The Thomas Paine Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Collegeville, Pa, celebrated the ordination and installation of its new minister, the Rev. Bryant Bossler Brown, on Sunday, Oct. 18. The service was attended by more than 140 people, including 22 ministers (both UU and other denominations) from as far away as Maryland. A reception followed the 90-minute service.
The Rev. Dr. Fredric J. Muir of the Annapolis church delivered the sermon at the ordination and installation service. The Rev. Gabriele Parks took part as well. Rev. Parks had served two years as Thomas Paine’s minister before securing a settled position in Easton, Md.
Ordination in the Unitarian Universalist faith is a prerogative of the congregation. Brown was called in June 2009 by a unanimous vote of the members of the Thomas Paine Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
Brown is a graduate of Moravian Theological Seminary in Bethlehem, Pa. He most recently served as a parish ministry intern at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis, Md. He was a chaplain resident at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem and a chaplain intern in the behavioral health unit of Grand View Hospital, Sellersville, Pa. Brown is a founding member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Frankfurt, Germany.
Thomas Paine Unitarian Universalist Fellowship was founded in 1964, and is located at 3424 Ridge Pike in Collegeville. It is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.
