Rev. Julia McKay                                                                                                                  Biography   Rev. Julia McKay feels that her "call" to ministry was not a single moment, but has been a lifelong journey.  Her ministerial identity stems from an acute interest in human growth and spiritual development, a care for people, and a willingness to be of service. In the past 30 years, she has been employed as a chaplain, non- profit executive director, social justice advocate, psychotherapist, public school educator, small business owner, and semi-professional musician. Julia is a Colorado native, born in Denver, 1961, and lived in CO for most of her life. She is the oldest of four children. The fact that Julia was raised by a Catholic mother and an Atheist father inspired many religious questions early on. As a youth and young adult, Julia was a peer facilitator for many church retreats, and was the music director of her church’s Religious Education Program for children.  It was during this time that Julia felt her first “call” to ministry. She notes that while getting her university degree in music, she was enrolled in at least one religion and/or psychology course each semester.  However, this high level of church involvement and interest would be trumped by Catholic Church polity against women in the priesthood.  So, she left organized religion for about 20 years and followed an individualized spiritual path, but always remained a seeker.  After graduating with a Bachelor’s in Music Education, she taught for a decade and found music education a fulfilling way to spark the inner light in children. However, during that time, she found that she was continually drawn to a "deeper" life. In the summers, she began working for an educational consulting company out of Oceanside, CA teaching accelerated learning and personal empowerment skills to youth and young adults. This work eventually led her to a more substantive interest in psychology.  Julia received a Master’s degree in Agency Counseling in 1996.  Shortly after, she began as Executive Director of a non-profit advocacy and support organization for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning youth. This work was her introduction to social justice organizing and it was also how she was introduced to Unitarian Universalism! A new-to-town UU minister, Rev. Mike Morran, extended an invitation to join the Welcoming Congregation course that his church was hosting.  Partly out of a responsibility to her constituency, and partly out of her own curiosity, Julia began attending the classes. Through that course, she was impassioned by the Unitarian Universalist commitment to faith-based social advocacy and became anchored to High Plains Church in Colorado Springs, CO.  Within a year, her long repressed call to religious leadership resurfaced and she was applying to seminary. Julia attended Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, CA – one of two Unitarian Universalist seminaries in the US.  She earned her Master of Divinity degree in 2008, and also began the rigorous requirements for denominational accreditation including two full-time ministerial internships in Seattle – one as a hospice/hospital chaplain at Evergreen Health Care, and the other as a parish minister at Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Church.  Rev. McKay was welcomed into Fellowship by the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association (UUMA) in December of 2009.  She has served as Glacier UU Fellowship’s professional minister since August 1, 2010, and was ordained by the Fellowship in September 2011. “For many reasons an ordination in the Unitarian Universalist tradition is special,” Rev McKay explains. “We are not a dogmatic tradition. Unlike many other religions we do not have to recite a creed to belong. “We are a pluralistic faith where our members walk many different paths of spirituality, and find meaning and sustenance in many different places. People come from lots of different faiths and belief systems to practice together here. In fact, I think that we are the world’s best experiment in how to be spiritual in community with others who might experience the sacred differently than yourself. “And, even though we might believe differently, every human being is struggling with the same questions about the meaning of life and their place in the world.  We are all concerned about upholding the health of our planet and the inherent goodness in our human family. As Francis David, 16^th Century Unitarian Founder says:  “We need not think alike to love alike…” Rev. McKay aspires to create powerful community that is collaborative, open, and accepting.  Rev. McKay says that she is “most passionate about freeing the soul by providing openings and opportunities for people to live from their authentic nature and bring their innate gifts forward.”  She hopes that our religious experience here at GUUF can strengthen our connections and bring depth, energy, and joy to all of our lives! For fun along the way, Julia has also composed and produced her own professional recording of contemplative solo piano work, has become a certified InterPlay leader (http://www.interplay.org), and serves clients in her spiritual counseling private practice.  She loves living in the Flathead Valley with her puppy, Haley-boy, and her 10-year-old cat, Lenni.  She is often found reading five or more books at once, and hiking Glacier Park and Jewel Basin trails as favorite pastimes! Send an E-mail