The Governing Board’s Governance Advisory Committee is pleased to present our 2021-2022 Slate of Candidates to run for open seats on the Governing Board. The names of our nominees and their candidate statements appear below. Elections will take place at the Annual Meeting on Sunday, June 13, 2021 at Noon. Everyone is invited to participate in the meeting although only voting members will be allowed to vote. 

The Governance Advisory Committee called for nominations and self-nominations in February and has sought to develop a slate that would foster diversity and broad representation from our membership. We spoke with interested candidates to be sure they were fully informed of the duties of the position and able to commit to service. Candidates for these positions have learned about the responsibilities by conferring with members of the board. The board was notified of proposed nominees and approved the proposed slate on April 20th, 2021.

The following slate of candidates along with candidate statements provide background information about their commitment to First Parish. We believe that these candidates share our passion for the mission of First Parish. 

NOMINEES AND THEIR STATEMENTS

I have been a member of First Parish for approximately 5 years and I attended services for a few years prior to joining. I have been active in the congregation by being an “at large” member of the Governing Board for two years and during this last year acted as vice-chair. Working in these roles has increased my commitment to help steward the growth and future of First Parish. Over the year, as we all continued to meet during the pandemic, my commitment has strengthened as I witnessed the importance of community in our congregation.

The next several years will be challenging and exciting as we move toward a new direction in our spiritual growth as a community. Some examples include our work to renovate our building and our adoption of the 8th Principle which is foundational to our commitment to anti-racism. The strategic planning process that is underway will bring focus on aligning our many commitments and activities. This will lay the vision for what others will experience in the future.

I am honored to be a member of the Governing Board and look forward to becoming the chair for the next year along with a team that I know will be creative and innovative.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve First Parish in a new capacity as the selected candidate for vice-chair of the Governing Board. This is a time of great change ahead and we all have a role to play in being present to what is possible in the post-pandemic world we are entering. This has been a difficult and tragic year for many people here and throughout the world. It has been a time of deep reflection and I have paid more attention to my spiritual life than is my custom. I have felt a great sense of companionship in this with so many old and new friends at First Parish.

Having this community in my life has kept me going through some very rough times including this past year. While I was brought up as a Unitarian, I did not attend church regularly until I semi-retired from my work as a partner in an environmental science and engineering consulting company in 2011 to work with my late husband, Steve Reckhow. I continue to manage the real estate development business we founded together in a shared commitment to energy conservation, sustainable design and historic preservation.  

Since joining First Parish, I have participated in many activities from my first commitments to the book group and the Sustainability Committee to being chair of the Leadership Development Team, a member of the Governing Board, and chair of the Governance Advisory Committee. I participate in a number of ministry teams now including the Building Team, Development Team, Special Gifts Team and Strategic Planning Team.

One of my passions is engaging people in the activities of First Parish, helping people find something that is fulfilling and develops meaningful connections. It has long been my motivation in being involved to contribute to a deeper sense of community, one that is grounded in our shared values, our desire for relationship and for making a difference in the short time we have in or lives. I embrace this chance to serve our community and to discover the many possibilities we have together to make some hopeful noise in the universe.

My parents started the UU church in Devon, PA so I grew up going to “Sunday School” there and was married in that church to my French husband, Jean Lesieur.

We lived in Paris, France and 10 years after I arrived, there was an ad in the International Herald Tribune for a meeting to start a UU Fellowship. My parents were visiting and spotted the ad. I attended that meeting and soon after, the UU Fellowship of Paris was started. I taught RE for several years and helped, as we all did, with organizing monthly services and inviting guest UU ministers. I attended European UU Retreats, which my three children enjoyed as well.

In 2008 I moved back to the United States to help with various family members. I found First Parish in Cambridge right away where I participated in Small Group Ministries, helped with Tuesday Meals and was part of the Welcome Team. Last year, I joined a Soul Matters group and am now leading a group.

Having grown up as a UU, I have never questioned that UU and this UU church, First Parish in Cambridge, is the religion and the place for me. What I like about Unitarian Universalism is that one is learning all the time. Questioning and evolving is the norm while in the embrace of a spiritual, caring community such as one finds at First Parish in Cambridge.

I began attending First Parish in Cambridge in September 2016 and in the past two years I have served a first term as a member at large. I have also continued to be involved in teaching and curriculum planning for Religious Education immigration justice advocacy and the design of our new strategic planning process.

During the week, I teach elementary school English learners in the Revere Public Schools.

I grew up Unitarian Universalist in Roslindale, one of four sisters who contributed to our church community by babysitting and playing music. I have a deep commitment to the broader Unitarian Universalist tradition and faith based activism, as well as connection to other UU congregations through family and friends.

In addition to First Parish, I find a spiritual home at Sanctuary Boston, an evening gathering focused on group singing and collaborative worship leading.

In my continuing role on the Governing Board I will work to support the First Parish community in deepening relationships and building resilience for justice work.

I moved to Cambridge in 2011 from Wayland, where I had been a very active member of the First Parish for 25 years, serving on a wide variety of committees including the Governing Board (two years as Chair).  After a few years unchurched, I missed the extended family of a close church community and I joined First Parish in Cambridge a few months after my first visit in 2016 (right after the election).

The next few years will be an exciting time at First Parish. We’re doing a lot of work on the building and on the community inside it. I’ve served on the Finance Committee for four years and have been taking advantage of learning opportunities like Beloved Conversations and Soul Matters.

My husband, Larry, and I live in Kendall Square, and when there is no pandemic, we spend a lot of time with our three grown daughters and their families. I am retired after several careers: Hospital Administration, solo tax practice as an Enrolled Agent, and my final job as the part-time Business Manager of a strength gym.

In my 50s and early 60s I competed at the international level in powerlifting; at age 63 I deadlifted 418 pounds and squatted 415. Now I get in a lot of gym time but don’t compete anymore. I enjoy a lot of urban outdoor activities and bicycling along and kayaking in the Charles River. When we can get out of town Larry and I enjoy hiking, especially on Mount Desert Island.

CONTINUING BOARD MEMBERS