UUABQ Voice

Kelsey D. Atherton’s Universalist grandfather defined his faith as “life on earth is hell enough,” a phrase that unlocked a central contradiction of Kelsey’s own Universalist faith journey: how can he reconcile a belief in universal salvation without believing in any hell worse than what is experienced on earth? His answer is in the world as we live it, one whose horrors need no exaggeration, and one where the holy work of care and repair is in the hands of everyone. What we do here matters, and the existence of suffering on earth is sufficient reason to work to alleviate it.
Kelsey D. Atherton has been attending First Unitarian since his preschool days, and is a member of the interim transition team. He met his lovely spouse Alymay in a class talking about Our Whole Lives, and together they’re raising two fifth-generation Universalists, or at least will be once the toddlers can master sharing. He worked for a decade as a military technology journalist, before moving to work advocating for a kinder, more diplomatic, softer world.
Music: Lydia Clark.

It is tempting to believe that somewhere out there is the minister who will heal our wounds, solve our challenges, and secure our future. Yet thriving congregations are not built by exceptional ministers alone. They are built by ordinary people who take shared responsibility for the life they want to create together. The search ahead matters. But perhaps the most important work is already underway.

Rev. Jake Morrill, a UU minister from East Tennessee, has consulted with this congregation throughout this year, supporting its resilience in a transitional time. A longtime UU minister, a former Chaplain in the US Army Reserve, and a licensed marital and family therapist, Jake is on the Faculty of the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family and is a consultant with the Family Business Consulting Group, through whom he helps family enterprises navigate challenging transitions. Jake and his wife, Molly, are the proud parents of two young adult children.
Music: Lydia Clark.

Where in the City of Albuquerque do you encounter the divine search for truth and meaning? While many members of our congregation are returning to school in this new academic year, all of us can find new rituals for learning and spaces for connecting with our spirituality. For Alymay, one of the most holy spaces they experience outside of church is on the bus. They will share about how the bus became one of their most beloved spiritual places and how they bring Unitarian Universalist values on board with them and in the community as a bus rider advocate. This service will also include a Backpack Blessing for anyone interested. Bring your backpack, messenger bag, laptop sleeve (whatever represents your learning or work!) to receive a blessing.
Althea “Alymay” Atherton (they/them) is a community-based homemaker, toddler parent, and current chair of the City of Albuquerque’s Transit Advisory Board. They signed their first congregational book at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Winchendon, Massachusetts as a teenage convert. Alymay has been a member of First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque since 2016, where they teach the faith-based sexuality curriculum Our Whole Lives (OWL) and serve on the UUABQ Religious Education Council. They also ride the bus.
Music: Lydia Clark.

“You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” (Perkei Avot 2:21) Quotes like this are often shared with well-meaning “get out there and change the world” memes on social media. Many of us are not able to join large gatherings, or we have personalities and/or disabilities that make loud, public acts of social justice harmful to ourselves. How can we engage in bending the arc of the moral universe toward justice effectively while playing to our strengths? Inspired by the book Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul: How to Change the World in Quiet Ways by Dorcas Cheng-Tozun and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.
Rev. Erica Lea-Simka [LEE Sim-kuh]. Rev. Erica (she/they) is a pastor, peacebuilder, parent, partner, perseverer, pilgrim, and plant-based nut. Pastor Erica has served Baptist and Mennonite congregations, most recently as Pastor of Albuquerque Mennonite Church from 2017 to 2025. They are currently The Journey Project (Thriving Churches Initiative) Grant Director for the New Mexico Conference of Churches and Southwest Representative for Mennonite Women USA.
Music: Lydia Clark

Martin Buber said: “The human being…is the promise-making, promise-keeping, promise-breaking, promise-renewing creature.” Rev. Emily, our Board President Bill Miller, and members Judy Goering and Jan Lee will reflect on the transformative power of staying engaged in community despite disappointment and through conflict.
Music: Sue Young, Rusty Nelson, and Vance Bass.

How do we remember our growing up years, in our families of origin? And how do we experience those families now? Do we find blessing in our memories, and in current family experience? Or do we wish things were different? In her many years of ordained ministry, Rev. Sue has found the Family Systems Theory of Murray Bowen to be a powerful lens through which to view our families. She’ll share with us some key aspects of the theory, giving examples from her own life. This service will also include a ceremony to honor outgoing Board members and welcome new ones.Rev. Sue has been a UU minister since 1985. She has divinity degrees from Harvard and Episcopal Divinity School, and has served congregations in both settled and transitional capacities. She moved to Albuquerque in 2012 to marry her late beloved, Chuck Campbell, a member of First Unitarian for almost 40 years. She still lives in the house they shared.
Music: Lydia Clark

Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber speaks of a “load‑bearing structure”—the steady, grounding force that holds us when life feels unstable. For her, that structure is God and the salvation she found in Jesus: “For me, Unitarian Universalist principles and values have long served as one of those stabilizing structures. Over time, I’ve come to understand that such support can take many forms, so long as they help us remain upright through trauma and change. The Karpman framework of the Drama Triangle and the Empowerment Triangle has become one of those supports in my own ministry. I have seen how often groups, including congregations, become caught in the cycle of victim, persecutor, and rescuer, and how transformative it can be to shift into the roles of creator, challenger, and coach. This framework can be grounding, helping us to remain compassionate, clear, and centered during trauma‑impacted work.”
Rev. Dr. Jane Davis grew up in a Southern Baptist family and first discovered Unitarian Universalism more than forty years ago. After a 25‑plus‑year career as an engineer in the nuclear power industry, she answered the call to ministry in 2015 and enrolled at Meadville Lombard Theological School. She completed her ministerial internship at First U in 2020, and was ordained by this congregation in 2021. She went on to serve as a community minister in a Program Manager position with the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Project ECHO. She was granted Full Fellowship in February 2026, and completed her Doctor of Ministry in May 2026.
Music: Lydia Clark

Unitarian Universalism has sometimes been accused of failing to provide sufficient comfort & guidance during the crises of life. This sermon series will refute that view, providing both theists and atheists with a (not the!) Unitarian Universalist approach to these common human struggles. We will draw from the ways “process theology” aligns with UU principles of relationship, interconnectedness, love, and ongoing revelation/evolution. This week we’ll consider the questions “Why are we here?” & “How then shall we live?”
Music: Lydia Clark

Flower Communion is a specific tradition rooted in our UU faith during WWII. Rev. Stacey will share the values deep within our faith that contributed to Flower Communion—honoring the beauty in every person. Bring a Flower to exchange with others (if you can’t or forget, there will be flowers at the service for all). The RE team will be offering a “Bridging Ceremony” to honor graduating kids this year.
Music: Robin Korevaar, Max Reilly, and Vance Bass

Unitarian Universalism has sometimes been accused of failing to provide sufficient comfort & guidance during the crises of life. This sermon series will refute that view, providing both theists and atheists with a (not the!) Unitarian Universalist approach to these common human struggles. We will draw from the ways “process theology” aligns with UU principles of relationship, interconnectedness, love, and ongoing revelation/evolution. This week we will touch on concepts of pain, suffering, evil, and freedom.
Music: Lydia Clark.