Alumni News
Religious Exploration Coordinator, Part-Time, UU: Brookline, MA
First Parish in Brookline, a Unitarian Universalist congregation, seeks a Religious Exploration Coordinator for the upcoming church year. The congregation membership is approximately 150 adults, with 20 children currently enrolled in the RE program. We are looking for a dynamic, energetic, flexible and grounded individual to help develop and implement religious exploration programming and events that serve the needs of the children, youth and families (in their many forms) in the congregation. We seek a detail-oriented, collaborative, motivated, and highly organized person who has experience working with children and youth.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: Religious Exploration for Children and Youth (Nursery – Grade 12)
- Collaborate with the Religious Exploration (RE) Committee to plan and manage the overall program, including registration, family and teacher outreach, updating of RE activities on church calendar and program logistics
- Coordinate with Worship Committee on child/youth-specific aspects of Sunday services
- Coordinate with Minister and Pastoral Care to support families in times of need
- Engage with church committees (Climate Justice Action, Racial Justice Action, etc.) to coordinate and amplify events of interest to children and youth
- Develop strategies with committees and stakeholders to sustain and grow membership
- Create opportunities for new RE families to connect with the staff and congregation
- Bridge First Parish with other local communities thru RE-related events by drafting descriptions of upcoming events and providing them to church members to share
QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS:
- Bachelor’s degree or higher, preferably with a focus on education
- At least one year of experience working with children in an educational or spiritual setting. Credentialed Religious Educator or equivalent experience is a plus.
- Familiarity with Unitarian Universalism and its liberal religious theology, values and programs preferred, or an openness and commitment to learn
- Strong organizational skills and ability to work both independently and collaboratively
- Ability to communicate clearly and collaborate effectively with congregants, parents, youth, volunteers, and other staff members
- Strength with email and messaging communications, MS Office and Google Docs, member management software, and online scheduling/coordination systems (mailing lists, calendars). Experience with social media promotion and media production is a plus.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE:
The CRE will work collaboratively with the Senior Minister and the RE Committee. The position will be supervised, and performance will be evaluated by the Senior Minister, with input from the RE Committee and other stakeholders. The role will also have a small amount of supervision responsibilities over caregivers hired for the nursery or special events.
SCHEDULE AND BENEFITS:
This is a Part-time, 12-month position, with benefits, vacation, sick leave and personal time off as outlined in the First Parish in Brookline personnel policy. You can view all of our policies, bylaws, and more at: firstparishinbrookline.org/aboutfpb/reports/
The active church year runs from September through June (summer services are lay led in July and August). The CRE will be expected to be at church on Sundays from September to June. Afternoon, Evening and Weekend-only hours are possible. The CRE will also be expected to maintain scheduled office hours, participate in staff meetings, and attend evening or weekend meetings and church events as requested. Preparation for the next church year happens during the summer. A flexible summer schedule may be negotiated. Continuing education, training and participation in conferences and professional gatherings are important for the professional development of the CRE. Continuing education and study leave time are offered as part of our professional benefits package; such time to be approved by the CRE supervisor. Sponsored membership in Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA) available.
Rev. Dr. Olusegun Solomon Osineye (’18,’22) authors “Neighborhood Transformation: A Specialized Ministry to African Immigrants”
Reverend Dr. Olusegun Solomon Osineye, ('18,'22) recently published the 2024 text titled Neighborhood Transformation: A Specialized Ministry to African Immigrants
The book description reads:
"Neighborhood Transformation is a Christian re-imagination of compassionate ministry through the application of the practice of biblical hospitality. This book advocates the creation of community outreach programs focused on emotional support, legal support, and spiritual refuge for undocumented African immigrants. 
Linking the theological and biblical vision for neighborhood transformation with the philosophical framework of community building, it considers the meaning of community within the context of the Christian calling to build a community of strangers in a pluralistic society like the United States of America. The African diaspora is invited to their vocational calling of rebuilding their local communities using Nehemiah, Ezra, and the contemporary Jewish community in the Diaspora as biblical and contemporary example."
Dr. Thomas Hermans-Webster (’22) to serve as Faculty at Memphis Theological Seminary
The following is an excerpt from the Memphis Theological Seminary article “Dr. Thomas Hermans-Webster Joins Faculty at MTS!” published on July 29, 2024. Click here to read the full article.
"Memphis Theological Seminary is proud to 
announce the addition of Rev. Dr. Thomas Hermans-Webster to our faculty. He will teach the required courses for students seeking ordination in The United Methodist Church. Dr. Hermans-Webster is an ordained elder from the North Alabama Conference of The United Methodist Church. He holds a BA from Birmingham Southern, where he majored in philosophy and the Classics, and an MDiv from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University with a concentration in systematic and liturgical theology. He earned his PhD from Boston University. His dissertation is “The Eucharist and Planetary Wellbeing: Norman Pittenger’s Process Theology of the Eucharist for a Sacramental Ecotheology.” Previously, he taught United Methodist courses as an Assistant Professor at the Pacific School of Religion."
Dr. Gina Ann Zurlo (’17) Published in Review of Religious Research
The following is the abstract from Dr. Gina Ann Zurlo’s article “Gender Gaps in World Christianity: Membership, Participation, and Leadership,” published by the Religious Research Association on September 25, 2024. Click here to read the full article.
"This article presents findings from recent 
research that nuances gender gaps in World Christianity utilizing quantitative data on religious membership, participation, and leadership. The article outlines the assumptions and theories undergirding this project on global gender inequalities by utilizing data from the United Nations and World Economic Forum. It then presents original research that produced gendered data on church membership, participation, and leadership around the world, drawing from the World Christian Database, Pew Research Center, and World Values Survey. These data are put into conversation with national level gender gap data in Mongolia, Israel, Estonia, and Ghana to provide country-level examples of how data can be used to shed light on women’s challenges and opportunities both in society and the church. Without comprehensive quantitative data on women's experiences around the world, it is difficult to know what problems exist and how they can be addressed. Data from this project can be applied contextually to address the gendered dynamics of church life and interrogate unequal social norms that perpetuate women’s overlooked status in churches and societies worldwide."
Photo courtesy of https://ginazurlo.com/.
Reverend Dr. William E. Ramsden (STH ’57, GRS ’60)
This obituary was originally posted by William H. Clark Funeral Home, Inc. and can be found here.
Rev. Dr. William "Bill" E. Ramsden died at Moravian Hall Square in Nazareth, PA on Sept. 7 at the age of 92. He was married to Elsa Ramsden for 59 years. He is survived by his daughter, Karin, her husband, Steve, their two children Julia and Justin, and his son, Richard. He is predeceased by his son Ron, and is survived by Ron's wife, Denise, and their two children, Jason and Angela.
Bill grew up in Buffalo, New York, attending the 
University of Buffalo, where he met his wife, Elsa. He got his Ph.D. from Boston University, attending the seminary there, specializing in pastoral counseling. He served as a Methodist church pastor in Boston, Indianapolis, and Philadelphia. Most recently he was the pastor of Zion United Church of Christ in Stroudsburg for over 15 years. He helped to develop a team of ministers to lead this wonderful church family, which brought him great joy and fulfillment. He worked there until he was 86 years old, never wanting to stop. In addition to being a minister, Bill was devoted to helping his community, serving on the board of the Stroudsburg YMCA, Historical Society, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and was a member of The Rotary Club. Bill was Executive Director of Opportunity Associates, a consulting business he started to help churches with development and growth. He was a true servant of God, looking for ways to help others at every turn. He also wrote several books on church growth and ministry.
Bill had an amazing wit and delighted in cracking jokes. He loved to read, especially about history and science. He traveled extensively with his family and loved to plan trips. On one trip to England, he met Queen Elizabeth! He was devoted to his family, building an office in his home to be available to his children. He enjoyed working on wonderful projects with his children: building a model railroad and a Bradley GT kit car.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 4:30 p.m. at Zion United Church of Christ, 14 N. Eighth St., Stroudsburg, PA. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Zion United Church of Christ or the American Cancer Society.
Rev. Robert M. Cassels (’70)
This obituary was originally posted by McCrery and Harra Funeral Home and Crematory Inc. and can be found here.
The Rev. Robert M. Cassels (Bob), 86, passed away following a years-long battle with esophageal cancer on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at his home in Wilmington, Delaware. His beloved wife of nearly 63 years, Sheila, was at his side.
Bob was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on February 11, 1938, to John M. Cassels and Gladys J. Cassels (née Sorenson).
His early years were spent largely in Silver Spring, 
Maryland, and Greenwich, Connecticut. Following graduation from Greenwich High School in 1956, Bob attended Oberlin College in Ohio, majoring in religion and participating in numerous productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operas, fostering what would become a lifelong involvement in the theatre. It was at Oberlin that Bob also met Sheila (née Frazer); they graduated in 1960 and were married on August 26, 1961, in Moosic, Pennsylvania (with Sheila’s father, the Rev. William J. Frazer, performing the ceremony).
After obtaining an additional degree in theology from Yale Divinity School and being ordained as a minister in the United Church of Christ, Bob moved with Sheila to rural upstate New York, where he would serve his first parish, the Plainville Christian Church. During their time in Plainville, Bob and Sheila also started their family, welcoming a son John in 1963, a son Christopher in 1965, and a daughter Elizabeth in 1967. They also got a Shetland Sheepdog named Buffy, the first of many Shelties the family would own (among other things, a loving tribute to the Scots heritage on both of its sides).
In 1968, they moved to Plymouth, Massachusetts, where Bob worked as associate pastor at the Church of the Pilgrimage, UCC, while also completing studies for a master’s degree in sacred theology at Boston University. Subsequent moves took the family to Plymouth, Wisconsin (where Bob served the First Congregational Church); Alexandria, Virginia (for a 2-year program in clinical pastoral education); Jacksonville, Illinois (to serve the Jacksonville Congregational United Church of Christ); and Nutley, New Jersey (to serve St. Paul’s Congregational UCC). A devoted, loving father and proactive community leader throughout his life, Bob characteristically, finding on the move to Jacksonville no opportunities for his children to play soccer as they had done in Virginia, galvanized local support for and spearheaded the creation of a successful youth soccer association.
Called to the pastoral vocation out of abiding concern for the well-being of others—recognition of the needs and vulnerabilities of those facing struggles in their everyday lives—Bob was a tireless spiritual attendant to the communities he served. A talented orator, he was particularly known and prized for eloquent, insightful sermons that spoke with subtle power to the ongoing relevance of Christ’s example to the personal and social conditions his parishioners faced. Possessed of a holistic understanding of what constituted the health of a church in its present and its future, Bob in his practice particularly emphasized areas such as youth ministry/education, music and the arts, and spiritual counseling.
Having seen firsthand throughout his career the difference made by the quality of ministry a church receives during a passage from one pastor to the next, and afforded greater flexibility with his children no longer in the home, Bob followed his years at St. Paul’s by making a specialty practice of serving a number of congregations in northern New Jersey as an interim pastor, assisting them with sensitivity and grace in crucial periods of transition. Bob and Sheila eventually settled in a home in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, and he completed his full-time ministerial career aiding in another—more personal, existentially monumental—kind of transition, serving for 8 years as a chaplain with St. Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center, a position he found especially rewarding and fulfilling.
A participant in community theater from his years in Illinois onward, Bob carved out time in the midst of his occupation of interim posts for what Sheila called a “do-it-yourself sabbatical,” earning an MFA in theatre from Montclair State University, and for the final dozen of their years in New Jersey he was active in the UCC Players, a theatre troupe housed in the church he and Sheila attended in Montclair.
In 2009, Bob and Sheila retired to their final home together, a lovely, sprawling house on a cul-de-sac in Wilmington, Delaware. This house provided ample wall space for the display of their extensive collection of art, much of it created by family members (artistic talent running on both sides). Its proximity to park spaces for walking and to the rich cultural offerings of the University of Delaware and the community at large made it a stimulating site in which to spend their retirement years. They particularly enjoyed visiting the Delaware Art Museum (in Wilmington), the Brandywine Museum of Art (in Chadds Ford, PA), and Longwood Gardens (in Kennett Square, PA). And it was in this house that Bob and Sheila had the joy of celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, an event marked in the company of many extended family members and beloved lifelong friends.
A particularly gratifying professional and personal experience for Bob was to have been able to perform the wedding ceremonies of all three of his children and—in June 2023—to have the honor of traveling to Lubbock, Texas, and officiating at the wedding of the first of his grandchildren to marry.
Even after the passing of Bob and Sheila’s final Sheltie, Jock, Bob kept a stuffed toy Sheltie with him in his car, ever at his side wherever he went.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents and by his older brother, William S. Cassels.
He is survived by Sheila, by his three children, and by five grandchildren: Milo and Colin Nygren-Cassels and Owen, Dylan, and Wesley Aptekar-Cassels.
Memorial services will be held at New Ark United Church of Christ in Newark, Delaware, and at Union Congregational Church in Montclair, New Jersey. Dates and details will be shared here as they become available.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be offered in Bob’s honor to the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute, Newark, Delaware.
Prof. Shelly Rambo honored by Yale Divinity School for work in Theological Education
Yale Divinity School (YDS) has named Associate Professor of Theology Shelly Rambo as its 2024 honoree for Distinction in Theological Education. The award is granted to a YDS alumnus “whose scholarship, teaching or leadership and contributions to vocational formation for ministry reflect the best traditions of YDS and its distinguished faculty.” Prof. Rambo will be honored for her decades of intensive professional work, which sits at the intersection of trauma and religion and has led to partnerships with chaplains and educators in post-conflict areas. She has been an instrumental voice in designing the Chaplaincy Track for BUSTH's Master of Divinity program, showcasing her dedication to furthering development of theological education to fit the needs of today's faith leadership landscape.
“YDS deeply shaped me as a theologian,” says Prof. Rambo. “I am honored to be a distinguished alum!”
More information about the Yale Divinity School award categories can be found here. Congratulations, Prof. Rambo!
Prof. James McCarty featured in BU Today: What would you like to ask the next US President?
The following is an excerpt from BU Today’s article “15 Thought-Provoking Questions for America’s Next President, Posed by BU Community,” featuring Assistant Clinical Professor of Religion and Conflict Transformation James McCarty, published on October 1, 2024. Click here to read the full article.
We asked what question they’d like to see asked of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump
...
If you could take 50 percent of the military budget and allot it elsewhere, would you? And, if so, where would that money go?
McCarty: Martin Luther King, Jr., once said that to overcome the triple evils of “racism, extreme materialism, and militarism,” we must have “a revolution of values.” If this values revolution doesn’t come, he said, we will be incapable of charting a path for a peaceful future because “[a] nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”
...
Director of Ministry with Children and Families, Full-Time, UMC: Nashville, TN
Belmont United Methodist Church is a community of Christ-followers growing in love of God and neighbor. This is what we at Belmont UMC believe Christian discipleship is, what we are to be, and what Jesus meant when he sent his followers to “make disciples.” We believe every person is of sacred worth and created in God’s image. We commit to Jesus’ example of inclusive love, care, and intentional hospitality with persons of every race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, faith story, physical or mental ability, economic status, or political perspective. We respect our diversity of opinion and expressions of faith. Therefore, as God loves us, so let us love and serve in the name of Christ.
The Director of Ministry with Children and Families will be responsible for leading our children’s ministry and ministry with their families. They will ensure that children and their families’ spiritual education needs are met and that children are actively involved in the life of the congregation. The Director will recruit, equip, and empower a strong core of ministry partners so that Belmont can effectively meet the spiritual, educational and community needs of children and their families.
Essential Functions:
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Recruit, equip, and empower the volunteer ministry partners who lead children’s discipleship
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Support, encourage, resource, and empower ministry partners
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Work with other age level ministry staff and leaders to coordinate and integrate a church-wide plan of discipleship and Christian education so that our children and families can learn the age-appropriate fundamentals of our faith and love God with their minds, hearts and souls.
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Foster community by investing in relationships with children and their families
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Work with and support our children’s choir director to integrate all of our children discipleship efforts
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Lead, plan, resource and oversee children’s Sunday School and other discipleship events
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Equip, lead and resource family ministry discipleship events and groups so our families are better equipped to lead family devotions, spiritual discussions and Christ-like leadership.
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Resource curriculum to meet the needs of children and families
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Create and equip leaders for new discipleship opportunities and groups for families
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Create a community with our ministry partners and our Children’s Ministry Committee that is engaged and supportive of children’s discipleship
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Advocate for ministry with children and families in church-wide planning and practice.
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Providing leadership for children’s ministry programming, especially on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings
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Coordinating, planning, and creating key annual events in children’s ministry, such as Vacation Bible School, All Church Retreat, Children’s Sabbath, kindergarten prayer friends and third grade bible presentations
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Coordinate and advocate for the deeper integration of children in worship services and church-wide events
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Contact visiting families and walk with them as they connect with, and hopefully join, our church
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Assist new member families to integrate into and engage in discipleship pathways
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Ensure adherence to the BUMC Safe Sanctuaries policy
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Support the Golden Triangle Fellowship Pastor and help GTF children be part of children’s programming (The Golden Triangle Fellowship is a community of immigrants and refugees from Thailand, Myanmar and Burma that are members of our church and worship in Belmont UMC’s chapel)
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Supervise the nursery coordinator and staff to ensure our nursery provides hospitality and is a safe and welcoming place for our youngest guests. Ensure our nursery offers age-appropriate Christian education and environment for our youngest members
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Work with the Belmont Weekday School to recruit and integrate WDS families into the discipleship of our church, being present to offer spiritual counsel and care for WDS staff and families with spiritual needs.
Spiritual Gifts and Qualifications: The Director should show evidence of passion for ministry with children and deep interest in and commitment to faith formation of the entire church family. The ideal candidate would possess:
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Passion for helping Children accept their belovedness and grow up to be faithful Christ-followers
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A passion to integrate children’s discipleship into their homes
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The ability to project a sense of vibrancy, community and welcome
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The ability to attract, recruit, and equip volunteer ministry partners
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A passion for living into Belmont’s welcoming statement ensuring all people are welcomed and embraced
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Excellent organization and planning skills along with an ability to delegate and equip volunteers
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Prior experience and leadership in children’s ministry or children’s education
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Knowledge and understanding of the United Methodist Church and our theology
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A strong team player
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An understanding of and training in child development
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A deep commitment to ensuring child protection and safety
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The ability to listen to and communicate with people of all ages
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Four-year Bachelor’s degree and training, experience, and/or passion in Christian education for children
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Cross-cultural competency and experience
Working Conditions:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be in an educational environment leading children. The employee must occasionally lift or move objects or assist with normal children’s activities being able to lift items up to 25 pounds. The employee must be able to use standard office equipment and be able to join in some forms of normal childcare activities .
Anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policy: Belmont United Methodist Church strives to provide a work environment that is free from discrimination and unlawful harassment. We will not permit discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military status, veteran status, disability, handicap, or any other legally protected category under applicable federal or state law. This standard of conduct applies to all managers, supervisors, employees, customers, and vendors.
Reports to: Senior Pastor.
Salary Range: commensurate with experience and education.
Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement (403b), Vacation, Life Insurance
Hours: 40+ hours per week; hours are flexible during normal weekday business hours; some remote work may be coordinated with your supervisor. Regular attendance on Wednesday evenings, Sunday mornings, and Sunday evenings, as well as other occasional evening and weekend events are required.
Submission Process: Candidates should submit resumes and cover letters (optional) to Seth Neumann by emailing seth@belmontumc.org.
Minister of Music, Part-Time, Episcopal: Needham, MA
The Minister of Music will be the principal musician, and will work collegially with the Rector, staff, parish leadership, and parish musicians to lead the musical aspects of our overall mission to love God and neighbor as Jesus teaches. We seek someone who is skilled, comfortable, and happy playing both the organ and piano, as well as teaching and directing a choir of mixed professional and parish singers. Familiarity with and sensitivity to church liturgies are very important, as is a passion for excellence.
This person will have a degree in music or equivalent proficiency, and demonstrated joy, flexibility, dependability, and creativity in the making of music in a sacred setting. We desire a person with a deep conviction in the power of music to lift the human spirit and to inspire each of us to be our best selves in a world in need of hope and healing. The Music Minister will work with the Rector to attract and retain section leaders with a similar conviction. A desire to grow in familiarity with the Anglican musical tradition at its widest view—77 million Anglicans on 6 continents—is helpful. We also desire an interest in programming compositions by female composers as well as composers of color.
This person believes that everyone can sing, values the musical gifts of those called to sing alongside paid section leaders, as well as those who are “singers in the pews.” This person also has the flexibility to gather ad hoc groups of singers to offer musical pieces that are accessible to all regardless of age or ability. This person will also encourage the visibility, gifts and talents of younger members of the congregation; and would welcome the opportunity to recruit, teach, and direct a Children’s/Youth Choir.
Essential Functions
+Work with the Rector (and periodically with an ad hoc Worship and Arts Committee) on liturgy design and planning
+Serve as director, organist, and pianist for the parish choir
+short (usually weekly) meetings with Rector and staff (sometimes by Zoom).
+ Seasonally longer meeting with the Rector to sketch out seasonal music plans.
+Plan and select hymnody and service music in a timely fashion for the liturgies of the congregation in consultation and partnership with the Rector using as a basis Hymnal 1982, Wonder, Love and Praise (WLP), Lift Every Voice and Sing (LEVAS) as well other sources; program anthems. Service music is done seasonally. Hymns a month or so ahead.
+With the support of the Rector and other lay leaders, recruit, train, and rehearse the choir, vocal and instrumental soloists and ensembles
+Provide or arrange for the provision of music at funerals and weddings
+Manage the music budget in consultation with Rector and Treasurer’s Office
+Submit monthly payroll for section leaders
+Manage music-related communications and worship bulletin in consultation with the Director of Parish Operations, including on-line streaming permissions for music
+Manage the choir library and maintain the musical instruments of the parish
+Hire musicians as may be required to meet the musical needs of the parish, including but not limited to substitute organists and /or conductors, instrumentalists, and singers (for example, Easter trumpets)
+Interest in the opportunity to program and manage parish-sponsored concerts and music events for the wider community
+Consult with non-parish music event sponsors requesting to use the facilities and music instruments (a very small part of the job)
+An annual review is part of the oversight function of the Rector.
Salary and Terms Summary
+Part-time, year ‘round salaried position, averaging about 15 hours per week
+salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience and education in concert with the 2023 salary survey of the Association of Anglican Musicians
+4 weeks of paid vacation, 4 Sundays off.
+Music Budget provide funds for professional memberships in the AGO
+Right of first refusal for funerals and weddings for additional fees
+After 1 year, Christ Church will offer a retirement plan to the Minister of Music. Christ Church will contribute 5% of salary to a Fidelity plan of the Music Minister’s choice. Christ Church will match up to 4% of employee contribution.
+Use of facilities for private teaching
Additional Information
Availability: negotiable, but preferably before Christmas, 2024
To apply: please submit a cover letter; a CV; the names and contact information for 3 references (including a clergy supervisor) and a link to a performance or rehearsal.
Please be in touch with Nick Morris-Kliment, Rector, at needhamrector@gmail.com to learn more. We look forward to meeting you.
Christ Episcopal Church 1132 Highland Avenue Needham MA 02494, www.ccneedham.org, 781-444-1469