Alumni News
Mrs. Janet Cordes Gibson (STH ’61)
This obituary was originally posted by East Bay Times and can be found here.
Janet Gibson, our cherished mom, sister, aunt, grandma, friend, and champion, passed away on October 31, 2023. Janet was born on April 30, 1937 and grew up with her parents and older brother, Charles, in San Mateo, CA. One of her first jobs after high school was working as a waitress at the Pancake 
House restaurant where she learned to drink coffee black and to make her famous pancakes. After graduating from College of the Pacific, she attended seminary at Boston University where she met her husband, Ed Gibson. They married in 1962. As seminary students, Janet and Ed were profoundly
influenced by the teachings of theologian Howard Thurman, who was their professor and mentor at BU. One famous quote by Howard Thurman reads, "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Certainly Janet lived her life by this credo as she dedicated herself passionately to that which made her "come alive" such as meeting new people, traveling to new places, joyful celebrations with family and friends, social justice, immigrant rights, nuclear disarmament, world peace and especially peace in the Middle East.
As a young couple, Janet and Ed lived in Knoxville Tennessee where they attended nonviolent social protests against segregation. Afterwards, they lived in Stuttgart, Germany and traveled around the world on their way home to California; visiting dazzling places including Jordan, Egypt, India, and Indonesia. Upon returning to the United States, they lived in Oakland, CA and attended many peace rallies to stop the Vietnam War. Throughout her life, Janet attended various marches and rallies for peace, justice, and worker rights. Most recently she attended the Climate March in Washington DC on her 80th birthday.
In 1972 Janet and Ed moved to Alameda, CA, where Janet held a job as a special education teacher. They raised their two daughters, Sylvia and Jennifer, and a few dogs and cats, in a house furnished with love. Janet worked for Alameda Unified School District for nearly three decades and, after retirement, she served two terms on the Alameda School Board. She was an active union member, valued colleague, supportive mentor, and stalwart advocate for special education students and their families. Janet also served several years as president of the Ecumenical Peace Institute board, dedicated to "embracing all faith and earth-based traditions bringing to life universal values as we seek truth, work for justice, nurture compassion and courage, reach out to each other and to our larger communities of faith and tradition, bridge the divisions that wound the human family, transform ourselves and our world through dedication to nonviolence in education, advocacy, witness and action." Additionally, Janet was involved in Alameda city politics and a member of the Alameda Architectural Preservation Society. She attended the First Congregational Church of Alameda for 40 years and loved the pride flag.
In her moments at home, with family and friends, Janet was known for her 
amazing pies, her voluminous stories, and her astute advice. She attentively supported her beloved husband Ed during his 20 year battle with Parkinson's disease. She encouraged and inspired her children and grandchildren to live healthy, enjoyable lives dedicated to the well-being of our community and world. She and her family spent summers on a quiet lake near Inlet, NYwhere she will be dearly missed by her family and community. Janet is deeply missed, yet remains a shining light in the hearts of her brother Charles and Stella Cordes, her daughters Sylvia Gibson and Jennifer Gibson, her grandchildren Ben Pineda Gibson, Soul Rees, and Eden Rees, as well as her big circle of family, especially Raymond Manna who is "like a son" to her, the whole Biehn family, and her wide sphere of friends and community. We celebrate Janet's life as a life well lived!
A celebration of Janet's life will be held on Saturday June 15, 11am-2pm at the First Congregational Church in Alameda, CA. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Janet's honor to the Middle East Children's Alliance, www.mecaforpeace.org
Mr. Marvin “Ed” E. Gibson (STH ’61)
This obituary was originally posted by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research and can be found here.
August 24, 1935 - May 30, 2018
Ed Gibson lived a great life filled with family, friends, travels, dogs, cars, lawn chairs, beers, movies, poetry and books. His subtle sense of humor and compassionate heart made it easy to talk with him about everything under the sun including the deeper meanings of life. He was outwardly quiet, inwardly kind, and truly interested in the well being of people a
round him.
Ed grew up in New Hartford, NY, with his parents and little sister Julie, who always called him, "My Eddy." In 1957 he graduated from Ohio Wesleyan and then earned a Masters of Divinity at Boston University where he met his future wife, Janet. Ed and Janet first lived in Knoxville, where Ed’s campus ministry job at the University of Tennessee led to his involvement with the civil rights movement and lunch counter sit-ins to end segregation.
Between 1963-1966 Ed worked as a campus minister with international students in Stuttgart, Germany. He and Janet traveled in their red 544 Volvo to most every country in Europe. After leaving Germany, they spent four months driving to the Middle East, flying to Egypt, shipping the “544” to California, and flying eastward around the world.
Ed taught political science and government in the community colleges and local high schools, fixed cars, wrote poetry, and worked as a handyman where he began his business card with humor: “Ed Gibson, Burned-Out Teacher”. He was an engaged, playful, and loving father with his two daughters, Sylvia and Jennifer. He liked to work on cars with his adopted son, Ray. He played tennis with his best friend, Marvin, and could often be found reading a book or writing poetry on the front porch.
At age 60, Ed was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. He was the embodiment of courage as he faced discomforts without complaint, always working with the range of mobility he had, to do the most he could. He loved to spend time with his brother and sister-in-law, Chuck & Stella Cordes; with his three grandchildren Ben, Soul and Eden; and extended family and friends. Every summer Ed could be found on the porch of his Limekiln Lake “camp” in the Adirondacks, where friends stopped by to visit. Ed's gentle nature and kind spirit made it easy to care for him at home until the end of his life. He was so thankful for his loving and capable caregivers, Marilou, Kalo, and Aurele. He was 82 years old when he died and he enjoyed the ride of life even on this last day.
He lives on in our hearts.
Ed’s Poetry:
Feet On Rail
Feet on rail, glass in hand,
I’m a porch rocking spectator
Trying to understand.
Trying to comprehend
The meaning of life:
My dog, my friends,
My teenagers and my wife.
Every Dream
Every dream must be paid for with a portion of the heart,
For it is the heart which dreams, which imagines some reality
And when reality is reached, a sliver of the heart is chipped off
Only to grow again in another dream which may become reality.
Reverend Vernon L. Lee (STH ’57)
This obituary was originally posted by Schepp Family Funeral Homes can be found here.
Vernon LaMont “Bonky” Lee Jr., 92, went to his heavenly home Sunday, December 10, 2023 surrounded by his family. He was born March 27, 1931 to Vernon L. Lee and Ruth G. Lee. Vernon graduated from high school in Herkimer, New York and received his bachelor’s degree in Speech and Drama from Syracuse University in 1954. Vernon subsequently obtained his Masters in Theology from Boston University, School of Theology in 1957.
As a Methodist pastor, in the Central New York Conference he served churches in Wakins Glenn, First Church Syracuse, Trinity Auburn, Geneva, and Christ Church Elmira. In later years he became district superintendent for Elmira, and subsequently conference executive. He completed his active ministry at the United Methodist Church in Fayetteville New York.
Vernon married his loving wife, Marcia L. Heath, 6 days after graduating Syracuse University in June 1954 in Fulton, New York. Vernon and Marcia spent their 69 years of wedded bliss giving back to their community, with special ties to Camp Casowasco, and Hendricks Chapel at Syracuse University. Vernon was an active Rotarian for 63 years and an active trustee of Syracuse University.
Vernon’s favorite places to relax with family and friends were “The Cottage” on Owasco Lake, and “Loons Rising”, the Lee family camp on Lake Rondax, in the Adirondacks. He was well known as a wordsmith, with a gift for acrostics, and a well-loved wry sense of humor. Vernon’s love of family was matched only by his love of the Syracuse University Orange. He enjoyed every game with the vigor befitting only that of a true Orangeman.
He is survived by his wife, Marcia; their two children, Timothy Heath Lee (Kimberly Stoppert) and Amy Beth-Lee Wagenblatt (John); and four grandchildren, Jessica L. Wagenblatt (Brian Changlai), Jenna L. Wagenblatt (Benjamin Coscia), Aidan N. Lee, Evan M. Lee; and one great-grandchild, Wesley John-Paul Wagenblatt-Coscia.
Pastoral Minister, Full-Time, Quaker: Greensboro, NC
Pastoral Minister Job Opening
New Garden Friends Meeting, Greensboro, NC
New Garden Friends Meeting, steeped in Quaker tradition since its founding in 1754, is a progressive, open and affirming faith community, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Our meeting emphasizes peace, social justice, and the belief that there is that of God in everyone. We are seeking a full-time pastoral minister to provide leadership through inspired preaching, compassionate pastoral care, strong support of our community service and social justice efforts, enablement for our members and attenders as partners in ministry, and support and guidance for staff. Our community values the Quaker belief in continuing revelation and welcomes light from many sources and spiritual traditions, including, but not limited to, Christianity and the Bible. Warmth and humor are appreciated in our faith family. A parsonage or a housing allowance is available. Salary, if it includes a housing allowance, will range between $70,000 and $90,000 and will be based on a candidate’s qualifications and experience. Additional compensation in the form of a benefits package, and relocation expenses will also be provided.
Membership in the Religious Society of Friends is preferred, but not required. If you are an experienced Quaker or Quaker-friendly pastoral minister and are interested in becoming an integral part of our community, please send a resume/ profile, a one-page statement of faith, and a cover letter to NGFMSearch@gmail.com. Applications will be accepted through March 15, 2024 or until the position is filled. For more information about New Garden Friends Meeting, please visit ngfm.org/founded1754 .
NGFM is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination in employment because of race, color, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other protected category.
Profile
New Garden Friends Meeting
Greensboro, North Carolina
New Garden Friends is a Quaker Meeting with 300 members and active attenders. The average weekly attendance is approximately 110. Ours is an aging congregation eager to include more young families.
The Meeting is located in Guilford County (pop. 546,000 in 2022) in the Piedmont region of north central North Carolina. The Meeting, established in 1754, anchors a community of Quaker institutions: Guilford College, Friendship Friends Meeting, Friends Homes retirement community, New Garden Cemetery Association, and New Garden Friends School (K-12). The Meeting maintains dual memberships in Friends United Meeting and Friends General Conference. In addition to the settled pastor, New Garden employs two other full-time staff members: an Office Manager and a Religious Education Coordinator. We also employ several part-time staff members: a Visitation Pastor, Music Minister, Organist/Pianist, Communication Assistant, Childcare Providers, and a Custodian.
The resource of the meetinghouse is used throughout the week to house other ministries such as office space for American Friends Service Committee, Siembra NC, and a play group for home-schooled children in the community.
Much of the work of the Meeting is shared by members through various committees which include: Religious Education, House, Grounds, Finance and Stewardship, Peace and Social Concerns, and Quaker Relations. New Garden has a Meeting for Ministry and Counsel, which partners with the Pastoral Minister in providing spiritual guidance, pastoral care, and worship planning.
Each First Day begins with a small, unprogrammed meeting (approximately a dozen attendees), and is followed by a larger semi-programmed meeting. The first half of the semi-programmed meeting for worship includes congregational singing, readings, special music, and a prepared message. The second half consists of open worship, during which members and attendees are welcome to share vocal ministry, as led by the Spirit. During the pandemic, New Garden began a hybrid ministry which enables members who cannot attend in person to participate remotely.
Our community deeply values the traditional Quaker testimonies and belief in “continuing revelation.” We welcome Light from many sources and spiritual traditions, including, but not limited to, Christianity and the Bible. New Garden has a strong commitment to social justice and works for peace, racial equity, environmental justice, and supports the immigrant and LBGTQ+ communities. New Gardeners join with others in the larger Greensboro community and world by working with and funding international, national, and local organizations such as AFSC, FCNL, FCNCL, QUNO, RSWR, Greensboro Urban Ministries, and Meals on Wheels.
New Garden Friends Meeting is blessed with the resources needed to carry us where the Spirit leads in this next chapter.
updated 1-11-24
Director of Church Music, Part-Time, UU: Newburyport, MA
The First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist (FRSUU) in Newburyport, MA seeks an accomplished organist/pianist and choral director with church experience and excellent interpersonal skills to help FRSUU’s music program continue to grow and flourish. This is a congregation who loves music and looks forward to the continuing development of a diverse and eclectic music ministry.
The Director of Church Music (DCM) is responsible for directing all aspects of the church’s music program. The DCM serves as organist/pianist and director of the Adult Choir and is expected to enhance the adult music offerings, cultivate volunteer musicians within the congregation, and create a program that includes diverse musical styles and expression through programming and outreach to the larger musical community. Music is an essential part of our spiritual life. Enriched with many active musicians within the congregation, our music program serves to deepen our spirituality, maintains a high musical quality, and supports and nurtures people of all musical abilities. As a highly visible performance space in the center of this historic town, the 450+ member church considers its music program to be an important outreach to the community. The church is home to a historic 1834 Joseph Alley two-manual organ.
The Director of Church Music is a 0.5 FTE position (approximately 20 hours per week). FRSUU is a Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Fair Compensation Congregation and follows their recommended policies on salary ranges for a church of our size and location and the candidate’s qualifications, skills, and experience. Participation in special services such as weddings and memorial services will be separately compensated. FRS offers a generous program of benefits, including paid vacation, retirement benefits, life insurance, and participation in the FRS health, dental, and long-term disability programs.
Full job description and posting:
https://www.frsuu.org/employment-opportunities/
Application Deadline: March 1, 2024
Anticipated Start Date: Between July 15 and August 1, 2024
FRSUU is an Equal Opportunity Employer. People of Color, LGBTQ+, women, and members of other historically marginalized groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
Global Mission Intern, Full-Time, Disciples of Christ & United Church of Christ
Position: Global Mission Intern
Global Ministries is the common witness of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. Our two denominations have a formal partnership through which Disciples Overseas Ministries and the UCC’s Wider Church Ministries share common staff, budget, programs/projects, and governance in our presence and witness with international partners throughout the global community.
Global Ministries works with approximately 250 partners in close to 90 countries. We join hands with international partners and walk together in mutual love and respect with our siblings around the world. Partners include local churches, denominations, councils of churches, health and human service organizations, educational institutions, human and civil rights organizations.
The Global Mission Intern program invites young adults (ages 21 – 30) to challenge yourself in a one to three-year international mission service opportunity. As you offer yourself in service, you will also learn more about yourself, your relationship with God, and your place in God’s world.
As a Global Mission Intern, you will have:
1. A cross-cultural mission assignment which enables you to share your gifts and skills with partner churches and church agencies around the world.
2. An opportunity to develop your leadership skills and vocational
interests in overseas ministry, pastoral ministry or other vocations.
3. An opportunity to learn a second language.
4. An opportunity to enhance your world view, especially the reality of young adults living in other countries around the world.
6. An opportunity for a life-changing adventure.
7. An opportunity for spiritual development and formation
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS:
21 – 30 years old
General knowledge of Global Ministries
Good written communication skills
Conscientious of attendance and punctuality.
Commitment to a performance that meets expectations
Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and independently, exercising initiative with appropriate follow through.
Ability to handle a variety of issues and personalities with tact and courtesy
Openness, flexibility, and adaptability to intercultural settings
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, and resume to: the Rev. James Semmelroth Darnell, International Recruitment and Training Coordinator, at jsdarnell@dom.disciples.org.
Zoom Host, Gig (Paid Per Appearance), UU: West Roxbury, MA
Zoom Host
Theodore Parker Church (West Roxbury) is seeking a high school graduate/college student familiar with Zoom and its most used features, plus familiarity with sound equipment, to host our worship services. Hours are Sundays, 10 am-noon, early September-late June. $75 per service. This is an on-site (not remote) position. See the complete job description here.
Theodore Parker Church is an equal opportunity employer. To apply, please email a resume and short letter of introduction to our congregational administrator at office@tparkerchurch.org.
Intern, Part-Time, UU: Lexington, MA
Ministerial Internship Job Posting
January 2024
Follen Church, Lexington MA
Follen Church is looking for a part-time intern for the 2024-2026 church years. We are offering a salary of $13,600 for 15 hours a week worked September – June, plus $2,000 annually for professional expenses, and an office computer if needed. Possibility of negotiating additional summer hours.
Supervisor:
Rev. Claire Feingold Thoryn was called as the parish minister of Follen Church in 2013. Claire is a lifelong UU who graduated from Harvard Divinity School in 2006. Her ministerial internship was at Beacon Church in Summit, NJ and her Clinical Pastoral Education was served at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. She served as the Associate Minister at First Parish in Lincoln, MA (UU/UCC) for seven years from 2006 through 2013. She was granted Final Fellowship in 2009. She has served in many denominational and collegial capacities including as a UU Ministers’ Association Good Officer and as a substitute panelist for the Ministerial Fellowship Committee seminarians. Rev. Claire is the Lecturer in UU Preaching at Boston University School of Theology and Harvard Divinity School.
Site Description:
Founded by abolitionist Charles Follen in the 1800s, our congregation is healthy, vibrant, and engaged. Follen has a long tradition of being a teaching congregation. Our most recent internship offerings were in 2014-2016 and 2022-2024. Previous ministers Rev. Polly Guild and Rev. Lucinda Duncan also mentored interns. We are proud to have launched many UU ministers! After a capital campaign, an extensive building project, and the global pandemic, we are in a strong and creative place, and excited for the new ideas and skills an intern brings.
We have a great deal to offer prospective interns. The congregation has about 450 adult members and friends, and a sizable program for children and youth. Our music program has long been historically strong, and our Music Director, Chris Eastburn, has brought incredible new energy to it. We are proud of our ongoing commitment to justice work, one aspect of which can be seen in hosting a family of Afghan refugees in the former parsonage, the Marshman Center, next door to our main building. Our Director of Religious Education oversees well-developed religious education and youth programs. In addition we have active small group ministry, lay ministry and pastoral care outreach, and a strong commitment to spiritual development, as seen by many Follen members taking the UUA offering “Claiming our Spiritual Leadership.” More than half the congregation is involved in a covenant group or other spiritual support/affinity group. Given our roots in the abolitionist movement Follen continues to hold social justice work as a priority.
Job Description:
What are you excited to learn? What are you good at? What do you want to try, experience, get better at? These are all conversations we will have to shape your Learning Agreement. Both the congregation and minister are excited to help the intern learn based on their needs, talents, and skills. There is plenty of ministry to do at Follen.
We will be most interested in hearing what the intern feels passionate about, and what skills they wish to develop as they go through the ministerial credentialing process. We expect that any intern will desire a well-rounded experience as well as having a chance to delve deeply into certain tasks. We hope you will bring your fresh eyes and new ideas to us, so that we all can learn and change over the course of our relationship.
The intern will practice all the arts of ministry, including (but not limited to): preaching and worship, social justice organizing and visioning, lifespan religious education, pastoral care and counseling, and administration and management. We expect this work will be both in person (Sundays as well as additional hours during the week, to be arranged with the supervisor) as well as offering some opportunities to work from home.
To Apply:
Please send Rev. Feingold Thoryn at claire.feingoldthoryn@follen.org the following items to apply for this position:
A cover letter describing why you are interested in Follen, specifically, and your current learning goals; a resume; some worship elements you have created, including a homily or sermon; and contact information for two or three references. We will process these applications through rolling submission until March 15, 2024 with the goal of hiring an intern to begin September 2024.
Applications will be reviewed by Rev. Feingold Thoryn, who will choose finalists to interview. The finalists’ names and materials will be shared with a selection team including the chair of the Worship and Music Action Team and a representative from our Human Resources committee. We will hold interviews in person.
Reverend Peggy O’Connor (STH ’03) Co-Authors The Perpetual Pivot: Ministry in the Pandemic and Beyond
Reverend Dr. Susan Cartmell and Reverend Peggy O'Connor (STH '03) have recently co-authored The Perpetual Pivot: Ministry in the Pandemic and Beyond.
The book description as given on Rev. Dr. Cartmell's website is as follows:
"A lot has been written about the challenges for front line workers in the COVID 19 pandemic, but what about the clergy?
Churches rely on close encounters. The more crowded the better. They foster experiences where people gather to pass food, receive sacraments, sing boldly, greet strangers. All these activities were suddenly off-limits and even dangerous in this international pandemic. That meant, suddenly the clergy had to re-imagine everything they knew about leading worship, visiting the sick, and reaching out to those in need.
Over two years we interviewed 53 clergy from Cape Cod to Alaska, from Florida to California and gathered their stories about how they persevered. We learned how they re-invented worship online, how they found ways to minister to the sick, how they invented new programs to help the needy.
We heard amazing stories about how they carried their people through this international crisis with grit and courage. The Perpetual Pivot is their story, the story of their challenges and creativity. It’s a story about how these faith leaders found their own faith being tested, and how some resigned and retired but not before they worked hard to make a difference in the lives of others.
The pandemic came at a time when most churches were already in a season of change, a time of transition. Mainline Protestant denominations were reporting record losses of members, and many congregations were already in steep decline. But as clergy lived through the pandemic, even with its expanding online audiences, they began to question how this public health crisis would reshape their work and the institutions that they served."
To learn more or purchase the text, please click here.
Dr. Basil Kongwah Considine (GRS’13, STH’06) Reviews New Opera
The following is an except from from The Boston Musical Intelligencer article “Adoration, Myths, and Reality” by Dr.Basil Kongwah Considine (GRS'13, STH'06), published on January 14, 2024. 
Prejudice, love, collective judgment, and the uncertainty of truth. These are some of the major threads woven into Adoration, a new opera by Mary Kouyoumdjian and Royce Vavrek that premiered at New York City’s PROTOTYPE Festival last night. The marriage of music, text, sonic effects, and video reframing pushes audiences to question what is real, what is deceit, and what glimmers of truth we can glean from the world – or think that we have gleaned...
Whatever its aesthetics, Adoration delves deeply into several threads that are sure to have audiences talking afterwards – the secrets that we carry, the myths that we (re)write, and the instinctive and collective reactions that we both embrace and deny. That’s not a bad combo to ponder amongst friends and strangers, suffused by gorgeous music.