Hello! My name is Kitchie Ranillo Bakken, and I currently serve as the Chair of Journey Center Great Lakes. A little about me: I was born and raised in Oakland, CA. I am a second generation immigrant—both of my parents immigrated from the Philippines. I moved to Chicago, IL, for college, where I studied Biblical and Theological Studies with the idea of one day going into pastoral ministry. After graduating, I didn’t sense a call to pastoral ministry, but I knew I was still meant to walk with people in their spiritual lives, even if I didn’t quite understand what that would look like at the time.
Instead, I found myself in the nonprofit world as an administrative coordinator and event manager, planning and executing countless events. I loved creating spaces where people could feel loved, cherished, and seen. Some of my most meaningful work involved planning trips to the US–Mexico border and Israel–Palestine. During this time, I witnessed plenty of heartbreak through my work and my own personal life which pushed me to wrestle deeply with my faith and ultimately led me to spiritual direction.
Spiritual direction became a safe space for me to deconstruct my theologies and ideologies, ask hard questions, and sit in the unknown. Over time, it also became a space of curiosity, wonder, and mystery. Once I let go of the “shoulds” and “have tos,” my understanding of God shifted. The “unknowns of God” became the “mysteries of God.” My “understanding of God” turned into my “curiosities of God.” My “knowledge of God” turned into my “wonders of God.” Instead of boxing God in, I began to embrace the vastness of God. A God who is far more loving, forgiving, gracious, and welcoming than I had ever imagined. This way of encountering God nourished me deeply, and I hope others can experience God in this way too.
This hope fuels my work as a spiritual director and my leadership at Journey Center Great Lakes. In simple terms, JCGL is not a church or an institution. We are people who have encountered God’s welcome and are being made whole through God’s expansive love. We create space just as God has created space for us. Our desire is to offer a place of connection, encouragement, and encounter wherever you may find yourself on your spiritual journey. (I encourage you to visit our “About Us” page for a fuller picture of who we are and who we are becoming.)
In a world that feels increasingly divided, where God’s name is often used for good, bad, and even harmful purposes, it can be hard to know what is true. My hope is that JCGL can be a place of stillness, where you can listen for the voice of God within you. A voice that knows each of us by name, speaks goodness and truth, and welcomes all into the wide embrace of Love.
