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Staff Office Hours and Contact Information

Getting to know the North Parish staff . . .

Rev. Lee Bluemel, Minister

      Lee Bluemel was installed as the 17th called minister of The North Parish on October 24, 1999, exactly 354 years from the date of the founding of the church in 1645. A native of the Bay State and a life-long Unitarian Universalist, she grew up in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester which reflected and supported her childhood curiosity and joy. There she experienced a deep sense of belonging in an intergenerational community, a wider world community and the universe, and developed an appreciation of human kindness and the many paths to religious truths.

      Rev. Lee earned her bachelor's degree in English and anthropology from Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts, and her master of divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, Massachusetts. She completed student ministries at the First and Second Church of Boston under the Rev. Rhys Williams, an internship at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Wellesley Hills in Wellesley, Massachusetts, under the Rev. John Nichols, and her hospital chaplaincy training at UMass Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.

      She was ordained by the Wellesley Hills congregation on May 14, 1995. Before settling at North Parish, she served the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Midland, Michigan, for four years from 1995 to 1999.

      Since coming to North Parish, Rev. Lee has supported the development of a number of new ministries among us: a lay Caring Team and lay Worship Assistants, small group circles and the Center for Spiritual Renewal, Partakers Prison Ministry, and a Romanian Partner Church connection as well as two independent non-profits, Stand and Deliver MCAS Mentoring and Jericho Road Lawrence, which were spun off from church social action projects.

      During her ministry the congregation has also completed a $2.1 million preservation, renovation, and fire safety building project, become a UUA certified "Welcoming Congregation", and has expanded the music and religious education ministries.

      Rev. Lee is married to Terry Buchanan, a family doctor practicing in Nashua, New Hampshire, whom she first met while working for the Appalachian Mountain Club's hut system in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. They have two young children, Andrew and Emma, and share their North Andover home with two cats and a beta fish.

John Middleton-Cox

      John Middleton-Cox, tenor, is originally from Northern New York. He attended the Crane School of Music and The Boston Conservatory. He studied voice with Sheila Fiumarello and Iride Pilla. As a classical tenor, John has performed various professional roles from Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus to the Duke in Patience. Some of his favorite performing venues have been Jordan Hall, the Emerson Majestic, and The Old North Church. Mr. Middleton-Cox is an all-around musician. He has composed an original musical, orchestrated for a professional symphony orchestra, accompanied professional singers, and conducted professional pit orchestras. He has collaborated with Broadway Actor/Director Russell Garrett in Anything Goes. John teaches chorus and is the head of the music department for the Burlington Public Schools. He currently lives in North Andover where he is the Director of Music here at North Parish.

Kim Tracy, Congregational Administrator

      Kim Tracy became our Congregational Administrator at The North Parish in June of 2009 having previously served for six years the assistant administrator at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist church in Arlington, Massachusetts.

      Kim, who lives in Winchester, Massachusetts, is an active member of the Winchester Unitarian Society. Before switching careers to motherhood and then church administration, Kim worked in leasing and finance. She holds a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and a master's in business administration from Northeastern University in Boston. Kim is the mother of two children, Matthew and John, who are both in college. She is looking forward to an "empty nest" with her husband, John Prokos.

Carolyn Zimmer, Membership Coordinator

      As membership coordinator Carolyn supports the Membership Committee in their efforts to welcome, orient, and integrate all newcomers to the congregation. She helps plan our regular New UU classes and helps friends of the church make the transition to full membership.

      Carolyn received her bachelor's degree from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, and her masters of business administration from Boston University. She worked in the financial services industry for 14 years before joining the North Parish staff in September of 2004.

      She lives in North Andover with her husband, James, their two daughters, Anna and Zoë, and niece, Gabriella Sanoguel.

Sara Schwindt, Director of Religious Education

      Sara is delighted to be serving as the Director of Religious Education at North Parish. Working with the Religious Education Committee, she plans and implements the elementary, junior-high and high-school classes and youth groups as well as adult religious education at North Parish.

      Sara has been teaching and working with youth of all ages and grades for over ten years. After growing up in Tucson, Arizona and earning her undergraduate degree in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Sara returned to her hometown to teach high school choral music for three years. After earning a master's degree at the University of Arizona and serving for two years as the Director of Lifespan Religious Education at Mountain Vista Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Tucson, Sara moved to Massachusetts in 2009 with her husband, Joel, a PhD student in musicology at Brandeis University. Immediately before coming to North Parish, Sara taught music for two years at the K-8 level at the Rashi School.

     Sara and Joel live in Medford with their daughter, Hannah; in her spare time, Sara enjoys cooking, reading, and exercise.

Tu Cam Le, Youth Programs Coordinator

      Tu is excited to join the North Parish staff as a youth programs coordinator. She will be assisting Sara Schwindt, the Director of Religious Education, and several North Parish volunteers in coordinating programs for youth grades 6 through 12. These programs include: Junior Youth Group, Senior Youth Group, Our Whole Lives, and Coming of Age.

      Tu is recent graduate from Brown University with a BA in Public Policy. She has experience working with youth of various ages. Throughout her undergraduate years, Tu spent her summers and free time working with various youth groups; she taught 7th and 8th graders through the PALS summer program, conducted conflict management workshops for at-risk youth at the Rhode Island Corrections Department, and directed a youth focus group to increase civic participation among teenagers in Lawrence.

     Tu grew up in Lawrence with her parents and three siblings. She is currently pursuing a career in law and aspires to be an immigration lawyer with hopes of someday giving back to the Lawrence community.

Richard Beaudoin, Sexton

      Richard Beaudoin has worked as the sexton of the North Parish since July of 1995. Richard also works full-time as a sheet metal mechanic. Richard served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam conflict. He and his wife, Linda, have been married and have lived in North Andover for over 25 years and have two sons and two daughters.