Hello, UUCUC. My name is Beth Monhollen and I am honored to be your candidate for settled minister.
I have deep roots in Central Appalachia although I’ve lived for my entire adult life in Milwaukee, WI.  My professional background and training are in theater and higher education and I’ve been an activist, performing artist, administrator, and teacher. My religious background is Pentecostal and Baptist, but I was introduced to Unitarian Universalism in my early 20s and knew it was the faith tradition of my heart. The promise of our progressive faith to enact justice in the world and in our relations with one another is a promise I am deeply committed to and in committing to that work, I find spiritual joy in long walks, in long talks, in community-building, and justice-making. I love poetry, am liable to break into song at the drop of a hat, and believe we are all held together by stories. I am inspired by stories of myth, legends, tarot, science-fiction, and folklore. Theologically, I’m drawn to the work of liberation and womanist theologians, to religious naturalists and humanists; and I’m committed to develop interfaith connections that empower us to root deeply in our own traditions and values while bridging differences with others. I believe social justice is spiritual work and that the stories we each embody call us into wholeness with others in ways that demand we dismantle oppressions. I hold a master’s degree in higher education administration from Concordia University of Wisconsin, and in May 2023 will earn my Master’s of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School. I have been married to my husband, Pugs Paik Seung-Kil, since 1999, and together we have 3 rescue pets, an assortment of musical instruments, and more books than we will ever finish reading.