Rev. Gary Brinn Joins Hope United Church as New Pastor

Rev. Gary Brinn. Submitted.

Hope United Church of Christ recently celebrated with Rev. Richard Feyen as he retired from active ministry and called Rev. Gary Brinn to serve as the congregation’s new pastor and teacher.

Brinn was born into a family of police officers and firefighters in Norfolk, Virginia, and is a disabled Army veteran. He was the director of learning for a small tech firm in Manhattan on 9/11.

He returned to complete his bachelor’s degree in English literature and studio art at Hunter College – City University of New York. He earned a master of divinity from Harvard University in 2008 and served a year as the Tanenbaum Fellow for Inter-Religious Practice at Vassar College before ordination in the United Church of Christ.

A fan of Pearl Jam, Disney and NASCAR, Brinn tries to bring popular culture into conversation with scripture, real life, and the rich and progressive theological tradition of the United Church of Christ. In addition to justice and witness advocacy in areas such as anti-racism and LGBTQ equality, he has worked on community issues including work-force housing and food insecurity. Rev. Brinn began serving and preaching Oct. 6.