Interim Minister: Mary Ann Macklin

The Interim Search Team is pleased to announce that First Unitarian has hired Reverend Mary Ann Macklin to be our interim minister, beginning August 1, 2023. We’ll be doing all the formal introductions and welcomes later this summer, but for now, here is a short bio from our new minister!

~ Donna Corbett, Peggy Muller. Devi Pierce, Jill Sampson and Jill Sherman

Having been an inhabitant of this spinning blue-green planet for sixty- three plus years, Reverend Mary Ann Macklin warmly welcomes the opportunity to serve First Unitarian Church of Louisville as Interim Minister beginning in August. Reverend Macklin was ordained in 1998 in Indianapolis, IN and will celebrate twenty-five years of parish ministry at this year’s UUMA Ministry Days, prior to General Assembly, in Pittsburgh, PA in June.

Often referred to by her initials, MAM, Reverend Mary Ann Macklin also goes by Reverend MAM or Rev MAM or MAM in addition to Mary Ann or Reverend Mary Ann or Reverend Macklin.

This past year, inspired by her niece Grace, age 18, Reverend Mary Ann chose to take a gap year from July 2022 through July 2023. She has spent this time resting, blessing, learning, healing and conjuring; she also explored Mindful Leadership for the 21st Century through the nine-month Inner MBA Program created by LinkedIn and Sounds True. Feeling renewed and recalibrated, she looks forward to reengaging full-time ministry. Reverend Mary Ann served the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington from 2002 to 2022 as a member of a successful Ministry Team and Senior Minister. She also served First Unitarian Society in Madison, WI as a Campus and Parish Minister 1997-2002.

Reverend Macklin and her spouse, Deborah Phelps, have been together for thirty-four years. Deborah is a composer and music therapist. Deborah also served as an oncology nurse and hospice nurse for many years as well. Deborah and Mary Ann live in Bloomington, IN with two cats, DarDar and Moonpie, a bulldog named Hodor as well as five chickens of various names. Mary Ann will secure housing in the Louisville area while Deborah will keep the home and hearth fires warm in Bloomington. They plan to visit one another regularly. Mary Ann also has two brothers, one sister-in-law, many beloved nieces, nephews and dear friends.

Theologically, depending on the day, Rev MAM considers herself a humanist mystic or a mystic humanist. Like many Unitarian Universalists, Reverend MAM is a lifelong learner and looks forward to sharing a journey of learning, caring, creating and justice-making with the members and friends of First Unitarian of Louisville.

Mary Ann enjoys visiting her spiritual director once a month at The Benedictine Center in Ferdinand. She also enjoys yoga, dance fitness, playing basketball, polar plunging, and creative writing. She is currently working on a young adult novel. During her twenty-five years of parish ministry, she has cherished collaborative worship services, pastoral care, engaging with all generations, speaking truth without blame or judgment, teaching, supervising, creative presentations, meetings, playing, pondering, boundary setting and putting love into action. She views her ministry through the archetypal roles of: leader, visionary, healer and teacher.

Reverend Macklin’s spiritual mentor for many years was the cultural  anthropologist, Angeles Arrien who taught her to ask the following questions when experiencing soul loss or sense of emptiness – Where in life did I stop dancing? Where in life did I stop singing? When in life did I stop being enchanted by story? When did I become uncomfortable with the sweet territory of silence?

Among many other things, Reverend Macklin looks forward to singing, dancing, sharing stories and the sweet territory of silence with Louisville and beyond.

Reverend Mary Ann Macklin

BA 1983, JD 1988, MDiv 1998