Marcia Stanard, Intern Minister

I’m Marcia Stanard and I’m incredibly pleased to be serving as Saltwater Church's intern minister this year.  I am a candidate for the Unitarian Universalist ministry, and am currently in my fifth year as a Modified Residency Program Student at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago. 

 Over the course of this year, I will be preaching and leading worship approximately once a month, and serving as the worship assistant most other weeks.  I will be teaching adult religious education classes, including "An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism" this fall. I will be working in collaboration with the other staff members at the church, and look forward to providing pastoral care to the members and friends at Saltwater Church.  I also hope to start a movie or book discussion group, to give people another chance to come together informally. 

 My religious background is that of a spiritual seeker.  I grew up attending a variety of Protestant churches, including Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and Assemblies of God.  In college, I explored earth-based spiritualities and Quaker meetings.  When my then-partner and I moved to Rhode Island and were starting a family, we sought out a religious community.  After some exploration, we ended up at a Unitarian Universalist church in Providence.  After returning to Portland, Oregon, we began attending First Unitarian Church of Portland and that is where I began to be active in congregational life, both as a Lay Minister, and serving as a Youth Advisor and an 8^th/9^th grade teacher.  As part of my preparation for ministry, I also served as the Director of Religious Education for two years at the Wy’east Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Portland, being actively involved as well in the worship life of the congregation as a ministerial student.

 I have been active in student government at Meadville Lombard, serving as representative, vice-chair and chair of the Student Advisory Council, the Modified Residency Program (or MRP) student government.  Currently, I am the MRP Board Representative to the Meadville Lombard Board of Trustees. 

I divide my time between Saltwater, where I will generally be Sunday through Wednesday mornings, and Portland, Oregon, where I live with my two daughters, who are 11 and 8.