Preaching on January 15
Rev. Lyn Cox is the minister on call for pastoral emergencies during the sabbatical. Rev. Lyn is the Consulting Minister for our neighbor congregation, the UU's of Fallston. She is also studying for a M.S in Pastoral Counseling with Loyola University Maryland. Her previous ministries include serving on the Joseph Priestley District Staff and being the education minister for the UU Society of Sacramento. Rev. Lyn is a 2003 graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry, a UU seminary in Berkeley, CA. She graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park in 1995. Before entering the ministry, she worked in public relations with education, arts, and high tech clients. Rev. Lyn lives in Baltimore.
Preaching Jan 8, Jan 29 and May 13
Rob Keithan is Consulting Minister at the Unitarian Society of Germantown in Philadelphia. From 2002-2010, Rob served as Director of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations Washington Office, advocating on federal policy issues and providing support to congregations. He is a member of All Souls Church in Washington, DC.
Preaching March 11, April 8 (Easter) & April 29
Alicia Conklin-Wood is a retired minister now serving as a Parish Associate at First Presbyterian, Lancaster. She is also a retreat leader and spiritual director/guide who enjoys walking with seekers on their spiritual journeys. She and her husband Len have three grown children and five grandchildren. They also enjoy Calvin,
a large yellow lab and certified therapy dog. Two of Alicia's other interests are walking in natural settings and reading.
Preaching Jan 22
David B. G. Flaherty is originally from just outside Syracuse, NY and a seminarian for that Roman Catholic diocese throughout college and grad school...now living happily in Baltimore, MD (Hamilton!) and serving two parish communities as an "independent" Catholic priest and as pastor within the United Church of Christ. Both are open and affirming communities.
Preaching on February 5
Jim Symonds has taught English, History, and French at the high-school level, and Comparative Religion, Mythology, and Philosophy at the college level. Currently he teaches French in the Appoquinimink (Middletown, Delaware) school district. In addition, he is an adjunct professor at Delaware County Community College (Media, Pennsylvania). A graduate of Lancaster Theological Seminary with a Master of Arts in Religion, Jim is working toward completing the requirements for ordination as a Unitarian Universalist minister. An active UU for over twenty years, Jim and his partner Bob Hill are members of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Mill Creek (Newark, Delaware). They share their home in Wilmington with Bob's mother and their two dogs.
Preaching Feb 19
Rev. Archene Turner comes from a Jamaican family of ministers, was drawn to Unitarian Universalism for it unites her strong belief in social justice activism and the need to support a community of individuals with varying theologies. She has served the All Souls Church, Unitarian, Washington DC, UU Church of Arlington, VA and Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda, where she was coordinator of senior high youth ministries. After boarding school in Great Britain, she received her BS in chemical engineering from the University of Florida, and her Masters of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School.
With a life-long history of championing equality for youth, seniors, people of color, LGBT and other less socially empowered groups as an activist in a wide range of organizations, Rev. Turner is dedicated to a Community Ministry, in Unitarian Universalism. Her ambition is to build an academic boarding school, based upon our UU principles, to be inclusive, supportive, and available to children who might need it most.
Preaching on February 26
Rev. Roshaven was ordained to the Unitarian Universalist ministry in 1982 and has served as a parish minister for most of his career. He currently serves as the UUA Witness Ministries Director and works in the UUA's Washington office.
Preaching on March 4
Michelle Collins is currently serving for a year as a chaplain at Johns Hopkins Hospital, primarily in the cardiac critical care areas and HIV inpatient service, and most appreciates the opportunities to be where she is most needed. This past year, Michelle finished her training for UU ministry, graduating from Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley and serving as an intern minister with the UU congregation in Redwood City and with the Faithful Fools Street Ministry in San Francisco. She now lives in the Baltimore area where her husband is a professor at Johns Hopkins and her daughter, Chesapeake, is in the second grade. One of her hopes for Unitarian Universalism is that we can push the limits of how we can be together, for one another, finding the sacred in our connections with one another and with the world.
Preaching March 18
Adan Ayala has led kirtans for the past few years at different yoga studios aroun the area, as well as in events, such as the Goucher Day of Peace, KarmaFest and the Inspiration Community Winter Solstice celebration. He sees kirtan as a wonderful tool that can be learned and practiced by anyone for achieving psychospiritual healing and growth, self-realization and Presence.
Preaching April 1
Lea Gilmore is a blues, gospel and jazz singing civic activist who has lent her
voice, literally and figuratively, to advocacy for the underserved of the world
and has made a huge difference. She is known for her exquisite voice, bright
smile, quick wit and infectious sense of humor. In addition, Lea was named
by Essence Magazine as one of 25 Women Shaping the World
in their Leadership
issue, as well as is a winner of the W.C. Handy Award (The Grammies of the
Blues
) Keeping the Blues Alive
for her historical work on the contributions
of women and the blues from The Blues Foundation. Lea has performed to sold-out
audiences and has lectured on civil, human and women's rights in Belgium
(helping to raise over hundreds of thousands for tuberculosis and leprosy
victims with her Gospel concerts), France, Switzerland, The UK, Luxembourg,
Germany, The Netherlands, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She has
begun an exciting new project Umoja Musica
using traditional African American
folk music to convey peace, justice, nonviolence and tolerance...uniting the
world—one song at a time.
Their first project, Umoja Gaelica
in Scotland
has been a great success. A former Deputy Director of the ACLU of Maryland, Lea
has testified before local, state and federal commissions on issues ranging from
immigration laws to the civil rights and liberties of women of color, including
reproductive justice for Native American women. She currently works as the
program director for the Maryland Black Family Alliance (MBFA).
Preaching March 25
Mohamed Mughal was born in Uganda, Africa. He has done the Stations of the Cross in Jerusalam, was baptized in the Jordan, and was exposed to Hinduism and Buddhism in India and Nepal. He lives in Maryland with his wife Julie, who was born into and practices Judaism.
Preaching on June 3
Rev. Mark Hoelter's ministry is: Life Coach—for UU clergy; for men to retire with courage; spirituality coaching for heretics. He is UU chaplain at Wesley seminary; directed the interfaith dialogues of the InterFaith Conference of Washington; served five UU congregations. He lives with his wife, Karen Key, in the District.
Preaching on June 10
The Rev. Rebekah A. Montgomery is a Unitarian Universalist community minister. Rev. Montgomery has a BA in Religious Studies from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, a Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in NYC, NY and a Masters of Science in Mental Health Counseling from
Nova SE University in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Rev. Montgomery is an Army National Guard chaplain on Active Duty, serving at the Army National Guard Bureau. She was deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan in
July of 2005 for an 18 month tour of duty. In June of 2009, Rev. Montgomery was named Military Chaplain of the Year
and received a Distinguished Service award from the Military Chaplains
Association. In 2011, Rebekah was selected for promotion to major after seven years of
service. This promotion represents the military's increased trust and confidence in her leadership and pastoral ability. Rev. Montgomery contributed to the UU Military Manual, Bless All Who Serve. She and her husband CPT Travis Montgomery, a Civil Affairs officer in the US Army Reserves, have two children.