POCATELLO — Pocatello Unitarian Universalist Fellowship has a new minister.
Jennifer Peek, who goes by Pastor Jenny, was recently selected to serve in the position that has been vacant for two years.
“We did a national search, and her background and qualifications seemed like a good fit for our congregation,” said Mark Neiwirth, board secretary for PUUF, adding that they’re thrilled to once again have a minister of their own.
Peek, who is serving as a consulting minister, will make her debut on Oct. 15, and she said she will be at the pulpit on the first and third Sundays of every month after that.
“I am looking forward to getting to know both the congregation and the community of Pocatello,” Peek said. “Already, I am learning there is a deep commitment among the Unitarian Universalists here to work with area congregations and non-profit organizations for the benefit of all the community members.”
She said that inspiring vision of shared ministry is one of the things that drew her to PUUF.
Peek previously served as an intern minister for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Elkhart in Indiana for two years. She earned her Master of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago and was able to take part in some unique opportunities along the way.
“With my own deep passion for intercultural and interreligious dialogue, Meadville worked with me for a tailored learning experience that involved an educational trip to the Philippines and a placement in the school’s Global Fellows Scholarship. In both these forums, I met and learned with religious leaders from around the world,” she said.
While she’s still relatively new to ministry, Peek is passionate about the work. Even before she became a minister, she found many ways to serve in her home congregation.
Jokingly, she said she knew she needed to pursue ministry the day her brother, Jeff, came to talk to her about a work-related issue. She was serving as his office manager at the time.
“I had taken over the desk and a long table to spend time on a church-related project, and there wasn’t an inch of space for actual work! I think I knew then anything not related to the church was a distraction from what I really needed to be doing,” she said. “I needed to go into ministry and commit myself to the call.”
On a more serious note, she also wanted to play a role in encouraging people to get to know and learn to love their neighbors better. Peek says too often people live, work and play in relatively small circles with those who think, pray and live the way they do.
“This has a built-in Achilles heel, in that we miss opportunities to learn and grow as a strong, pluralist society. When we keep to our own comfort zone, those very small circles, I fear we create room for fear and prejudice, and the acts of violence that too often follow,” she said. “I believe religious leaders are among the folk to help lead our communities into a gentler, loving world, free of oppression and inequality.”
As she moves forward with her work in Pocatello, Peek said she plans to hold “community hours” at restaurants and coffee shops around town. The first will take place at Elmers Restaurant on Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
“Have dinner, or just dessert, and some lively conversation,” she said. “I love to listen and share stories.”
In the future, she also hopes to learn along with her congregation as they explore the link between what calls them to Unitarian Universalism and how it can guide them in their lives.
“Simpler put, let’s live our faith and values, each to our fullest capacity, and continue to do as we have done, welcoming every person fully where no part of their lives need be hidden,” she said. “We are all ‘perfectly imperfect’. We can learn and grow together.”
For more information about Pocatello Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, people can visit www.pocatellouu.org.
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