UUFH Settled Ministry Candidate George Grimm-Howell will reflect on the powerful role our liberal faith has in creating sanctuary and safety for those whom society has othered.
Speaker; George Grimm-Howell, MDiv
I’m honored and excited to be your candidate for settled ministry. Before we meet in person later this month, I wanted to share some highlights about myself and my journey to ministry.
My family roots are deep in Indiana farm country, but after college I lived in Northern Virginia for a time, embracing a new life among the green and vibrant mid-Atlantic states. There, I met my spouse and life partner, Betsy. She was from Missouri, and after we married, we settled in her home state and have been in St. Louis since 1994. We have two grown children, Owen and Meredith, who live in Minnesota and Missouri, respectively. Many years ago my aunt and her wife moved to Asheville, later joined by my grandmother, and I’ve felt a deep spiritual and family connection with the region ever since.
I grew up Baptist but became unchurched during my college years as I expanded my world view and traveled abroad. I have Betsy to thank for introducing me to this strange and wonderful faith called Unitarian Universalism! We have been members of our home congregation, First Unitarian Church of St. Louis, for 30 years. Over that time, I fell in love with our free and fearless faith and participated deeply in church life. I served in many roles, including singing in the choir, sitting on the board, and chairing multiple committees, including music, partner church, welcoming congregation, and worship. I’m thrilled that my home church will ordain me into Unitarian Universalist ministry on June 8 of this year.
Our church nurtured me as I grew into lay-led ministry and eventually enrolled in seminary. I attended the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in St. Paul, Minnesota, from August 2017 to May 2022. There, I studied with other UUs, along with Christians and those of many other faiths. In addition to UU studies, I embraced the Arts and Theology track, where I explored all the spiritual dimensions of the arts and their power to transport and illuminate many truths. My theology is broad and expansive, embracing pantheism and religious naturalism.
After seminary, I completed my clinical pastoral education (CPE) at two sites in the city of St. Louis, serving largely African American unhoused or housing-insecure souls. Afterwards I selected the UU Church of Columbia, Missouri, for my intern ministry, which lasted from August 2022 to December 2023. I currently serve the UU Fellowship of Jefferson City, Missouri, preaching one Sunday a month.
My vision for ministry in Hendersonville is to continue to center love and create a community of care, both among ourselves and for those in our community who are marginalized, suffering, or just plain lonely. I hope to create a shared ministry with you that embraces music and the arts, poetry, and beautiful worship that stirs the heart and pricks the conscience. I also hope to continue to build on your culture of learning and curiosity for all ages and the building of connections in the wider community — both with those who are hungry for inclusion and those who are doing the good work of social justice.
We will be sad to leave our home church community which has held us so warmly and tenderly through many trials in life, including births, deaths, and my coming out as a queer man in 2013. With the support of all the congregations I’ve served and other companions, Betsy and I now consider ourselves a queer couple with a greater capacity for love, commitment, and good communication than were ever possible in my closeted days. This UU faith saved my life, and that has inspired me to pay it forward, centering life-giving love wherever we can.
Betsy and I are excited for what comes next. As we contemplate transition to a new community, we know that we will grow new, deep roots in Hendersonville. My mother, now of blessed memory, wrote a poem in 2012 called “New mountains await.” Her sense of spirit-filled anticipation seems a fitting close.
New mountains wait. They call to me The view on top I long to see.
Blessings on your path until we meet face to face and heart to heart.
Story for All Ages
“The Elephants Come Home“: A True Story of Seven Elephants, Two People, and One Extraordinary Friendship Kim Tomsic (Author), Hadley Hooper (Illustrator)
Musician; Michael Jefry Stevens
| Mr. Stevens is a accomplished pianist, composer and “Steinway Artist,”. He has released over 80 CDs and composed over 340 works for both large and small ensembles. An active band-leader for over 40 years, his music spans jazz and modern musical styles. Michael lives in Black Mountain and is a frequent performer and popular jazz piano teacher in the WNC area. We, once again, welcome Michael to UUFH as our guest pianist |
We gather for worship and fellowship each Sunday with a service at 10:30 followed by coffee hour. Dress is casual. Parking is plentiful. And our building is accessible.
Family Ministry / Sunday School: All Ages meet in Sanctuary at 10:30 AM Children go to classrooms at 10:45 after the “Story for All Ages.” On the lower level, we have a nursery for infants and toddlers, and we have classes where children and youth learn about and explore faith, religion, justice, and community.
We welcome you: your whole self, with all your truths and your doubts, your worries and your hopes. Join us on this extraordinary adventure of faith!