Rev. Dr. Rebekah Savage, who began her ministry at UUCR in October 2015, grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, where her family attended the River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation. She attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, studying non-Western theology as a Religious Studies major and minoring in Sociology and Women’s Studies. Rev. Savage attended Union Theological Seminary in New York City and, in her second year there, felt called to the ministry. She graduated with a Masters in Divinity and Pastoral Theology. She completed Clinical Pastoral Education at a large hospital in Miami, Florida and her internship at the Boca Raton Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Boca Raton, Florida.
After the events of September 11, 2001, Rev. Savage felt drawn to military chaplaincy. She was ordained a Unitarian Universalist minister in June 2003 and commissioned as an army chaplain in September 2003. Since becoming an army chaplain, Rev. Savage has spent the majority of her career on active duty and completed one overseas tour in Afghanistan. In 2007, she completed a Masters Degree in Mental Health Counseling and became a Licensed Professional Counselor in 2014. Rev. Rebekah completed her Doctorate of Ministry in Military Chaplaincy at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC in May 2020.
Outside of her ministry at UUCR, Rev. Rebekah serves as the co-chair of the UUA Ministerial Fellowship Committee and is active in many collegial support and study groups. You can also find Rev. Rebekah on bike trails or on a yoga mat, or at the gym.
On August 1, 2020, Rev. Dr. Rebekah Savage began serving as UUCR's settled minister.