The Moravian Church

of Downey

OUR MISSION: "Sharing the love of Christ"   

In essentials, unity;

in non-essentials, liberty;

in all things, love.

Hi. I'm Pastor Christie Melby-Gibbons.

   I'm not a conventional pastor, though I am compassionate. I take serious things seriously, but the rest of life I take not-so-seriously.

   My spouse (David Melby-Gibbons) and I  call Downey, CA our home. We're both 2005 graduates of St. Olaf College, where we met and became life-mates. In May of 2009 I received a Masters of Divinity (don’t be fooled: I haven’t actually mastered anything) from Moravian Theological Seminary in Bethlehem, PA. I was ordained a Moravian pastor at the Main Street Moravian Church in Northfield, MN, on September 6, 2009.

Some things to know about me:

-I dislike chocolate and coffee.

-I strive to be a Christ-ian, but I tend to be leery of religion.

-It pains me to see anything wasted, especially food. (David & I are "freegans".)

-I am a shameless agitator.

-In addition to English—my native tongue—I speak some Russian and fluent Gibberish, and am hoping to learn more Spanish.

-Television has not been a part of my life for a decade—I don’t miss it.

-Creativity is woven throughout my daily life. I am a visual artist, specializing in taking other people’s discards, which I repurpose. I am also a beadist.

-I am a pacifist. (I don't even kill insects--usually.)

-I have a cadaver bone in my neck.

-I love you, despite what you may think of me.