Ministers

Senior Minister

The Reverend Nathan Ryan served as Associate Minister from 2012-2020. He was called in November of 2020 as Senior Minister. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Meadville-Lombard Theological School in Chicago. Nathan was ordained by the congregation in 2013, the church’s first ordination in its 61-year history.
Email Rev. Nathan.

Minister of Congregational Life

The Reverend Meredith Barber joins the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge as a cradle Unitarian Universalist and a preacher’s kid with a passion for the work of church. Meredith holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. During that time in her life, she felt particularly called to the stories of people throughout history, what would later be an obvious manifestation of her call to ministry. After college Meredith moved to central Arkansas, eventually volunteering full-time at Heifer Ranch for years in experiential education. It was there that she learned and felt the expansiveness of the divine and began to see a walk through a pasture as a prayer, a cup of coffee watching the sunrise as a gift. 

Meredith entered seminary in the fall of 2017 at Harvard Divinity School where she studied ministry and nourished an interest in Christian spirituality and practice. During her time in seminary she worked as a religious education assistant at First Parish in Arlington, MA, and as a student minister at First Parish in Lincoln, MA. 

Meredith graduated with a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School in May of 2020 and served her internship (mostly virtually) at Church of the River in Memphis during the 2020-2021 church year.  

Meredith served as interim minister at Horizon UU Church in Carrollton, Texas, from 2021-2023. During her time there she saw the congregation through the return to in-person worship services, some difficult staff transitions, and lots of change and growth post-pandemic. She holds a special place in her heart for that congregation. 

Meredith is drawn to ministry, first and foremost, by the relationships she forms with people and by the privilege to enter into their lives in some of the most joyous and most difficult moments. Additionally, Meredith enjoys creating worship and using the creative part of her brain to tie worship elements together. She strives to make space for us to feel the full spectrum of what life has to offer. Meredith tries to approach church life with a sense of humor, while also noticing the sacred in everyday life. 

In November of 2023 Meredith and her husband Kyle welcomed their son, Calvin. Since his birth, Meredith has been able to stay at home and care for him. She has developed an empathy and understanding for the joys and challenges that come with parenting during this time. 

When she’s not working, Meredith enjoys reading, podcasts, music and spending time with her son and her husband, Kyle. Meredith is looking forward to putting down roots somewhere after several shorter or transitional ministries. Email Rev. Meredith.

Staff

Director of Family Ministries

Kathy E. Smith, CRE, moved to Baton Rouge in 2017 to join us as Director of Family Ministries. She has been a religious educator since 2006, attained her Credentialed Religious Educator status in 2016, and has worked with our denomination as a youth leader, workshop presenter, and leader in her professional organization (LREDA). In her spare time, she is a musician and book lover, who also loves to be out in nature.
Email Kathy.

Music Program Director

Lee Hartman has been music director since 2015. Lee is a multi-instrumentalist with a love of all musical genres, and is a classically-trained pianist, but a not-so-classically-trained guitar, banjo, and accordion player. Lee has music degrees from the University of Tulsa and from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and has been playing for churches for nearly 30 years. With the life goal of keeping music-making accessible to all, Lee also works with Theatre Baton Rouge and the non-auditioned choirs LSU Chorale and LSU Tiger Glee Club in addition to the UCBR music program.
Email Lee.

Choral Director

Dr. Trey Davis has been Choral Director at UCBR since August 2015. He holds a doctorate in choral conducting from Texas Tech University and a Master of Music in choral conducting from Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey. As an undergraduate, he specialized in accompanying and vocal performance (he’s a tenor) at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. At LSU, Trey is an Associate Professor of Music and the Associate Director of Choral Studies. He conducts the LSU Chorale and Tiger Glee Club, and teaches courses in literature and conducting to graduate and undergraduate students.
Email Trey.

Congregational Administrator

Allison Hall has been employed by the church since February 2010. She oversees all activities related to membership and operations of the church. She is responsible for accounts receivable, creation and distribution of internal and external communications, buildings and grounds maintenance, and volunteer recruitment and coordination. She oversees daily church activities and communications with congregation members and leaders from the larger community. She provides administrative support for all paid and volunteer staff. Allison is a book nerd and an animal lover who regularly volunteers at a local animal shelter. Email Allison.

Minister Emeritus

The Reverend Dr. Steve J. Crump faithfully and meritoriously served the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge as Senior Minister for 36 years, having begun his ministry at our church in 1983. He received his M.A. from the University of Chicago Divinity School and Doctorate of Ministry from Meadville-Lombard Theological School in Chicago.

The title Minister Emeritus was granted by the congregation to the Reverend Dr. Steve J. Crump on December 16, 2018 in recognition of his long and meritorious service to the church.