Milestones

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Milestones—vital steps and transitions in our religious professionals' journeys—are compiled by the UUA’s Ministry and Faith Development staff group.

The UUA Ministerial Fellowship Committee grants Preliminary Fellowship status to ministerial candidates who are qualified to pursue ordained ministry and grants Full Fellowship after a period of review, usually several years. Ordination takes place when a congregation votes to ordain someone a minister. Interim ministers are hired for a year or two by a congregation to help prepare for the next settled minister. Developmental ministers address longstanding concerns specific to individual congregations. Contract ministers are hired on renewable terms. Departures occur when ministers leave their ministerial positions. Retirements are when a minister retires, usually at the end of a church year. The title Emeritus/Emerita is bestowed by congregations on ministers to honor years of meritorious leadership and service.

Don’t see your Ministerial Transition included in this list? Please fill out the appropriate form below to let our Transitions Office know. Your transition will be included in the next edition of Milestones on uuworld.org.

Notice of Ministerial Transition

Notice of Ministerial Call or Hire

Fall/Winter 2023 Milestones

This list was updated with additional names on November 3, 2023.

Preliminary Fellowship

Caro Barschow, David Becker, Amy G. S. A. Brooks, Susan Chorley, Dianne M. Daniels, Tina DeYoe, Kirk Freeman, Meagan Henry, Angeline C. Jackson, Nicole McKay, Stacey Alison Mitchell, Dorothy Monhollen, Susan Panttaja, Verdis LeVar Robinson, Vittoria Rosati, Lóre Stevens, Sabrina Trupia.

Full Fellowship

Viola I. Abbitt, Leonisa Ardizzone, D. Scott Cooper, Andrew Frantz, Shari Halliday-Quan, Ranwa Hammamy, Brian Mason, Kim Mason, Joy Christi Przestwor, Lora Young.

Ordained

Caro Barschow, UU Church of Nashua, N.H., and First Parish in Portland, Me.; John Micheal Bloom-Ramirez, Tapestry: A UU Congregation in Lake Forest, and UU Church of Anaheim, Calif.; Chloë A. Briedé, Pacific UU Church, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.; Kirk W. Freeman, All Souls Church Unitarian, Washington, D.C.; Julia Jones, UU Society of Geneva and UU Congregation of Dekalb, Ill.; Kevin Alan Mann, First Unitarian Church of Oakland, Calif.; Katie McQuage-Loukas, UU Church of Reading, Mass.; Beth Monhollen, WellSprings UU Congregation in Chester Spring, Pa.; Becky Leyser, UU Church in Livermore, Calif.; Tovis Page, UU Fellowship of Redwood City, Calif.; Steven Leigh Williams, Hope Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Okla., and Church of the Larger Fellowship, Boston, Mass.

Began Settled Ministry

Norman Allen, First Parish UU (Portland, Me.); Rachel Baker, Shoreline UU Church (Shoreline, Wash.); Carin Bringelson, Peoples Church UU (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Holly Brown, UU Fellowship of Clemson, S.C.; Omega Burckhardt, Neighborhood UU Church (Pasadena, Calif.); Heather E. Concannon, Theodore Parker UU Church (West Roxbury, Mass.); Aileen Fitzke, UU Church in Reston (Reston, Va.); Audette Fulbright Fulson, UU Congregation of Asheville (Asheville, N.C.); Marcus Liefert, UU Church of Berkeley (Kensington, Calif.); Sherman Z. Logan Jr., First UU Richmond (Richmond, Va.); Cory Wells Lovell, UU Congregation of Marin (San Rafael, Calif.); Stephanie May, First Church in Boston (Boston, Mass.); Katie McQuage-Loukas, Bay Area UU Church (Houston, Tex.); David H. Messner, First Unitarian Society of Chicago (Chicago, Ill.); Dorothy Elizabeth Monhollen, UU Church of Urbana Champaign, Ill.; Shawn Newton-Gauthier, U Church of Vancouver (Vancouver, B.C.); Kayla Parker, UU Fellowship of Winston-Salem (Winston-Salem, N.C.); Thomas Marston Perchlik, Cascade UU Fellowship (East Wenatchee, Wash.); Ron Phares, All Souls UU Church (Colorado Springs, Colo.); Ed Proulx, Emerson UU Church (Houston, Tex.); Chris Rothbauer, Horizon UU Church (Carrolton, Tex.); J Sylvan, First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City (Salt Lake City, Utah).

Began Interim Ministry

Joseph M. Cherry, First Parish in Brookline, Mass.; Michelle Collins, Williamsburg UU (Williamsburg, Va.); Dawn Cooley, UU Church of Indianapolis, Ind.; Cathy Harrington, UU Church of Buffalo, N.Y.; Jonipher Kūpono Kwong, Fourth Universalist Society (New York, N.Y.); Christe Lunsford, UU Congregation of Fort Wayne, Ind.; Mary Ann Macklin, First Unitarian (Louisville, Ky.); María Uitti McCabe, UU Society of Fairhaven, Mass.; Shelly Thompson, Reno, Nev. (UU Fellowship of Northern Nevada).

Began Developmental Ministry

Linda Hart, Quimper UU Fellowship (Port Townsend, Wash.); John Morehouse, Main Line Unitarian Church (Devon, Pa.); Samaya Oakle, Calgary, Alb.

Began Contract Ministry

Kathryn Adams, Chico, Calif. (UU Fellowship in Chico); Scott Alexander, Mequon, Wisc. (Unitarian Church North); Deborah Bennett, First Parish in Wayland, Mass.; Jill Braithwaite, UU Congregation of Duluth, Minn.; Lyn Cox, East Brunswick, N.J. (Unitarian Society); Aija Duelm, Community UU Church (Plano, Tex.); Kristin Famula, Ogden, Utah (UU Church of Ogden); Thomas J Fitzgerald, First Unitarian Church (Dallas, Tex.); Alexa Fraser, Indiana, Pa. (First UU Church); Kirk Freeman, Davies UU Congregation (Camp Springs, Md.); Bob Janis, The Unitarian Society of Hartford, Conn.; Beth Ann Johnson, Unitarian Church of Hinsdale, Ill.; Julie Lombard, UU Congregation in Milford, N.H.; Tessie Mandeville, Free Church Unitarian (Blaine, Wash.); Diana K. McLean, Mankato, Minn. (UU Fellowship of Mankato); Craig M. Nowak, Shoreline UU Society (Madison, Conn.); Christian Schmidt, UU Society of Mill Creek (Newark, Dele.); Carter Smith, Westside UU Congregation (Seattle, Wash.); Lee Anne Washington, UU Church of the North Hills (Pittsburgh, Pa.).

Departed Settled Ministry

Pamela M. Barz, First Parish UU Church (Scituate, Mass.); Jessica Clay, First Parish Brewster UU (Brewster, Mass.); Barnaby Feder, Champlain Valley UU Society (Middlebury, Vt.); Karen Foster, UU Fellowship of Northern Nevada (Reno, Nev.); Meredith Garmon, Community UU Congregation (White Plains, N.Y.); Linda Hart, Tahoma UU Congregation (Tacoma, Wash.); Jodi Cohen Hayashida, First Unitarian Church of Auburn, Me.; Fiona Heath, Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga, Ont.; Laura Horton-Ludwig, Williamburg UUs (Williamsburg, Va.); Nina Kalmoutis, UU Fellowship of Sunnyvale, Calif.; Christe Lunsford, UU Fellowship (Gainesville, Fla.); Stephanie May, First Parish Wayland (Wayland, Mass.); María Uitti McCabe, UU Fellowship of Hartford County (Churchville, Md.); Russ Menk, UU Fellowship of Santa Cruz County (Santa Cruz, Calif.); Joan Montagnes, UU Church of Buffalo, N.Y.; John Morehouse, UU Congregation in Westport, Conn.; Jordinn Nelson-Long, UU Society of Fairhaven, Mass.; Shawn Newton-Gauthier, First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto, Ont.; Craig M. Nowak, Brookfield UU Church (Brookfield, Mass.); Gregory Pelley, UU Society of Mill Creek (Newark, Dele.); Alexander Riegel, Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church (Grosse Pointe, Mich.); Marian Stewart, First UU Church of Columbus, Ohio; Jan Taddeo, UU Congregation of Gwinnett (Lawrenceville, Ga.); Sam Trumbore, Albany UU (Albany, N.Y.); Gretchen Weis, Murray UU Church of Attleboro, Mass.

Departed Interim Ministry

Holly Brown, UU Church of Tallahassee, Fla.

Departed Developmental Ministry

Anne Marie Alderman, First Unitarian Society (Plainfield, N.J.).

Departed Contract Ministry

Matt Aspin, Prairie UU Society (Madison, Wisc.); JD Benson, Shoreline UU Society (Madison, Conn.); Carin Bringelson, Lake Country UU Church (Hartland, Wisc.); Heather E. Concannon, UU Area Church at First Parish in Sherborn, Mass.; Jamie Hinson-Rieger, UUI (Indianapolis, Ind.); Susan-Lynn Johns, UU Congregation (St. Johnsbury, Vt.); Emily Leite, UU Church of Bloomington (Bloomington, Ind.); Tony Lorenzen, Mattatuck UU Society (Woodbury, Conn.); Emily Melcher, UU Congregation of Whidbey Island (Freeland, Wash.); Christina Sillari, Augusta, Me. (UU Community Church).

Resigned Fellowship

John S. Smith.

Retired

Ann Marie Alderman, Shayna Appel, Margaret Beckman, Debora Cayer, Brian Henry Covell, Karen A. Foster, Clyde Grubbs, Patricia Hart, Lucy M. Ijams, Bruce Johnson, Kate Lore, Kelly Murphy Mason, Lisa McDaniel-Hutchings, David V. McFarland, Joan Montagnes, Mary E. M. Moore, Rosemarie Newberry, Kathy Riegelman, Don Rollins, Samuel Schaal, Carol E. Strecker, Jan Taddeo, Jane Thickstun, Sam Trumbore, Michelle A. Walsh, Gretchen E. Weis.

Ministers Emeritae

Jeff Briere (Holston Valley UU Church in Gray, Tenn.), Julia McKay (High Plains Church in Colorado Springs, Colo.), Terry Sims (UU Church of Surprise, Az.), Gretchen Weis (Murray UU Church of Attleboro, Mass.).

Chaplain Board Certification

Nicole McKay.

Certified Music Leaders

Nicole Collins, Yvonne DuVal, Susan Mashiyama.

Credentialed Religious Educators (Advanced Level)

Maria Bavier, Jennifer McGlothin, Emily Richards, Matthew Vasko.

Clergy Deaths

For clergy obituaries, please visit the UU Ministers Association’s website.

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