex and Sexuality in a Post Modern World: Presented at JTSB (2002)

 

Sexual Education for Youth and Family Ministry: Curriculum presented at PLTS (2002)

 

Sexual Boundaries and Touch: This workshop includes information on working with children, sharing the peace with integrity and creative role play activities.

Presented at PLTS (2003).

 

Ushers Manual: Homelessness Guide: A guide for ushers that helps them deal with common difficulties of being an usher in an urban church where homelessness is in issue.  This manual includes helpful guides like: how to wake up a homeless person; how to deal with conflict; and how to escort a homeless person out of the building.

 

Third Gender: Native Constructions of Sex, Gender and Sexuality: This paper outlines the sex/gender constructions of Native groups and the spiritual role that native two-spirits perform.  This paper also includes creation stories and myths and 150 terms that identify two-spirits.  Presented at PLTS (2003)

 

Prayers of the Street: For the homeless and hungry of San Francisco: Edited by Megan, this book of prayer instructs readers how to engage in multiple forms of prayer and meditations that are written for and by the homeless and hungry of San Francisco and the volunteers of the Welcome Ministry who eat with them (2003).

 

Neighborhood Homelessness Forum: A four part series that included: 1) sleeping on the sidewalk in front of Old First Presbyterian Church in San Francisco; 2) a question and answer session about the Welcome Ministry; 3) a question and answer period with the local law enforcement with a special appearance by Supervisor Aaron Peskin; 4) a conversation with area ministers and organizations that work with the homeless in the Lower Polk Gulch/Upper Tenderloin of San Francisco.  Presented at Old First Presbyterian Church (2004)

 

Gender Plurality and the Church: Serving Transgendered Individuals in Communities of Faith: In this interactive and informative workshop, explores the expressions of being transgender, with particular attention to issues related to the participation of transgendered individuals in communities of faith.  This workshop is a good introduction for those not familiar with transgender issues.  Participants receive ideas and suggestions for how they can provide more effective pastoral care and support to transgendered people, and how members of the clergy can be a prophetic voice for others about transgender issues.  Presented at PSR’s Earl Lectures (2005)

 

Gender Plurality and the Church: Resources for Pastoral Care: While this resource manual was created for the above presentation at Earl Lectures, it includes information for many gender expressions (not just transgender individuals and communities).  (2004)

 

From Violence To Wholeness: GLBTQ Edition: Megan is co-author and co-editor of this curriculum that trains GLBTQ individuals and communities to begin the journey of active nonviolence.  (to be published in 2005)

 

Community Work and Activities:

Content Editor for Goodsoil.org (2004-Present)

Co-ordinator of Seminarian networking and promoter of the Extraordinary Candidacy Process at Lutheran Seminaries, Colleges and Campus Ministries (2004-present)

Director of Media and Society Outreach at the Gender Pluralism™  Institute (2003-present)

Member of the Coalition for Hope (2003-present)

Member of the National Gay and Lesbian Historical Society in San Francisco (2003-present)

Member of Lutheran’s Concerned North America (2002-present)

A member of Pace e Bene (a Franciscan nonviolence organization) that teaches nonviolence to GLBTQ organizations and is writing a curriculum that speaks to GLBTQ audiences (2002-present)

Executive Director and webmaster for GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight, Education Network) Sioux Falls (2000-2002): As director of GLSEN Sioux Falls, Megan wrote articles for the Argus Leader, participated in television interviews, led trainings at businesses and schools on the importance of tolerance and equality for GLBTQ individuals and communities.

Member of the Board of Directors for Pride on the Prairie, Sioux Falls (2000-2001)

Webmaster for the Stonewall Democrats of Sioux Falls (2000-2001)

Volunteer for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

Member of the Human Rights Campaign (1998-present)

 

Trainings and Certifications:

Counseling Training: Megan received over fifty hours of training from the Children’s Home Society, which included: MABS; safe holdings; sexual abuse; and prevention for sexually active children. 

 

Facilitatior Training: 3 day workshop to develop facilitation skills and become a certified facilitator of the From Violence to Wholeness Curriculum

 

Reiki Master: Third Level Certification from the Care Through Touch Institute in San Francisco, CA in the art of Reiki Healing Touch.

 

Hobbies:

In her spare time, Megan enjoys: making music (playing the harp, the guitar and singing); making art (drawing, pastels, painting and sculpting); the outdoors and practicing tae kwon do (Megan is a black belt).