Our Minister and Staff

Our Minister - Reverend Kent Matthies

On September 1, 2002, the beginning of its 137th church year, the Unitarian Society of Germantown welcomed the Reverend Kent C. Matthies  as its fifteenth senior minister.

A life-long Unitarian Universalist, Reverend Matthies received his Masters of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago.

Reverend Kent Matthies has served as Minister of the Unitarian Society of Germantown in Philadelphia since 2002. Kent leads our Small Group Ministry (SGM) program with other talented lay leaders. Each month he preaches at least once on the SGM topic. Each of our ten small groups engages the same spiritual theme in their smaller gatherings. The USG Small Group Ministry Program is open for members and friends to join.

In his dedication to reduce the violence in our city, Rev. Matthies served on The Philadelphia Mayor’s Religious Leader’s Task Force on Community Safety. Kent also works closely with our congregation’s Just Neighbors all-church homeless ministry.

Out of his passion for vibrant liberal religion, from 2004-2007 Kent was co-chair of the Philadelphia/Wilmington Unitarian Universalist Growth Team. Kent also serves on the National Ministerial Advisory Group to the Dr. Charlie Clements, the Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.

Before his ordination, Kent worked for social justice through Bread for the World, a faith-based organization fighting hunger and poverty. He also served with Witness for Peace in Chiapas, Mexico. During seminary he worked with the Gang Violence Reduction Project of the University of Chicago, providing crisis intervention, pastoral care and supportive counseling to Latino gang members. He is fluent in Spanish. He also served as chaplain in a maximum-security prison.

Kent’s vision of ministry includes working for positive social change as well as giving pastoral care and meeting spiritual needs. He has said, “If we are to do religion well, we must connect philosophy, theology, arts, politics, science, and spirituality.”

Rob Keithan

Consulting Minister
Email: rob@usguu.org

Rob Keithan will serve as Consulting Minister at USG from August 2011 through June 2012.

Rob’s portfolio includes working with the Ministries and Program Council, supporting USG’s social justice activities, providing pastoral care, and leading a small group ministry. He will also lead worship about once per month. His passion is helping congregations to move further towards being vibrant, multigenerational, multicultural, spiritually-grounded, and justice-centered.

Most recently, Rob was the Sabbatical Minister for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville, Maryland. Immediately prior to that, he worked as a consultant for the United Church of Christ on encouraging civic participation by people of faith. From 2002-2010, Rob served as Director of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations Washington Office, where he advocated for federal policy change, supported public witness for Unitarian Universalist values, and helped to support congregation-based action. Rob continues to serve as a consultant for UU congregations who want to increase the effectiveness of their social justice programs.

Rob holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Studies from American University, and a Master of Divinity degree from Wesley Theological Seminary. He entered the ministry in May 2011 and expects to be ordained at All Souls Church in Washington, DC.

Rob works 25 hours per week. He will be in the office most Tuesdays-Thursdays and at Sunday services twice per month. Rob is splitting his time between Philadelphia and his home (and wife Mandy) in Washington, DC.  

Erick DuPree

Consulting Director of Faith Delopment
Email: Erick@usguu.org

Erick's portfolio as Consulting Director of Faith Development is dedicated to enriching congregational life through intergenerational religious education programming, including Children, Youth, Young Adult/Campus Ministry and Adult Spiritual Development.  Erick concurrently serves our sister congregation the First Unitarian Church as Director of Religious Education and previously served Arlington Street Church in Boston, MA, as Lifespan Religious Educator. He was recognized by the MassBay District of Unitarian Universalist Churches for his work in religious education in 2010 as recipient of the Woburn Grant for religious education.

Erick is the author of Universally Unique: Homilies, Lessons, and Lore , the  curriculum Simply Sevens and most recently A Lesson for All Ages. He is endorsed by the Unitarian Universalist Association to teach Our Whole Lives (OWL), a faith based sexuality program and spends his summers teaching youth at the UU camp Ferry Beach. He is currently pursuant of advanced credential in Lifespan Religious Education through the association.

Erick received his Masters of Arts degree in Comparative Literature from Queen's University in Canada, culminating with the publication of his thesis The Moral Equivocation of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. Erick is a 19th century book collector, former scholar in residence with Commonwealth Shakespeare, and has taught collegiate literature in addition to his work in Faith Development.

Follow him on his blog www.uufaithexplorer.org

Gloria Guldager Smith

Office Administrator
E-mail: admin@usguu.org

Gloria Guldager Smith joined USG's staff as the Office Administrator in January 2010.

Gloria began attending services at USG in 2006 and became a member in May 2007. She served on the Membership Committee for 3 years; initially as the Visitor Coordinator and then as the Membership Secretary for two years. She has served as Database Manager since the conversion in 2008. Elsewhere at USG, Gloria assists with hosting NPIHN families each year.

Gloria received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Arts Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver and has worked in many capacities in the arts in both Colorado and in Pennsylvania. Here in Philadelphia she served as Executive Director of the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia and also as the General Manager of the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia.

Gloria is married to Scott Smith, who joined USG in September 2009, and has two energetic boys, Benjamin and Carlton, who participate enthusiastically in our RE program.

Gloria works onsite in the church office 18-24 hours a week and remotely from her home an additional 5-10 hours per week. The balance of the work week is staffed by our Assistant Administrator, Lida Holota.

Lida Holota

Assistant Administrator
E-mail: admin@usguu.org

Lida Holota joined USG's staff as the Assistant Administrator in June 2010.

She has been a member of USG since 1995 and has served on the Auction Committee, Retreat Committee, Religious Education Committee and the Harvest Fair and Rummage Sale.

Lida has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Drexel University.  She worked as a media buyer in the advertising industry for approximately ten years and then for a number of academic and healthcare organizations including Arcadia University and Medical College of Pennsylvania.  Most recently she was executive assistant to the corporate secretary at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Lida works onsite in the church office approximately 12 – 14 hours a week.

Sandy Campbell

Church School Assistant
E-mail: sandra7020@gmail.com

Sandy (pictured left with son, Ayomide) has been a member at USG for more than two years and has been very active on the RE Committee. She and her husband, have three children in our Religious Education program. Sandy looks forward to working with Erick and our USG families to have an enriched and positive Sunday School experience each week.

Mark Daugherty

Director of Music
E-Mail: FMDLeamy@aol.com

Mark has been USG's Director of Music since 1983. He has built the choir into an outstanding ensemble that sings at most Sunday services during the year and presents two major choral programs annually.

Mark also teaches music at Chestnut Hill Academy where his vocal ensembles have received superior ratings at national adjudications. He is the Music Director at Old York Road Temple Beth Am where he was honored in 2009 for twenty-five years of service. For twenty-five years, he has been the Artistic Director of the Ambler Choral Society, a community chorus in Montgomery County that has performed numerous times in Europe. He also serves as the concert accompanist for the Orpheus Club of Philadelphia, the oldest men's singing society in the US. Recently Mark has begun working with a chorus made up of residents at Foulkeways Retirement Community in Gwynedd.

Mark earned his Master of Music in Choral Conducting at Temple University's Esther Boyer College of Music. While at Temple, he received the Elaine Brown Tribute Award as well as membership in Pi Kappa Lambda. He has participated in master classes at the Oregon Bach Festival with Helmuth Rilling, a Chorus America summer conducting workshop, and the annual Robert Shaw Choral Workshops at Carnegie Hall. An honors graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Mark has also taken courses at Westminster Choir College and the School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College. He is listed in multiple editions of Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World.

Carolyn Cotton

Rental Coordinator
E-Mail: rental@usguu.org

Carolyn is a long time member of the Unitarian Society of Germantown.  She has served on many committees including the Board of Trustees, Buildings & Grounds, Administrative Council and Religious Education.  Carolyn served as President of the Board in 1995-96.  She is currently chair of the Master Plan Implementation Committee.

Professionally, Carolyn is a local Real Estate agent with Prudential Fox & Roach. Becoming the rental coordinator in 2008 was a natural outgrowth of her real estate experience and property interests.

Carolyn is a graduate of Montclair University in New Jersey and Drexel University.  Her adult daughters, Bromwyn & Glynis Cotton grew up at USG.  She has four delightful grandsons: Jude, Griffin, Fritz and Will.  Carolyn works by appointment.