Minister

Rev. Liz Weber
email: [email protected]

Rev. Liz Weber (she/her) joined us as our Minister in July 2025. She previously served congregations in eastern Massachusetts (Concord and Reading) and was a chaplain resident at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital. Rev. Liz was raised in Dayton then spent 20 years in Boston. Louisville has been a bit of a homecoming. A lifelong Unitarian Universalist, Rev. Liz believes that we are all a little broken, and whole, and better together in community.

Rev. Liz is a graduate of Andover Newton Theological School. In addition to her M.Div., she holds a graduate certificate in Spiritual and Pastoral Care and one in Religion and Conflict Transformation. Her first career was in American Sign Language interpretation, with focuses in educational and medical settings. She loves hiking, chocolate, and good dogs, and believes that all dogs are good dogs. Cats, too.

Director of Religious Exploration

Loren Crawford
email: [email protected]

Loren was faith education coordinator for Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ in Chicago until she moved back to Louisville, her hometown, in 2010. She is a writer, an arts educator, a Kundalini yoga instructor.

Former chair of the drama department of Sacred Heart School for the Arts, Loren is very happily teaching drama at Walden School on Westport Road. Her special focus is creating original performance work with young people. She holds a B.S. in Theater Arts from Northwestern University and has completed all coursework for a Master’s degree in Liberal Studies, also at Northwestern.

Choir Director

Ethan McCollum
email: [email protected]

Ethan is a classical pianist and choral conductor from Berea, Kentucky. He regularly accompanies instrumentalists, singers, and choirs throughout the Kentuckiana area. He also plays in large ensembles, in pits, performs solo and chamber music, and accompanies ballet classes at the Louisville Ballet School. He received both his bachelor’s degree in piano performance and master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of Louisville. Ethan has played piano at First Unitarian since the summer of 2013, and became the choir director in 2016.

Office Administrator

Barbara Creasy
email: [email protected]

Barbara retired after teaching middle school for 25 years, followed by a year as a middle school librarian. In her free time, Barbara enjoys doing things with and for her eight grandchildren.

Operations Coordinator

Kristen Drehmel
email: [email protected]

In her role as operations coordinator Kristen coordinates rentals and building use to help physically bring the church’s commitment to service, nurturing our community, and transforming the world into reality. She also has a leading role in overseeing the safety and security of the building and our online presence. Kristen is a Louisville transplant from Quincy, IL, and has been a member of First Unitarian since 2010. When she is not working, Kristen enjoys reading, creating, singing, and learning. She also enjoys relaxing with her husband and two children.

Bookkeeper

Michael Purinton
email: [email protected]

Michael currently is the Treasurer for Mid-Kentucky Presbytery, and a bookkeeper for several local churches and community ministries, including All Peoples and First Unitarian. A former employee of the National Presbyterian Church (USA), Michael has experience as an editor and educator, as well as his newer career in bookkeeping. When not working, Michael sings locally with several choirs, and has performed with the Kentucky Opera, Music Theater of Louisville, and the Gilbert & Sullivan Society.