Interim Pastor Nicki Arnold-Swindle

Pastor Nicki (she/they) has been a social justice advocate and an interpersonal violence prevention advocate for over 25 years. She is a self-described ambivert, holistic wellness geek, and relationship mending facilitator. Nicki has held a plethora of work experiences from being a radio show host and producer, to an esthetician, to a family life educator, to a chaplain and social worker and has been on boards of directors for violence prevention agencies, mental health organizations, spiritual communities, and most recently served on the Disciples Alliance Q Council from 2019-2023. Along with her best friend and spouse, Jeff, they have parented over 26 children and are a former foster and an adoptive family who also recognize the brokenness that happened in order for their family to be whole and seek to help others find restoration and resilience in the midst of their brokenness.  

Nicki enjoys teaching yoga and mindfulness and helping others to achieve and maintain holistic wellness. As the first person in their family to get a college degree, Nicki just kept going—studying political science, social work, pastoral care, and theology and graduating from Jacksonville State University, the Pacific School of Religion, and the University of Alabama. Her greatest accomplishment is something she isn’t even responsible for—becoming a grandmother. You can often find Nicki running as slowly as possible in their spare time or traveling with Jeff. Nicki and Jeff have been together for 17 years, have six forever children and two grandchildren, and live between central Alabama and the Bay Area in California.  Nicki has been a lifelong Christian who felt called to ministry at the age of 8 but took a circuitous path and was ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Alabama-Northwest Florida Region on December 15, 2019.  Pastor Nicki is excited to be working with FCC Vallejo as the Interim Minister during this liminal time of finding a new settled pastor and preparing to celebrate the church’s 125th Anniversary!