Minister

Rev. Carol Strecker, Minister

 Last fall, in the middle of the Pandemic, we welcomed Rev. Carol Strecker as our Interim Minister.  We’ve gotten to know each other virtually during the last year and are very much looking forward to getting to know one another in-person this fall.  Rev. Carol is helping us navigate the uncharted seas in front of us as we set a course for the future for our congregation.  We’re hoping to call our next settled minister in the spring of 2023.

 Rev. Carol will be in Danvers Thursday through Sunday most weeks from September – June.

She will be available for in-person meetings and pastoral care Thursday afternoons from 1-5 and Friday mornings from 9-12 noon.

Rev. Carol is available any time for pastoral emergencies. Her writing day is Tuesday and her day off is Monday.

 To schedule time with Rev. Carol, email danversuuminister@gmail.com

For pastoral emergencies contact her on her cell at 860-882-9410

More about Rev. Carol…

 Rev. Carol has over 20 years of experience in UU Congregations; serving as an interim minster in Milford, NH and Kingston, Ontario before coming to Danvers.  She began her career at the Arlington Street Church in Boston.  From there she went to Kennebunk, Maine, serving as Parish Minister.  Rev. Strecker celebrated the 20thAnniversary of her ordination in 2019.

 Before entering the ministry, Rev. Carol was a social worker.  She graduated from Boston University in 1989 with a MSW.  Carol has worked with pregnant and parenting teens, runaway and homeless youth and teenage girls with addictions.  Her experience as a social worker ground Rev. Carol’s ministry in social justice.

 Carol’s roots are in the Midwest.  She grew up in St. Louis and spent many summers at a camp on the shores of Lake Michigan.  It was at camp where she developed a deep and abiding relationship with the natural world that continues to ground her spirituality.  She also continues to embrace the ideals of love, service she learned growing up in the Methodist Church.

 More recently Carol’s spiritual journey has led her to explore Buddhist teachings.  She has belonged to several Sanghas (helping to found two of them) that practice in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.  She finds mindfulness training a grounding practice that enables her to make more conscious choices about who she wants to be in the world.

Rev. Carol’s wife, Kate is a nurse in the Emergency Dept. at Maine Medical Center.  Kate has been a nurse for almost 40 years. They are very proud of their daughter, Hillary.  She’s a public interest lawyer working with low-income clients.

 Carol and Kate enjoy just about any outdoor activity, especially hiking with their dogs, Danny and Skye and boating, swimming or just hanging out of the dock of their home in David Pond in Fayette, Maine.

 In her spare time Carol enjoys all kinds of music.  She plays a variety of musical instruments including guitar and mandolin and she loves to sing.

 Rev. Carol hopes to begin leading Sunday Services in-person at NSUU beginning on September 12th.