The Reverend Kevin Tisdol found the family vocation later in life.
“I come from a long line of preachers on my mother’s side. My maternal grandmother told me I was going to be a preacher – that wasn’t ever going to happen,” he said.
Tisdol felt disconnected from the Baptist Church he grew up in, however he did hold on to the message of Justice.
“That meant justice for everyone.”
When he found the Metropolitan Community Church, he felt reconnected to his faith and gave his first sermon in 1997, sharing with the congregants, “You and I are on a Journey.”
Tisdol came to South Florida in 2012, and serves the community at the post-denominational MCC Sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale where that shared journey of justice, equality, and love continues. As Minister of Education at the Cathedral’s Samaritan Institute—which confers degrees in Theology – he instills in upcoming ministers that “God is pure love – anytime someone tells you something different, they’re not sharing the word of God.”
For his part, Tisdol credits honesty as the catalyst for driving change. “My mother said I was the bravest child she had. My honesty has allowed others to be as honest as they can be.”
Tisdol added that when it comes to combating the current anti-LGBTQ climate, “There is a different story out there. What’s happening here in Florida is not good for the rest of the world… We are speaking for ourselves. We’re not afraid of speaking truth to power… [the community is] not powerless. They have an ability to change their part of the world if not the world. It’s not Pollyanna, but we do serve a purpose.”
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