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The QUUF Ministerial Hiring Committee is pleased to announce that the Rev. Dr. Linda Hart has accepted the position of Developmental Minister for the Fellowship. began her ministry with us on August 1.

Rev. Hart comes to us from Tacoma, where she serves as minister for the Tahoma UU Congregation since 2017. She earlier served as Tahoma’s Developmental Minister for three years. Prior to that, she served as interim minister for Evergreen UU Fellowship in Marysville and minister of the Richmond and Putney Unitarian Church in London, England.

Linda is a lifelong UU, well-known among Pacific Northwest UU ministers, serving for the past three years on the Pacific Northwest UU Ministers Association Leadership team, and as a UUMA Good Officer, working with ministers in conflict situations.

She holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Meadville Lombard Theological School and received her Master of Arts degree from the University of Chicago and Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Maryland College.

The committee was impressed with Linda’s experience as a developmental minister at Tahoma, her background in anti-oppression work, approach to conflict resolution, folksy pulpit style, understanding of policy governance and its challenges, and sense of humor. We think she is the right minister to help QUUF address its challenges and grow into the future.
The following questions are from Linda’s application for the QUUF position and are repeated here are her own words.

Why are you seeking ministry now? “I am seeking the next congregation to journey with in my career. Problems and goals I find interesting include how we find our way back to relationship after conflict, how congregations build relationships across differences, and how to create and sustain beloved community.”

What Is your approach to worship and preaching? “My style of preaching is personal, grounded in Unitarian Universalism, and ongoing study and reflection. Areas that are of particular interest to me revolve around what is means to live out what we believe, UU theology and history, personal spiritual development, and living with the tensions is our lives. ..I am an accomplished storyteller [and] the telling of stories of all kinds is a part of both worship and preaching for me.”

Children’s Religious Education “I am a product of UU Sunday school and am deeply supportive of creating good experiences…for our children.”

Adult Religious Education “Creating opportunities for continuing to explore the world, our place in it, how we think about it, and how to put those learnings into action is a central part of congregational life…..Adult RE should not be limited to intellectual pursuits….making art, cooking, and crafts are important, as well as chance to explore spirituality.”

Anti-Oppression Work “The Civil Rights Movement was part of my childhood and of concern to me since. I have been a supporter of Black Lives Matter and have preached on the importance to those of us who are white in particular to continue to learn about the systems of oppression that continue to harm BIPOC folks.”

Describe your theology “The best description for my theology is pragmatic….A true belief has less to do with the intellectual and rational content of the belief, but rather centers on what it enables in us to live worthy lives, and gives us a context for the joys and troubles of what spills into our lives….With that as a guide, I can appreciate those who love Jesus and find truth in his life and death and find resonances with the most if-you-can’t-measure-or-weigh-it’s-not-real-humanist.”

Personal Details She has been married to Peter Teets for 25 years; they have an adult daughter living in Salt Lake City who is getting married this summer. She shares her home with an elderly dog Cooper and a cat Obi. She is a breast cancer survivor (2018). She is a recently trained yoga teacher, which keeps her limber and centered, and is an avid knitter, which keeps her hands busy.