Meet Our Staff
Settled Minister, Rev. Shari Woodbury
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Rev. Shari Woodbury has served as First Unitarian Church of Omaha's settled minister since August 2020. An Iowa native, she came to ministry from a previous career as a non-profit leader. Shari completed her M.Div at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, and did fieldwork in southern Indiana at a regional hospital, an agency serving homeless people, and the UU church in Columbus, IN. While completing the credentialing process to receive ministerial fellowship with the UUA, she also did stints on the staff of her home congregation in Bloomington, in young adult / campus ministry and membership development. Westside UU in Fort Worth, Texas, called her to serve in her first settled ministry position. Returning to the Midwest to serve First Unitarian was a happy homecoming.
Rev. Shari enjoys crafting engaging worship with partners, fostering spiritual growth for all ages, tapping into creativity, and living out our liberal religious values together. With her husband William and their daughter, born in 2010, she enjoys cooking, hiking, biking, ping pong, board games and movies. Shari is also a poet, singer, and compulsive photographer of nature. In 2024 she began writing online about high control groups, meditation and more, on Medium or her blog page. You can learn more about Shari at her website.
Email: minister@firstuuomaha.org
To schedule a pastoral care visit, or a meeting on church business: https://calendly.com/rev-woodbury
Rev. Woodbury will be on sabbatical from July through October of 2025.
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​Interim Membership & Administrative Manager, Melissa Gibson
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Melissa Gibson started at First Unitarian in May 2022. As Interim Membership and Administrative Manager, she organizes visitor and membership classes and coordinates the new member joining process. She also manages our e-mail newsletter, social media, and other church communications. She oversees volunteers and room reservations and helps us navigate office changes. As of yesterday, Melissa is attending classes at Starr King School for Ministry and has achieved Aspirant Status through the UUA's Ministerial Fellowship process. Her Unitarian Universalist background and current study add elements of enthusiasm and understanding as we continue to rework the many administrative tasks of the church. Originally from Indiana, she lived in Texas and Louisiana for about 15 years before returning to the Midwest. Melissa’s background includes a variety of roles at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana, and time as a self-employed artist. She is the parent to three school-aged children and enjoys houseplants, gardening, and most anything dirt-related. ​
Email: admin@firstuuomaha.org
For Newsletter Requests: editor@firstuuomaha.org
Room Reservations: Here
Website: website@firstuuomaha.org
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Coordinator of Children & Family Programs, Christina Strong
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Christina Strong has been a Unitarian Universalist since 2008 and was employed in various positions at the Unitarian Church of Lincoln from 2009-2019. She received a B.A. degree in Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and nearly completed an M.A. in Sociology (emphases in Social Inequality and Education), before switching directions to open Strong Family Child Care in Lincoln in 2012. She is excited to begin what she hopes will be a lifelong career in Religious Education, and plans to pursue the Religious Education Credentialing Program through the UUA. Christina lives in Lincoln with her husband, Paul, and their four children, Tiana (20), Keijuan (15), Tina (13), and Pele (8). She enjoys traveling, audiobooks, cardio kickboxing, cake decorating, and deep conversations with friends. She is looking forward to getting to know the Omaha UU community!
She'd love to connect with you about your religious education needs: dre@firstuuomaha.org​
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AV Technology Coordinator, Caenis Bryan
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"As an ambitious individual with a passion for continuous learning, I thrive on exploring diverse facets of life and acquiring new skills. With a background in the theater scene, I combine my expertise with creativity to approach challenges innovatively. Outside of work, you can find me helping to build my community through activism and collaboration, showcasing my dedication to both personal and professional growth."
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If you have a question or comment about church technology, email avtech@firstuuomaha.org​
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Childcare Coordinator, Sara Switzer
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Sara Switzer has been the childcare coordinator at First Unitarian since Sep 2022. She is originally from Colorado, and while serving in the Air Force she was stationed in Omaha, and stayed in the area after her service. She has a Bachelor's from Creighton University and works at Methodist Hospital. She has three young kids of her own and when not working is usually kept busy keeping up with them.
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If you need daycare for a group meeting, event, or rehearsal, please email childcare@firstuuomaha.org to arrange supervision for you.
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Bookkeeper & Payroll Administrator, Cheri Cody
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Since 2019, I have been the bookkeeper for First Unitarian Church. In this role, I enter transactions, prepare monthly financials, and recently, I also assumed the responsibility of payroll administrator. I am currently the treasurer of my congregation, Second Unitarian, and responsible for preparing financials and serving as payroll administrator. I am a long-time volunteer for my congregation and Prairie Star District (now part of Mid America Region); I have served as a UUA Compensation Consultant for over 10 years and am now a member of the newly formed 3-member UUA Treasurer Support team. ​
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Affiliated Community Minister, Rev. Dr. Sarah Voss
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Rev. Sarah is a Unitarian Universalist minister, author, and lecturer who currently is a contract chaplain at Methodist Hospital and a state ODR (Office of Dispute Resolution) family mediator affiliated with Concord mediation center in Omaha. Over the years, she has published extensively about religion and math, including articles on matheology and moral math in publications as varied as Parabola, Journal of Religious Humanism, Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, Still Point Arts Quarterly, and Theology and Science. She came to First Unitarian, Omaha, when she was still teaching mathematics, a career which ended not long after she found herself telling her College of St. Mary calculus students how God might be like the definite integral of calculus. She knew then that something was definitely moving her in a new direction. She took math with her into Meadville-Lombard School of Theology in Chicago, and, eventually, the thesis she wrote for her Doctor of Ministry degree became her first published book, What Number Is God? (SUNY, 1995). She now identifies herself as a math mystic.
Sarah’s very first UU experience was with First Unitarian Church of Omaha. She remembers how a friend invited her to come on a visitors’ Sunday in the 1980s when Rev. Ron Knapp was preaching about the poetry of May Sarton. At the time Sarah was an atheist and Ron’s sermon hit just the perfect note with her. She came back the next Sunday and heard him blasting away as he processed in full black robe down the aisle to the pulpit; he spoke about hell, fire, and damnation, and Sarah thought “Oh, no, I’ve made a horrid mistake.” It was Sunday, April 1st and when Ron reached the front of the sanctuary, he smiled and said “April Fool” and then talked about freedom of religion and our faith tradition. Sarah has been a UU ever since, first as a friend, then as a member, then as a minister, and now as a retired but active community minister. Last year she gave the twenty-five-year class comments at Meadville’s annual GA meeting. Today she feels honored and empowered to be formally connected to First Unitarian Church as their first affiliated community minister.​
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Music Director, William Miller
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William Miller serves as the Director of Music at First Unitarian Universalist Church, where he coordinates special music and directs the Sanctuary Singers, the church’s dedicated choir. With over 30 years of experience as a choral conductor, William brings a wealth of expertise and passion to his role.
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He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he studied choral conducting under Dr. Cina Crisara. William studied piano under Thelma Stenlund in Omaha and Ruth Moore at Hastings College, and he studied voice with Dr. Christina Powers Barnett at Hastings College and the University of Tennessee, as well as with Dr. Z. Randall Stroope at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
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Over the past three decades, William has performed in more than 50 productions with Opera Omaha. In addition to his musical accomplishments, he earned a Master of Arts in Management from Bellevue University and applies his leadership skills as the Director of Technology Vendor Management at Union Pacific Railroad Company.
A versatile musician, William is a skilled keyboardist, having accompanied vocal soloists and choirs, performed with instrumental ensembles, and collaborated on organ and piano duets over several years. His dedication to music and his commitment to fostering a vibrant and enriching musical community continue to inspire those around him.
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Email: musicdirector@firstuuomaha.org
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Sanctuary Singers Accompanist, J. Gawf
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J. Gawf is an accomplished pianist, collaborative pianist and a highly trained vocal coach in musical theater and opera. He earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from the University of Central Oklahoma and a Master of Music degree in Opera Coaching/Piano Accompaniment from Temple University in Philadelphia. J. has collaborated with Opera Saratoga, Michigan Opera Theater, Augusta Opera, New Jersey Opera Theater, Center City Opera and numerous international musical theater and opera singers. He continues to work regularly with the Omaha Symphony and was previously the Music Director at Opera Omaha.
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Summer Music Coordinator, Judi Unger​
Judi Unger, mezzo-soprano, is a professional musician who has performed locally with Opera Omaha for over 25 years, with the Omaha Symphony, and has toured in Mexico with Mujeres de Música. Judi serves on the board of the Omaha Chamber Music Society as Marketing Coordinator. She is passionate about music education, and teaches choral music, West African drumming and guitar for Omaha Public Schools. Judi completed graduate research on music education in Kerala, India, as part of her master’s program. She loves performing and teaching music and using music as a means of social justice activism. She studies with Judith Natalucci, voice, and Dr Kofi Gblonoyo, Ghanaian drumming. She recently completed a traditional music studies at the Nunya Academy Summer Institute, in Ghana. Judi organizes the summer music program June through August.​