Meet The Organizers
The crew of misfits bringing The Ember Gathering to life
Ember is a three-day gathering where seekers, dreamers, and builders come together for connection, worship, and joy. Across the weekend you’ll experience inspiring talks and fireside chats, Oakland-based excursions, dynamic storytelling, and sacred hangouts designed to spark conversation and community.
What to expect at this transformative three-day experience
February 27 - March 1, 2026 in Oakland, CA
150+ progressive Christians, seekers, and spiritual builders
Theologians, activists, and spiritual leaders
Interactive workshops and discussion groups
Dedicated time for mentorship with older leaders
Discover the Bay Area with local guides and make some friends with fellow attendees
Gender-neutral restrooms, pronoun inclusion
Build community, make friends
We refuse to let others define what following Jesus means for us. Jesus is too good to surrender to white supremacy, Christian nationalism, and exclusionary theology. Our faith, our connection to the Divine, and our traditions have always existed outside of the empire. We're here to reclaim them.
For too long, people have been forced into a narrow, distorted version of faith—one shaped by power, control, and whiteness. But the truth is, our expressions of spirituality and community are ancient, expansive, and deeply rooted. This gathering is a refuge. A space for healing, joy, and belonging. A feast for the soul. An ember that refuses to go out.
We're here to connect. To each other. To the Divine. To something bigger than ourselves. As the old structures crumble, we're building what comes next. We are sparking something sacred that is rooted in liberation, joy, and love. The time is now.
Ember is a gathering of people refusing to let Christian nationalism, white supremacy, and exclusionary theology define what it means to follow Jesus. Our mission is to reclaim the sacred from the grips of empire. To create a space for healing, joy, and radical belonging that sustains and ignites the embers in us that refuse to go out.
We envision a world where faith is liberated from systems of domination, hierarchy, and control, where our expressions of spirituality are both expansive and deeply rooted. As the old structures crumble, we are igniting a sacred rebellion; connecting to each other, the Divine, and a future we build together. We are not just resisting and deconstructing. We are creating something new.
The crew of misfits bringing The Ember Gathering to life
Guiding principles that shape our sacred rebellion
We follow the radical way of Jesus, not as a dogmatic list of beliefs, but as a path of love, humility, truth telling and transformation. Jesus disrupts systems of oppression and invites us into beloved community.
Deconstruction matters, but it is not the destination. We are here to heal, renew, and co-create something compelling for the future.
Worship is not owned by any singular tradition. God is for everybody. Pursuit of the Divine is part of what it means to be human. It connects us to ourselves, each other and fuels us for collective liberation.
Liberation is both external and internal. We dismantle oppressive systems in the world while unlearning toxic religion, binary thinking, and guilt-driven faith within ourselves.
This is a space for seekers, doubters, and dreamers, and those who felt discarded by the dominant religious structures. We don't demand conformity, but instead we practice love and commitment to one another in our shared humanity.
We embrace paradox and mystery as sacred. We do not fear questions. While we reject rigid dogma, we are clear in our commitments: to love, justice, and radical inclusion.
Ready to be part of something transformative?
Find out when tickets drop
