Our Leadership
The Fourth Unitarian Universalist Congregation follows a shared ministry model. Our minister serves in a half-time capacity, sharing administrative, pastoral and Sunday Service responsibilities with the congregation as a whole. As a result, on any given Sunday, the morning service may be led either by our minister or by one of our lay members.
Our Minister
Cindy Davidson
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Cindy Davidson began her ministry with Fourth UU in August 2018, after serving as the Ministerial Intern at Community UU Congregation at White Plains. Previously, she had been an active lay leader at First Parish in Lexington, MA for fifteen years, during which ecological, climate and environmental justice concerns and activities seeded her call to ministry. She is a GreenFaith Fellow and has been a Board member of the UU Ministry for Earth for eight years.
Raised in the Methodist tradition, Cindy’s spiritual quest led her to Unitarian Universalism in her forties. Embracing its life-affirming message, she has found it a fitting home to engage her curiosity about various faith traditions, beliefs and practices and to foster more religiously tolerant relations in an increasingly diverse world. Cindy believes the spiritual quest is never-ending and the opportunities for spiritual growth and depth are numerous in everyday life. Theologically, she describes herself as agnostic and leaning religious humanist, with an affinity for religious naturalism and process theology/philosophy. She enjoys contemplative practices focused on meditation, the natural world, the written word, and music. Cindy holds a Master of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School and a BMusic (Performance, Horn) from the Mannes College of Music. She has worked in artist and non-profit management, as a breastfeeding counselor and massage therapist. She has four adult children. Born in western PA, she has lived in NY City; Durham, NC; Paris, France; and Lexington, MA. She currently resides in Somers, NY. |
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The Board of Trustees consists of four officers and three trustees elected by the congregation. We interact heart to heart and hand to hand with the congregation and minister to fulfill Fourth UU’s mission and purposes and to further and refine its strategies. Each board member’s dedication and high level of participation embodies the core values and ministry of the congregation; together we work to make a difference and add strength to Fourth UU’s collective purpose and identity.
The board is responsible for supporting the spiritual and fiscal health of the congregation and overseeing the collective effort to achieve mutually developed goals. The board empowers and encourages the congregation’s ministries and committees to pursue activities that positively impact members and the greater community. The board develops and implements policies to help the Congregation maintain its strong spiritual presence and active engagement within and beyond the congregation on social justice issues. With committee assistance and oversight, the board meets monthly to manage Fourth UU’s resources and assets, set the annual budget for congregational approval and adopt appropriate policies to protect the welfare of the congregation and ensure its well-being. The Congregation holds periodic Membership Meetings at which members of the congregation vote on pertinent issues; actions taken at Membership Meetings take precedence over all other decisions. Board Members for 2019-2020 are: President: Alan Weger Vice President: Harold Stillman Treasurer: Lauren Noormae Secretary: Ingrid Smith Trustees: Marc A. Bernstein, Beth Woogen |
Our Minister Emerita
Rev. Dawn Sangrey
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In June 2016, the members of Fourth Unitarian Universalist Congregation voted to confer upon Reverend Dawn Sangrey the title of Minister Emerita. Reverend Sangrey was the first minister to be hired by Fourth UU, after having spent 47 years as a lay-led congregation. She was our Consulting Minister for seven years.
Rev. Sangrey was ordained to the Unitarian Universalist ministry in 2001 and is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School. During her tenure with us, Rev. Sangrey (along with Rev. Kay Greenleaf of the UU Fellowship of Poughkeepsie) was involved in a public witness for marriage equality. Together, they officiated dozens of same-sex weddings in New Paltz, NY, receiving widespread media attention when they were the first clergy to be arrested and charged with a crime for solemnizing gay and lesbian weddings. At their trial, the charges against both ministers were dismissed. A July, 2004 New York Times article chronicles her thoughts on the experience. The membership chose to honor Reverend Sangrey in recognition of her seven years of kind, inspiring, and skilled ministerial service to our congregation; her patient and persistent guidance of our community in our early years of co-ministry; and her friendship and caring toward our community members. |
