About Rev. Emily

Where I’m From…

I was born in New Orleans, LA as the youngest of three. My childhood was quite idyllic, growing up near and in the Tchefuncte river that flowed past my grandmother’s house. We all knew the river had alligators and snakes in it, but in our fearless youth we also bet they would stay far away from us during daylight hours. Thank God we were right!

Our church community was a major part of our family life. My brothers and I grew up with the children of several other church families and still keep in touch with some of them today. We went to church together every Sunday, had crawfish boils and holiday parties every year – I was lucky to grow up feeling safe and enveloped in family, friends and beloved community in so many ways. To this day, I still call the South my home, despite living far away from it for the last twenty years.

When I was ten, a job change for my dad uprooted our family from Louisiana for South Florida. The culture shock was hard for all of us, but the move ultimately led me to my first true love: the arts. My Florida high school had a strong arts program and I was a certified chorus and drama geek. I remain so grateful for the identity I shaped in those groups as I traveled the fraught avenues of adolescence.

I pursued my love of the arts to Florida State University, where I majored in Theater. I quickly found my true calling behind the stage, working as a director, stage manager, run crew member and more. I was so passionate about my calling to work in the theatre, I found it hard to imagine why others around me were majoring in things like Business and Communications. My dedication and focus meant only one thing….

Where I’ve Been…

After graduation, I moved straight to New York City. I didn’t have a job or an apartment, so I lived in a youth hostel for a week while I found both. Looking back, I cannot believe my parents let me do that, but I had the courage and fearlessness of the young, and they probably figured it was better to support me than try to stop me!

Learning to navigate New York was another culture shock moment, but I was living the dream – literally – and happily worked many different jobs in order to make the rent. After a few years, I landed a job at the Public Theatre, home of Shakespeare in the Park. The Public became my family, in almost every sense of the word, and I stayed for ten years. We believed we were New York’s greatest cultural institution because we produced the art of the people. I was proud of my role in lifting up the work of Queer, Black, Indigenous and other artists of color.

After thirteen years in New York, I was ready for a change of scenery, of pace, of calling. But where? To do what? Theatre had been my only vocation since high school. I got myself out of New York and landed in Providence RI – another culture shock moment. But this was different – the comparatively sleepy pace of Providence and the academic administrator position I had obtained at Brown University allowed me acres of time outside of work for the first time in my adult life. I made friends, I bought a house, I joined the board of my neighborhood association and spent time volunteering and traveling. And I rediscovered a deep spiritual hunger – I hadn’t been to church since I left my parents’ house and my life in New York had overwhelmed any attempts I made for an inner, contemplative life. In Providence, I realized that my seeking for a change of scenery was, at its core, a longing to connect with God. I didn’t know what God was, but I wanted to find out on my own terms. It was then that I discovered the First Unitarian Church of Providence.

What I Believe…

In the religion of my childhood, doubts and questions weren’t exactly encouraged. Unitarian Universalism encouraged my questions and made space for my doubts about God, what it means to be religious and exactly how one lives out their faith in the world. Here was a faith that made intentional space for seeking – across a lifetime. On my first visit to First U, I remember reading the seven principles on the back of the order of service, and I knew deep within my soul that I had found home once again.

My spiritual awakening and calling to ministry emerged gradually over time. I have come to embrace a belief in a God beyond human scope that gives me freedom to explore my Christian roots to seek new wisdom from scripture and theology. Becoming UU taught me the importance of doing this seeking with others in community, so that our collective and diverse wisdom can support the work we all must do to bring about a world of liberation and peace.

Where I’m Going…

Through my membership at First U in Providence, the wise counsel of friends and mentors, and a great deal of soul searching, I embraced my calling to UU ministry with excitement, gratitude and a deep sense of grace. I uprooted my life yet again to move to New Haven, CT for the Master of Divinity program at Yale Divinity School.

At Yale, I immersed myself in the study of scripture, theology, social justice theory and more. I especially wrestled with faithful care of our planet, deepening my understanding of environmental stewardship. I took advantage of every opportunity to engage in academic and community life as I discerned my path forward in ministry.

In my beginning ministry work as the intern for the UU Area Church in Sherborn, MA, I have been able to process my academic experience at Yale, and how those learnings inform congregational ministry. Similarly, my parallel position as Campus Minister for Andover Newton at Yale has blessed me with opportunities to mentor and serve those coming up behind me in their ministerial discernment.

As of August 1, 2021, I am now gratefully serving as the Minister for First Parish Church Unitarian-Universalist, in Kingston MA.

My formation as a UU minister has been a long and winding road. I don’t believe I would have answered a calling to ministry unless I had had my first career in the theatre. I cherish the experiences that have led me along this journey, for they have provided the spiritual grounding that has allowed my ministry to flourish.

For me, the connecting thread between all of the stages of my life has always been belonging. How we form our identities, how we shape our faith and beliefs and how we learn to love each other all happens through our membership in communities of belonging. As I seek a new calling, I am eager to find a spiritually curious community that is ready to create that belonging with me.