Supply Preaching Directory - Pacific Northwest District

Pacific Northwest District
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
SUPPLY PREACHING DIRECTORY
December 23, 2014
This Supply Preaching Directory is made available to congregations in the Pacific Northwest
District. We hope you will find it useful, whether yours is a lay-led congregation or you are
looking to fill some extra slots in your worship calendar.
Contact information is provided so you can be in touch with the individuals listed in this
directory. Please contact them directly if you have questions regarding their schedule or need
more information regarding sermon or workshop topics.
The Pacific Northwest District Chapter of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association follows
guidelines established by the continental UUMA. The recommended fee schedule is available
on the UUMA website at http://www.uuma.org/default.asp?page=professionalfees.
Please Note: Inclusion in this Supply Preaching Directory does not imply endorsement by the
Pacific Northwest District. All members of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the UU Ministers
Association (UUMA) are eligible to be listed here, and are not screened in any other way.
Congregations are encouraged to consider the speaker's experience and to seek references in
order to identify the best matches for your Sunday pulpit or other event.
Rev. Amanda Aikman
8724 Cascadia Ave.
Everett WA 98208
(425) 750-0711
[email protected]
www.revamanda.com
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: Have served churches in the PNWD (and now BC) since 1994.
Winner, six national sermon contests.
Playwright, author, spiritual director, joyfulness consultant.
Featured presenter at three Eliot Institute camps.
Currently serving South Fraser Unitarian Congregation.
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS: Western Washington and Lower Mainland, BC
AVAILABILITY: Summer; occasional Sundays during the church year.
Please see calendar on www.revamanda.com for available dates.
POSSIBLE SERMON TITLES:

The Porpoise-Drive Life

Can Science and Religion be Reconciled?

Prayer Beyond “To Whom It May Concern”

The Inner Landscape of Beauty

Loneliness: A Path to the Heart

What Mends Us When We Are Broken

Don’t Forgive Too Soon

We Will Surely Learn to Fly
POSSIBLE WORKSHOP TITLES:

Memoirs from the Heart – a 90-minute writing workshop

Full-Spectrum Joyfulness
SPECIAL SERVICES PERFORMED: Happy to be called for rites of passage and spiritual direction in the
Seattle area.
Rev. Barry Andrews, D. Min.
719 Daylily Lane
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Home: (206) 451-4509; Cell: (516) 319-8568
[email protected]
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: Recently retired; Minister Emeritus, Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter
Rock, Manhasset, NY, having served 18 years as Minister of Religious Education; served congregations
in Spokane, San Diego, and New York City; author of "Emerson as Spiritual Guide," "Thoreau as Spiritual
Guide," "The Spirit Leads," etc.; theme speaker at UUMAC; taught on-line course for SKSM on
Transcendentalist Spirituality; currently serves on the board of The Thoreau Society.
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS: None, depending on availability
AVAILABILITY: Year-round, depending on schedule
POSSIBLE SERMON TITLES:

The Buried Life

Not Possessions, But Enjoyment

Extraordinary Generous Seeking: Margaret Fuller

Looking for Happiness in All the Wrong Places

East Yourself and Find the Sun

Thoreau and the Religion of the Soul

Time and the Death of Leisure

The Bloom of the Present Moment

A Secret Vice

Chautauquas of the Soul

Walt Whitman: Poet of the Soul

Dying to Wake Up
POSSIBLE WORKSHOP TITLES:

Emerson as Spiritual Guide

Thoreau as Spiritual Guide

Transcendentalist Spirituality
Amy Beltaine (503) 877-2692
[email protected]
http://amybeltaine.com
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: My ministry is through Spiritual Direction, Rites of Passage, Workshops, and as a
guest in the pulpit. I value laughter, heart, myth, and story to deepen and widen our intellectual curiosity. I
reverence and celebrate the mystical experience of the sacred in nature and relationships. Meadville
Lombard provided my formal ministry education. The UUA granted me Fellowship as a UU minister. My
experience includes founding a Goddess Temple and facilitating earth-based spirituality groups. I have
served congregations ranging from a membership of 124 to a membership of 1200. I hold credentials in
Spiritual Direction, Supervision, Interim Ministry, and Project Management. I knit and sing as spiritual
practices.
I craft my services to be "of a piece" where each element is in service to the theme and message of that
Sunday. I also deeply value the process of working with others to create a service. I can provide music
(iPod) and speakers for up to a 100 seat sanctuary. I dearly love to include all ages, or do some storytelling for all ages.
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS: None
POSSIBLE SERVICE THEMES:
 Occupying the Side of Love for Every-Body
 Queen Esther - The Story of Purim
 The Sacred Fool - Show us truth, teach us courage
 Ancestors: a Service for Samhain
 Compost Communion
 Bring Many Names: the UU Superpower
 The Dance - What Shiva Taught Me
 Nothing Better to do Than Listen
 Deep Inside (Winter Solstice) – Spiraling Through the Labyrinth
POSSIBLE WORKSHOP THEMES:
 Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist History
 The Inanna Journey: Finding our own power in the sacred Feminine
 West African Drumsong
 Earth-Based Spirituality
 Exploring Spiritual Types
 I Can't Decide! (Discernment skills)
 Dying a Good Death – (Taking charge, or supporting others)
SPECIAL SERVICES:
Marriage/Handfasting, Divorce/Handparting, Coming of Age, Child Dedication, Affirmation of a Gender
Transition, Memorial Service, Home Dedication
See Website for Additional Sermon and Workshop Listings.
Rev. Barbara Burke
(formerly Rev. Barbara Morgan)
2519 First Ave. Apt. 018
Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 330-7358
[email protected]
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: Rev. Burke worked as an administrator in the arts and adoption of children and
youth before studying at Northwest Theological Union for her M.Div. While in seminary she served the UU
congregations in Edmonds, WA and Rockford, IL. She was a ministerial intern at the Community Church
in New York City. In 1989 she was called to be the parish minister at Northlake, in Kirkland, WA, where
she served for eight years. Her next two positions were as New Congregation Minister in Daytona Beach,
FL and as Program Minister in Carrollton, TX. She retired from parish ministry in 2003 to spend several
years as a substitute teacher in Dallas and its suburbs. She was also a supply preacher in congregations
throughout the Southwest UU District. Now she is fully retired and living back in Seattle, WA, where she
raised her two sons, who have given her four dear grandchildren.
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS: None. Rev. Burke will go wherever public transportation can take her, be it
plane, train, or bus. She will depend on the congregation she is visiting to provide rides within the local
setting. She will accept home hospitality if the journey requires one or two overnight stays.
AVAILABILITY: Please call or email.
POSSIBLE SERMON TITLES:

“The Gods Are Dying”-Theological reflection

“Growing Older, Growing Wiser”-Faith development

“They Didn’t Have A Clue”-Easter

“The Gratuitousness of Absolutely Everything”-Gratitude

“Sisters and Brothers”-Different ways to be spiritual

“I Shall Not Want”-Twenty-third psalm reflection

“Toads Do It In The Water”-Ecology

“Uncircumcised Lips”-My call to ministry

A 3-sermon series based on Dante’s Divine Comedy
Journey and Transformation: Hell
Journey and Transformation: Purgatory
Journey and Transformation: Heaven
POSSIBLE WORKSHOP TITLES:

Leadership Strengths—When things are going well and when they aren’t

Personal Strengths—For individuals in transition and families
OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES: Rev. Burke gratefully accepts invitations to officiate at weddings,
memorial services, child dedications, and less formal events, such as recognition of a clean and/or sober
annual anniversary, animal blessings, the loss of an important congregation member due to a move or life
event, installation of new leadership, and youth bridging ceremonies (from junior to senior youth, and from
senior youth to young adult.)
Rev. Emily A. Champagne
3571 NE Mathison Place
Portland, OR 97212
Home: (503) 335-8848; Cell: (503) 381-7134
[email protected]
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: I received degrees from McGill University in Montreal, Starr King School for the
Ministry, the Graduate Theological Union, and the Claremont Graduate University, completing the Ph.D.
coursework in Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). I served congregations in La Canada, CA, the Sierra
Foothills, CA, and Reno, NV. While in Reno, I taught Bible classes as adjunct faculty at the Lake Tahoe
Community College. Now I live in Portland and am adjunct faculty at Clark College in Vancouver.
AVAILABILITY: I am sometimes available on Sunday and can be called on relatively short notice for a
service.
EMPHASIS: Although my focus is the Bible from a more academic perspective - such as history,
literature, wisdom, and a record of religious questing – I stress areas where the Bible and our Unitarian
Universalist values overlap. Most sermons are biblically based.
SERMON AND WORKSHOP TITLES (A workshop can follow a service)

Celebrating Our Courage in the Face of Injustice: How one person makes a difference

Famous Forgotten Couples in the Bible: Men loving men? Women loving women?

The Bible and UU Principles: Where the two overlap

Women Marching: For Rights, Dignity, and Lives (The struggle to make and keep abortion legal –
yesterday and today)

Why the Gospel of Thomas Threatens Traditional Religion: What Thomas tells us about the beliefs of
Jesus’ earliest followers

Challenges for Biblical Translators: And why translations are so different

The 1898 Woman’s Bible: A mighty river from many streams

Hebrew Bible Laws Which Demand Ethical Behavior: For Business transactions, justice in the courts,
animal rights, and care for poor and “undocumented” workers

The Jesus Between Christmas and Easter: His legacy of kindness and care

The Real Eve and Adam Story: Healing biblical wounds

Theodore Parker: Fighting for freedom and justice in the name of a kinder God

The African Presence in the Bible: No Africa, no Bible?

Honoring Our Pagan Israelite Heritage: Deities, moon power, and women

The Bible’s Most Treasured/Forgotten Superhero: Wisdom!

Grappling with the Book of Revelation and “End of the World” Hysteria

Hagar: The Mother Alone (For Mother’s Day)

Chanukah Joy: How four ancient texts tell this story

Drawing from Christian Teachings Which Affirm Liberal Religion

Saving Lives in the 1960’s: Helping women go to Mexico, struggling to make abortion legal, and still
fighting today to keep it accessible

Celebrating Our Own Courage in the Face of Injustice: How we personally can make a difference
WEDDINGS: In addition to standard weddings, I am very comfortable with bilingual ceremonies, having
performed several in French and Spanish. I also can speak some Russian and have some reading
knowledge of German, Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic.
Leslie Chartier
2875 Collingwood St SE
Albany, OR 97322
(541) 740-9001
[email protected]
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: I graduated with an M.Div. from Marylhurst University in August 2013. I've been a
candidate for ministerial fellowship since October 2011. I was raised Lutheran, found myself more
comfortable in nature-based beliefs and found Unitarian Universalism in 1997 and knew I was home.
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS: Within 180 - 300 miles of Albany, OR
AVAILABILITY: Most Sundays with enough advanced notice
POSSIBLE SERMON TITLES:

Reclaiming Sabbath

We Are All One

Speaking Truth to Power
SPECIAL SERVICES PERFORMED: Weddings
Rev. William Graves
PO Box 1253
Langley, WA
(360) 661-7289
[email protected]
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: Married to artist/writer Frances Woods; Former civil rights and family law attorney;
lay leader at 3 UU congregations; Dean of Eliot Institute (2X); received M.Div. from Seattle U and UUMA
fellowship in 2010: Intern Minister at Skagit UU Fellowship 2007-09; Minister of Tahoma UU
Congregation 2010-13; Member of PNWD Healthy Congregations Team and UUMA Connect Team (re
Rites of Passage).
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS: PNWD (I would like to combine pulpit engagement with explorations with
my spouse of new neighborhoods and hiking trails)
POSSIBLE SERMON TITLES:

Passover and Spiritual Maturity

The Essence of Easter

Everything is Holy Now - (7th Principle/Earth
Day)

Papa’s Day

Mama’s Day

A Long Loving Look At the Real - (with or
without Flower Communion)

A Day of Remembrance and Resolve (Memorial Day)

Sermon on the Amount - (several variations)

Water Communion (several variations)

Forgiveness: The Art if Beginning Anew (Yom Kippur theme)

Honoring Our Ancestors - (Day of the Dead
theme)

Is God a Republican or a Democrat

The 12 Gifts of Christmas: A UU Advent
Calendar

Christmas: A Season of Hope, Gladness,
and Kindness

The Moral Arc of the Universe - (Parts 1 & 2)

Spiritual Practice 101 & 102

Evolution of a Lawyer

Loving the Religion Of (Rather than about)
Jesus


















A Compelling Faith for the None-Zone
The Gospel According to John, Paul,
George, and Ringo
Howard Thurman’s Universalist Theology
Liberal Religion in 4 Sermons: Naturalism,
Theism, Mysticism, Humanism
Preach-In on Climate Change
Standing on the Side of Love - (sermons on
marriage equality, anti-racism and
immigration justice)
A Theology of Eating Locally
If I Had a Hammer” (based on music of Pete
Seeger)
Buddhist Wisdom
Healing the Heart of Democracy
What to Do About G-d
The Joy of Pilgrimage - (reflections on
walking the Camino de Santiago)
Whose are We?
Why Do UU’s Worship?
The Voice Behind the Backstop - (3rd
Principle theme)
The Forest Is My Bride - (Theology of
Thomas Merton)
The Prodigal Son Revisited
R.E. Is Us
POSSIBLE WORKSHOP TITLES: I have led many workshops for new members and for exploring our UU
historical roots in expanded depth.
SPECIAL SERVICES PERFORMED: Weddings and memorial services by arrangement.
David L. Helfer
422 11th Ave. E, G403
Seattle, WA 98102
(562) 760-4020
[email protected]
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: David is a candidate for ministry currently completing his final requirement for
preliminary fellowship. David is new to Seattle, after time in California, NY, and DC. David comes to
ministry after a 20-year career in environmental work, both policy and consulting. David is currently
working in community ministry, but sees a future in parish ministry as well.
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS: Within an hour of Seattle or reachable via train
AVAILABILITY: Through July, at the present time
POSSIBLE SERMON TITLES:
Welcoming the Stranger
Hope in a Time of Change
We Are Called
Prophetic Women in Unitarian Universalism
POSSIBLE WORKSHOP TITLES: I am a transgender man. I have preached on this extensively in the
PSWD. I am glad to do so here, or in workshop form, if useful.
SPECIAL SERVICES PERFORMED: I am glad to perform weddings, memorials, and the like.
Rev. Ken Jones
3405A Castlevale Rd.
Yakima, WA 98902
Cell: (509) 714-9861
Office: (509) 453-8448
[email protected]
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: Rev. Ken Jones currently serves as half time Consulting Minister at the Unitarian
Universalist Church of Yakima, WA. I graduated from Starr King School for the Ministry in 1999 and in
2000 was ordained by Tahoma UU Congregation in Tacoma, WA, at which I served as full-time Minister
from 2000 to 2008. In early 2008 I left Tacoma to create and live in an off-grid sustainable homestead and
intentional community in a remote area of NE Washington. In October of 2010, I began serving the
UUCY, and a year later relocated to Yakima.
I am eager to offer my services to Unitarian Universalist and other liberal religious communities, including
sermons, workshops and facilitated discussions. My primary area of interest is in reconnecting human
civilization to our natural, evolutionary roots, and practicing spiritual ecology. I am also passionate about
peace (non-violence) and social justice, and many facets of anti-discrimination work. I also offer a range
of topics encompassing various theological and spiritual issues of contemporary Unitarian Universalism.
GEOGRAPHICAL LIMITATIONS: PNWD.
AVAILABILITY: Wide availability during the summer months, generally available one or two Sundays a
month other times of the year.
POSSIBLE SERMON TITLES:
 Before the Numinous Stars – a personal reflection on being inspired by the night sky.
 The Unthinkable Realm of the Spirit – on how to give up trying to figure everything out.
 Two Stories: Immigrants in America
 Forgiveness: The Melting Heart
 Love, the Sinner, and the Sin – a biblically-rooted response to homophobia
 On Killing Evil – a reflection on the morality of state-sanctioned assassination
 Speak It and Breathe It – a clarion call to action inspired by Bob Dylan
 Yearning for the Web – reconnecting to being a part of the interdependent web.
 UU 101 – a reflection on the basics of our faith.
 New ones all the time, so call and ask!
I enjoy doing sermon series’ on topics about UUism, such as UU History and the “Sources” of our living
tradition. I also offer services that integrate a well-known work of fiction read dramatically with a short
homily – examples include “The Phantom Tollboth” by Norton Juster, “Horton Hatches the Egg” by Dr.
Seuss, and “The Education of Little Tree” by Forest Carter. I often like to include a “Story for all ages” with
my sermons, though that is not necessary.
POSSIBLE WORKSHOPS OFFERED:
I enjoy leading workshops on topics such as sustainable homesteading and non-violent living, taken from
my experience living off-grid and from an online course I taught through Starr King School for Ministry
titled “Non-violent Living in a Violent World.”
SPECIAL SERVICES PROVIDED: Weddings, services of union, memorials.
Katie Larsell
Ministerial Candidate
13831 NE Klickitat Ct.
Portland, OR 97230
Home: (503) 256-3263; Cell: (503) 327-1612
[email protected]
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: Katie is interested in preaching sermons that engage both the mind and the heart.
She is a Ministerial Candidate and is completing an internship at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation
of Salem. Her background is in Industrial Engineering. She is also a local activist working for equity in
East Portland, and an outdoor enthusiast. Katie has lived in the Northwest all her life except for a ten year
stint in Arizona.
GEOGRAPHICAL LIMITATIONS: As I prepare for the Ministerial Fellowship Committee (MFC) interview,
it's a good time to travel anywhere in PNWD territory (I may bring my kayak and spotting scope).
AVAILABILTY: Please contact me. I would love to fit you in! I am much more available after June 1, 2014
when my internship ends.
POSSIBLE SERMON TITLES:

Spiritual Imagination – When was the last time you exercised your spiritual imagination? This service
includes a guided meditation on compassion – which gives participants a chance to use their spiritual
imagination.

The Bulldozer in the Garden – Life can be tragic. How do we respond to the unthinkable in our lives
and in the world?

Being Good – “Moral licensing” is one of the odd quirks of trying to live a moral life. Maybe being
good isn't all it’s cracked up to be.

God for the Skeptic – Many UU's are skeptics. Is there a God for them? This works nicely with the
workshop below.

Just Call – Not really a sermon title. Just call or e-mail me if you are interested in a particular topic
and don't see it here. If we talk, we can come up with something for your congregation.
POSSIBLE WORKSHOP TITLES:

God for the Skeptic – Interactive, fun, and occasionally moving, this workshop walks you through the
skeptic's personal spiritual journey. It shows how influenced we are by the age we live in (hint: it’s not
the modern age anymore), and then explores some possible models for God.
SPECIAL SERVICES PERFORMED: Weddings, services of union, and memorials in the Portland metro
area.
Kevin Lawson
UUA Ministerial Candidate
7621 N. Edison St.
Portland, OR 97203
[email protected]
Cell: (503) 319-0963; Home: (503) 247-2918
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: Kevin is a Ministerial Candidate with the UUA; he received his M. Div. June 2013
from Marylhurst University, Portland, Oregon. He also received Graduate Certificates in Pastoral Care
and Theological Studies (Hebrew and Christian Scripture). Kevin grew up in Phoenix, AZ, attended
Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, where he found Unitarian Universalism via First Unitarian
Church, Dallas, TX. Kevin moved to the Northwest in 1990, he became a member of First Unitarian
Portland in 1991; however, he moved to Eastern Oregon (Pendleton) that same year and became a
participant of the Church of the Larger Fellowship. Kevin and his life partner Gary have been together
since 1991. When they moved from Pendleton to Portland in 2000, Kevin quickly reconnected to activities
with First Church. Since 2000, he has been an active member and lay leader with First Unitarian Portland.
*Kevin will be the intern minister with Westside UU Congregation, West Seattle, (Rev. Peg Morgan) for
the church year 2014-2015. He is very interested in opportunities to offer service support while gaining
skills and greater understanding the differing ways UU churches, congregations and fellowships develop
worship services.
GEOGRAPHICAL LIMITATIONS: Oregon, Washington, Idaho,
AVAILABILTY: Please contact, flexible with advance scheduling.
POSSIBLE SERMON TITLES:

With a Song in my Heart – Ever wonder if there might be more to that song stuck in your head, or
perhaps it is a song in your heart - that calls for deeper reflection.

Being an Instrument for Peace – UU Thoughts on the Prayer for Peace attributed to St. Francis of
Assisi.

Summer’s Wish – a send off for the sun, fun and restorative months of Summer.

Forgiveness

Standing on the Side of Love

Taking Action, Living our Principles

Speak Rightly of God

How do you do UU?

Open to requests, suggestions, with several works in progress…
POSSIBLE WORKSHOP TITLES:

Radical Hospitality

Coming Out, Journey to Wholeness

Group Spiritual Direction Retreat

Everyday Spiritual Practice

Labyrinth 101
Rev. Carol McKinley
2438 Crestline Drive NW
Olympia, WA 98502
(360) 786-8074
[email protected]
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: Carol recently retired as Coordinator of Washington State Unitarian Universalist
Voices for Justice, a statewide legislative advocacy network. A community minister affiliated with the
Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation, she received her M Div from Seattle University School of
Theology and Ministry. She is a native of Washington, and has had careers in secondary school and
community college teaching, antiquarian bookselling, and magazine writing and editing. She serves as a
member of the PNWD Healthy Congregations Team and the PNWD Board.
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS: Washington State and western Oregon
AVAILABILITY: Flexible; please call.
POSSIBLE SERMON TITLES:

Living the Spirit of Covenant

Expanding the Realm of Love (marriage equality)

Beyond the Wall: UU Community Ministry

Living a Covenant of Social Responsibility

Our Heretical Heritage

Speaking Out, Creating Justice

Reclaiming the Common Good

Our Network of Mutuality (7th Principle)

Restorative Justice: Moving Beyond Punishment

Honoring Our Life’s Worth (worship)

Reading Fiction as a Spiritual Practice

A Language of Reverence

The Holy Gift of Renewal (Easter season)

Crossing the Desert (Passover/Easter)

From Many Streams (Fall ingathering)

Beginning Again in Love (forgiveness)

An Original Relation to the Universe (Emerson and nature)

Olympia Brown: A Prophetic Voice of Religious Optimism
SPECIAL SERVICES PERFORMED: Weddings, services of union, and memorials in the Puget Sound
area.
Rev. Joan Montagnes
16699 SE 23 Place
Bellevue, WA 98008
(425) 894-2541
[email protected]
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: Joan Montagnes grew up in Toronto and has been joyfully serving Unitarian
Universalist congregations in the PNWD and beyond for the last 20 years. A list of her many volunteer
positions include service on the UUA Nominating Committee, the Pacific Western Ministerial Transitions
Team and the Hopelink Executive Leadership Council. She lives in Bellevue with her husband, Martin
Morgan, and their high-personality cat.
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS: None
AVAILABILITY: Consult with Rev. Montagnes
POSSIBLE SERMON TITLES:

Some Days Don’t You Want to Blow It All Up?

Mumbling in the Elevator

Oh, the Colors! A Multi-Generational Flower Communion Service

How’s That Working for You?

The Balm of Gilead

Three Mantras for Survival

Self-Forgiveness

The Meeting Place

And many, many more…
POSSIBLE WORKSHOP AND COURSE TITLES:

Bad Girls of the Bible

Prayer Beads: Stringing Our Faith Along

Owning Your Religious Past: The Haunting Church
SPECIAL SERVICES PERFORMED: Happy to be called for child dedications, weddings, and memorial
services and other rites of passage.
The Rev. Sir Edgar Peara
3455 Ferry St.
Eugene, OR 97405-3852
(541) 684-8285
[email protected]
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY Minister Emeritus, UU Community Church, Park Forest, IL. Gave 50 year graduate
address for Meadville/Lombard, at 2013 UUA, General Assembly. Served UU churches in Springfield and
Chester Depot, VT, Wilmette and Park Forest, IL and Auckland, New Zealand. Widower, four sons, five
grandchildren. Works 6-7 days per week as a volunteer in Meals on Wheels, Food for Lane County,
Friends of Trees, parks, etc. Published 220 articles. Pastoral Counselor (Minister who is psychologist). As
lecturer and/or adjunct faculty in philosophy, psychology, sociology and religion in eight colleges and
universities.
AVAILABILITY: As far north as Portland, OR area, and that distance (about 100 miles or so) east or south
of Eugene, OR
SERMON TITLES:

Transcendentalism's Great Gift to UUism

Our Glorious Heritage - The famous persons associated with, and who have contributed to, UUism.

Independence Day, (4th of July) Freedom and choice.

Our 3rd UU Principle - Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth."

Was Hiroshima Necessary? - America's use of atomic bombs and their consequences.

The World's Smartest Man's Religion - Albert Einstein's religion and its part in his life.

Confessions of an Abortion Counselor - How I created the Chicago-area clergy consultation service
that helped thousands of women get safe, but illegal abortions for four years before Roe v Wade.
SPECIAL SERVICES PERFORMED. Original wedding services created with the input and involvement of
the couple to be married.
Rev. Patti Pomerantz
3216 NE 14th Ave.
Portland, OR 97212
Cell: (503) 481-9635
[email protected]
www.pattipomerantz.com
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: Reverend Patti Pomerantz is a spiritual director with the Interfaith Spiritual Center in
North Portland, and a Community Minister affiliated with Eastrose Fellowship UU. She is available for
general pulpit supply, workshops and pastoral services and as a member of the District Addictions
Ministry team. She has worked extensively with small UU congregations delivering monthly sermons,
adult religious education, pastoral care, and pastoral and organizational support to church leadership.
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS: Flexible.
AVAILABILITY: Flexible
SERMON SERIES [Sermons can be offered singly, as well]
 I: Why Are You UU? - Seven unique aspects of Unitarian Universalism: History; Governance;
Theology; Spirituality; Worship; Evangelism; Multiculturalism
 II: The Art Of Living - Fully Listening; Breathing Lessons; Spiritual Inventory; Passionate
Engagement; Trauma Stewardship
 III: Ethics - Companion to Building Your Own Theology, Book 3: Authority; Motivation; Responsibility;
Situation; Intention; Relationships; Values; Character
 Title: Rabbi Hillel Said It All - A three part sermon looking at the famous saying of this first century
Jewish scholar: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me?. But if I am for myself only, what am I?
And if not now, when?"
OTHER TOPICS:
 Poetry As Prayer
 Generosity
 Finding UU Passion
 Tolerance: Blessing and Curse
 Learning from Mystics
 The Color of Pluralism
 What is Spiritual Direction, Anyway
 My Favorite UU Heretics
 Spirituality and Addiction
 Requested topics welcome
WORKSHOP or CLASS:
 Religious Roots of Unitarian Universalism (multi-session)
 Caregiver Grief – A Spiritual Journey (single session or on-going group)
 Reclaiming Images of the Sacred (single session collage)
 Spiritual Practice (single session or on-going group)
 Non-violent Communication (multi-session)
 Spiritual Challenges of Addiction (single session)
SPECIAL SERVICES:
 Spiritual Direction – individual and group
 Weddings, Memorial Services, and other rites of passage
 Religious Education consultation
Rev. Sarah Schurr
7705 SE 36th Ave.
Portland, OR 97202
(503) 936-0479
[email protected]
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: Rev. Sarah Schurr currently serves as minister of the West Hills Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship in Portland, Oregon. As PNWD Developmental Outreach Minister she has
previously served our congregations in Juneau and Fairbanks, Alaska. She is a graduate of the Applied
Theology program at Marylhurst University and interned at the UU Fellowship of Corvallis, where she was
ordained. Prior to ministry, Sarah was an active lay leader in our movement, serving on the PNWD board
and as new congregation organizer for the Wy'east UU Congregation in Portland.
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS: Driving distance from Portland
AVAILABILITY: Call for availability
SERMON TITLES INCLUDE:
 Why I Celebrate Easter
 Letting Go
 A Day of the Dead Ritual
 Parenting as a Spiritual Practice
 Chanukah and Religious Freedom
 Praying and Paying Attention
 Martin the Visitor (about MLK and UU justice work)
 Sermons in Stones
 Wisdom from the Neighborhood (about Fred Rogers)
SPECIAL SERVICES PERFORMED: I love doing weddings and memorial services
Grace Simons
Redmond, WA
[email protected]
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
Grace Simons is Minister Emerita of the UU Fellowship of Stanislaus County (Calif.) and previously
served High Country UU Fellowship (Colorado). She moved to Redmond, WA in the summer of 2012.
Grace is a graduate of UC Berkeley and received her M Div from Starr King School for the Ministry. She
served in the Peace Corps in Northern Nigeria. She currently serves as a UU Ministers Association
Coach and is a member of Woodinville UU Church.
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS: Greater Puget Sound Area or further, by arrangement.
AVAILABILITY: Contact Grace at [email protected]
POSSIBLE SERMON TITLES:
 UU Spirituality and Purpose – Spirituality can seem a slippery concept, and it’s an idea that
challenges some UUs. How can we understand spirituality and its role in our congregations?
 Taking It Lightly – Road rage, outrage, righteousness. We take things seriously, get bent out of
shape, sometimes get bogged down and grim. And there are plenty of reasons. But let’s take some
time to lighten up!
 Making Compassion A Habit – The world’s religions agree that having an open heart for others –
perhaps especially the stranger – is key to harmony and happiness. Unfortunately, that advice seems
awfully hard to put into practice! Biblical scholar Karen Armstrong decided to put her TED prize to
work finding a way to bring compassion to our daily lives. Let’s take a look at her advice.
 Religious Community in a Me-First Culture -- Our first principle speaks of the worth of each person.
Our seventh reminds us we’re interdependent with all that is. Our culture urges us to look out for #1.
But what about all those connections and interdependence? Can our UU communities help us
manage these tensions?
 UU Myths & Sacred Cows – We count ourselves as a pretty rational bunch, but we UUs have our own
examples of ideas and statements that aren’t factual, or even attuned with our Principles. Let’s talk
about some, and shine a bit more light in their direction.
 A Time for War, A Time for Peace – We’ve been involved in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for more
than a decade. Finally, their end seems in sight. Can this really be a time for peace?
 A House for Hope – a sermon series that begins with the book with that title, written by John
Buehrens and Rebecca Parker. They remind us of alternatives to conservative theology. The series
starts with the book and draws from personal experience and other sources.
 Holiday topics & titles: Let’s talk about what your congregation might find helpful for a variety of
holiday seasons.
 Hymn Sings – I’d be delighted to work with your musicians on a ‘themed’ hymn sing. Learn a bit about
some of our favorite UU hymns and maybe expand your Sunday ‘hymn list.’
 Buckets, Lists & Bucket Lists – We all make lists: groceries, to-dos, camping needs, cards, blessings,
you name it. Maybe that’s why the film “The Bucket List” caught our imaginations and became part of
our common vocabulary. As in, “What’s on your Bucket List?” “Is that on your Bucket List?” You
might want to watch the movie (again?) before this service, when we’ll expand the idea a bit. What
about an ‘Anti-Bucket List’, a ‘Non-Bucket List’, a … well, let’s explore some possibilities.
Rev. Tracy Springberry
1415 W. Borden
Spokane, WA 99224
(509) 638-5316
[email protected]
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: Tracy Springberry serves the North Idaho Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fairbanks. She was born and raised in
Cheney, Washington, attended college at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, received
a Master of Arts in Creative Writing, non-fiction from the University of New Hampshire, and a Master of
Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School. She lives in Spokane with her partner, and is the
mother of four children. She is the co-editor of Chaos, Wonder and the Spiritual Adventure of Parenting:
An Anthology, a collection of essays about the ways parenting forces people to grow spiritually published
by Skinner House Books. Other writing has been published in the Christian Science Monitor, the
Meadville-Lombard Reader and the Journal of Religious Humanism.
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS: Mostly Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho, but Alaska, Western
Washington, and the Portland area are possibilities with enough notice.
POSSIBLE SERMON TITLES:
 The Spiritual Gifts of Parenting
 Is it Politics or Is It Justice?
 Spell of the Senuous
 Why Church?
 History of God
 Epic of Evolution: How Our Creation Story Opens Up Future
 Finding Religious Faith as a Unitarian Universalist
 Savor the Sweet: Chocolate and Fruit Communion
 The Commitment of Forgiveness
SPECIAL SERVICES PERFORMED: I am available to do weddings, memorials, and funerals.
Rev. Barbara E. Stevens
1928 NE 77th Ave.
Portland, OR 97213
(503) 734-9634
[email protected]
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: Rev. Barbara Stevens served as a chaplain for a residential chemical dependency
program and was the religious educator at the Unitarian Universalist congregation in Vancouver,
Washington. While working as a chaplain, she presented trainings on trauma and gave a webinar on
spirituality and addiction. In 2011, she started the Universalist Recovery Church that meets at Eastrose
Fellowship, offering worship and other programs to support spiritual healing for people in recovery.
Barbara is contributing to a book by UU chaplains that will be published by Skinner House Books. You
can check out her websites: urcportland.org is the site for the Universalist Recovery Church;
barbarastevensministries.com is the website for Barbara's spiritual counseling practice.
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS: I have some flexibility, especially if offered travel expenses and home
hospitality
AVAILABILITY: usually not available the afternoons of the first and third Sundays
POSSIBLE SERMON TITLES:
Many possible topics. Past sermons include:
 Compassion Will Set You Free
 Paying It Forward
 Love as Salvation
 The Power of Powerlessness
 On the Empowerment of Women
 Jan Hus and the Right of Conscience
 Harry Potter's Father's Day
 Trusting the Moment: A Tribute to Jazz
 Kindness
 Addiction and the Prodigal Family
 The Power of Naming: Hagar's Gift
 To Be or Not to Be: Engaged Buddhism
 Universalism and Relativity
 Who Needs a Recovery Church?
 Reconciliation and Recovery (good for Yom Kippur)
 Stories, Meaning, and Magic
 The Power of Laughter (in honor of World Laughter Day, the first Sunday in May)
 Radical Hospitality and the Ancient Celts
POSSIBLE WORKSHOP TITLES:
 Embracing Recovery: Becoming Who We Really Are (assuming we all have something we are
recovering from - addictions of various kinds, painful childhoods, war, incarceration, chronic illness
and pain, mental illness, etc. - and looking at recovery as the process of claiming a new identity and
living from a different frame);
 Trauma-Informed Response (what trauma is, how it affects people, ways people can resolve past
traumas, and assuming trauma and responding appropriately to difficult behavior)
 Spirituality and Mental Illness (in general; or Spirituality and Addiction/ or Spirituality and Trauma if
something more specific is desired)
SPECIAL SERVICES PERFORMED: Weddings and memorial services
Rev. Dr. Karen B. Taliesin
1419 N 40th Street
Seattle, WA 98103-8135
Home: (206) 420-2369
Work: (206) 987-3222 (weekdays, Monday-Thursday)
[email protected]
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: With many years of hospice experience, the Rev. Karen B. Taliesin was called to
Unitarian Universalist ministry to work as a chaplain. She received her M.Div. from Seattle University’s
School of Theology and Ministry and was ordained in October 2002 by University Unitarian Church in
Seattle. In May 2006, Karen was granted Board Certification by the Association of Professional Chaplains
and in May 2013, Karen received a Doctor of Ministry degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary.
Before her call to ministry, Karen taught HIV/AIDS education to middle school and high school students
throughout the state of Iowa. A practitioner and teacher of daily meditation for over 40 years, Karen is a
Reiki Master and is certified in other energy healing therapies. Karen is in her twelfth year as a full-time
chaplain at Seattle Children’s Hospital and is Minister Affiliated at East Shore Unitarian Church in
Bellevue where she and her husband, Brian, are members.
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS: Pacific Northwest District
AVAILABILITY: Schedule varies – please call.
POSSIBLE SERMON TITLES:
 Forged by Fire—How do we as Unitarian Universalists stay grounded in our belief in the inherent
worth and dignity of everyone while standing up to the injustices we witness on a daily basis?
 All Shall Be Well—Throughout our lives, we are faced with challenges, struggles, and heartache; yet
somehow we survive and even thrive. Resiliency is an amazing gift if we come by it naturally, but if
we don’t, it is well worth cultivating.
 Cultivating a Forgiving Heart—Forgiveness may be one of the hardest tasks set before us. We
sometimes continue to feel hurt or angry as our hearts struggle to catch up with our intellectual notion
of forgiving someone who has wronged us. Lessons learned along the journey toward a forgiving
heart will be shared.
 Diving into the Deep: Finding Strength and Restoring Hope—Reflections on how trauma and loss can
be catalysts for deepening our relationship with self, community and the interdependent web of life.
 Staying at the Table: The Sustenance of Right Relation—Lifting up truth and giving honor to those
with whom we deeply disagree.
 An Unexpected Opening—A non-Christian UU's experience of attending a Jesuit seminary and
discovering a new perspective on what it means to be open-minded.
 Life and Death in the Giraffe Zone: Suffering, Faith, and Hope at Children’s Hospital—At Children’s
Hospital in Seattle, patients and families face chronic disease, injury, and terminal illness. Coping
through it all is a daily challenge, in which the children are often our best teachers.
 [The following sermon should be scheduled the last weekend of October or as close to October 31November 2 as possible.]
Día de los Muertos: Honoring the Dead as We Celebrate Life—El día de los muertos—the Day of the
Dead—is one of Mexico’s most important holidays celebrated from October 31 to November 2. The
focus of the celebration is on seeing death as another stage following life, not something to be faced
with fear. We will reflect on the spirit of this tradition, and all are invited to honor and celebrate a loved
one who has died by bringing a picture or a token to place on a table in the sanctuary before the
service. (Pictures may be retrieved after the service.)
 Take Good Care—For many people, life is described as being “crazy-busy.” This sermon focuses on
using mindfulness, self-compassion, and self-care to nurture spirit and soul in an all-too-busy world.
SPECIAL SERVICES PERFORMED:

Available to officiate weddings, funerals, memorial services, child dedications, and other rites of
passage.
Rev. Connie Yost
5703 SE Nehalem St.
Portland, OR 97206
(503) 385-2135
[email protected]
www.connieyost.com
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: The Rev. Connie Yost is Executive Director of the Chalice Oak Foundation, a UU
nonprofit organization which provides organizational consulting, leadership training and fiscal sponsorship
for values-based social justice ministries in local communities (www.chaliceoak.org). She serves as the
Treasurer/Registrar of the PNWD chapter of the UU Ministers Association, and coordinates the annual
PNWD community ministry retreat. She is affiliated with First Unitarian Church, Portland, Oregon.
Connie has also served in ministry as a hospice and hospital chaplain, and administrator and board
member of the UU Society for Community Ministries. She is the Founder and former Executive Director
and Board Co-Chair of EarthWorks Community Farm, a job training and leadership development program
for at-risk high school youth who are employed to help grow and sell organic produce to the low-income
community in east Los Angeles County. She is a trained Spiritual Director and facilitates spirituality
groups.
Connie received her Master of Divinity degree in 2003 from Claremont School of Theology, where she
specialized in urban ministry and community economic development. A former business owner, Connie is
passionate about empowering people to work creatively together for equity and justice for all strands of
the interdependent web of life.
Connie was honored to receive the 2005 Juanita Tate Community Activist of the Year Award from People
for Parks. She is the recipient of the 2007 Unsung Hero Award given by the Western Center on Law and
Poverty. She is an avid home gardener and was awarded the Lifetime Volunteer Award as a Master
Gardener in Los Angeles County. She loves to travel, hike, write, play piano, and watercolor paint.
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS: none
AVAILABILITY: open
POSSIBLE SERMON TITLES:

Yes We Can, Yes I Can: Becoming the UU missional church

Courage to Change – What does it take to sustain ourselves in the struggle for justice?

Sick and Tired -- Lessons from the Civil Rights movement

Hope and Healing: Stories from the Frontlines of UU Community Ministry

Grace from the Garden -- Story of the Earthworks Community Farm and the transformative power of
community

The Thing with Feathers -- Reflections on hope

Plan B – all about change

The Earth is Our Mother
POSSIBLE WORKSHOP TITLES:
 Making Your Ministry Dream a Reality
 Business Plans for Church and Nonprofit Projects
 How to Start a Community Garden or Urban Farm Project; Community building
 Introduction to Spiritual Direction and six traditional spiritual practices tailored for UUs
 How to be a healing presence (pastoral ministry for lay persons)
 End of life planning: death and dying
 Dementia and caregiving
 Grief and loss
SPECIAL SERVICES PERFORMED: Weddings, services of union, and memorials; Spiritual direction;
Spiritual retreats