LAPStudios
  • Home
  • About
  • Weddings
    • Testimonials
    • Information & Pricing
    • Wedding Gallery
    • Trusted Vendors
  • Public Speaking
  • Connect

About Rev. Laura Ann Phillips

marrying the sacred & the secular....

Picture
Do you remember a venn-diagram from school?  Do you remember those circles of differing things, overlapping one another to find one common ground in the middle?  The same way that I find it impossible to separate Divine presence, as if it can only be found within church walls, I find it difficult to separate my life into little circles that never overlap.  All the circles of my life overlap in a multitude of ways, and somewhere in the middle is where I exist, the sacred and the secular live together.  It is there that I take my inspiration and receive energy.

I am an ordained pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) serving alongside the good people of Overland Park Christian Church (DOC) in Kansas.  In addition to my full-time ministries at OPCC, I am a trained facilitator in the PREPARE-ENRICH program counseling dating, engaged and married couples.  I serve as a wedding officiant for couples from backgrounds different from my own, performing a variety of wedding ceremonies.  I am a trained leader for the Children Worship & Wonder program, a volunteer for Girls on the Run of Greater Kansas City and avid supporter of C.A.S.A. (Court Appointed Special Advocates).  I serve our church in a variety of regional and denominational ways, and  have served as keynote speaker and director for retreat and camping experiences ranging from 3rd graders to 90 year-old women.

I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, volunteer and a mentor.  I am a polite mid-westerner who is certain I was supposed to be born in the South.  I am a quilter, a runner, a failing scrapbooker, and one who appreciates photography, but rarely use my DSLR camera in any setting other than Auto, using my cell-phone more than the camera, anyway..

I am passionate about seeing the world, experiencing different cultures and learning from a multitude of different people.  I am dedicated to creating a safe and inviting place for all who are seeking, questioning, doubting, and curious about the sacred.  I also trust that we were never meant to separate ourselves into "religious" and "non-religious" and seek to learn from, and embrace relations with many different kind of people.Whether that place is in the sanctuary, around a table, on a blog, in a coffee shop, or at the bar, I trust that the Divine Spirit is far stronger than we give credit, and will show up where we least expect it, but need it most.

Education
​
Lexington Theological Seminary - Lexington, Kentucky
Master of Divinity - 2009

University of Missouri - Columbia, Missouri
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Emphasis in Marketing - 2004
Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, Emphasis in Latin America - 2004

Victoria University of Wellington - Wellington, New Zealand
Butler University Study Abroad Program - 2002
Credentials

​Ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in January 2009

Children Worship & Wonder Storyteller, March 2010

Children Worship & Wonder Storyteller Trainer, November 2010

PREPARE-ENRICH Facilitator, March 2012

Bethany Fellows, 2011 - 2014

​Disciples Peace Fellowship Intern, 2003

For further information on employment, volunteer experience, publications and more, please visit this link.
Picture
  • Home
  • About
  • Weddings
    • Testimonials
    • Information & Pricing
    • Wedding Gallery
    • Trusted Vendors
  • Public Speaking
  • Connect