It is with great pleasure that the Ministerial Search Committee announces Cory Wells Lovell as our candidate for the settled ministry at UU Marin.
During the first round of Search, Cory was not eligible as he was completing his Preliminary Fellowship. Thus, the forces of the universe came together for us to find someone who is earnest, caring, humble, and authentic. He preaches inspiring sermons filled with presence and compassion. He is a natural at pastoral caregiving. He is a confident teacher and brings strong organizational skills and attention to detail to worship and administration. Social justice is his core message. We heard what the Congregation wanted in a Settled Minister and our Candidate checks all of the boxes.
Cory has been a contract minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bartlesville, Oklahoma since 2022. Following an eight year gap during which the church did not have a minister, together UU Bartlesville and Cory were able to accomplish recreating the worship, social justice, and religious education committees; initiating a Safe Congregation Policy; and pursuing their leading purpose and growing commitment to maintain a broader UU affiliation. Not incidentally, Cory led the church in their pledge drives and he became a member of the Bartlesville Alliance of Ministers.
Born and raised on the east coast, Cory came to San Francisco to pursue a BFA and subsequently spent eight years in the film and music production industry. His path led him to the art hub of Marfa, Texas. Here he also encountered a small UU house church he describes as “perhaps a dozen West Texas hippies on a busy day that seemed to him like a scrappy, homemade faith that began with earnest attempts to be theologically honest.” Here too is where he heard a subtle call to the ministry, which became a ringing in his ears following the 2016 Presidential election. He earned a Master of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary, did his Clinical Pastoral Education as a Chaplain at the VA Hospital of St. Louis, Interned at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, and served a Community Chaplaincy at Faith and for the Sake of All in St. Louis.
He has a deep knowledge of and love for many genres of music and describes his ministry as using the latest in art, technology, and communication to combine history, contemporary pop culture, pluralistic religious wisdom, and prophetic voices across myriad cultural and social locations to nourish and equip congregants with spiritual confidence to confront the ills of our world with joy, compassion, and generosity. His mentors describe him as brilliant, a liver and lover of UU history, and a unique mix of humility and authenticity.
He sends this message…
Dear UU Marin,
I am so honored to be your candidate for settled ministry! It’s been a joyful and collaborative discernment process so far and my family and I cannot wait to get to know the whole congregation. This is a fast paced and exciting time for our family as our baby boy is on the way in the midst of this transition, but we already feel the love and support of the incredible UU Marin community and look forward to journeying together, hopefully for many years to come.
Blessed Be!
– Cory W. Lovell
And this video greeting . . .
You can read his Ministerial Record here.
Recorded sermons: