Minister: The Rev. Paul Beedle
Congregation Administrator: Norma Gonzales
Director of Faith Development: Pati Withers

The Rev. Paul Beedle
Minister

The Reverend Paul Beedle was ordained by the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington NY, where he was a member and lay leader for eleven years. That congregation's philosophy and practice of shared ministry shaped and continues to influence his understanding of ministry. "Each congregation has a distinct mix of talent and potential from which to build ministries that transform lives - of those served by them and those serving in them," he says. "Where love and service are, there is God." Paul earned a BA in Economics at Cornell University and an MBA at Washington University in St. Louis before completing his MDiv at Union Theological Seminary in New York. He served as intern minister at West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church in Cleveland OH, then as interim minister at the Unitarian Universalist Community Church in Sacramento CA. Following his first settled ministry at the Universalist Unitarian Church of Riverside CA, he served two consecutive interim ministries - at Neighborhood Church in Pasadena CA and at Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Goleta CA - before being called to Thoreau. "What first impressed me about Thoreau was the clarity and energy of its social ministry, with its explicit focus on Fort Bend County. And it was clear to me that behind all of Thoreau's ministries is a strong commitment to live out the words we say in worship each Sunday: 'Love is the doctrine of this church, the quest for truth is its sacrament, and service is its prayer.' Yes, they'll know we are Unitarian Universalists by our love." View samples of Rev. Beedle's creative works (sermons, essays, writings, and music).

Patti Withers, CRE/ML
Director of Faith Development

Patti Withers is a UUA Credentialed Religious Educator at the Masters Level. She became a Universalist ( theologically) during high school and a UU in 1991. She earned a BA in Education with majors in mathematics and history from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and a Masters in Education Administration from the University of Hawaii. Professionally, she was a middle and high school math teacher before becoming a religious educator. She served as Director of Religious Education at the First Universalist Society of Rochester, NY, and the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, TX, before joining the staff at Thoreau. Personally, she is married, the mother of a son and daughter and the grandmother of two boys and a girl. She adds, "I believe that the primary goals of Unitarian Universalist Faith Development are to provide each child and youth with the ability to determine her or his own spiritual beliefs, discover his or her own ethical compass and develop the skills and confidence to carry them out in the world. In order to help the children and youth on this quest, we provide lessons based on the wisdom of the world's faith traditions, guided by the Unitarian Universalist Principles, and grounded in a community where discussion and questioning are not only allowed, but actively encouraged."