![]() |
605 Morewood Avenue |
![]() |
|
Reverend David Herndon, Senior Minister |
||||
|
|
July and August 2010 The summer season here at First Unitarian Church has a
slower, more relaxed pace. We have just one Sunday morning worship service,
and it begins at 10 AM. Our performing arts groups typically take a
break for most of the summer. Some of our committees skip their July
or August meeting. Our staff members Thus, during the summer we continue to be a religious community dedicated to personal spiritual growth, social justice, caring human relationships, intellectual exploration, artistic expression, and community building. Our church feels different in the summer, but you will find that there are plenty of ways to stay connected and to become involved. I’m happy to report that the following church members and friends attended the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association from June 23 to June 27 in Minneapolis, Minnesota: Vespera Barrow, Brian Byers, Rev. Alma Faith Crawford, Jennifer Halperin, Jessie Halperin, Rev. David Herndon, Louise Jencik, Joe Jencik, Stephanie Miller, Kathy Parker, Renee Zimelis Ruchotzke (our former intern minister), and Devon Wood. I’m also anticipating that we will have a good strong contingent of church members and friends at the Ohio-Meadville Summer Institute, which will take place from July 11 through July 18 at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. Hope to see you at some point during the summer! David P.S. If you are not currently on our
email distribution list to receive occasional email notices about church
events, please send your email address to David Herndon at dherndon@first-unitarian-pgh.org. Reverend Alma Faith Crawford, Associate Minister Reverend Crawford joined the staff of First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh in August, 2009. She holds an A.B. in American Studies from Trinity College, a Master of Divinity from Howard University and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Theology, Ethics and Culture from Chicago Theological Seminary. She has served UU congregations in Boston, Louisville, Chicago and Washington, D.C. For three years, Rev. Crawford was Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, CA. Renee Zimelis Ruchotzke, Student Minister Renee Zimelis Ruchotzke is finishing up her coursework at Meadville Lombard Theological School as a Modified Residency Student (the same program that Jeff Liebman is in). She has completed a unit in Clinical Pastoral Education (chaplaincy training) at Akron General Medical Center. She graduated from Kent State University Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in History. She “retired” from a 20+ year career as a mechanical engineer two years ago. She then served for two years as the Interim Director of Religious Education at East Shore UU Church in Kirtland, Ohio before taking a position as consulting student minister with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greater Canton, OhioCanton. She currently serves as the Modified Residency Student
representative on the Meadville Lombard Board of Trustees and as the
Campus Ministry Coordinator at Kent State University for the Unitarian
Universalist Church of Kent, where she is also a member. She is a member
of the district Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association chapter
and the Alban Institute. She recently served on the Ohio Meadville District's
Leadership Development Team. She is active in Social Justice work, having traveled with Kent State students in the Spring of 2006 to the Gulf Coast to assist in cleanup after Hurricane Katrina. Renee has organized various local events that connect the arts to justice and diversity work. She is the 2007 recipient of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Seminarian Award for Excellence in Social Justice. She also started a political action committee, Citizens for a Better Kent, to defend against the misuse of the recall provision in local city government. Renee lives in Kent, Ohio with her husband, two
children and two stepchildren.
|
| Copyright 2008 | ||