The Rev. Meredith Barber, Minister of Congregational Life, 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 walking through a pasture as a prayer or watching the sunrise with a cup of coffee 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, Massachusetts, and as a student minister at First Parish in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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.