All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church :: Kansas City

 

Our Staff

To learn more about each staff member click on the names listed below.

Rev. Lee DeVoe ...... Senior Minister

Rev. Judith Cady .......Lifespan Religious Development Minister

Diana Hughes .......... Office Admin

Jenny Bonawitz ........ Administrator: Finance & Scheduling

Anthony Edwards ..... Music Director

Elsafi Ahmed ............ Custodian

Brock Ginther ............Simpson House & Facilities Manager

Rev. Jim Eller ........... Minister Emeritus

 

Lee DeVoe

Rev. Devoe is acting as interim minister for the next year as the search process to select a permanent minister proceeds.

She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Middlebury College, Vermont, with a major in Religion in 1991. While there she received the Woolsey Prize in Biblical Studies in1990.
She received a Master of Divinity degree from Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA, in 1995 and served a one year Chaplain Residency, Presbyterian Hospital of Albuquerque 6/95-6/96.
She was ordained at Champlain Valley UU Society in Middlebury, VT, in August, 1996

Rev. Devoe says, “I look forward to congregation who is embracing the interim time with intention, and can use this time to re-vitalize its vision and sense of mission. I hope to work creatively and collaboratively with the leadership to assess the system of the congregation and move it in the direction of increasing health. I seek to pave the way for a meaningful and successful ministry for the colleague who will follow me.”

email: leedevoe@allsoulskc.org

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Anthony T. Edwards

Anthony aptly serves as our music director.

He has a Bachelor of Music degree from Belmont University in Nashville, TN. He is a native of Humboldt, TN, and has served as musical director of theatres across the country including the Denver Center for the Performing Arts where he performed for four years in “Always-Patsy Cline.” He is currently Resident Musical Director of the American Heartland Theatre, Epic entertainment, a division of Starlight Theatre, and Missouri Repertoire Theatre.

He lives with his husband, Scott, and his puppy, Samantha. Anthony is a people person and would like to talk to you about music or the subject of your choice.

email: music@allsoulskc.org

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Jenny Bonawitz

Jenny joined our community as administrator for finance and scheduling in December, 2006.

She previously worked as administrative assistant in facilities management for Jack Henry & Associates for five years and is nearing completion of her Bachelors degree in business administration. She has a talent for capturing and retaining the vast amount of information required in the administration of this office.

Jenny is fulfilled in working for a non-profit and helping people. She has a husband and two beautiful sons that fill her free time and she also enjoys volunteering, scrap booking, reading and cheering for KU basketball and Chicago Cubs baseball.

email:jenny@allsoulskc.org

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Department of Children's Religious Education

Judith Cady

Judith has been involved in church ministry for 21 years. She has been the assistant minister of Lifespan Religious Education at All Souls for the past five years. Judith’s passions lie in serving children and youth and in ministering to others through pastoral care. Judith enjoys working with a wonderful group of adults to create liberal religious education programs that are welcoming, dynamic and fun for our children. Judith says, “I feel like I have the best job of anyone on Sunday mornings. Joy and privilege are the two words that come to my mind when I spend time with our children and teens.” Judith enjoys Buddhist meditation, experiencing the beauty of nature and spending time with her family and her granddaughter Megan.

email: lrd@allsoulskc.org

Sharon Cassity

Sharon has been part of the All Souls community for 20 years. She has been a longtime volunteer and sometime employee in the All Souls religious education program. For the last three years she has worked at All Souls helping plan and prepare the Sunday school lessons, gathering resources and preparing craft projects. She is a retired middle school history teacher who can be found in the kitchen on many Wednesdays helping with our Wednesday night dinners. Many Sundays she leaves All Souls and goes to her other weekend job giving tours at the John Wornall House museum. If you don’t think you’ve had enough time with her at All Souls drop in for a tour.

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Diana Hughes

Diana is a communications specialist, with experience in a variety of fields: from television and theatre to schools and churches. While living in Los Angeles, she was awarded an Emmy for her work producing and writing the daytime talk show "Woman to Woman." More recently she was a producer at KCPT where she enjoyed producing television and encouraging people to contribute to Kansas City's local public television station.

Having worked in churches for over 20 years, Diana appreciates the power of community through congregational life. Currently, she oversees the office procedures and communications vehicles. She loves working with the staff and volunteers at All Souls, saying, "It's a privilege to be working for an organization that champions the civil rights of all people."

Diana has loved her husband, Joel, for over 30 years, having met him when they were both acting in a play in Lubbock, Texas. Their Westie, Molly, rescued the Hugheses from a conventional life and enjoys being their perpetual two year old, in a good way. Diana's motto is, as Red Green says, "We're all in this together."

email: office@allsoulskc.org

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Elsafi Ahmed

Elsafi handles our custodial duties and keeps our building in pristine condition.

He is originally from Sudan and came to this country in 2000. He has a lovely wife and four children; two boys and two girls.

Elsafi has a Bachelors Degree in Arabic Language from Cairo University, Khartoum Branch, in 1981. He earned a Masters Degree in Arabic Language with an emphasis in linguistics from Omdurman Islamic University, Sudan in 19__ and he received his PH.D in Arabic language with an emphasis in linguistics from Alneel University in 2005. He teaches classes in Arabic Language as a volunteer and as adjunct faculty member at University of Missouri at Warrensburg.

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Brock Ginther

Brock serves as manager of Simpson House as well as supervising maintenance of the church. He has been at All Souls for about 15 years and is always the “go to” person to plan events.

He shows Simpson House by appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00 to 6:00 and on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00 to 1:00. Brock can create the event of your dreams.

In his “spare” time he volunteers with CASA as well as spending time with his family and his dog, Levi.

email: manager@simpsonhouse.net