Note: Underlined names are 2014 nominees
Seth
Popinchalk (Moderator) grew up in a UU church in West Hartford, CT, and
joined First U with his wife Sue, and two daughters, Kate and
Lauren, in 2009. Since joining the church he has served on the Lay
Leadership Council, the RE Search Committee that found Jessica, taught Spirit
Play and served as Vice-Moderator since 2012. He works as a manager at
MathWorks, and volunteers his time in the Worcester Public Schools to promote
engineering and science.
Wendy
Innis (Vice Moderator)Wendy Innis was born and raised in the First Unitarian
Church. In the past few years she has
taken on leadership roles, including serving as a member of the Future
Ministries Task Force, the Interim Minister Search and Transition Committee,
the Interim Minister Support Committee and, for two years, serving as the
Chairperson of the Pledge Campaign (that
this year evolved into the Stewardship Campaign). As part of her responsibilities as the Head
Assessor/Steward, she served as a member of the Prudential Committee and the
Finance Committee. Wendy was a member of
the Intern Committee for both Kim Hampton and Jerrod Oltmann. Building on
her history of service to the church, Wendy is committed to the future of this
church community. She is honored to
continue to serve and support the work of our church.
Jay Lavelle (Clerk) lives in
Worcester with his cat, Merlin. A member of First Unitarian since 1996,
he chaired the Tom Schade search committee and coordinated Monday Night
activities. He organizes the NYC bus trips, co-coordinates the Tibetan
Teachings group, has cooked for a number of functions, and tries to do Kundalini
yoga. An annual participant in the lay-led summer services, he has
coordinated these services since 2008. He has been Clerk of the Parish
since 2004. When not at church he is a software engineer for the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts and president of the Worcester County Poetry
Association.
Karen
Reilly (Treasurer) has been a member of
the church since 1996, a Unitarian since 1988. She has been active in Sunday
School, Women's Group and Women's Bridge Club. She has served as Assistant
Treasurer and is currently the Treasurer. Karen lives in Sutton, has 2 children, Kaitlyn and William, and
works at Holy Cross.
Lisa McCarthy (Assistant
Treasurer) has been self-employed as a bookkeeping consultant for
several local non-profits for the last 9 years. Prior to
that, her work experience includes working many years as a Medical
Office Manager and Medical Secretary for two private practices and at
UMass Memorial Hospital and Massachusetts Eye and Ear
Infirmary. Lisa enjoys volunteering in the Girl Scouts with her
daughter Amelia and attending live music performances with husband/drummer
Rick.
Kate O'Dell
(Head Assessor) is really happy to be part of the First U church community
at this exciting transitional time, and especially to help make sure we
maintain the financial resources we need to make our joint vision
a reality. She and her husband, Paul Kelly, have been members here
since 2006. Previously, they enjoyed membership at other UU
churches in Pennsylvania and MA. At First U, Kate has
participated as RE teacher, Nominating and Assessor Committee member,
and currently is Garden Committee Co-Chair. She is a
full-time faculty member at UMass Memorial, where she is a nurse-midwife.
Rick Silva
(Assessor) has been a member of First Unitarian Church since 2004. He
lives in Worcester with his wife, Madeline. He has taught RE, and has
served on the RE, Membership, Auction, Ministerial Intern, and Garden
Committees. He chaired the Membership Committee for several years, and
during that time, managed the production of the Pictorial Membership Directory.
Lee Bona (Assessor) joined
the church in 2001 and has been a member of one committee or another during the
past 13 years. Most recently, Lee was a Trustee of Parish Funds
and Chair of the Buildings Vision Taskforce, and is now Co-Chair of Caring
Circle 9 while remaining actively involved in the UU Sisterhood.
Michael
Keating
(Head Trustee of Parish Funds) “My
wife, Christine, and I started our search for an accepting Christian community
4 years ago. As divorced Catholics we felt the need to look for a
congregation that wasn't interested in our marital status. Our first day
was music Sunday. As a long time choir member I was hooked. Besides
the music, the welcoming community was wonderful, Kim Hampton's sermons moved
my soul and made it easy to want to serve.
I've owned my own landscape and facility
management company for 47 years and hold a masters degree focused on Emerson
from Clark University. I have 3 wonderful children , 2 step children , 6
grandchildren along with 3 dogs and 3 birds. Life is good.”
Jeanine
Beratta
(Trustee of Parish Funds) has been a member of First Unitarian since 2008. Jeanine has served on the New Member
Committee and has been involved in the UU Sisterhood. Jeanine is finishing up as Head Trustee and
is being nominated for another three year term.
Most recently, Jeanine has assumed responsibility as Chairperson for the
Jericho Road Worcester Board.
George Hamilton (Trustee of Parish
Funds). “My
wife Connie and I have been members of First Unitarian for over thirty years.
I've served on a ministerial search committee and as Moderator, Sunday school
teacher and youth group leader. I hope the church I first attended as a child
continues and expands its mission in the Worcester community.”
Vivian Shortreed (Caring Circles Chair)
lives in Worcester. She joined the
church more than 20 years ago. She has
participated in many groups:
Transformations, Sisterhood, Environmental committee, others. She has served as clerk, vice moderator,
moderator, taught Sunday School, other.
In all these activities she has formed deep and enduring
friendships. It is her hope that the
Caring Circles will provide more opportunities for members and friends to form
these ties, that sustain us in good times and in hard times.
Hari
Kirin Kaur Khalsa, aka Diane Pingeton (Caring Circles
Vice-Chair), has been blessed to attend the First U since 1989, raising her
children here and participating as a Sunday school teacher, Bykota and YRU2
advisor, and most recently as the Caring Circles Vice-Chair in 2013, after
serving on the Caring Communities Task Force and launch team member. Her
career has been spent in engagement with people during their joys and sorrows:
first as a nurse, then a physician, and currently as a teacher of yoga &
meditation especially to those with diverse medical diagnoses. She would
fully embrace serving a second term with the Caring Communities as Vice-Chair
and be humbly honored to serve this mission of the church as the Caring Circles
continue to grow. Sat Nam.
Laura Kirshenbaum (Lay Leadership Committee) has been a member of First U
since 2008. She and her wife Shannon live in Holden with Hazel (6) and Emerson
(3). Since joining the church she has taught Spirit Play classes, served on the
Lay Leadership Council, and served on the 2010 Director of Faith Development Search
Committee. Laura is a 6th grade Science teacher in Marlborough and serves as a
commissioner on the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
Gene Johnson (Lay Leadership Committee) and
his wife, Gini, have been Worcester residents for the past 12 years, becoming
members of UU in 2007. Currently Gene is serving as a member on the Lay
Leadership Council and Lay Pastoral Services.
Linda Chatalian Wyatt (Lay Leadership Committee)
has been attending services since Fall, 2002. She is a member of the LLPC;
chair of the Winter Galas 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014; member of our regular and
summer choirs; and the UU Sisterhood. Linda initiated the establishment of the
John Henry’s Hammer Open Mic in Spring, 2013. She coordinates it with the open
mic host; Lydia Fortune; and volunteers; Phil Nigro, Sten Gustavson, Sue Shaw,
Bob, Shaw, and Alana Wyatt. She assists with the John Henry’s Hammer monthly
Concert Series. Linda is Professor Lucineh for our Hogwarts Camps, teaching
cooking classes. She served on the Caring Community Task Force, has assisted
with IHN, and was an RE teacher and Youth Advisor.
Tom
Crowley (Lay Leadership Committee) lives in Worcester by himself. He has been a member of the congregation for 8
to 10 years, was active in the Garden committee for many years, and was
involved with the Safe Congregation Committee for a while. “I think I'm at a point in my life where I
can offer more time to the church.”
Jean
McInerney (Lay Leadership Committee) Since joining the First
Unitarian Church of Worcester in 2010, Jean has become a participatory member
of the Church. Currently, Jean is the Chair of the Membership Committee, a
member of the Personnel Committee, the Garden Club, and a Steering Committee
member of Jericho Road Worcester. Jean is also a Co-Chair of Caring Circle 4,
participates in the UU Sisterhood at First Unitarian and volunteers for the
Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN). Jean views her involvement and
contributions to the First Unitarian Church in the following way. Each of our
talents, interests and passions are needed in small and large ways to keep our
church community healthy and functioning, continuing our relationships of
support and compassionate presence, and contributing to community connections. Jean
is a Recruiter for Minute Man Arc for Human Services and a trained Mediator in
Divorce, Family, Elder and Workplace Mediation. Jean enjoys the outdoors and is
a steward for No Child Left Inside initiatives especially with her grandchildren!
Jean resides in Worcester, Mass.
Kattia Corrales-Yauckoes (Lay Leadership
Committee) began
attending First Unitarian in 2007 and joined the church with her husband Robert
and her two children in 2010. During her
time at First UU she has been active as a teacher in Religious Education,
teaching Spirit Play classes to first, second and third graders. She has also
co-chaired her neighborhood Caring Circle and is now chair of the Faith
Development Committee. She has volunteered in a variety of other events such as
Hogwarts Camp, Faith Development open houses, the yearly Christmas Pageant and
the Stewardship Fair. Kattia works as a
pediatric dietitian at the Children's Medical Center of UMass Memorial and is
adjunct faculty in the Masters of Applied Nutrition at Northeastern University.
David Spanagel (Nominating
Committee Chair) has attended worship services at First Unitarian since 1997,
joined in 2004, and has served in various leadership roles ever since then
(including Moderator, and now as Chair of the Transition Team that works with
the Interim Ministers). As an atheist,
David experiences occasional grace and transcendence primarily through music,
so he especially cherishes his involvement in the Choir, the Unitonians, and
the three years he spent co-directing the combined UU churches’ teen choir.
Steve
Knox (Nominating Committee) and his
spouse, Lee Reid, have been members of First Unitarian since 1990 and live in
Shrewsbury. Steve has served on multiple standing committees (Membership,
RE, Assessors, Ministerial and Nominating) as well as ad hoc strategic planning
and governance committees. Steve and Lee were founding counselors for
BYKOTA, the middle-school youth group. Steve particularly enjoys being a
member of the choir, and also of the Unitonians, each providing an ongoing
ministry of music to the greater Worcester community.
Liz
Gustavson (Nominating Committee) is a mature member of
the congregation. She married Sten Gustavson in 1985 at First Unitarian
(Rev. Merritt performed the ceremony), and has been an active member
since. Her current role is as IHN coordinator and as a happy participant
in the UU Sisterhood. She has also had her fingers in various pies over
the years, including Sunday school, RE committee, Social Justice, Circle
Suppers, and Prudential Committee, with a stint as Moderator.
Carrie West (Nominating
Committee) has been coming to First Unitarian Church since 1999 and has been
involved in church programs and leadership in a variety of ways since then
including Monday Night at the Church, Environmental Committee, and Faith
Development. Carrie lives in Worcester with her husband and three
children. Her passions include family
ministry, mindfulness, and social action.
John
Mirick (Finance Committee Chair) is a partner in the law firm of Mirick
O’Connell in Worcester. He and his wife, Diane, live in Princeton.
John grew up in our Church. He and Diane raised their two sons in our
Church. Diane became the Chair of the RE Committee, and then our Director
of Religious Education. John served in various positions, including
Moderator.
