Neighbor News
First Parish Church in Stow Welcomes Intern Minister Ilene Gillispie
FPC in Stow welcomes Ilene Gillispie as its intern minister for the church's 2015-2016 church year.
First Parish Church of Stow & Acton (FPC) in Stow welcomes Ilene Gillispie as its intern minister for the church’s 2015-2016 church year as she taFirst Parish Church of Stow & Acton (FPC) in Stow welcomes Ilene Gillispie as its intern minister for the church’s 2015-2016 church year as she takes her final steps toward ordained ministry.
Gillispie is a recent graduate of the Boston University School of Theology and a lifelong Unitarian Universalist. Her home church is Mount Vernon Unitarian Church in Alexandria, VA. Her fields of study include Indian religions and languages, Holocaust theology, and pastoral care and counseling.
She’ll be leading members of FPC on a pilgrimage to Europe this spring to visit their sister church, located in the Transylvania region of Romania. Gillispie grew up as an active participant in her home congregation’s partner church program, visiting Transylvania seven times throughout her childhood and young adulthood. FPC’s staff and members are delighted that her experience will allow them to enjoy their first-ever Unitarian Heritage Pilgrimage, which will include tours of historical sites in multiple cities, as well as homestays with congregants in First Parish’s partner village.
In her spare time, Gillispie enjoys sewing, making jewelry, cooking vegetarian food, and quilting. She loves traveling, and has spent the past three summers studying in India.
FPC is located at 353 Great Road, Stow, at the intersection of routes 117 and 62. FPC’s facilities are wheelchair accessible. Child care is provided for children 3 and under and older children are welcome to join religious education classes. For more information, call 978-897-8149 or visit www.fpc-stow-acton.org.