Our Ministers

The second phase of our minister's journey involved services as a lay-minister of a liberal Hindu organization, the Brahmo Samaj. Encouraged by this group and inspired by his experience with them, Abhi took a "leap of faith" and enrolled in Meadville/Lombard Seminary to prepare for full-time ministry in India. Although his ministry was interrupted by various dissapointments and roadblocks, Abhi graduated in 1998 and was ordained at the Unitarian Church of Evanston, Illinois that year.

His preparation included Ministerial Internship in Evanston, Clinical Pastoral Education at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical center, and a Field Education Tutorial as the Student Interim Minister at the UU Community Church in Park Forest, Illinois. He then served the First Unitarian Society of Madison, Wisconsin as their Interim Associate Minister.
Send an Email to Rev. Abhi Janamanchi

I attended worship services on August 16 and plan on being in worship services almost every Sunday and beginning the process of getting to know you and your children. I will be introducing myself to you during the September 13 ingathering service as well as sharing some initial thoughts and ideas about the upcoming weeks and months we will have together, but there are some things I have been talking about already with Rev. Abhi and people I have been meeting that I will tell you about here. One of the fundamentals to me in ministry is importance of the relationships we have with each other. The more we know each other's story, the closer it will bring us. The better we know each other, the more we will trust each other.

All four of the congregations I have been a part of previously had a retreat weekend where we all went off with each other - adults, youth, and children - to play, eat, talk and otherwise engage each other in a variety of ways. I am told there are some good choices in our area where we can do this, that provide both housing and camping opportunities that would allow us to spend a weekend together. What is especially appealing to me here in Clearwater is that we can do this in the winter, in February for example. To do this will require some planning quickly and having people interested in this and with some experience doing something like this will be important. Please get in touch with me so that we can begin working on this.

I also hope that you will be interested in having some events where as many of us as possible do something as simple as eat together and have conversation and then maybe watch a movie or play games. With your social hall and projection system in the sanctuary, you are well equipped for such activities. During my brief visit on the sixteenth I was pleased to see some parents and young children and some young adults. I believe this group represents the future of any congregation and I want to devote time and energy with people in this group. To begin this I want to invite you to an "Old Fashioned Picnic" on Saturday, September 19 right here on UUC's grounds. This is being sponsored by the Religious Education Committee and we will be letting you know the details about the exact time (sometime in the late afternoon) and what to bring. Please mark this on your calendars.

If you are at UUC during the week, see if I am in the office so I can meet you. And look for me on Sunday mornings.

Rev. Bill Welch last served at the UU Congregation of Fairfax, VA. He began there in 1997 serving as its Minister for Programs. Bill began his ministry in 1990 at the First UU Church of Nashville as a layperson, serving as Director of Religious Education. A native of Tennessee, Bill began his career as a city planner and later worked as a photojournalist. He found his true vocation in ministry at the Nashville church. He is a 1968 graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt Divinity School, where he completed his Master of Divinity degree in 1990. He is single and has a major interest in model railroading. He's even working on a book about it.