Co-Ministers at First Parish in Brookline

Our Co-Ministers:

The Reverend Martha Niebanck

Martha discovered Unitarian Universalism with her family in 1983. She and her husband Josef served on committees, taught Sunday School and served on the Parish Committee. The congregation sent Martha to New England Leadership School to support her work in the congregation and she was inspired to explore a call to ministry. Martha studied at Andover Newton Theological School while she continued her work with individuals and families in bio-behavioral medicine, with degrees from Tufts, Boston University, and the Kantor Family Institute. Martha was the first woman to be ordained by the First Parish in Hingham, "Old Ship," and served the Doolittle Home as chaplain, and consulted with the UU Congregation of South County. First Parish in Waltham called Martha to full time ministry in 1997 where she served for eight years. Martha is especially interested in spiritual direction, meditation, and the mind-body connection. She consults to the Mass Bay District's Lay Ministry Team and directs the Congregational Transfor- mation Team.

Sermons

January 13, 2008: "Holy Spirit"

December 2, 2007: "Doorkeepers In Time"

October 21, 2007: "Juggling Identities"

October 7, 2007: "Rites of Passage"

September 23, 2007: "We Are All In This Alone Together"

April 29, 2007: "Skeptics and True Believers"

February 11, 2007: "What Is Marriage For?"

February 4, 2007: "Parenting as a Spiritual Practice"

December 10, 2006: "What's Your Story?"

November 12, 2006: "Peaceful Veterans"

October 29, 2006: "Fear Itself"

August 20, 2006: "In the Eye Abides the Heart"

June 6, 2006: "General Theory of Love"

May 14, 2006: "1000 Grandmothers"

March 26, 2006: "The Legacy of Care"

February 26, 2006: "Grace of Great Things"

January 8, 2006: "Standing Up By Sitting Down "

November 13, 2005: "Just In Time"

October 30, 2005: "Spiritual Practice of Remembrance"

The Reverend Jim Sherblom

Jim has been a UU for 20 years and a UU minister for the last two years. Jim and his wife Loretta brought their children Sarah (24) and Robert (22) up at First Parish in Concord where Loretta and Jim are long-time members and where Loretta still serves as Moderator. Jim did his Ministerial Internship at First Parish in Watertown while a student at Andover Newton Theological School. He was ordained in 2004 and served a brief interim ministry at North Parish in North Andover before being called jointly with Rev. Martha Niebanck in 2005 to be Co-Ministers at First Parish in Brookline. Jim is bi-vocational and spends most of the time he is not at First Parish as the Managing Partner of Seaflower Ventures, a Waltham early stage life science venture capital firm. Jim holds a BA in History from Yale College, an MBA from Harvard, and an MDIV from Andover Newton. He also serves on the Board (currently as President) of the Mass. Bay District of UU Churches and on the Investment Committee of the UUA. Jim particularly enjoys wearing funny hats, playing with children, and participating in deep theological discussions.