An ordained leader in the Episcopal Church, Payton is passionate about creative community building, contemplation, ecology, advocacy, justice, and belonging. He holds a Master's of Divinity from the Claremont School of Theology and is a certified California Naturalist.

 

In the past decade, Payton has worked as a chaplain, coordinator, and director of a faith-based young adult service program as well as a communications professional specializing in creative digital design and storytelling for church and non-profit partners. 

 

Payton’s personal spiritual journey and his work in ministry are centered on connecting with the Divine in nature. He is an avid reader, hiker, trail-runner, and climber. His interest in eco-theology, church deconstruction, and liberated spaces for worship and spiritual connection led him to found All Wanderers, a small interfaith community that gathers in nature to hike mindfully, break bread, and together engage what it means to be a spiritual being in the contemporary world. 

Payton grew up splitting time between the creeks and forests of South-Eastern Virginia and the sprawling green fields of Iowa. Payton now lives with his wife, Jazmin, and cat, Zooey, in a tiny home on the outskirts of the Angeles National Forest. 

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Payton writes extensively, including contributing two sessions for the Episcopal Church's Love God, Love God's World curriculum, and presents on various topics related to spiritual ecology, faith and environmental action, and nature-attuned contemplative practice. He would love to hear from you if you’d like to learn more about the Center and deepening connection to Earth, spirituality, and one another.

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