Rev. Jean (Eugenia) L. Wahlstrom
Minister

“Rev. Jean” became our newly settled minister in September, 2007. A native of Massachusetts and the daughter of a UU minister, she is a graduate of Colby College and received the Master’s of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School. She served her ministerial internship at the First Unitarian Society of Rochester, N.Y., under the mentorship of the Rev. Richard Gilbert. She brings to May Memorial 15 years of ministerial experience with congregations in Burlington, Iowa; Clarklake, Mich.; Flint, Mich.; Portland, Maine and Phoenix, Ariz.

Rev. Jean says of her hopes for her new ministry with us:
“I love parish ministry, where people and place intertwine as the central focus. I deeply respect and enjoy the relationships which grow over time with church families and individuals. I view all aspects of congregational life as our opportunities to practice creating the world we envision.

“My ministry emphasizes worship, pastoral care, and membership. I treat the Sunday morning worship hour as absolutely the most important of the week — sacred time and space; a rich experience for the heart, mind and senses. I take deep satisfaction in fostering connections within the congregation, and between the congregation and the wider community.”

Rev. Jean maintains a close relationship with her extended family in Massachusetts. She loves nature and the out-of-doors, and is particularly fond of hiking. In addition, she enjoys photography, reading, music, and local cultural opportunities.

Jennifer Hamlin-Navias
Director of Religious Education

Jennifer Hamlin-Navias, M.Div., M.S.W., has been the director of religious education at MMUUS since August of 2005. She came to this position with a bivocational 20-plus-year professional life. Jennifer is an ordained United Church of Christ minister who has specialized in education. She also is a clinical social worker, a Fellow in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, and maintains a small private practice.

Jennifer has lived in the Syracuse Area since 1985. She and her husband Geoff have a lively five-children blended family that includes Betsy, 24; Isaac, 18; Mary Grace, 16; Jesse, 6; and Naomi, 4.

Glenn Kime
Director of Music

Glenn joined our staff in 1992, having “converted” to Unitarian Universalist while director of music for First Universalist Society of Syracuse in the 1980s.

Glenn studied at Syracuse University and the University of Southern California, and privately in London and Cambridge with Dame Gillian Weir. He has worked in many denominations from Anglican and Episcopal parishes to Christian Science churches, and loves the mix of religious outlooks.

Currently Glenn is also organist for Temple Adath Yeshurun in Syracuse and university organist for Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. He serves unofficially as assisting organist for St. Paul’s Cathedral in Syracuse.

As a solo recitalist and accompanist, Glenn has performed throughout the United States, in Great Britain, Europe, Hong Kong and China. He's been featured on radio and television, performed many world premieres and recorded on the Raven label.