| Reverend Gail R Geisenhainer |
 |
 |
 |
|
What Does She Preach?
An anthropology grounded in the presumption of human dignity and worth. A theology of reverence and respect for the natural world. A Christology of Jesus as a fully human extraordinary teacher of love and justice. A methodology embracing mystery with the disciplines of reason. A gospel of Love as transformative and salvific when yoked with justice for all. A commitment to building the Beloved Community: Right here, right now. Path to Ministry
Previous CongregationsAfter her ordination, Gail was sent by the UUA as an extension minister to Emerson UU Church of Canoga Park, California to help the congregation recover from effects of an earthquake which had destroyed their church building and many of their homes. In 2002 she was called by the Vero Beach, Florida congregation and has served it through several major changes over the last six years. Family
TheologyGail describes her personal theology as religious humanism. She says she is moved motivated, shaped and encouraged by the myths and stories, examples and disciplines of the world's great religious faiths. She was raised with the stories of the Christian Bible. In her teens, she read extensively in the traditions of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. As an adult she read the Humanist Manifesto and feels at home with its assertions. However, Gail says that when invited into the pulpit of a congregation, it is her responsibility to touch on a variety of faith stances and understandings. She says, "I think the preacher needs to offer what truth or questions they have in a variety of ways in order to be heard by as many folks as possible. My job is to encourage and empower each soul in the congregation to shape and articulate and live into their own right answer." Music"Music has been an organizing principle for my whole life. My mother plays the piano. My dad sang with carefree abandon and joy. My brother and I played and sang in every music program available to us at school and at church. I was even student conductor of the High School orchestra! In college I sang with a jug band and a rock band to earn money. I have played clarinet, accordion, guitar, and piano; all more earnestly than well. I play most percussion instruments fairly well. And I sing, like my dad, often, but with more joy than talent." Religious EducationGail believes that Unitarian Universalism "offers us the opportunity to be forever learning, forever growing, forever living into new understandings and new skills for meeting the demands of lives deeply lived and for offering creative and steadfast work to bring more justice, more decency, and more kindness into the lives of others." She looks forward to working with staff and lay leadership on the curriculum tailored to the needs of the children in the congregation. She looks forward to working on a comprehensive program of adult education courses. She loves teaching. "It charges my batteries." R&R Activities"I love live theater and live music of all sorts. I love vanilla ice cream and watching sports on TV. I relax with reading, gardening, cooking and birding. I amuse myself with the guitar. One treasured way I renew my soul is to sit still in the presence of moving water."
|
The first call to ministry came to the Rev. Gail R.Geisenhainer as a teenager in her family's Congregational church, and was finally realized three decades later with her ordination as a UU minister in 1996 at age 46 in Ellsworth, Maine. Along the way she entered college to study music, learned about community organizing in the politically turbulent 1960s, dropped out of college, then returned to earn a Bachelor's degree in accounting. She began seminary studies at The Episcopal Divinity School, left the Episcopal Church and was "forthrightly evangelized into Unitarian Universalism" while living in a small town in Maine. She has incredible energy and enthusiasm for life and her ministry, and is deeply excited about the opportunity to minister with our congregation.
Gail‘s partner of 24 years, Celeste DeRoche, holds a Ph.D in United States history, is a deeply committed UU and a contributor to the Unitarian Universalist Biography project. She currently serves on the Board of the Florida Historical Society and is adjunct faculty for Barry University and Indian River Community College. Gail's mother, Betty lives in Florida. Gail and Celeste have siblings in New York, New Hampshire and Maine. Their closest friends and family of choice live in New York City and Portland, Maine.