| Kentucky, USA |
| Bio | Call to Ministry | Weddings & Commitment Ceremonies | Naming Ceremonies | Sermons & Services |
Bio |
Updated September 2009 |
I am the minister at First Unitarian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. The church is an historic, downtown church full of great people and diverse programing. The town is a family-friendly, progressive mix between Midwestern and Southern mentalities. My family and I are very much enjoying where we have landed!Like most Unitarian Universalists, I was not raised in our tradition. I "converted" after college (James Madison University with a degree in Computer Science), when I was looking for a religious community that encouraged my spiritual growth and understood faith as more of a journey than a destination. It was an instant and natural fit -- something described by many UU converts.
I grew up in Northern Virginia and returned to the area after college. Before too long, however, my spouse and I realized we needed to make some big changes in our lives. I decided that a career in computer science was not for me, he decided computer science was more interesting to him than the Actuarial work he had been doing. I enrolled in seminary, but soon after that we decided we also needed a change from the state of Virginia. So we excitedly relocated to the Twin Cities area (Minnesota), where we were for almost 10 years. I enrolled at United Theological Seminary and graduated in 2004 with a Masters in Divinity (Haha! I 've mastered Divinity!! Riiight!).
I gained a lot of pleasure from being able to be the primary care-giver for my children during their early years. I was able to take on various part-time ministry positions until my full-time internship with the UU Fellowship of Ames, IA in 2006/07. I had a wonderful experience with UUFA and I was thrilled to be Ordained by them in June of 2009.
After completing my internship, I had a growth-filled experience as a CPE Resident at Fairview Southdale Hospital in 2007/2008. The experience was growth-filled because, well, that's what CPE is about. But it was also made more-so because at the same time I became the contract (part-time) minister at the UU Fellowship of Northfield, MN. I learned to juggle quite effectively!
Finally, I had the honor of winning the joint Commission on Social Witness/UU Ministers Association sermon award contest in 2007 for my sermon "Standing at the Precipice." It was a thrilling experience to be able to deliver the sermon before Plenary at our General Assembly. I am looking forward to our General Assembly being in Louisville in 2013!