Youth Ministry Institute

Yadi Martínez Reyna is a bilingual Latinx gender non-conforming artist, UCC Licensed Minister, Pastor, and borderlander, born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. Yadi serves as the LGBTQIA Unconscious Bias Awareness Facilitator with ten+ years of experience working with young people in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolitan area. Their work includes using arts and networking skills to create community events, retreats, leadership conferences, and safe spaces. Yadi is a certified facilitator in the Our Whole Lives (OWL) curriculum, which provides comprehensive sexuality education for young people. Yadi serves as a Youth Pastor at New Church, Chiesa Nuova, UCC, Dallas, Texas, and at First UCC in Second Life, where they are a part of a virtual reality congregation. Yadi has contributed to the Progressive Youth Ministry Blog that can be found on Patheos.com and at UCC Encuentros y Bienvenidad LGBTQ+ Inclusive toolkits.