January 2, 2025:
We are thrilled to announce our new Interim AUUA Chaplain, Rev. Alison Duren-Sutherland!
We are thrilled to announce our new Interim AUUA Chaplain, Rev. Alison Duren-Sutherland!
Rev. Alison Duren-Sutherland (she/her) was raised in Seattle, WA and Portland, OR in a small Christian denomination that she left when she came out as bisexual at a time of hateful public discourse around queer people couched in Christian rhetoric. After a period of agnosticism, she discovered Earth-centered spirituality and developed a solitary Pagan practice. When her first child was born, she realized she needed community to help her teach values to her children, and she found a spiritual home in Unitarian Universalism.
Rev. Alison began her career in full-spectrum reproductive health care, including training as an out-of-hospital midwife. She turned her focus to ministry when she realized that the US healthcare system was geared toward profit rather than healthcare. In 2022, she graduated from Starr King School for the Ministry with a Master of Divinity. In 2023, she was granted preliminary fellowship and ordained by Rogue Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. She currently serves as contract minister for Saltwater Unitarian Universalist Church in Des Moines, WA where she lives with her partner Jamie and their two daughters.
Rev. Alison Duren-Sutherland is available on Tuesdays and occasional Saturdays to provide pastoral care sessions via Zoom to AUUA members. Email minister@saltwaterchu