Profile: Rev. Sara Emma Zimmerman

Ordination: Unitarian Church North, Mequon, WI, 2001

UUA Ministerial Fellowship Committee History:

Category 1 for Parish Ministry March 2001

Education: Hood College, Frederick, Maryland, BA English; Indiana University, Bloomington, Masters in Comparative Literature; Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA, Master of Divinity.

Additional Education:   Intensive Zen Buddhist training, Summer 1995, Honolulu Diamond Sangha (now Pacific Zen Institute), Robert Aitken, Roshi.

Highlights of Ministry:  Served (2006-2007) as Interim Parish Minister for the East Shore UU Church in Kirtland, OH; Parish Minister, UU Fellowship of Charlotte County, FL 2002-2006. Parish Minister internship, First Unitarian Church of Dallas, TX, Summer 2000.  Chaplaincy training, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York City, Summer 1999.

Other Career Highlights:  Teaching comparative literature and writing, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 1978-1998.  Administrator at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 1988-1998 in the academic support program.  Additional teaching: Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo (General Studies); Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design

 (Literature and Photography); Lake Mills Middle School, Lake Mills, WI (sixth grade Language Arts).

Volunteer Service:  Emergency room Chaplain, Peace River Medical Center, Port Charlotte, FL, 2002-2004.  Executive Board, Charlotte County Council on Aging; Elected Chair, Academic Staff Committee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; research Assistant, Earthwatch projects in Yunnan Province, China, and Honolulu, HI; guest speaker on topic of Zen Buddhism; cast member, diversity training improvisational theater group, University  of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’ member of choral groups including New York Cantata Singers, Milwaukee Sullivan Chamber Ensemble, and church choirs.

Additional Volunteer Service: Chair, Adult Religious Education, Unitarian Church, North, Mequon, WI; member  Search  Committee, Unitarian Church North; Religious Education teacher, second and third grades, First Unitarian Church of Oakland, CA.

Personal: music and the visual arts, journaling, travel, swimming and meditation.

Family: Grandmother of Henry and Helen Heyden in Milwaukee; mother of Jenny Steinman Heyden, Milwaukee artist; mother -in-law of Steve Heyden; aunt to nieces and nephews; sister to neurologists Dr. Earl A. Zimmerman in Albany, NY, and Dr. Andrew W. Zimmerman , in Baltimore, MD, and to Betty Shook in Harrisburg, PA.  Born and raised near Harrisburg.  

The Ministerial Search committee worked long and hard in a year-long search for the right ministerial candidate and found Rev. Sara Zimmerman who joined us on September 1, 2007

On June 10th the congregation voted to accept Rev. Sara Zimmerman as the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa minister.  While waiting on the congregational vote, Rev. Sara left the meeting and said she would not return until she 'saw white smoke'.  

Below is the Ministerial Search committee:  Ollis Hughes, Pat Benedict, Fran Davin, Suzie Siegel, Mike Lloyd, Barbara Nelson, along with Diana Stevens, UUCT President; all with big smiles send Rev. Sara the 'white smoke signal'.