Ministerial Search Committee
The members of your Ministerial Search Committee are:
Jack Seubert (Chair)
Jack moved to Memphis from Oregon. He and his spouse, Tricia, joined Neshoba in 1993 and there are few Neshoba pots he has not had his hands in, including the Neshoba Board, Grounds, Finance, Membership, Ministry and Stewardship committee, a member of the choir, and even teaching adult OWLS. Jack is our fearless leader, and his lovely wife Tricia and spoiled cat Noelle fully back him and us. Jack does not leave a stone unturned and always has an idea (or two or three…) of how we can accomplish tasks we didn’t even know we had. Jack has truly made us believers that the search process can and will be successful.
Laura Coleman (Survey Coordinator)
Laura is a Kentucky native and has been a UU since 1983 and a member of Neshoba since November 2010. She has two children and three grandchildren who live in California. As our survey coordinator, Laura brings to us her top-notch organizational skills and vast experience working in many committees in another Memphis-area Unitarian congregation. Don’t try to worm out of your chance to participate in the survey. Laura will find you.
Markus Rostig (Treasurer)
Markus grew up in Oregon and has lived in Arizona and Germany and everywhere in between. Well, not everywhere. He and his lovely family--his wife Lorena and their now-adult children, Annelise and Sebastian have lived in Memphis almost 5 years. He even became a proud grandfather this year. The Rostigs became UU and joined Neshoba because of its openness, acceptance and dogma-free environment and they are a real bright spot in our congregation. With Markus’ background as a senior financial analyst for FedEx, we are very lucky to have him serve as our treasurer, IT support person and backup chair.
Sara Ralston (Secretary)
Sara is a long-time Memphian and a long-time Neshoban. She and her husband, Bruce, started coming to Neshoba 15 years ago to find a spiritual home for themselves and an environment of values and acceptance for their young daughter, Cecelia, now a college student. Sarah is a second-grade teacher and brings her creativity, enthusiasm and organizational prowess to the committee as our secretary. But most important is her ability to always find us just the right Bruce Springsteen song to spur us on in our work.
Samantha Durant (Packet Editor/Distributor)
Samantha (Sam) is a native Memphian, attended the University of Memphis and is now a grad student at Christian Brothers University. She is very involved in and passionate about Teach For America. Sam came to Neshoba because she is a very spiritual person and loves to study religion, but had never found a place she felt comfortable doing that outside of a college classroom until attending a cousin’s wedding in Massachusetts that was officiated by a UU minister. That led her to look up a UU church here at home. Sam joined Neshoba in 2006 and has been involved in the RE program in the preschool class and the nursery, and loves to tell the story for all ages. Sam brings her highly valued and much needed IT and design talents to the committee, not to mention a youthful perspective that, well, might otherwise be lacking.
Merilynn Rowan (Reference Checker)
Merilynn became a Unitarian in 2002 while living in Utah, after Belief-O-Matic told her that’s what she was. She has been a member of Neshoba since moving to Memphis in 2005 to be closer to her three children and four grandchildren. She is involved in many things at Neshoba, but R.E. is her passion. Her background as a paralegal and experience seeking information from people will fit well with her role as our reference checker and backup secretary/PR person.
Jeanne Ortmann (Process Observer)
Jeanne and her partner, Chrysti, have lived in Memphis for 15 years. Jeanne has been coming to Neshoba for three years and is a most-beloved nursery caregiver as well as a participant in a variety of Neshoba activities. Jeanne has the most amazing love of animals, as their three cats and miniature poodle will attest. But as our process observer, she is not always a softie. She keeps us focused, in line and on subject. Did we mention she served 20 years in the military? ‘Nuff said.
Nancy Stinchfield (Arranger)
Nancy has been a member of Neshoba since 1994 (with a 3-year sabbatical in D.C.). She has two grown children (and two upcoming weddings). Nancy has been involved with almost every committee and activity known to Neshoba with the exception of the men’s group. She doesn’t just live IN Memphis, she LIVES Memphis. She is the perfect person to be our arranger. If anyone can arrange a great weekend to show a ministerial candidate all the reasons to want to be a Memphian and a Neshoban, it’s Nancy.
