Minister: Rev. Kim Mason
She/Her/Hers
Rev. Kim Mason started as the minister of First Unitarian in the fall of 2019. Before that she was an intern minister at Jefferson Unitarian Church. Kim is a graduate of Meadville Lombard Theological School. Kim is a highly experienced leader, having served UU churches in various capacities for the past 18 years. She worked as a UUA consultant in the Joseph Priestley District for five years, helping congregations to grow and thrive with a particular focus on young adult and campus ministries; she then became a director of religious education, creating vibrant RE programs that attracted many families to the congregations she served over the next decade. In 2016, she answered the call to ordained ministry when she entered seminary.
When she's not in the pulpit you can find her roller skating around town or performing with a local improv team. Kim enjoys gardening, knitting and hanging out with her two cats, Lucy and Tabitha. Pre-pandemic Kim played roller derby with Arch Rival Roller Derby. You can watch a feature about her and her sport that ran on KSDK HERE. You can read the West End Word story about her HERE. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Affiliated Community Minister: Rev. Sabrina Trupia
They/Them
First Unitarian is excited to welcome the Rev. Sabrina Trupia as our Affiliated Community Minister. You may recall Sabrina from their time with us as a Contextual Education student. Rev. Sabrina graduated from Eden Seminary in 2022 and was ordained in April 2024 by the congregation in Montclair, New Jersey where they also did their ministerial internship. Back in the St. Louis area, Rev. Sabrina is working part-time long distance for the UU Congregation of the Quad Cities, in Davenport, Iowa.
Rev. Sabrina is a middle-aged, nonbinary person and their pronouns are they / them. They live in Edwardsville, IL with a spouse (Ed), a teenager (Isabella), and two adopted cats (Bo and Cap’n). As an affiliated community minister Rev. Sabrina will preach for us once a year and provide an annual adult RE opportunity. In their spare time they like to walk, read, do yoga and meditation, and take naps.
Remote Interim Director of Religious Educatopm: Michelle Grove
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Michele Townsend Grove is our remote Interim DRE for the next year. Michele is a religious educator who brings almost 30 years of experience. She began her career as a Christian Educator in the United Methodist tradition and then joined the Unitarian Universalists in 2003. She developed a passion for interim religious education in 2016 and has served this specialized vocation ever since. Michele has served as an interim religious educator with congregations in Manassas, Virginia; Bethesda, Maryland, Stephens City, Virginia; Cherry Hill, New Jersey and Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. Michele served as one of the interim religious education trainers for the UUA from 2008-2016. As a lifelong learner, she earned her Doctor of Ministry in the Spring of 2019.
During the interim period, Michele will work in relationship with all the members and friends, children and adults in the congregation as we determine our values, vision and needs for religious education. We hope you will be a part of this exciting process!
Administration and Programming: Lynn Hunt (Credentialed Religious Educator)
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Lynn Hunt is the Administrator and also oversees adult programming. She is a credentialed religious educator with many years of experience running the Religious Education program at First Church prior to assuming her current position.
Administration
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Choir Director: Joel Knapp
Joel Knapp selects and prepares music for the Adult Choir. He also helps line up guest musicians for services that don't involve the choir. Earl plays organ or piano for all services.
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Administrative Assistant/Sunday Sexton: Augustine Underwood
Ms. Augie ran the nursery at First Church for over twenty years. She recently transitioned to a new position, Sunday Sexton, and can be found in Fellowship Hall on Sunday mornings. She is a much loved member of our church family. Augie will be the first person you meet if you come in to the church office. Augie also handles visitor and new member information.
A/V Technician: Michael 'Moe' Hurst
Michael "Moe" Hurst is our AV technician. He manages our live streaming services. He has a 15 year old daughter and a cat. Before his career brought him here, he worked in a variety of fields from steel manufacturing to pro wrestling to veterinary medicine. An experienced technician, he'll be working behind the scenes to make our multi-platform services possible.
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Nursey and Childcare Worker: Anna Drendel
She/Her
Anna grew up in the First Unitarian Church of Saint Louis. In the past, she has volunteered in multiple RE opportunities. Anna is a certified teacher with a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Southeast Missouri State University. She is an aspiring master naturalist and also works as a wildlife educator.