Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stanislaus County

Former Minister - Rev. Grace H. Simons

Rev. Grace Simons retired on October 30, 2011, having served us faithfully for over 10 years. The UUA asks ministers to have no contact with their former congregations for a year after they leave the pulpit, to keep new ministers from feeling someone is looking over their shoulders, gently shaking her head and muttering "tsk, tsk, tsk; you have a LONG ways to go, youngster". So, we don't have her e-mail address here. This sermon collection, "Grace Notes" and the biography below are now a part of our history. This page will tell you a bit more about the lady who wrote the sermons. We have a selection of sermons by Rev. Grace. You may want to read the "farewell" edition of Grace Notes, a column Rev. Grace wrote for our newsletter.

Rev. Grace Simons came to us from Los Alamos, New Mexico in 2001. She holds both a B.A. and Certificate in Education from UC Berkeley and a Master's of Divinity from Starr King School for the Ministry. Married for over forty years, with two grown children and four grandchildren, she leads a busy life. She likes to hike, is an avid gardener and sings with the Masterworks Chorus.

In 1967 both she and her husband served as teachers in the Peace Corps in Northern Nigeria. Upon their return to the USA, they moved to Washington, D.C., where she began teaching, her husband completed his Ph.D. studies, and their first child was born. It was there that they first became involved in a UU church. They then moved to Los Alamos, where they lived for over twenty-five years. She has been active in the UU church there throughout the entire time. In 1999 she retired from teaching, and began her work as a minister.

rev. Grace's ministry draws from all six of the UU Sources. She believes in the need to speak the truth with love and in the importance of a sense of humor.