Jonah Overton

Today, Chelsea & Claire sit down with Rev. Jonah Overton to talk about a sermon they gave on Palm Sunday. Rev. Jonah P. Overton (they/them) is a queer and trans community organizer, and the lead pastor and planter of Zao MKE Church. Zao started in their living room before it grew into a local theater, and now resides in a historic church building on the East Side of Milwaukee.

Jonah loves being part of a church that is being recreated and reimagined by people who were historically denied access to traditional Christian leadership. Their favorite thing about Zao MKE Church is experiencing what church looks like when those of us who were left out get to be in charge. Jonah is extremely passionate about the Bible and reclaiming Christian scriptures for liberation and for the Kingdom.

They are so passionate that they started two podcasts: Jonah & the Peacock and Christian Queeries. In Jonah & the Peacock, Jonah interviews others about their relationship to faith and scripture, retelling the texts through a more inclusive and trauma-informed lens. Christian Queeries is a podcast that Jonah and Cameron have together where they answer listener questions about Christianity. Jonah has been married to Cameron since 2018 and recently became Baba to their 1-year-old daughter Micah. Jonah’s free time is currently filled with fantasizing about paddle boarding and reading, instead of actually having the time and energy to do it.

Listen to Jonah's full sermon here.

Listen to Cameron’s episode of our podcast here:

Learn more about Zao MKE Church & Jonah’s other podcasts here.