Dear First Church,
Our Search Team is thrilled to announce our new Acting Assistant Minister, Rev. Chris Long. Rev. Chris comes to us from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he has served as the Minister of Congregational Life, focusing on Pastoral Care and Membership in a multi-racial mid-size congregation. Rev. Chris is known throughout Unitarian Universalism for his pastoral care and spiritual depth. He has served as a Justice Minister, a Community Outreach Minister, an Assistant Professor at Starr King School for the Ministry, and as a Leadership Development Consultant for the Office of Equity and Diversity at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Rev. Chris’s deep relationality and warmth let the Search Committee know he was the right person for the Acting Assistant Minister position. We look forward to having you meet him and experience his warmth and depth in person. We know he will provide excellent pastoral care to our members and create a spirit of welcome and belonging with those seeking a spiritual home with us.
We will share an introductory video from Rev. Chris during worship on April 6, 2025, and he will begin serving the congregation on Aug 1, 2025. Our Search Team will organize a welcome party for him in early August, when you will have a chance to meet him in person. We are so grateful to have Rev. Chris join our First Church Community!
With love,
The First Church Acting Assistant Minister Search Team:
Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom, Senior Minister
Lynn Connolly, Pastoral Care Associate Coordinator and Search Team Co-Chair
Ben Trubach, Welcome and Belonging Team and Search Team Co-Chair
George Bledsoe, Usher, Forum, and Anti-Racism Team member
Dale Skaggs, Pastoral Care Associate Trainer
Nancy Spransy, Theme Circle Facilitator and Worship Associate
Reverend Chris Long is
currently the Minister of Congregational Life for the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge (Baton Rouge, LA). He has served there since July of 2022. Since being Ordained by the First Unitarian Church of Oakland (Oakland, CA – June 7, 2009), he has also served at James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation (Madison, WI), the University of Wisconsin (Madison, WI), West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church (Rocky River, OH) and The Community Church of New York (New York City).
Throughout these Ministries, and in his many roles on denominational committees, organizations and a variety of leadership, and Staff as we begin our ministries together, with you all, in just a few short months. positions in the communities where he has lived across the country, he has aspired to live more into what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist, and a Unitarian Universalist Minister in the 21st Century. He looks forward to joining Reverends Jennifer Nordstrom, Kimberlee Tomczak Carlson