The Rev. Joy MacVane has served as pastor at Clinton Avenue United Methodist Church since 2017. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Kingston Wire: How did you or your family come to Kingston?

Joy MacVane: My daughter Anne and her husband moved to Kingston after they graduated from Bard and they were expecting their first child. I was living in Portsmouth. N.H. and saw an opportunity to be a hands-on grandma. So I moved here, immediately rented and then purchased a home.

KW: What do you like about Kingston?

JM: I like the fact that it’s a vibrant city. I’ve lived in a lot of places but I never lived anyplace where there’s just so much going on. There’s loads of opportunities to get involved, to volunteer, to party, to celebrate, to learn. For a city this size I just feel like the opportunities are extraordinary.

KW: What would you change about Kingston?

JM: I would like to see more tolerance for diverse viewpoints, and that applies to all of us. There are a lot of people speaking up about a lot of different things in Kingston and there’s also people shouting each other down. I think we need to appreciate that we are stronger together and we’re stronger in our diversity. We need to listen better and respect a little more.

KW: How do you think Kingston will be different in 10 years?

JM: I think the demographics will continue to change and influence life here. I think we’ll continue to see people moving here from the city and also see people from a lot of different communities because the housing situation is improving. It’s taking a while but it is improving. The city’s housing initiative and the mayor are doing their job and with more housing we’re going to see more people moving here and more diversity.