Ministers Times Three at HUU
Three ministers who have spoken at HUU in the past years (Emma Chattin, Robert Hughes, and Kirk Ballin) have agreed to be regular pulpit guests here. The Sunday Services Committee has created a “Sunday ministry” plan, where one Sunday each month one of these ministers will speak. Each minister will come once every three months. Their topics will be determined by the ministers and the Sunday Services Committee. We are open to topic suggestions from the congregation, as well. The other services each month will be scheduled as before with a mix of speakers from the congregation and the community. Our regular commitment to these three ministers doesn’t preclude inviting other ministers for other Sundays during the year.
Our hope is that this system will continue to provide more continuity for the year’s services and allow us all to know these talented individuals better. Also, with three different ministerial voices and perspectives, we hope to broaden and deepen our spiritual lives. All parties have committed to a year’s trial of this system. We welcome your comments and suggestions.
Each minister brings unique gifts to this endeavor. Below are biographical sketches for each of our guest ministers:
Emma
Chattin was born in the Allegheny Mountains. She has been blessed
to live in many different places, all over the state of Virginia. In
1997, she discovered and joined the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community
Churches, a denomination founded in 1968 with a primary outreach to Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning individuals. Soon after, she resumed
her studies to enter the ministry. She was ordained in 2004 at MCC Richmond.
Her father and her Uncle, both Methodist ministers, participated in the service
(at 87 years of age, her father still preaches from time to time). Emma currently
resides in Fairfax, Virginia, with Heather, her life-partner of 10 years.
While she lives and works in Northern Virginia, she currently spends a portion of
the weekend in the Shenandoah Valley, and is hoping to plant an MCC Church here.
She enjoys religious diversity, and her theological perspective can be succinctly
summed up with the words of her bumper sticker: "God [Divinity] is too big to fit
into one religion."
Robert T. Hughes is a graduate of East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN (1966) and the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, SC (1970). He served nearly 25 years as a Lutheran pastor. After receiving a Master of Social Work degree and moving to Pennsylvania, he worked as a medical social worker and discovered Unitarian Universalism. He eventually transferred his ordination, served as interim minister of First UU, Nashville, and for 6 years as minister of the UU Church of the Shenandoah Valley. Since June, 2002, he has worked full time as owner of the Home Instead Senior Care franchise in the northern Shenandoah Valley. He continues to teach as adjunct faculty in world religions at Shenandoah University's business school and has taught at Lord Fairfax Community College. He is also a Certified Senior Advisor, and the pin he sometimes wears with the letters "CSA" refer to that designation. He has a particular interest in spirituality and aging. He is married and has two children.
Kirk Ballin was born in Colorado Springs. Colorado, and lived in many places in the U.S., Geneva, Switzerland and Kuwait. He obtained his BA from Colorado College, Masters work in Cultural Anthropology, University of Virginia, and Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School. Kirk has been a UU Minister for 25 years and served 3 UU Congregations: Meadville, PA (1984-1987); Roanoke, VA (1987-1999); Lynchburg, VA (1999-2003). He worked as a Trauma Unit Chaplain with Carilion Health System, and Executive Director of the National Conference for Community-Roanoke and Justice - Roanoke Region. Currently, Kirk is Program Coordinator of AgrAbility Virginia, a joint USDA funded project of Virginia Tech and Easter Seals Virginia, serving farmers and ranchers with disabilities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is married to Katherine Devine, a Roanoke artist and teacher. The couple have four children between them, Alex (23), Ivan (21), Adrienne (21), and Isha (16). Kirk also has a loving history with HUU, having provided ministerial services dating back to the earliest years of the Fellowship.