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“Pastor Mike” has been minister at Church of the
Foothills UCC & DOC in Santa Ana since 1997. Church of the Foothills is a progressive, Open
and Affirming, peace and justice loving congregation that welcomes and affirms
people of every ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, different ability,
economic status or religious background. Dr. Holland also has taught classes in
religious studies and philosophy at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa since
1995. He actively participates in Progressive
Christians Uniting, The Clergy Task Force of Planned Parenthood, and the
Interfaith Council of Central Orange County.
He has helped lead educational, interfaith and peace mission trips to
Greece and Turkey, China, Nicaragua, Cuba, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian
territories. He also conducts workshops
in spiritual gifts using the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator. Pastor Mike and his wife Tricia live in Cypress
and have two grown sons. His passions
include golf, biking, travel, history, reading and healthy spiritual living. A “Son of the South” Pastor Mike has family roots
in North Carolina predating the Declaration of Independence. He was raised as a Southern Baptist, a
Democrat, and an Air Force brat, living in ten states the first fourteen years
of his life. He graduated with an AA
degree in 1976 from the University of South Florida in Tampa, a BA in religious
studies in 1978 from Stetson University, DeLand Florida, and a Master of
Divinity in 1981 and Doctor of Ministry in 1988 from the Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. He has also done extensive continuing
education at Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley; School of Theology at
Claremont; and the Disciples Seminary Foundation, Claremont, CA. From 1976 to 1991, Pastor Mike served Baptist
churches in Indiana and Florida. In
1991, he was granted ministerial standing with the United Church of Christ and
called as pastor of Faith UCC in Garden Grove, California. He now has ministerial standing with the United
Church of Christ and the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ.
Pastor Mike loves to preach, teach and work with
children and youth. He also has a passion for social justice for all
people. In June 2008, he performed one
of the first legal same-sex marriage ceremonies in an Orange County
church, which was featured prominently in the Orange County Register. A leading opponent of Proposition 8, Dr.
Holland was interviewed by NBC LA Channel 4 and other news outlets, and was
voted by readers of the OC Weekly as Orange Country’s Best Political Pastor. Dr.
Holland also participated in two documentary films in support of the GLBTQI
community. Church of the Foothills is
host to TG Rainbow, a support group for Transgender people, and SHIFT HAPPENS,
a support group for family and friends of Transgender people. Pastor Mike may be reached for counsel or
questions at 714-423-0182.
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