Let Me Introduce Myself
from Rev. Kathryn Hawbaker

I was not born a Unitarian Universalist, but was raised in the First Universalist Church of Minneapolis. My formative years religiously were in junior high and high school, when I participated in church programming. I appreciate the opportunities for personal growth and leadership that were awarded to me in my home church, and hope to make similar opportunities available to youth and young adults in our Unitarian Universalist Association, as a way to pass on this tradition.

I was educated in an Open School program at school, that gave me early experiences in building community, which I extended to other leadership positions in high school, at Beloit College, and later at Meadville/Lombard Theological School in Chicago, where I earned my Masters of Divinity in 1991. I was ordained to Unitarian Universalist ministry in 1993, by the churches in Eldorado, and New Madison, Ohio., and received final fellowship in 1996. My early leadership experiences serve me well in my present context as a community leader.

I am a member of the Ohio Valley District Youth Adult Committee (OKIYAC) and have been active in the District, attending events and serving on committees. I have been impressed with the skills and enthusiasm of Hopedale's leaders that I have met over the years at District gatherings. In this way, I feel that I already know something about the congregation, but I look forward to getting to know the people of the congregation, and the area communities. A priority for me has been to be involved with community service organizations and interfaith ministerial organizations, so that I could be visible to the wider community.

I believe that people must begin where they are, and that change grows from within if there is an openness to change, and as a result of outside pressures. Patience and planning can be joined with creativity and caring, for change that is progressive and healthy. Each day, I renew my faith by saying "yes" to life and love with gratitude and creativity, and without regret for the experiences that have shaped me. I am a work in progress, and I look forward to sharing that process with the Hopedale faith community.

Bright Blessings...