About Kimberlee
Kimberlee Tomczak Carlson comes to her calling through a unique intersection of interests and skills. Holding degrees in both education and fine art from University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, she has been approved for preliminary fellowship as a Unitarian Universalist ministry and will be ordained by First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee on October 18, 2020. Carlson spent 15 years as an art-educator in Wisconsin’s public schools, spearheading community-wide mural installations, and serving as spokesperson and advocate for the Wisconsin Teacher’s Union during the Scott Walker-collective bargaining protests of 2011. She founded and ran the annual “Souper Bowl & Family Art Night” fundraiser which sold students’ ceramic projects in conjunction with a community dinner to support the local soup kitchen and food pantry.
After being exposed to a number of religious traditions growing up, Carlson found Unitarian Universalism while in graduate school and was immediately attracted to the pluralism of Unitarian Universalism and how the faith was lived through social justice and advocacy.
After working as a Regional Organizing Consultant for the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) office of Young Adult and Campus Ministry, Kimberlee became the Youth and Young Adult Coordinator for the Central Midwest District of the UUA, running dozens of events for young Unitarian Universalists across the Midwest.
Kimberlee then served the historic Unitarian Universalist Church, Rockford, Illinois for five years as Program Director, during which time she was responsible for membership, special events, midweek ministry and the religious education program.
During seminary Kimberlee became the intern minister at Unitarian Universalist Church West in Brookfield, Wisconsin, working with Rev. Suzelle Lynch. In 2018, she co-created Blessed at Pridefest, an interfaith onsite ministry, where clergy from many faiths actively blessed participants. She was also honored to be a recipient of the Chautauqua award, an opportunity to preach and serve as guest minister for the UU Fellowship at the Chautauqua Institution.
Kimberlee Carlson sees the creation of art, particularly ceramics, as her spiritual discipline, and runs a small pottery shop at Etsy.com/shop/KimberleeClay where she sells ceramic arts and Unitarian Universalist chalices.
As the Minister of Religious Education for the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee, Kimberlee leads the children’s religious education program, supervises the Religious Education staff, and works with lay leaders to coordinate healthy religious education programs for children and youth through worship, religious education classes and special programs. Dedicated to serving children, youth and families Kimberlee is delighted to be working at First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee in this shared endeavor.
Kimberlee lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin with her husband the Rev. Erik David Carlson, minister of Bradford Community Church Unitarian Universalist, her energetic seven-year-old son Miles, and two opinionated felines Amelia and Oliver.
After being exposed to a number of religious traditions growing up, Carlson found Unitarian Universalism while in graduate school and was immediately attracted to the pluralism of Unitarian Universalism and how the faith was lived through social justice and advocacy.
After working as a Regional Organizing Consultant for the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) office of Young Adult and Campus Ministry, Kimberlee became the Youth and Young Adult Coordinator for the Central Midwest District of the UUA, running dozens of events for young Unitarian Universalists across the Midwest.
Kimberlee then served the historic Unitarian Universalist Church, Rockford, Illinois for five years as Program Director, during which time she was responsible for membership, special events, midweek ministry and the religious education program.
During seminary Kimberlee became the intern minister at Unitarian Universalist Church West in Brookfield, Wisconsin, working with Rev. Suzelle Lynch. In 2018, she co-created Blessed at Pridefest, an interfaith onsite ministry, where clergy from many faiths actively blessed participants. She was also honored to be a recipient of the Chautauqua award, an opportunity to preach and serve as guest minister for the UU Fellowship at the Chautauqua Institution.
Kimberlee Carlson sees the creation of art, particularly ceramics, as her spiritual discipline, and runs a small pottery shop at Etsy.com/shop/KimberleeClay where she sells ceramic arts and Unitarian Universalist chalices.
As the Minister of Religious Education for the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee, Kimberlee leads the children’s religious education program, supervises the Religious Education staff, and works with lay leaders to coordinate healthy religious education programs for children and youth through worship, religious education classes and special programs. Dedicated to serving children, youth and families Kimberlee is delighted to be working at First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee in this shared endeavor.
Kimberlee lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin with her husband the Rev. Erik David Carlson, minister of Bradford Community Church Unitarian Universalist, her energetic seven-year-old son Miles, and two opinionated felines Amelia and Oliver.
About Ordination
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Why A Minister of Religious Education? by Kimberlee Tomczak Carlson Minister of Religious Education I felt such a joy of possibilities when I first read the job description for the Director of Religious Education here at First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee last January. My ministerial call is centered around serving children and families. It is a blessing to have the opportunity to work in a congregation with strong religious education roots, ready to evolve how it serves families. Religious education should be a lifelong process of discovering and creating a relationship with ourselves, the Universe and the mysteries it contains. Our purpose is to seek answers to questions about what gives meaning, sustenance, and embodiment to the common good within the values of our Unitarian Universalist (UU) tradition. The work of faith formation is to help humanity construct and actualize their potential to choose and then to serve that common good together. This is an exciting time to be working as a minister in religious education. We are exploring how we can develop our religious education program from a curriculum-driven program to something new, something that is sustainable and meets the needs of families today. This ministry work co-creates resources and experiences with families, reshaping how we do the work together while offering pastoral care and spiritual guidance on the journey. Our faith is grounded in relationships, nurturing connections and believing that together humanity has the capacity to work towards the greater good. UU family faith development is a journey of relationships as family members connect with one another, the faith community, and the universe to discover and rediscover our dynamic, sustaining faith. This is the ministry work I am called to do, to use my skills in pedagogy, methodology and our UU faith to facilitate relationships and help provide a nurturing environment where we can all thrive and grow. It Only Happens About Every 44.5 Years
by The Reverend Andrew C. Kennedy, Minister Emeritus It is with joy that we, as a congregation, will gather -- virtually -- on October 18th at 2:00 pm, to ordain Kimberlee Tomczak Carlson into the Unitarian Universalist ministry. Kimberlee invited me to share what I knew of previous ordinations by our own First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee. From my research, here is what I found: 06/10/1928 Robert Dale Richardson’s ordination was said at the time to be the first and only ordination of a church member raised in the church. Richardson was the son of Emmet and Harriet Richardson, two leading laypersons. Richardson returned to preach at the centennial celebration of the Society in 1942. ~1982-83 Arthur Von Haack was ordained by the congregation on a Sunday morning, although he was not ultimately fellowshipped by the Unitarian Universalist Association. 10/07/1996 Jacqueline Ann Ziegler was ordained. She is the first woman to have been ordained at First Church. Jackie retired in the summer of 2020, finishing up as Interim Minister in Idaho Falls, Idaho. 05/06/2007 John A. Cullinan, a member of our congregation, was ordained. John has been settled as minister of the Unitarian Church of Los Alamos, New Mexico since 2007. Clearly, this question of ordinations at FUSM has not been exhaustively researched, especially during the years 1842-1900. Nevertheless, these are the four ordinations of which we are aware that have taken place at our church. On average, therefore, First Church has ordained someone only once every 44.5 years! So, clearly, you don’t want to miss this one, folks! I look forward to “seeing” you on October 18th at 2:00 pm. Please join us to see how UUs ordain someone to the ministry. It may be your only chance. Cheers and love, Drew Our October Ordination by Kimberlee Tomczak Carlson, Minister of Religious Education There is a leap of faith that is required in becoming a Unitarian Universalist minister. In contrast to other religions where it might be described as following a calling from God, our faith is grounded in learning, service, and relationship. During ministerial formation we are asked to discover and articulate our theological beliefs, how we find and hold on to hope, demonstrate how we serve and why. Over the years a responsibility grew in me, grounded in the history of our faith, people, and world, asking me to serve our belief in a universal love that holds us all. Those of us who take this leap into UU ministry do so hoping that we will find people to act on shared values, risk being known to themselves and others and will see in us someone whose heart is ready to serve and grow with them. That leap of faith is made real during ordination. In our faith, ordination is granted through a relationship of a minister and a congregation. It is a sacred gift. You have welcomed me into your church and the lives of your families. Your presence at my ordination on October 18, 2020 will welcome me officially as a minister. On October 18, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. my ordination will complete the transformation and confirmation of my journey to become a minister and our work together as a beloved faith community. We will light the chalice that day and when we extinguish it, I will be honored with the title of Reverend. That is the sacred gift that you give me. My journey has been long, blessed with campus ministry, countless RE classrooms, youth conferences, and meetings in church basements. Now, I have found my way am here with all of you at First Church; I am humbled and honored that this congregation unanimously voted to ordain me at our May annual meeting. Though this is far from how I imagined my final step in my ministerial formation, I am inspired that together we will move forward through the tumult and together renew our promise to live into our values. I am pleased to announce that Dale Skaggs, Bizzy Schultz, Beth Monhollen and Sarah Richards have enthusiastically agreed to be on my ordination team. The ordination planning team will help with decisions around budget, communication, and do some of the implementation to make the event a successful collaboration that represents both First Church and my ministry. I look forward to being together on my ordination day! |
Kimberlee’s Request for Ordination at First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee
by Kimberlee Tomczak Carlson Minister of Religious Education Early in my chaplaincy training at St. Luke’s Hospital my supervisor asked each one of my cohort to answer the question, “What gives you the right to be in the room while someone is suffering?”. My fellow newbie chaplains all shared a version of an answer that contained Jesus and salvation. Then it was my turn, I waivered and said: “I believe in the power of human connection, our ability to think, feel and create our realities with one another. Human relationships can be a spiritually healing force that serves the common good even when it cannot alleviate the suffering we encounter.” Judging myself by the look on their faces I feared I had failed my chaplaincy training on the first week. Afterword, my supervisor, a Rabbi, reassured me that though my colleagues felt empowered by Jesus they would need to discover the power within themselves, the patients and relationship building also. The core of our faith is not placed outside the human community but rooted within it: the connection we have with to one another and the earth is holy, sacred and divine. This is why Unitarian Universalist ordination is traditionally granted from our congregations. This is why I want my ordination, the final step in my ministerial formation, to be here at First Church, conferred from the people where I have been hired to serve as a minister of religious education. Together we have already begun to co-create a new improved reality for religious education. Building on a strong tradition grounded in Unitarian Universalist values, we will continue to expand our faith formation program to new forms that will center the needs of our children and families today. The privilege of working with the dedicated Unitarian Universalists here at First Church inspires me as we continue our efforts in this vital endeavor. Family ministry has the power to serve our faith community, the common good of Milwaukee and our world. All the steps, forms, classes, tests, internships and trainings that Unitarian Universalism requires of me to become a minister have been completed. But only a congregation can grace me with the title of “Reverend”. I am fortunate to have relationships with many fine congregations during my faith journey, during my process of becoming a minister. Yet, First Milwaukee is the church is where my ministry story truly begins again. With joy in my heart, I humbly request that this sacred honor be bestowed by the power of this faith community, the people of First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee. In faith, Kimberlee Tomczak Carlson, Minister of Religious Education Dena's Digressions September 4, 2020 by The Rev. Dena McPhetres A wise mentor once told me that when people attend a wedding ceremony, they celebrate the new couple’s commitment while simultaneously reflecting on their own marriages or committed relationships. We think a wedding is about blessing a new couple, but it is equally about reflecting on our own journey of relationship, and re-committing to the person we love. Whenever I attend an ordination of a soon-to-be colleague into the Unitarian Universalist ministry, I reflect on my own transformation from lay person to Reverend. I recall with fondness and humility my own ordination ceremony. My gratitude overflows and my spirit is nourished. I recommit to the high and deep ideals evoked in the service. I join my voice and heart to the living tradition once again and am inspired and renewed. First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee has the sacred honor of ordaining Kimberlee Tomczak Carlson to the UU ministry in October. During the act of ordination, which only a congregation has the power to do, Kimberlee will take her vows to serve some pretty impressive high ideals! She will deepen her promise to serve you, the community of First Church. And we the people of First Church will make promises to her. This is a rite of transformation of a relationship that already exists, but will become more vivid, full, grounded, and soaring during the ceremony. Make no mistake, we who participate in Kimberlee’s ordination will be changed. I invite you to consider renewing your commitment to this congregation that you made when you became members. In the secret recesses of your heart, and in the loud gladness of exercising your unique power to ordain Kimberlee, may our congregation be a people of renewal. May we promise our best selves to each other, the sacred, and future generations. Save the Date: Sunday, October 18. You don’t want to miss it. |
