An Interview With Pastor Terri

Beacon: Where to start? How about if you tell us about your family.

Pastor Terri: My family is spread out all over the country. I have a sister in California, another sister in Austin, Texas, a mother who also lives in Austin who is celebrating her 86th birthday today (April 21), two nieces and their families who live in Portland and Sacramento, and three adult children, two of whom are married and live in New York. My son has two young children, aged 4 and 1 ˝ , and my married daughter is expecting her first child in August. My oldest daughter is an artist who lives outside Boston. Oh, and there’s an aunt who lives in Florida and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. So they’re scattered all over. I wish I could see them more often.

Beacon: Do you consider any of those places home?

Pastor Terri: Not really. I was born in Colorado, where my father was an Air Force pilot, so we moved every year, all over the United States, and we also lived in Germany for a time. I’ve actually lived in Germany for a total of 7 years, both as a child and an adult, so I became fluent in German. When I was an undergraduate at the University of New Hampshire I planned to become a U.N. interpreter, but instead I got married and had three children. While my children were small I attended Yale Divinity School, where I graduated in 1983. Then I became the chaplain and taught religion and ethics at a private girls’ school in New York for 4 ˝ years. By that time I was a single parent, so the children and I lived on campus. I was ordained a UCC minister in 1989. I worked as an associate pastor in Wofboro, New Hampshire until I became quite ill with Lyme disease. Part of my cure was going back to school – I have always loved school – to get my Doctorate of Ministry. My dissertation was about the importance of the Interim Ministry time.

Beacon: What drew you to Interim Ministry?

Pastor Terri: I love helping churches find a new sense of mission, ministry, and the strength within themselves. My gift to the churches I work with as an interim is to bring them reconciliation and peace.

Beacon: Tell us about your hobbies.

Pastor Terri: I love music and art, so I’ve come to the right place! I’m an art history buff, so I look forward to seeing your fine art museum, and I already love your wonderful orchestra. I also love nature and dogs, especially corgis. Dylan, the dog I have now, is my second corgi. I take a lot of walks with Dylan, but I also like to run, jog, and cross country ski. I enjoy travel, too, and have gone on several pilgrimages to holy sites in Wales, the Isle of Mann, and Ireland.

Beacon: So, here you are at EACC. How’s it going so far?

Pastor Terri: This church has unlimited possibilities. This church has a mission, and work to do, right here, and has the leadership needed to do it. We need some help, and the ranks are a little thin, but that will happen. I’m excited for this place!