Church Staff
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Rev. Kaaren Anderson, Parish Co-Minister | email Kaaren is particularly interested in integrating the arts in worship and emphasizing the quest for boldness in our living and loving. Scott's ministry emphasizes the importance of spiritual development and is shaped significantly by his Christian upbringing which stressed the power of kindness, humility and service. As a team, they are committed to cultivating an "evangelistic" church culture in which members feel so grateful for what they've discovered in their spiritual community that they can't help but want to share it with others. In addition to their degrees in divinity, Kaaren has done graduate work in the arts and Scott has a family therapy degree. They are parents to three children – Nils, Solveig and Neva. Kaaren's book, Glad to Be Human, is available through the church bookstore. |
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Rev. Jen Crow, Associate Minister | email A Unitarian Universalist at heart, Associate Minister Jen Crow believes that the spark of the divine resides in each one of us and she finds inspiration and truth in both our rich and varied history and the modern day prophets. The words and lives of our Transcendentalist ancestors resonate particularly strongly with her as she strives to follow their example of spiritual living through both retreat from and engagement in the world. Jen focuses her attention on three primary areas. She leads, develops, and oversees our adult spiritual development ministry, pastoral care ministry, and summer worship. One of the authors included in Reverend X: How Generation X Ministers are Shaping Unitarian Universalism, Jen is passionate about the future of Unitarian Universalism and serves her district Unitarian Universalist Minister's Association as Vice President. Jen arrived at First Unitarian in the summer of 2004 after receiving her Master of Divinity degree from Meadville Lombard Theological School, one of only two Unitarian Universalist seminaries in the country. Prior to becoming a Unitarian Universalist minister, Jen attended Smith College where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. She then continued to live in Western Massachusetts for several years and worked in the community as a counselor for children, adolescents, and families. Jen lives in Rochester with her partner, Loretta, and their son, Henry. |
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Rev. Tina Simson, Director of Lay Ministries |
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Kathy Tew Rickey, 2010-11 Ministerial Intern Being an agnostic with children brought Kathy to Unitarian Universalism 13 years ago. She is in her fifth year at Meadville Lombard as a modified-resident student and lives right here in Webster, New York. Her excitement about being at First Unitarian is captured in one of her favorite quotes: "Service is the rent we pay to be living." - Marian Wright Edelman |
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Michelle George, 2010-11 Ministerial Intern (half-time) |
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Sheila Schuh, Director of Religious
Education | email Sheila served as Director of Religious Education for six years in Syracuse and is back to the field after a time of caring for and homeschooling her three children. Fun Worship! Social Action! Sacred Stories! The Arts! These are her loves in the ministry. Supporting parents in their roles as spiritual guides is the most critical element of her work as she understands it now. Sheila is a licensed Creative Arts Therapist, has won awards for intergenerational worship, and is currently Vice Chair of the Seaway Chapter of the Liberal Religious Educators Association. To relax, she loves to run, play volleyball, write, and walk in the woods with her kids and husband, Dave. |
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Lori Morse, Religious Education Assistant Lori grew up in Irondequoit where she now lives with her fiancé, Greg. She has a television news production and marketing background, and enjoys spending time in the wine country, traveling and playing tennis. |
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Jessica DiMaria, Lead Summer Childcare Provider Jessica grew up in the Rochester area and now currently lives in Penfield. After graduating from St. John Fisher with her Bachelor's Degree in Childhood Education and Special Education, she went back to the same college to get her Master's Degree in Literacy Education. She has been teaching for 6 years and has taught 3rd grade for the past two years. She loves working with children, reading, spending quality time with friends and family, and enjoying beautiful sunshine. |
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Suzanne McNair, Youth Coordinator Suzanne is very excited to join the 1st Unitarian Family as the Youth Coordinator. She has a true passion for working with youth and feels honored to be a support in their spiritual, emotional, and social development. She has spent over a decade working on social action activities in the inner city of Rochester and looks forward to continuing to foster more connections and opportunities for our youth to participate in our community in a variety of ways. Suzanne has a Master of Social Work as well as a Masters in Early Childhood Education. She has spent the past decade working in the not-for-profit world in the inner city creating and directing programs aimed at providing services to the most economically challenged neighborhoods in Rochester. In her free time, she loves to swim, read, listen to music, and spend time playing with her 3 children and husband, Steve, at home in Webster. |
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Hannah Lurye, Assistant Infant/Toddler Care Provider Hannah is currently a junior at Brighton High School and an Eastern Monroe Career student. She is also presently going to school for EMT training. |
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Mary B. Jones, Director of Member
Services | email
Mary has been a member of First Unitarian Church since 1982. Her volunteer activities over the years have included music (Bronze handbell choir and recorder group), religious education, membership, canvass, and nominating committee. She joined the staff in 2006, bringing a professional background in career counseling and coaching, group facilitation, and training in business and non-profit settings. Mary enjoys hearing our newcomers’ spiritual journey stories, and getting people involved in small groups that speak to their passions. She is a strong advocate for “Radical Hospitality” and creating a welcoming culture throughout First Unitarian. Mary resides in Brighton with her husband Tom. She has two daughters, Laura and Audrey, and her favorite leisure activity is spending time with her grandson, Ian. |
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Kim Dehon, Saturday Membership Coordinator |
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Edward T. Schell III, Minister of
Music | email Minister of Music Edward T. Schell III has directed our music program since 1978. (The honorary title was bestowed by this Congregation in 1998, on the 20th anniversary of Ed's service.) Ed is a founder of the Unitarian Universalist Musicians Network and is an Associate Professor of Music at the Rochester Institute of Technology |
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Mary Lyubomirsky, Music and Arts Coordinator | email
Mary has been at Rochester First Unitarian since 1992, except for two years spent in London, England with her family from 1999-2001 where they attended Notting Hill Unitarian Church. While at First Unitarian she has been involved in Choir, Drama Group, Soul Matters, and teaching church school. She is originally from Syracuse, did her undergrad in Potsdam, NY, and came to Rochester in 1986 to pursue a career at Xerox while completing her MBA at Simon School, University of Rochester. Mary currently lives near Powdermill Park with her husband, Robert, and kids, Alec, Michael & Katya. Mary’s spiritual practices include singing, praying, meditating, and hiking nature trails through all of Rochester’s gorgeous seasons with her big hairy Newfoundland dog, who is (rather conveniently) a therapy dog. Mary believes that music and art are essential for that which words just can’t express… |
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Lisa Marie Schmitz, Children's Choir Director and Early Service Choir Director | email
Lisa holds a Bachelor of Arts in vocal performance from SUNY Fredonia and a post-baccalaureate degree in music education from Nazareth College of Rochester. She currently teaches general music at Taylor Elementary School in Spencerport. Lisa has enjoyed the Section Leader position for the 9:30 choir for the last two years and began directing the Children's Choir last year. She is very excited to return this year as Director of Children's Choir and the 9:30 Choir. "He who sings scares away his woes." - Cervantes |
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Max Denler, 11:15 Choir Section Leader Max graduated from the University of Rochester in 2003 with a degree in general music, and during his time there, he also studied voice and piano at the Eastman School of Music. Since then, he has been active in the Rochester music community, singing with Mercury Opera Rochester, Rochester Opera Factory, the Publick Musick, the JCC's Centerstage, and A Magical Journey Thru Stages. |
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David Weygandt, Early Service Section Leader / Soloist David is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a minor in Music Cognition at University of Rochester: Eastman School of Music. He is a native of Texas and a graduate of Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts. For seven years David toured the United States and Europe with the Texas Boys Choir. In 2008 David performed in Fort Worth Opera's productions of Turandot and Lucia di Lammermoor. Currently, David sings tenor with the Eastman Chorale. |
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John Barthelmes, Drama Director John has been working as a director/author/producer/teacher in Rochester's theatre scene since he moved to Rochester in 1996. John is a regular performer with Nuts & Bolts Comedy Improv, Joey and Maria's Comedy Wedding with Great Lakes Productions and regularly performs in a two-man variety act titled "Solo." During the day John is an instructor of Computer Science and Acting at St. John Fisher College. John's greatest joy is working with children in theatre and his goal is to make sure children are having fun on stage while helping them discover and develop their own talents. |
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Helen Hou-Sandi, 9:30 AM Keyboard Player / Choir Accompanist | website Helen hails from Virginia Beach and joined First Unitarian in the fall of 2008. She is a recent graduate of the Eastman School of Music with a Masters in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music and holds her BM in Piano Performance from Virginia Commonwealth University. In addition to her work at the church, Helen also serves as Web Developer at the Eastman School of Music, where she designs, develops, and programs for the web and co-teaches the Digital Portfolio Creation course, among many other things. Helen lives downtown with her husband and musical partner, Adrian Sandi, a Costa Rican clarinetist and doctoral student at Eastman. |
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Stuart Burke, UU/Schools Coordinator | email Right after college and an army stint, Stuart taught in a Rochester inner-city school program. Now, after a career in commercial and educational film, video, and theatre, he is happy to close the loop and work in city schools again. A Unitarian for twenty-something years, he loves the natural outdoors and enjoys hiking, camping, and canoeing. Stuart and his partner, Janice Cook, create their sanctuary home by a pond in Perinton. |
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Clare Kerber, Church Administrator | email Clare joined the staff at First Unitarian Church in 1991. Clare lives in Webster, where "Life is Worth Living," and has three daughters: Madelyn, a nurse who resides in California; Jessica, who lives in Hawaii; and Katie, who is at school at Northeastern University in Boston. Clare enjoys home repairs, sewing, antiques, gardening and crossword puzzles. |
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Karen Reimringer, Newsletter Editor and Building Use Coordinator | email Karen joined our staff in 2007 and is responsible for producing our church newsletter and also handles room reservations for our church groups and rentals. She earned her Bachelors degree in 2002 in Communications, thus fulfilling a long-held dream to create attractive marketing materials and to write promotional articles that honor the human spirit. In addition to marketing and writing, Karen has considerable experience in fundraising and in community relations. Among her loves are spending time with family, listening to music, and viewing art and photographs at area galleries. While not a member of First Unitarian Church, Karen often participates in church activities here. She says "I love being a part of this church! There is so much synergy, passion and good work being done...it's my second spiritual home!" |
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Orma Faye Sullivan, Evening Administrative Assistant | email Orma Faye joined the church staff in the spring of 2008. She is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and of Nazareth College of Rochester. Her classical musical training includes piano, flute, organ, oboe, and voice, along with studies in musicology and music theory. She taught music in public and private settings for many years and has done professional accompanying and voice coaching. She has been a consulting artist for Wolf Trap Early Learning Through the Arts. Orma Faye has been a writer since she was young, with fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, and she continues to write for several hours each day. She gives workshops based upon her book, The Cup of Joy is Always Full. Her interests include spending time with family and friends, having great conversations, reading, playing chess, learning Mandarin, cooking, creating recipes, watching old movies, sketching, viewing great art and photography, golfing, swimming, playing tennis, and hopefully, finally reading Don Quixote all the way through. |
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Allen Gundlach, Finance & Database Coordinator
| email Allen joined us after 26 years with Kodak, Kodak subsidiaries and Kodak joint ventures. He has a MBA in Finance and a BS in Mechanical Engineering. Al lives on Cranberry Pond in Greece with his wife Laurie and daughter Emily. He enjoys water and snow skiing, volleyball, tennis and hiking. |
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William Hayes, Custodian William Hayes joined the staff in November 2007. He lives in the 19th Ward of the city with his grandson, Quamae. He has two children, William Patrick and Tiffany Ryane and two other grandchildren, Madeline and Stephan. He enjoys music, fishing, camping, woodcarving and working in the garden. |
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Randall Foster, Custodian Randall and his wife, Kim, have two sons - Travis, 25 and Jarred, 22 - and a ferocious 10 pound dog, Eddie. His interests include golf, camping and books of all sorts. |
August 27 2010