When Malcolm Himschoot lost his connection to his childhood church, he found open arms in seminary school.

Himschoot, now a United Church of Christ minister, was at a painful crossroads several years ago. Born as a woman, Himschoot got little support from his church or family when deciding to transition from female to male.

Himschoot enrolled in seminary school to see if he could reconcile the conflict between his gender identity and the things he learned in his home church. At Iliff School of Theology in Denver, he met students and teachers from different religious backgrounds who stayed by him during his transition.

“It was a great place to continue building a relationship with a God who was more generous and more adventurous than the one I was introduced to in Sunday school,” he said.

Himschoot occasionally travels the country to talk with congregations about faith and gender identity. He will visit Boulder during the 8 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. services Sunday, Oct. 10 at First Congregational Church, 1128 Pine Street.

“I’ll be talking about looking at gender diversity as one of God’s gifts,” he said.

First Congregational Church pastor Jason Hays said the visit corresponds to the church’s 23rd anniversary of becoming an “open and affirming” church, meaning the congregation is welcoming of people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender.

“We wanted to invite Malcolm as a way to embody that,” Hays said.

Hays said many people in the congregation are interested in social justice issues relating to GLBT topics. The visit is also timely because of the recent national news of young adults committing suicide as the result of continuous bullying about their sexual orientation, he said.

Himschoot said the church’s open and affirming designation, the first official designation for a UCC church in Colorado, is a sign that people are moving toward accepting people of different gender backgrounds. But the recent bullying incidents show that “even after 23 years, there is still more education and dialogue that needs to happen,” he said.

Other groups and churches are also highlighting GLBT issues this week.

Students with CU’s Gay-Straight Alliance, along with the Queer Initiative at Wesley Chapel, held a candlelight vigil Thursday night to remember the lives of six people who committed suicide as a result of bullying.

Himschoot’s visit also comes just before National Coming Out Day on Monday.

Himschoot has been speaking about his experiences as a transgender minister and a church member for several years. In 2005, he was the topic of the documentary “Call Me Malcolm,” which followed him through his last year at Iliff School of Theology.

During filming, he met well-known transgender advocates from across the country. One is former Navy and Marine hospital corpsman Calpernia Addams. After coming out during her last year in the military, Addams’ boyfriend was attacked and killed on his Army base.

Himschoot said he is happy to have found a home in the United Church of Christ ministry.

“I found the United Church of Christ as a young adult, and it’s different than what I learned coming from a more conservative Christian church,” he said.

Himschoot often speaks about his experiences as a transgender minister, but his work with the United Church of Christ is not limited to topics of gender identity. He has worked with several area churches on poverty and social justice issues. He has also served as an interpreter for several Spanish-speaking congregations.

Megan Quinn writes a weekly faith column for the Camera and can be reached at bubblegumandbibles

@gmail.com.