My first encounters with Unitarian Universalism were through my Religious Exploration classes at the UU Fellowship of Corvallis. From the baby pillow cases the caregivers in the nursery made for us, to the teachers and mentors through OWL and Coming of Age, and finally to the larger regional youth advisors that first saw my call to ministry, faith formation has been an important part of my own story.
I trust deeply in UU religious educator Joy Berry’s model of faith formation, which follows James Fowler’s theory that faith is taught, caught, bought, and sought, and adds a final step of faith that is wrought — shared and wrestled with in community. Berry teaches that the missing stage of faith development is one that we can only reach in community.
I consider myself a religious educator and have been a member of the Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA) since 2021. My experience in RE (besides experiencing it myself) includes training for elementary and adult OWL (I will be co-facilitating 5-6th grade OWL in Spring 2026), facilitating the youth group at the Community Church of New York, and leading adult RE workshops on theology and social justice at multiple congregations. I love working with UUs of all ages, from our youngest children to our dearest elders, but my passion lies in emerging adult ministry and tending to the liminal space between youth and adulthood.
karishma gottfried 