Meet our DRE!

Donna Renfro came to the Fellowship in August of 2008, serving as 1/3 time Director of Religious Exploration.

Donna previously served six years as full-time Director of Religious Education at a large midsize congregation in NJ. This year Donna is serving half time at UUFNW, adding oversight of the youth programs and nursery.

Donna has completed many hours of training for Religious Education. Considering becoming a UU Credentialed Religious Educator led her to accept her call to the ministry. She is pursuing her Master of Divinity degree at New York Theological Seminary in NYC. She is in 'Candidate' status for UU ministry.

Donna has spent her time in wider UU denominational affairs mostly by serving on the Murray Grove Association, promoting 21st ce Universalism. She is active in the local LREDA (Liberal Religious Educator's Association). For the last three+ years Donna has been part of the Core of Fire Interfaith Dance Ministry. The 'Core' is 'older' women who have brought their healing dances to congregations, cancer survivor groups, religious meetings, women's gatherings along the Eastern US coast, even General Assembly Worship in 2008. Donna is also pursuing becoming a leader of Interplay.

Donna was born in Houston TX, part of a 40+ member extended family. She attended high school and the University of Houston there, with a degree in French, German, and Teacher Education. Donna has spent half her working life owning her own businesses (restaurants in Hawaii and a toy company in TX), and the other half in some form of secular or religious education.

Donna has lived in Monmouth County NJ, 'down the Shore' for the last fourteen years. Her 27 yr old son just moved to Hawaii to work on his father's farm. Donna is happily single and living with her three cats the last four years, after living with others, as daughter, wife, partner, and mom all those years before.

Donna spent her first ten years in a Southern Baptist church, where her Sunday School lessons of Jesus exemplifying kindness, compassion, teaching and inclusion became her lifelong highest values. She returned to church in her forties, to the Unity Church of Practical Christianity in Houston, looking for a religious home that lived her Sunday School values, and was more interested like she's always been, in how Jesus lived and taught, rather than how he died. Donna eventually found she needed more inclusion, of theology and social justice in the wider world, and found herself having that 'coming home' experience in a UU congregation in the late 90's.

Donna is thrilled to serve with Rev. Michael, with whom she shares the idea of ministry being inclusive of children and teens in the vibrant lives of our congregations, inclusive of all who strive for justice and long to experience the saving message of our faith. The words of the prophet Micah, to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God, informs her faith and theology. She is comfortable with use of the word God, accepting however we each define God, as long as it includes connection with that ultimacy which connects us all and stirs a longing to be our best selves. The theological statements as the basis for the UU summer program Chalice Camp that she led in NJ for four years truly resonate with her as well. 'It's a blessing we were born. What each of us knows about god is a piece of the truth. It matters what we do. We don't have to do it alone.'

Donna will be at the Fellowship three out of four Sundays each month this year. She works from home, is at the Fellowship and doing errands for the remainder of her hours commitment to UUFNW. She does substitute teaching during the day M-F and has seminary and Core of Fire commitments Tuesday-Thursday evenings. welcomes your emails, Facebook messages, text message and phone calls (732-513-8867), and is available to meet with congregants on the weekends she is in Westchester County by prior arrangement.