President (2007 - 2010) (Scroll Down to View Listings for Former Presidents)
The Reverend Deborah Holder has served on the Board of the UU Society of Community Ministries since 2003 and is a fellowshipped community minister currently serving the Mountain Desert District Justice Ministries and as coordinating consultant with the UU Veatch Urban Social Justice Ministry Program (Urban Disciples). Prior to entering professional ministry, she served the UU Veatch Program at Shelter Rock where her portfolio as program officer included economic globalization, environmental justice, media democracy, and denominational social justice funding. During her tenure with the foundation, she developed and piloted a demonstration project that continues today helping to support social justice program and staff in six UU congregations across the county (Urban Disciples). As former director of Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community, the Pittsburgh Area Religious Task Force on the Economy and a founding board member of the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, she has worked with UU congregations and grassroots faith-based community organizing for the past 17 years. Her passion and great joy is theologically-based care of UU social justice leaders and technical assistance support for Unitarian Universalist lay and ordained public ministers.
MSW, Community Organizing and Social Administration; Masters Theological Studies, Iliff School of Theology. Professional affiliations include: UU Society for Community Ministries; UU Ministers Association; National Organizers Alliance; American Academy of Religion, and Women’s Theological Center.
Past President (2000 - 2007)
Jeanne is an ordained (2003) Unitarian Universalist minister (Manchester & West Hartford, CT), in final fellowship (2006) with the UUA. She is in affiliation with the Unitarian Universalist Society: East in Manchester, Connecticut, and serves as Consulting Parish Minister for All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Greenfield, MA. She serves her community ministry congregation, UUSE, on its Accessibilities, Social Justice, Journey Toward Wholeness (anti-racism), and Anti-Oppression committees. She is also serving as the Consulting Minister for All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Greenfield, MA.
As a minister whose specialty is in the area of community ministry, Jeanne facilitates a process whereby all people and organizations are encouraged to contribute their gifts and resources to build stronger communities.
She is the recipient of the following awards:
April 2001: Clara Barton District 'Keeper of the Flame' Award.
June 2002: Meadville Lombard Theological School 'Faculty Award for Religious Leadership'
July 2002: Bethel A.M.E. Church 'Diversity in Community Award'
• Locally, she serves as President of the Canton United Fund (United Way); member of "Focus on Canton," an interfaith coalition that works together to meet citizen needs in the town of Canton.; and, member of the Avon-Canton Rotary.
• In Massachusetts, she is a member of the Interfaith Council of Franklin County.
• Nationally, she is a member of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), and is certified by the AAIDD Religion & Spirituality Division as a pastoral caregiver, using art as a form of therapeutic self-expression for people with intellectual disabilities; and serves on the UUMA Committee on Ministry on Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression & Multiculturalism.
• She has worked extensively in the area of anti-oppression/anti-racism with Unitarian Universalist, African Methodist Episcopal, and Baptist congregations having founded the interfaith coalition (UU, AME & Baptist), "Congregations United for Racial Equality & Justice" (CUREJ) (2000).
• Jeanne is an alumna of Meadville Lombard Theological School (M.Div., 2002), and is currently working at her D.Min, at Meadville Lombard. She further serves as a Field Advisor to MLTS Modified Residency Students, as well as mentor to other candidates and ministers pursuing fellowship.
Jeanne served as President for The Society for Community Ministries, from 2001 - 2007, and currently serves on the UUSCM Nominating Committee. She is co-author with The Rev. David Pettee, UUA Ministerial Credentialing Director, of the article "Steps Toward Final Fellowship for Community Ministers," defining the process for UU Community Ministers to obtain final fellowship (2003).
Her website is located at http://www.revlloyd.org , email: revlloyd at comcast.net