Term Deacon
Sister India Jensen Kerr is native to the Pacific Northwest, having been born in Olympia, Washington, the first child in a family that would grow to include one younger sister and two younger brothers. When she was six, India’s family moved to Berkeley, California, where her father attended seminary. Although her family moved around the country during her growing-up years, they settled in Junction City, Oregon, when she was a senior in high school.
India earned her degree in Comparative Religious Studies from the University of Oregon. More than 20 years ago, she moved to Portland, Oregon, where she fell in love with the area, its beautiful city providing access to many museums and theaters, and its location among the mountains and trees providing so much natural beauty to explore.
She met her husband, Fred Kerr, when he was working at Intel. They were married at St. James Lutheran Church in downtown Portland in 2008. They now have a smart, funny, and energetic ten-year-old son, a dog, and two cats.
India went to seminary at Marylhurst University in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and she is currently working on her Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible at Claremont School of Theology. She was ordained as a Minister of Word and Service of the ELCA in 2023 and is also a Deaconess with the ELCA Deaconess Community.
To relax, India loves reading just about anything, watching TV and movies, listening to music, and playing board games with her son. She is interested in politics, religion, and feminism, and she loves nothing better than being at home on a rainy day with a good book and a cup of coffee.