Co-Ministry at TJMC-UU
Read the letter from our coministers about their upcoming transition
The
Revs. David and Leslie Takahashi Morris were called into Co-Ministry by our
church in January of 2005. Co-ministry is a dynamic partnership between
colleagues sharing responsibility for professional leadership of the church's
ministry. As co-ministers, Leslie and David enter a creative interchange of
imagination, vision, ideas, and efforts; each benefits from the opportunity
to engage with the other in an ongoing process of learning and growth in a
shared ministry.
David and Leslie share in all areas of ministry: Worship and preaching, counseling
and pastoral care, congregational leadership, social action, religious education,
and administration. Responsibility for particular programs is shared equally
or divided in ways that best serve the ministry, in consultation with the TJMC-UU
Committee on Ministry.
The relationship between our co-ministers, and their relationship to the congregation,
are addressed in the Covenant for Co-Ministry.
Our Co-Ministers
Biographies
The Rev. David Takahashi Morris was ordained to Unitarian Universalist
ministry by our congregation. David received a Bachelor of Music degree from
Michigan State University in 1978 and taught band, chorus and music education
at the Hackley School, a Universalist-founded private school in Tarrytown, New
York for several years. He pursued graduate studies in music at the University
of South Carolina, and then worked in college textbook publishing. Before beginning
his studies for ministry, David was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church
of Charlotte, North Carolina, where he served as chair of the Sunday Services
Committee and as congregation President. He did student ministry work at
All Souls Church-Durham, an intentionally multicultural congregation, and was
also a member of the religious education committee at Eno River . He and
Leslie were both founding members of the Thomas Jefferson District Anti-Racism
Transformation Team. He completed his Master of Divinity degree at Duke
Divinity School, serving his internship at the Community Church of Chapel Hill,
UU, and became our settled minister in August of 2001. He was called into
Co-Ministry at our church with his partner Leslie in January of 2005.
The Rev. Leslie Takahashi Morris was ordained to Unitarian Universalist
ministry jointly by our congregation and the congregation of the First Unitarian
Universalist Church of Richmond. Leslie graduated from the University of North
Carolina in 1984 with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and English. After
working as a journalist for several years she returned to school, receiving
Master’s degrees in Public Policy and Environmental Studies from Duke University
and beginning a career devoted to educational and equity issues in North Carolina
and the southeast. Leslie was the Executive Director of the Wildacres Leadership
Initiative, a statewide network of young leaders focused on addressing issues
across lines of race, class, culture, and political affiliation before leaving
to complete her studies for the ministry and to support David in his ministry
to this church. She was a member of the Eno River Unitarian Universalist
Fellowship in Durham, NC, where she held several leadership positions including
President and social action and canvass chair, taught religious education classes
for adults and children, and was a member of the Committee on Ministry. She
was also a member-on-loan to All Souls Church-Durham, also in Durham, NC. She
received the Master of Divinity degree from Meadville-Lombard Theological Seminary
in the Spring of 2004 and served her internship at the First UU Church of Richmond.
Leslie was called into Co-Ministry at our church with her partner David in January
of 2005.
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