About Us
Founded in 2011 by Executive Director Kathy Baldock, Canyonwalker Connection exists to repair the division existing between social and Christian conservatives and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities through education, training, encouragement, and dialogue in both secular and religious environments.
Baldock, based in Reno, Nevada researches, writes, speaks, and teaches on topics at the intersection of faith and human sexuality.
CanyonWalker Connections is a 501 c3 organization.
Our Team
It all began in 2001 during one of Kathy Baldock's regular hikes in the Sierra Mountains of Nevada. Our Founder & Executive Director, Kathy has an extraordinary story of how God took her on a step by step journey into the LGBTQ world and eventually led to her founding CanyonWalker Connections in 2011.
CanyonWalker Connections is a 501 c3 organization.
Kathy Baldock has become a prominent female voice for the inclusion of the LGBTQ community in conservative churches. In 2014 she published Walking the Bridgeless Canyon: Repairing the Breach Between the Church and the LGBT Community and is one of the foremost experts on the history of the cultural and religious discrimination of the LGBT community in America.
RAINA CHENEY (she/her) has joined Canyonwalker Connections as a social media intern as of late 2021. As a college student, Raina dove head first into the work of repairing the relationship between the LGBTQ+ community and the church through her involvement on social media platforms.
OUR STORY
Kathy Baldock founded CanyonWalker Connections in 2011 as a natural outgrowth of her already-burgeoning ministry of reconciliation between socially and religiously conservative communities and the LGBTQ community. A graduate of Rutgers University’s College of Engineering, as well as an accomplished entrepreneur and small business owner, Baldock had no ties to the LGBTQ community until 2001 when she forged a friendship with a lesbian while hiking. Through ongoing dialogue and years of research, Baldock shifted her exclusionary Evangelical views and saw the immense need for accessible education in this area.
CanyonWalker Connections is a 501 c3 organization.
Kind Words About CanyonWalker Connections
“Your seminar was the first time in my life (45 years) that I saw the true interpretation of the historical timeline and the Bible side by side. I realized that I was not an abomination to God as my mother states. Thank you for enlightening my path as I walk with God in my new understanding of His Word.” - Brian, Sacramento, CA
“Kathy Baldock is one of the most tireless, dedicated, and influential advocates for LGBT Christians in the evangelical church. Her work has helped to transform the lives of thousands of people, and her ministry is a model of the kind of effective, conciliatory, bridge-building work the church desperately needs.” - Matthew Vines, President, The Reformation Project
“I support Kathy’s work because I admire what she does and stands for. Her work, writing and speaking has been an encouragement to me in my personal journey as the proud mom of a gay son. She’s an inspiration—and I hope to, like Kathy, impact my community with the message of Christ’s love for ALL.” - Dena, San Diego, CA
Our Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of CanyonWalker Connections is talented group of people who care deeply about justice and inclusion.
CanyonWalker Connections is a 501 c3 organization.
Richard Archambault & Dean Johnson
A married couple living in Virginia. Read Full Bio
Lisa Salazar
Hospital chaplain, author of "Transparently," living in Vancouver, BC.. Read Full Bio.
Dean Johnson
Dean resides in Falls Church, Virginia with his husband, Dean, and their dogs Jasper and Cam. Read Full Bio.
Brent Goff
Details to follow 2022 Read Full Bio
Alejandro Ugarte
Details to follow December 2022. Read Full Bio.
Sam Baldock
Director of Policy and Partnerships for a nationwide non-profit, living in Brooklyn, NY. Read Full Bio.
