OCUUC Staff
Rev. Karen came to OCUUC in August 1998 from Third Unitarian Church in Chicago, Illinois. Karen earned B.A., M.A.T., and Ph.D. degrees from Northwestern University, and the Masters in Divinity from Meadville-Lombard Theological School in Chicago.
Karen serves in many denomination-related leadership roles. She is a past member of our district’s Leadership Resources Council and committees on leadership development and social justice. Currently, she serves as a member of the Executive Committee for the UU Ministers Association chapter. She has given workshops at district and national UU gatherings and served as staff for three of the district’s recent Leadership Training Weekends. She was a given the Distinguished Service Award by the Pacific Southwest District in 2002. She has just completed two terms on the Board of Trustees of Meadville Lombard Theological School, and in 2006 spent three months there as Minister in Residence. She is also a member of the Board for the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry and the Unitarian Universalist Association's President's Council.
Karen's current participation in the larger community includes Co-Chair of the Executive Board of the Immortal Chaplains Foundation. She also serves as the Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Newport-Mesa-Irvine Interfaith Council. Karen is a member of Clergy for Choice, a program of Planned Parenthood. She is a member of the Huntington Beach Rotary Club. Karen is also active with Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (C.L.U.E.) and with the Orange County Hate Crime Victim Assistance Program.
In her spare time, Karen is an avid connoisseur of theater and film and cares for several pets. Her late husband, Gus Rath, was active in OCUUC and in UUA affairs.
Office Manager: Sarah Jones
Sarah has been our office manager since November 1999. Sarah’s office is the hub of church activity. She coordinates the church calendar and building use, supervises distribution of the newsletter, prepares the order of service, maintains the church database, mailing list, and directory—and welcomes all with a smile! Sarah maintains office hours Monday–Thursday, 9:30–1:30; Sundays 8:30–1:00. Please feel free to leave a message at (949) 646-4652 if the office is closed.
Beth Syverson has been with OCUUC since 2001, first as Pianist, and later her position broadened to Music Director. She plans and arranges the music for worship on Sunday mornings, provides piano music during services, and directs our three choirs: Orange Coast Choir (adults), Family Choir, and MUUsical Magicians (children in grades K–5). She is also the artistic director of OCUUC’s concert series—Orange Coast Concerts—which features four eclectic concerts throughout the year.
Beth has played piano since she was three years old. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance and a Master’s degree in Music History. She currently teaches piano lessons to children with special needs, directs the UNISON Interfaith Choir, and directs the Orange County Homeschool Choir. She shares her life with her young son Joe, her partner Jan, 1 cat, 3 dogs, and 4 horses.
Rayna Hamre has recently joined the staff as the Director of Religious Education. Rayna is a long time member of OCUUC and has been an active teacher and facilitator in both youth and adult religious education programs. She is an experienced worship leader and public speaker. For the past four years she has worked as an elementary school librarian/media assistant for a school with 900 K-6, low-income students. In addition, she has a strong background in office management, information management, grant writing and events planning.
Rayna holds a BA in Classical Civilizations and a Master's degree in History. She has been active in the Pagan community and has completed graduate courses through Cherry Hill Seminary. Raised in Orange County, she is currently a resident of Huntington Beach where she lives with her husband Steve Hamre, and their cat, Kitty. Her two children were raised in warmth of the OCUUC community. Rayna is very pleased to be able to give back to her church by serving as OCUUC's professional Religious Educator.
David began working at OCUUC in December of 2005, and is in charge of building maintenance, setting up for worship services and special events, and is our sound and video engineer during Sunday services. David lives in Fountain Valley with his wife, Yesenia, and their new daughter, Angelina. David also works as a facilities and maintenance technician for a large property management company.
Adair holds a Bachelors of Science in Nursing as well as certification as a nurse-midwife and nurse practitioner. Her professional experience is in the areas of public health, childbirth preparation, and reproductive health. Adair has been an active member of OCUUC since 1993.
In 2002, with the support of a Health Ministry program sponsored by Hoag Memorial Hospital, she began serving as our volunteer Congregation Nurse, providing health and patient education, advocacy, counseling and referral both individually and with the help of outside speakers. Working closely with the Caring Ministry, she helps organize support groups and self-help activities desired by the congregation. In December 2004, Adair completed the basic Parish Nurse preparation course. As the Congregation Nurse, Adair works with the Caring Ministry to fulfill its mission.
Adair's blog, Notes From the Nurse, is a resource for the latest health information and advice for staying healthy.