She's a Minister, Without a Doubt

Christine Brownlie will be installed in December at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the New River Valley on Dec. 12.

"Ministry was my call," she said. "There never was any question that anything else would be satisfying."

Religion and church were important in that community where she grew up. "We children talked about religion and the seriousness of religion."

The questioning that went on between Catholic, Protestant and Jewish faiths left a lasting impression on Brownlie, and she thought about becoming a minister. In the 1960s there were few women in the ministry. But Brownlie found out that Unitarian Universalists had ordained women for many years. She was married at age 20 and her father-in-law was a Unitarian Universalist minister.

At that time she began learning about the liberal religion that suited her inquiring mind. "What I like about it [Unitarian Universalism] is the sense of inclusiveness and diversity of ways that faith and meaning could be approached."

After graduating from The New School for Social Research, she worked as a medical social worker in New York City and then in health-related jobs in South Bend, Ind. From 1984 through 1997, she was director of religious education for children and youth at First Jefferson Church Unitarian Universalist in Fort Worth, Texas. She then attended Brite Divinity School of Texas Christian University, where she received her master of divinity degree in 1997.

Brownlie became the full-time minister at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the New River Valley on Aug. 1, and will be installed on Dec. 12.

Brownlie has two adult sons who live in Texas.

A Q&A With Christine Brownlie What did you plan to be while growing up? I planned to be a teacher. What caused you to go into ministry? My sense that it was the most important work I could do. Who is your favorite minister or role model? My maternal grandmother and my mother. My mother’s determination, perseverance and willingness to take risks to pursue her dream had a great impact on me. What is your ideal day off? Having been a working mother, the idea of a "day off" is foreign to me. But I would enjoy visiting antique stores, having lunch out and a nice walk. What is the latest book you have read? "Between God and Man" by Rabbi Abraham Heschel and "The Zen Teachings of Jesus" by Kenneth S. Leong. What is the most memorable service you have attended? My ordination in Fort Worth. It was a wonderful celebration at a church where I had worked for 14 years. What is your favorite scripture? The First Letter of John, chapter3, verse 18. "Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in deed and in truth." Another one is from the Tao Te Ching, "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name." What is your favorite time of the church year? The Annual Canvass is extremely important. We must examine our commitment, use the gifts we have been given arid determine our values and goals as a congregation.