Who's Who?
Meet the Village Campus Ministry staff and student leadership team:
Becca Seely
Campus pastor & Executive Director
​Becca Seely (she/her) is the lead pastor and executive director of Village Campus Ministry. She was not raised in church and first began to explore questions of faith when she was in college. As a result, she is particularly passionate about working with young adults who are asking questions about God and what gives our lives meaning and purpose. Becca loves hearing people's stories, learning new things and discovering the unexpected ways God is working in the world around us. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, exploring the outdoors, hanging out with her wife and two young kids, and planning elaborate theme parties. Becca holds an MDiv from Yale Divinity School and a Certificate in Advanced Theological Studies from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. She is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Contact Becca.
Bethany Day
Campus minister
Bethany Day (she/her) serves as a campus minister with VCM, working primarily with our downtown and citywide programs. While living and going to school in Jerusalem, Bethany discovered her passion for exploring faith, spirituality, and meaning with young adults from diverse backgrounds and faith experiences. This led her to pursue a Master of Divinity at Union Theological Seminary with a concentration in interreligious engagement. In her free time, she likes playing cooperative board games, hiking, and cooking Mediterranean-inspired food to share with friends. In addition to her Master of Divinity, which she received in 2025, Bethany also holds a Master of Arts in Social Sciences from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Bachelor of Arts from Westmont College. Contact Bethany.
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Sally Rausch
Campus minister
Sally Rausch (she/her) serves as a campus minister with VCM. Originally from South Carolina, Sally traveled west to attend Washington University in St. Louis. After undergrad, she made her way to Nashville and into food justice work. While her commitment to justice was always spiritually and theologically rooted, her relationship with the Christian church was complicated. Yet, the small voice of God in her gut persisted and led her to pursue a Master's of Divinity - first at Boston University and then at Union Theological Seminary, where she recently graduated. Given this, Sally is particularly drawn to those who are struggling with or curious about their spirituality or relationship with Christianity. Sally is a lover of language, hand-written notes, good snacks, and exploring the magic of connection between each other. She is passionate about the work of liberation in our day to day lives. In her free time, she's likely outside - tending her shared community garden plot or sitting under a tree in a park hanging with friends. Sally is currently serving as the pastor for Youth and Campus Ministries at St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church.
Izzy Morgan
student leader - Downtown
Izzy (they/them) is a student at New York University majoring in Global Public Health and Sustainability. They grew up in New Jersey going to a loud and friendly Presbyterian church in their hometown. There, they developed a love for music and faith. They also attended an incredibly open and caring Christian summer camp that showed them that faith was about love and inclusion no matter someone's background or orientation. Upon finding Village Campus Ministry they immediately knew they had a new home there. Izzy loves to explore their faith through the activities and hobbies they pursue such as painting, cooking for their friends and family, and hiking.
Queen Hamilton
student leader - Downtown
Queen Hamilton, II (She/Her) is a master’s student at NYU studying Music Composition. Hailing from the Bible Belt, she’s had a lot of diverse experiences with Christianity and religion. Growing up, her parents would take her to attend a plethora of different denominations’ services, and since starting college she began working as a church musician. What she loves about Village Campus Ministry is the openness and ability to ask questions without the fear of blasphemy or shame. Everyone comes from a different background and together they discuss and form their own understanding of the text. No interpretation is “wrong”. In her free time and outside of music, she enjoys playing sports, studying languages, and learning random facts and skills (video games totally counts as a skill). If you’ve made it this far you should stop downtown for a Tuesday night dinner. We don’t bite…unless you’re a falafel
Althea Downing-Shearer
student leader - Uptown
Althea Downing-Sherer (she/her) is a sophomore at Barnard College studying English and religion. She is originally from Iowa City, Iowa where she was raised as a pastor’s kid in the United Church of Christ. This background sparked her interest in the important role faith communities play in making social change, and she spent this past summer researching liberal Christian responses to rising levels of white Christian nationalism and changing public perceptions of Christianity in the United States as a Laidlaw Scholar. In her free time, Althea loves taking ballet classes and writing. She invites anyone searching for an open-minded and inclusive environment for complex conversations about scripture to stop by a Monday night dinner uptown!​
Ava Horton
student leader - Uptown
Ava Horton (she/her) is a junior at Columbia College studying Sustainable Development. Upon moving to NYC for college, she began attending St. Paul and St. Andrews United Methodist Church, and found Village Campus Ministry through the bulletin. With encouragement from Ekama, she began attending Monday night gatherings and hasn’t stopped since. She finds Village to be a welcoming space for open and honest conversations about the meaning of Christ in the contemporary world, and encourages anyone reading this to stop by sometime to enjoy some fabulous food and conversation! Outside of school, Ava enjoys getting outside (PNW born and raised), singing, writing, and calling friends and family while walking in the park.
VCM's Board of directors
As a non-profit organization, Village Campus Ministry is governed by a board of directors. We are grateful for the leadership and service of our board:
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The Rev. William Kroeze, President
The Rev. Chris Shelton, Treasurer
The Rev. Jon Rodriguez, Secretary
Ms. Eliana Brown
The Rev. Alyssa Kaplan
The Rev. Lea Matthews
Mr. Matthew Prest
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