Staff
GABBY CLARK [she/her/hers]
Community Host
Gabby is a full-time mom and a home gardener. She has over 8 years of experience in youth ministry and non-profit work. After graduating from GVSU with her BA in Natural Resource Management, Gabby worked as an Urban Farmer in Grand Rapids until she had her daughter in 2021. Gabby enjoys biking, hiking, and anything that involves being outside with her family. When she isn’t busy being a mom, you can find her reading cookbooks and planning their next family trip.
LEX CUMMINGS [she/her/hers]
Community Teacher
Lex is a spiritual director, experience designer, and currently is a MDiv student at Western Theological Seminary. She has over a decade of retreat and camp experience where she became a total nerd about the intersection of creativity, spirituality, and leadership and is passionate about creating spaces where people can become more confident explorers of all three.
Lex spends her time on schoolwork, making art from found objects (that she insists are not trash), and helping non-profits embody their missions by maximizing their organizational structure and strategy. She appreciates how Open Circle embraces a spirit of wandering and questioning and does not shy away from lament.
MATTHEW LAIDLAW [he/him/his]
Director + Lead Teacher
Matt is a co-founder of Open Circle. He is an ordained minister and has been serving in executive and administrative leadership while working in both school and church based pastoral ministry nearly 20 years. Matt is a graduate of Kuyper College, Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and the Living School for Action and Contemplation, and has lived and studied in the Middle East. He is a Spiritual Director, the author of How We Read the Bible [2018], and a trainer in Restorative Justice Practices.
Matt enjoys reading, running, jokes, and outdoor adventures with his wife, Stephanie, and their two young children. You can find out more about Matt here.
ADAM THOMPSON [he/him/his]
Curator of Music and Practice + Operations Manager
Adam is a co-founder of Open Circle. He is a Real Estate agent and an active participant and supporter of the local Grand Rapids creative scene through his involvement in creating and performing original music. Adam earned a BA in Music Business and a biblical studies minor completed while studying at Jerusalem University College in Israel. After graduating, Adam and his wife served in the US Peace Corps in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia. As a volunteer, he lived and worked with the local community learning the language and culture, while assisting a youth leadership NGO with project management and grant acquisition. These days Adam enjoys traveling with his wife and two boys, as well as training for open-water swimming races.