First Unitarian Church of Toledo 

• Meet Our Clergy

Rev. Beth Marshall, Parish Minister 
Reverend Beth Marshall graduated from BGSU with a BA in English in 1986 and graduated from Meadville Lombard Divin-ity School in June of 2002 with a Masters of Divinity with a concentration on parish ministry.

Before coming to our church she served for a year and-a-half as part-time minister of the UU Church of Blanchard Val-ley. Prior to this, she served the First Universal-ist Church of Southold, New York from 2002 to 2006 as their settled minis-ter. At the Southold church, Beth was actively involved in organizing a program for the homeless called Maureen’s Haven. Social justice remains one of her passions.

Beth is originally from Oberlin, Ohio and loves cooking, gardening, biking, and jogging. If you’ve been attending summer services you’ve no doubt noticed she also has a very good singing voice! 

Rev. Lynn Kerr, Minister of Religious Education
Rev. Kerr comes to us from the Greeley Foundation in Concord, Massachusetts where she was the executive director.  She has recently served as Youth and Young Adult minister of the First Parish in Concord.  Lynn has a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from the University of Minnesota, and completed her master of Divinity degree from the Starr King School for the Ministry in 1997.  She was ordained in 1998.

Dr. Robert Rudolph, Commission Lay Leader
Dr. Rudolph has been our Commissioned Lay Leader since 1992 and was re-commissioned by the Ohio-Meadville District of the denomination for his sixth 3-year term in Fall 2007. As Commissioned Lay Leader, he coordinates the Parish Visitors' activities in providing pastoral care, assists Rev Marshall in our Sunday services, occasionally preaching the sermon as

well as conducting the service, and leads some of our Adult Education classes. He also conducts wedding and funeral services at First Unitarian and provides Sunday services for Unitarian Universalist Fellowships in Northwest and West Central Ohio. With a B.A. in English from Temple University (Philadelphia) and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval English Language and Literature from the University of Wisconsin (Madison), Bob was a teacher and departmental administrator in the University of Toledo's Department of English from January 1965 to January 1999 when he retired. His teaching areas were Medieval English Language and Literature, Business and Technical Writing, general composition and introductory literature classes. During his 33 years at the University, he served as Director of Freshman English, Director of Business and Technical Writing, undergraduate advisor, graduate advisor, Associate Chair, and Acting Chair of the English Department. In retirement, he continues to teach part-time at the University in the Honors Program and is working toward a B.A. in Music with an emphasis on voice.

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Our Covenant

Love is the doctrine of this church
The quest for truth is its sacrament,
and service is its prayer.

This is our great covenant:
To dwell together in peace,
to seek the truth in love,
and to help one another.