The UU tradition draws on a rich tapestry of narratives from diverse sources (including the Bible) to illustrate ethical and spiritual lessons.  However, typically, many Bible stories have been interpreted with the intent to condemn rather than provide helpful, spiritual lessons.  Today we are looking for a different interpretation of the Bible story of Lot’s wife being turned into a pillar of salt. 

Sheila was an ordained pastor of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church (UFMCC), a denomination with a special outreach to the Lesbian and Gay community.  She served the San Diego Metropolitan Community Church, (SDMCC) congregation of 250 members from 1979 to 1991.  In the early 1980’s she established the Ecumenical AIDS Chaplaincy Program to address the growing AIDS problem in San Diego.  This program was designed to train clergy of all faiths on how to meet the needs of AIDS patients.  In the early 1990’s she was chosen to serve as the UFMCC Northeast District Coordinator for New England and New York state, which facilitated a move to Burlington, VT.  Sheila retired from UFMCC in 1999 and went to work for the Federal government in Washington DC.  While in DC, she joined the ALL Souls UU church and led working groups to assist the people in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. In 2017, she retired from the federal government and moved to Spokane, WA where she has been associated with INUUC since its inception.