Unitarian Universalists to Solemnize Ties to Minister

Members of the Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Newbury Park will affirm a new chapter in the life of the congregation with the installation of Rev. Nica Eaton-Guinn as their settled minister on Saturday, May 6.

Conejo Valley interfaith leaders, Unitarian Universalist ministers from Southern California and community members have been invited to attend the 3 p.m. ceremony in the church sanctuary at 3327 Old Conejo Road.

Rev. Eaton-Guinn began her ministry at CVUUF in August of last year. The installation ceremony marks a formal commitment to a deep and lasting relationship between the minister and church members.

Rev. Eaton-Guinn said she is excited and grateful to be entering into a covenant with the church community. "It gives us the opportunity to explore and deepen our Unitarian Universalist faith, to celebrate milestones and joys together and serve needs in the community, while making our way thoughtfully through life’s challenging times together as well," she said.

Rev. Eaton-Guinn received her Master of Divinity degree from Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley in 2015. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and music history from Princeton University in 1986.

Before coming to CVUUF, she served as consulting minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Studio City, as acting and intern minister at the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica and as a hospice chaplain at Assisted Home Hospice Care in Santa Barbara.

Rev. Eaton-Guinn had a varied career in the arts and counseling before studying for the ministry. She was an actress in London, Washington, D.C. and Santa Barbara after training at the Mountview Drama School and the Institute for Arts in Therapy & Education in London. She has been a career manager for classical musicians, an education coordinator for the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., a life and career counselor to women and a parenting counselor in Santa Barbara.

Rev. Eaton-Guinn has been active in many social justice causes. Among them are Black Lives Matter, the Committee on Racial Justice in Santa Monica, women’s empowerment work and the Immigration Task Force of the UU Justice Ministry of California.

She succeeds Rev. Lora Brandis as settled minister and Rev. Anne Felton Hines, who served as interim minister during an 18-month ministerial search and candidacy period.

Rev. Eaton-Guinn said her hopes for her ministry are "that we continue to grow together throughout the years, stretching one another and learning to be more compassionate, more open and more deeply engaged in the work of justice and service. Together with our amazing worship team, I also hope we will continue to build a creative, dynamic worship experience that speaks to people of multiple ethnicities, generations and races so that our UU message of love and justice can reach more people in more places."

For those not familiar with the Unitarian Universalist tradition, Rev. Eaton-Guinn explained: "CVUUF provides a home for progressive families and people of faith in the Conejo Valley -- a place to ask questions, find your own sense of truth and meaning, and to do so among a community of thoughtful, caring, open-minded people. We look forward to deepening our interfaith connections with our neighbors in the community, and to serving the many needs in this area from homelessness to immigration, to income inequality and LGBTQ advocacy, among others."

CVUUF will host a reception and celebration after the installation ceremony. For information, visit cvuuf.org or call the church office at (805) 498-9548.