Rev. Laura is UUCDC’s Candidate for Settled Minister. They come to us from a three-year position as Contract Minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Reading, Massachusetts, where the board president describes them as a gifted preacher, a wonderful pastoral presence, and a wise, compassionate leader for staff, congregation, and community alike. Rev. Laura also served as the Assistant Minister of Spiritual Growth In Maryland, and as an Intern Minister in Washington, DC and Virginia.
Rev. Laura heard a whispering call to ministry as an eighteen-year-old counselor working at a summer camp for youth with developmental disabilities. Initially, their deep commitment to the inherent worth and dignity of every person drew them to psychology. After receiving a doctorate in Clinical Psychology, they spent a decade working with neurodivergent children and youth. Over the years, however, they found their heart shattered by the systemic racial and economic injustices within the insurance and medical systems.
In 2017, Rev. Laura traveled to Charlottesville to oppose the “Unite the Right” rally. “[With] the experience of standing in opposition to the hatred there,” they write, “feeling the fear of being a queer, half-Jewish woman, and feeling the power of love unified in the face of overwhelming hatred, I knew I had to make a change.” At last Rev. Laura answered the call to ministry and received their Master of Divinity degree from Meadville Lombard Theological School in 2021.
Rev. Laura writes, “My call in ministry is to be a person who cares and loves and strives to see the worth and dignity in every person. My call is to be a heart-based organizer who acts as an agent of change through connections and the empowerment and mutual learning with others. My call is to respond to the heartbreak of the world in ways that create networks of more love, more justice, and more liberation.”
Rev. Laura will join us from Saturday, May 3, through Sunday, May 11, for an exciting Candidating Week. They will be preaching on Sunday, May 4 and 11, and looks forward to meeting our congregation at events throughout the week.
There will be a special Congregational Meeting on May 11 at 11:30 during which we will vote to call Rev. Laura as our new settled minister!
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