Settled Minister Search Committee

I have attended First Parish with my husband, John, and our children, Megan and Conard, since 2010. I have taught religious education classes, convened a covenant group, served as a worship associate, worked with the Racial Justice Coordinating Committee and the Reckoning & Repair Working Group, and served on and chaired the Membership Committee. I believe in the beloved community we at First Parish aspire to build here and in our larger world. I believe in the love at the center of our shared lives;  I seek to ground our work in that love.

First Parish has been my spiritual home since 2010. My recent service on the Alliance Board, Social Justice, and Giving First committees—plus past RE experience—has deepened my understanding of our congregation’s needs. My background as a benefits consultant has taught me to navigate challenges with a blend of collaboration and rigor. The Search Committee will need to identify the essential mix of leadership, character, and emotional intelligence required to thrive at First Parish.

I pledge to listen to the diverse voices of our congregation, apply careful discernment to help find a leader who is both a cultural fit and a visionary, and advocate for the long-term health and vitality of our deeply valued community.

I want to serve on the Settled Minister Search Committee because First Parish is central to my life and spirit. I hope to help find a minister who can support our spiritual lives and weave together our wonderfully diverse community. I arrived in 2007 during a difficult chapter and found a place where doubt is welcomed, faith is explored, and connection truly matters. Over the years, I’ve chaired the Parish Committee, lay ministry, and stewardship, and washed windows, pulled weeds, and chopped onions. I’m nourished by our music, Lectio Divina, and lives shared. I listen deeply and ask grounded questions, and bring humility and a long-term view to this search.

As a 12-year FP member, I’ve contributed to the Giving First committee, Harvest Moon Festival, Ferry Beach, and a covenant group. I’ve steadily participated in RE, moving from teacher to RE Committee to RE Committee chair. My roles as spouse and mother contribute to my engagement with FP and its meaning to me. Professionally, I’m a systems thinker, skilled facilitator, and team player. I hope to assist the community in this role and approach this collaborative and deliberative work with curiosity and a desire to bring all voices into the conversation.

First Parish has been at the center of my family’s life since my wife, Sara, and I started attending with our two daughters more than 30 years ago. I’ve sung in the choir, played violin in the sanctuary and the courtyard, led the Harvest Moon Fair sanctuary cleanup crew, taught OWL, and served on many committees—recently, worship associates and Rev. Erica’s search committee. As an author and journalist, my work involved interviewing people, gauging credentials, studying documents and communicating what I learned; I also moderated panels and facilitated public conversations. I’m excited to be retiring this summer, and looking forward, if elected, to committing wholeheartedly to the joyful task of helping choose our next minister!

I came to First Parish in 2011 as an RE second grader. When I became a member at seventeen, I was chaplain of FP’s youth group and served on the UUA Board of Trustees as a representative of our faith’s vibrant youth communities. Now I teach RE, recently graduated with a religious studies bachelors, and I’m starting at Harvard Divinity School in the fall. I want to give back to this community, which helped raise me. If elected, I’d bring the perspective of a former FP RE student and a current UU seminarian to the committee, along with a deep investment in the futures of First Parish and our larger faith.

A First Parish member for nearly 15 years, I have served as the Property Committee chair and currently co-chair Lay Ministry. I also manage the Man Made Chili booth at Town Day and lead the Reboot & Rewind electronics section at the Harvest Moon Fair. These roles have provided me with practical knowledge of our congregation’s operations and deep insight into our community’s needs. As a compassionate listener and seasoned project manager, I hope to bring these skills and leadership to the Settled Minister Search Committee as we select our next minister.

I have been a member of First Parish since 2016, drawn in by the warmth and depth of this community. Over the years, I have found my home here through Covenant Groups, the music program, and community gatherings — from Harvest Moon Fair and stewardship lunches to potluck dinners and board game afternoons. Organized and thoughtful by nature, I bring strong facilitation skills and a genuine care for First Parish’s future to this role. I am honored to be considered for the Search Committee and committed to helping this congregation find the right settled minister for the next chapter of our shared journey.

For the 16 years of my membership at First Parish, I have been part of a Covenant Group. I served as an RE teacher and chaired Lay Ministry during the pandemic. Running the Greenery and gardening with others at FP is a joy.  Currently, I am on the LGBTQIA+ Affirming Committee and am chair of the Worship Associates. I’ve learned from and created worship alongside many ministers: called, ordained, adjunct, interim, intern and guest. As we discern our path forward as a community, I can be a steady voice in the search for a settled minister.

I am excited to be considered for the Settled Minister Search Committee. If elected, I believe I would bring insight into our community’s needs, inquisitiveness about potential candidates, a spirit of collaboration and a willingness to listen. Over 10 years at First Parish, my experience has touched many parts of our community. Some highlights: singing in the choir, speaking from the pulpit, leading the time for all ages, teaching RE, and serving on the ministerial intern search and advisory committees. I look forward to a new settled minister guiding us through the next chapter in First Parish’s long history.

I am honored to be nominated for the Search Committee! In my three years at First Parish, I’ve been lucky to teach two semesters of RE, coordinate the young adult potlucks, and I’m now in my first year serving on the Membership Committee. Saying yes to new opportunities at First Parish has been a joy, as it constantly introduces me to such wonderful and interesting people! I’ll bring my natural curiosity and my skills as an interviewer from my role in Admissions at Suffolk University.