The Board of Trustees of the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Tuscaloosa announces that Reverend Ruth Vann Lillian has accepted the position of Minister, effective August, 2018. Rev. Vann Lillian is originally from Birmingham and has recently served as Interim Director of Religious Education at the UU Church of Birmingham. She holds degrees from Birmingham-Southern College, UAB, and the Iliff School of Theology in Denver.

She was ordained in 1994 by the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church and served five churches over a 15 year period. For the past 20 years she has been also been active in Community Ministry in the greater Birmingham area. Rev. Vann Lillian and her husband, William Malone, who recently retired from UAB, are the parents of two sons.

Rev. Vann Lillian is currently a Candidate for Ministerial Fellowship of the Unitarian-Universalist Association. She describes her spiritual development as founded in Christian and Hebrew texts and drawing on universal wisdom traditions. “Ours is a faith built on love, not creeds. My ministry is about helping people to find hope, and to work with them to share love and build a more just world.” She will lead her first service at the Congregation’s annual in-gathering on August 19.

The Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Tuscaloosa, founded in 1954, has a long tradition of welcoming free and open explorations of faith and wisdom and of seeking social justice for those most in need. Rev. Fred Hammond, who served the congregation for 10 years, has accepted the position of Developmental Minister with the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship of Bradenton, Florida.

Further Information:
Carl Clements, UUCT Communications Team, 205-242-8118, carl.clements@ua.edu
Rev. Ruth Vann Lillian, 205-218-1666, revruth@uutuscaloosa.org