Ministerial Search Information

At the annual Congregational Meeting in May,  the congregation unanimously approved the Board's recommended members for the Ministerial Search Committee.  

Lisa Jennings

Current Treasurer Lisa Jennings has worn several hats at The Church of the River since she and her husband, David, started attending church in 1976 and joined in 1983. Lisa served previously on the Board of Trustees as Vice President for two years and as President for three 3-year terms. She was UUA Southwest District Vice-President and President before the District merged as part of the UUA Southern Region. On occasion, she has served as a pulpit guest for Sunday church services at our church and nearby fellowships and congregations. Lisa serves as one of the Worship Associates at Sunday services. Over the years, she co-facilitated the AYS course (now known as OWL) for the junior high class and has served as chair or co-chair for various efforts, such as the annual Canvass, the Spring into Action Mini-Capital Campaign, a congregation-wide Vision Process, and the Growing Brighter Capital Campaign. Lisa served previously on our Ministerial Search Committee in 2017 and on the Committee for our 2025 Interim Minister search. She is currently a volunteer Professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and former CEO of CirQuest Labs, now MLM Medical Labs. She recently graduated (May 2024) with a Certificate in Theological Studies from Meadville-Lombard Theological School in Chicago, IL. Hobbies include cooking, traveling, and gardening. David, a member of our choir and a past board President, and Lisa have two married children, Ian Jennings (Johanna) and Laura Yacoubian (Paul), and 6 grandchildren.

Matt Holladay 

Matt Holladay grew up at Church of the River. He has been an OWL facilitator since 2008. He has served as a Middle School Adventure Club leader and has taught RE classes over the years to all ages. He has been active in church leadership for the past 15 years, including serving on the previous settled minister’s search committee and as President of the Board. He has led or supported the church’s annual Canvass fundraising efforts for most of the last eight years. Matt has been an Exceptional Children Teacher for the last 10 years and has been teaching at Ross Elementary for the last 8 years. Prior to teaching, he was a manager at FedEx and worked in the hub. He enjoys board games, traveling (has been to Brazil, Japan, Australia, Sweden to name a few places), audiobooks, and trying new coffee shops.

Rod Starns 

Rod Starns has been a member of The Church of the River for more than 20 years, along with his wife, T.Leigh, and daughter, Chloe. He spent two terms on the Board of Trustees, where he served as Secretary and Vice-President. He has also chaired the Governance Committee and served on the Nominating Committee, Capital Campaign Committee, COVID Task Force, and Interim Minister Search Committee (2015). He is currently active in several other roles, including Supper Club, the A/V Team, the Membership Team, playground development planning, and as a volunteer who re-launched and runs the church website and handles church advertising, publicity, social media, and digital archives. Rod is semi-retired and winding down a long career in television and video production.

Laura McArtor

Laura McArtor joined the Church of the River in 2013 while she was living in San Francisco. She wanted her daughter, Virginia, to be dedicated in the church where her own grandparents had found friendships, community, and inspiration. Laura and Virginia moved back to Memphis in 2014 and started attending services with Virginia’s grandmother, Lucy. Laura eventually joined the family ministry team and trained as a Spirit Play storyteller and OWL facilitator. She credits COR with connecting her with Moon Mullins, who would become a beloved friend and mentor. Moon was the catalyst for creating a social justice ministry at COR, and it is in his memory that Laura continues to be involved with Team Upstream as a meeting facilitator and introverted activist.  Laura is a freelance web designer and marketing partner. As a trained labyrinth facilitator, she recently founded 901 Labyrinths to connect Memphians to local labyrinths and the practice of labyrinth walking. She and Virginia enjoy curating a Free Little Art Gallery in their Joffre neighborhood (@MemFLAG) and arranging an art-filled home for them and their 2 cats.

Kent Fisher 

Kent Fisher has been with the Church of the River for over 18 years and joined with his children to have a safe, loving place to help raise his family in a church home that supports diversity. Both of his sons have been active in the youth ministry and completed the OWL program, which was one of the features that helped draw Kent to this sacred place. Through the years, he has been part of various groups and committees at the church and is glad to continue our work. He has been a member of the Awesome Little Choir for over 12 years and loves bringing the gift of music to our congregation. Kent has recently completed a term on the Nominating Committee to help provide new Board members and Nominating Committee Members. For several years, he has been on the Pride Committee to help represent our church at Pride Festivities. In the last year, he has become a regular Worship Associate during our Interim Minister time and looks forward to helping where he can. Kent has been a Memphian for over 30 years and calls Memphis his home. He runs a counseling practice in Midtown and is committed to healing the world, one person at a time. Kent loves music, University of Memphis sports, and caring for his family.

Sarah Sakaan 

Sarah Badiyah Sakaan began attending The First Unitarian Church of the River regularly at the age of 7 and enjoyed growing up in the Religious Education program, then directed by Sue Fergason, followed by Kayleigh Donnelly. She has been a member of The Church of the River since 1999, when she was confirmed as a youth under Rev. Burton Carley. She was an active YRUU member in the 90’s and early 00’s, and found her upbringing as a Unitarian Universalist to be a vital part of her formative years. She obtained a B.F.A. in Acting from Emerson College in Boston and spent 2005-2019 living and working in NYC as an actor, playwright, theatermaker and Artistic Director of theater company Polybe + Seats. She has written and produced two plays, Anna Asli Suriyah(I Come from Syria) and The Art of Hijab, Kohl Black and the Right Way to Pray, and acted in numerous productions in the independent theater of Brooklyn and NYC, and more recently performed at Playhouse on the Square in Murder on the Orient Express and Tennessee Shakespeare Co. Saint Joan and R&J Project. In addition to her work in theater, she spent 8 years in event management at Brooklyn Winery, a premiere wedding venue and winery.  Sarah and her husband Charlie Davis were married at The Church of the River by Rev. Sam Teitel in March of 2018,(the same month that her parents Walid and Cindy were married at COR in 1981) and returned to Memphis in November of 2019 with their then 6-month-old daughter, Margot (now 6 years old), and soon realised that baby number 2, Phoebe (now 5), was on the way. Sarah sings in the Awesome Little Choir and served on the Nominating Committee in 2024.

Whitney Baker 

Whitney has been attending Church of the River off and on for many years (since around 2012), always thinking that if she had kids, she would take them to church there someday. Then one day she had a kid to take to church, so she did. Sometime after her second child was born, someone told her she should sign the member book, so she did. Over time, she found a lot to do at The Church of the River. PIE. Balloon arches. Cupcakes. Stone Soup. Royal icing sugar cookies. Trunk or Treat. Coffee hour. Soup kitchen. Mulch. Unpack boxes. Assemble furniture. Organize storage. Clean out cabinets. It turns out there was a lot she could do at The  Church of the River, so she did. As one of our most avid and ambitious volunteers, Whitney and her family’s impact at CoR can be seen and felt in nearly every Faith Development classroom and social gathering at our church.