When Rev. Dr. Nori Rost realized that the Covid-19 pandemic was going to make it impossible to hold services in person for more than just a few weeks, she paused amidst the scrambling and the hand sanitizing and did some thinking. When it settled upon her that there would be no sermons from the pulpit, songs in the sanctuary, potlucks or RE, or even the casual hugs and high fives that are such an ever-present part of congregational life, she let her mind wander from all the things she couldn’t do to what new things she could. 

After discussing it with her congregation, she concocted a plan: what if she took her ministry–and thus the entire congregation via Zoom–on the road? What if she traveled to sites across the United States that were especially important to Unitarian Universalists and the political and social causes we UU’s fight for? Soon enough, she had converted a used van into a mini-camper so she’d be completely self-sufficient, trained her dog Rubi and her cat WHAM! (exclamation point required) to sleep in it, and set out for the open road. 

And oh the places she went! On what amounted to a ten thousand mile journey, she preached from the lawn of First Church in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where, in 1800, a group of disaffected Congregationalists joined the Unitarian Church. She led worship from Jefferson Square in Louisville, Kentucky, where social justice activists congregated to protest the police killing of Breonna Taylor. She took her congregation deep into the heart of Muir Woods in California to stand among trees that have lived on earth for nearly 1000 years. And she spent Fat Tuesday in the French Quarter of New Orleans, where the sound of street musicians playing on the sidewalk reminded her congregation that, even in our most lonely moments, the good times always roll in the Big Easy! 

In a time of darkness and isolation, she embraced possibility and created something new and rich and meaningful and fun!

We tell you this story because it was among the most memorable things Rev. Nori told our committee when she visited us in Lawrence last month and we felt that it summed up everything we love about her. She is resourceful, creative, and adventuresome. She is intentional, calm, and focused. She can both imagine new ways of building community and figure out how to make them real. And as a minister, she is someone who broadens the horizons of her congregation in every way she can–even when they are literally stuck at home.

There is so much more to learn about Rev. Nori. Please visit the website she has created for UUCL. 

Here is her welcome to you!

And here are a few excerpts from the Ministerial Record she submitted to our application. 

Feel free to ask her to elaborate on any of these themes–or anything else!–during Candidating Week. 

Rev. Nori on Ministry

“I believe it is my responsibility to make sure everyone has access to what they need in terms of both practical and moral support to achieve success, spiritual maturity, and congregational growth.”

“During the two years when I was away from parish ministry, I realized how much I missed the stimulation of preparing challenging and thought-provoking sermons that encouraged deeper reflection and/or greater action in members of the congregation. I enjoy seeing the smiles of sudden insight on people’s faces, helping them gain a deeper understanding of their own inherent worth and dignity and their place in the universe. I find no more meaningful work than growing together with a community of seekers intentionally creating a community of authenticity and transparency. Even in the challenging times of conflict and confrontation I have learned that as we do these things, we not only grow but we heal one another by showing steadfast love and commitment, even in the hard times.”

“The most powerful part of ministry isn’t what is seen or heard on Sunday mornings, but what happens in the small, private moments with a person in need or distress.”

“I love creating meaningful worship services and rituals that have an impact on people. Worship is the weaving together of story, song, and visuals around a central theme.”

Rev. Nori on Theology

“I see myself as an optimistic Humanist: I believe it is up to us to change the world and I also believe there is a greater source that calls us to our highest selves—whether that source is the Universe, the Universal Experience of Love, the Jungian Unconscious, or simply our evolutionary drive to become more, I don’t know, I just believe there is a force that calls us to wholeness. I respect and value all spiritualities and faith traditions for whom this call to wholeness and justice holds true.” 

Rev. Nori on Social Justice

“Social justice is the heart of my ministry. Ever since I came out as a lesbian at 17, I’ve been an activist. As a minister, not only do I take part actively in social justice activism, but I encourage the congregation to do so, as well.”

“I do not believe social justice is to be a theory in our spiritual lives, or something we think will only be achieved sometime in the future. As people of faith I believe we are called to actively pursue social justice in the here and the now: to treat all people’s needs as holy, to give a voice to those who have no voice, to expose the workings of oppression and take oppressor’s to task for their abuse of power, and to show the way of being in right relation with all living beings by the choices we make each day.”

“I also feel strongly that efforts to create social justice must be firmly wedded to joy. In the world in which we live, prophets and seekers of social justice often walk a heartbreaking path, and this is true for entire congregations as well. Creating and making room for joy is just as important as weaving social justice throughout every area of church life.” 

Rev. Nori on Religious Education

“I believe religious education is vital to people of all ages. Particularly in the “Christian” culture in which we are immersed, it is important for all to be educated in the multifarious spiritualities that exist, as well as helping each person to find their own spiritual compass with which to navigate their lives…I think the UUA has the best children/youth education program out there.”

“The crux of our fourth principle is that we are each on a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Religious Education provides the compass, or spiritual north star by which our members of all ages can search.”

Rev. Nori’s Education

• Bachelors of Social Work, California State University-Long Beach, 1994
• Masters of Divinity, Iliff School of Theology, 2005
• Doctorate of Ministry, Episcopal Divinity School, 2007

Rev. Nori’s Experience

• Minister, Pikes Peak Metropolitan Community Church, Colorado Springs, CO, 1994-2006
• Executive Director, Just Spirit: A Center for People of All Faiths to Work and Pray for Justice, Colorado Springs, CO, 2006-2008
• Minister, All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, Colorado Springs, CO, 2008-2021
• Clergy Leader, New York Society for Ethical Culture, New York, NY, 2021-2024