Our Interim Minister, Sue Spencer

Our interim minister, the Rev. Dr. Suzanne Spencer, arrived at UUCD on August 1, 2008. Ordained in 1985, she has served Unitarian Universalist congregations in Vancouver (British Columbia), Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and in the Boston area. She holds a law degree from Boston University and theological degrees from Harvard Divinity School (M.Div. 1985) and Episcopal Divinity School (D.Min. 2006), both in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Sue was born in Des Moines, Iowa, but grew up in New Jersey. The great-granddaughter of a Methodist minister, her early religious upbringing took place in the Chatham, NJ, Methodist church. Although she left that church (and indeed all churches for a time) during the turbulent 1960s, she now realizes its importance for her later religious growth. She values her Methodist upbringing for its Social Gospel orientation, its singing, and its practical spirituality.

Sue's religious history echoes that of many in her generation. She first learned of Unitarian Universalism while an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, through a class in European history, and also from visits to the UU Church in Ann Arbor. Nevertheless, she remained essentially unchurched throughout her late teens and twenties. During the fall of 1976, however, around the time of her 30th birthday, she felt an inexplicable longing to go back to church. She soon became deeply involved in one of the historic churches of of Unitarian Universalism, the Arlington Street Church in Boston. Within a few years, she was talking about entering the ministry.

Sue describes her theology as experiential and eclectic. Her own experience has led her to a deep grounding in God, something she might not have found without the spiritual freedom offered by Unitarian Universalism. She says, "If asked to apply a theological label to myself, I would choose panentheist (not pantheist), a sense of 'all things in God, and God in all things.'"

Sue loves to travel, and has visited all but two of the United States, all ten Canadian provinces, and many parts of the world. Her most recent international travel experience was three trips to South Africa, made possible through her doctoral studies at EDS. Like many of us, though, Sue expects to stay close to home for the time being, and looks forward to exploring Danbury and the beautiful surrounding countryside.