Rev. Terry Burke — Minister
Terry Burke originally came to the Jamaica Plain church in 1983 as a denominational extension minister, with the charge to revive a small, mostly elderly congregation. He was called as the regularly settled minister in 1985. In 2007, Terry and the congregation went through a process of “recovenanting” in which both minister and congregation chose to renew the bond between them.
Terry loves urban neighborhood ministry and was featured in a chapter of Kathleen Hirsch’s book on Jamaica Plain, A Home in the Heart of the City. He sees church life in terms of spiritual growth, doing justice, and providing community. Married to church Music Director Ellen McGuire (who preceeded him at the church!), they have three high school and college age children. Besides his ministry with the church and time with family, Terry is also a volunteer for the Samaritans telephone helpline, a board member for Interfaith Worker Justice and Jobs With Justice, and loves writing fiction. For his February “mini-sabbatical” in 2011, he and his daughter walked 300 miles of the Camino, the pilgrimage to St. James Compostela, in honor of their late friend Priscilla Holmes.
Rev. Burke will be on leave 1/31/2011- 3/2/2011. He can be reached during regular business hours at the church.
Mick Hirsch —
Director of Religious Education
Mick Hirsch, a native of Cleveland, OH, is a graduate of both the University of Chicago (AB ’98, English Language and Literature) and the Yale University Divinity School (M.Div. ’03). Professionally, he has worked in healthcare chaplaincy at such places as Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, GA, Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He now works as a Case Manager for the International Institute of New England (www.iine.us), where he helps resettle, counsel and otherwise support refugees.
Mick is a doctoral candidate at the European Graduate School (PhD ’12, Philosophy: Media and Communications), studying political theology, philosophy of science and technology, and the arts. Mick’s band, Another Divide (www.anotherdivide.com) in which he plays lead guitar and sings back-up vocals, released their first self-titled demo CD in July 2010. Mick is married to Erika Hirsch, an ordained United Methodist Deacon, who is pursuing a PhD in History of Christianity at Boston University.
Ellen McGuire — Music Director
Ellen McGuire has been organist and music director at First Church since 1979. She particularly enjoys playing the beautiful 1854 Hook mechanical-action organ, accompanying Janna’s lovely anthems, and creating music with her choir of volunteers who love to sing.
Julia Terry — Church Administrator
Julia Terry hails from Fairbanks, Alaska. She is a jill of all trades, with a BA in Journalism and Women and Gender Studies. Julia can brew an excellent espresso while doing the taxes and directing a children’s theatre production, though for the past few years she has primarily moved wherever her partner’s schooling takes their family. She is also the webmistress for her partner’s traveling show, the Tranny Roadshow.
Julia is responsible for the daily operations of the church office. You can reach her during regular business hours at the church or via email at firstchjp@aol.com.
Janna Fröhlich — Soloist Janna received her BA in Music from Wheaton College and her MFA in Early Music from Sarah Lawrence College, with studies at New England Conservatory and Longy School of Music as well. She has studied vocal performance with Ellalou Dimmock, Spencer Carroll, Drew Minter, Julianne Baird, and Barbara Suhrstedt. She has been Soloist at the First Church for many years. She was a founding member of The Muses of Frolic, which specialized in Baroque music, and Musica Romanza, a medieval music ensemble, active in the 80′s and 90′s and was a featured performing group with SoHIP. In the past, she has performed with Capella Alamire, Seraphim Singers, Cecilia Society and Boston Acapella; currently, she performs on harp and voice for Cappella Clausura, and with Chroi Anam Guth (kree ahnum goo) Celtic ensemble, also featuring Joy Grimes on fiddle. Joy and Janna are also expanding their collaboration to play music for childbirth and hospice.
After many years full-time at Harvard School of Public Health, Janna now works as a contract programmer part-time and plans to attend grad school in the fall for a Masters in Expressive Therapy. You may read her creativity blog The Muses of Happiness. She also volunteers with La Leche League of MA/RI/VT as District Coordinator, and co-leads the local Boston group. She is involved with the youth program here at First Church. Her two children, Roisin and Ciaran (both young adults), are “birth-right” UUs who grew up in this church!
Rev. Marshall Hawkins — Affiliate Minister
Marshall is a community minister who works as an editor for the Unitarian Universalist Association—the denominational headquarters located in Boston. He came to First Church as a ministerial intern in 2001 and never left! The congregation ordained Marshall in 2003, and voted to endorse his ministry and accept his affiliation.
Before working at the UUA, Marshall spent five years serving as a hospice chaplain.
Marshall often provides ministerial coverage at First Church when Rev. Terry Burke is away, is a member of the Social Action Group, and is one of the delegates from First Church to the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization.