Commissioned Lay Minister Susan Odessky

Susan loves to share her spiritual journey with others.  She was born in Brooklyn, New York.  Her mother was Protestant and her father Jewish, but her parents encouraged Susan to explore all faiths and make her own decisions.  Susan found the Unitarian Universalist faith in her 20s but it was not until she moved to the Poconos and found this small but compassionate congregation, the UU Fellowship of the Poconos, that Susan knew she was, at last, in her spiritual home.

Over the years, Susan grew more involved in the Fellowship, serving on various committees and as President of the Board of Trustees.   Along the way, Susan began to feel a call to ministry while continuing to work in her profession as an attorney.  After retiring from the practice of law, Susan trained to be a lay minister, an alternative path to ministry that the Unitarian Universalist Association has opened.  In December 2020, after two years of study, the UU Fellowship of the Poconos commissioned her as their lay minister.

Susan has a particular passion for pastoral care.  She completed three internships in chaplaincy, working with residents of Hospice House in East Stroudsburg and Phoebe Nursing Home in Allentown.

Promoting Anti-racism is very important to Susan.  Along with former minister, Rev. Kim D. Wilson, and members of the Social Justice Committee, Susan led discussions to understand and tackle the racism inherent in our society.

Small groups are another of Susan’s passions.  At the Fellowship, she hosts the weekly Women’s Circle on Saturdays and a small ministry group, Chalice Conversations, on Thursday evenings.  These groups encourage participants to share their life experiences, thoughts and feelings in a safe and confidential atmosphere.

Susan studies Buddhism, maintains a daily meditation practice, and the Sangha (Buddhist study/support group), which meets weekly at the Fellowship, is an important part of her life.  She has a deep interest in exploring the spirituality of all faith traditions and loves to learn.  This Fall, Susan is beginning a two-year program at One Spirit Interfaith Seminary which leads to ordination.

One of the greatest joys of her life is serving the UU Fellowship of the Poconos.  Following the First Principle of Unitarian Universalism, a belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, Susan strongly believes that whether people attend the Fellowship in person or remotely, they deserve to have a rich spiritual experience.

If you’d like to contact Susan directly, you can send her an email at: sodessky@uupoconos.org