CONTACT US
CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
Monday-Thursday
9:00am-3:30pm
· Understanding the congregation—e.g., its history with ministers, practices, patterns, strengths and challenges
· Identifying and exploring areas for development during the interim period
· Developing work plans for identified areas for development
· Educating the congregation about interim ministry and that the transition ultimately is the work of the congregation
· Helping set the table for the Search Committee’s work for the church’s next settled minister
· Helping to navigate conflicts that arise
Church members may contact the Transition Team directly at transitionteam@uusat.org.
Shammi Anholt
Bill Bush
Martha Cooley
Shammi Anholt is an Indian American whose parents moved here from India to complete their medical residency in Syracuse, NY. She was born in Boston, MA, lived in India for 2 years before returning to Boston with her parents. She then moved to San Antonio, TX at the age of 10 when her father was offered a full professorship at the UT Health Science Center of San Antonio. During her childhood and throughout high school she got the unique experience of being able to spend her summer breaks with her relatives in India. This gave her the opportunity to learn about her heritage and culture, and learn about the ways of life outside of America. It also helped in the development of her spiritual views. At home she was not exposed to any specific religious views as her father is atheist and her mother is agnostic. Based on what she learned about Christianity and Judaism from her friends and exposure to Hinduism, Buddhism and the Muslim traditions from her visits to India, she formed the spiritual view that different religions are just different paths to the same end goal. After high school she went to college at Cornell University which broadened her horizons more, and she also made the decision there to pursue a career in Physical Therapy. After a short stint back in San Antonio she returned to her old stomping ground of Boston to get her Masters in Physical Therapy at Boston University. She then got a job as a Physical Therapist in Houston, TX at Houston Rehabilitation Institute for 8 years, followed by a job at MD Anderson Cancer center where she worked for 17 years. While living in Houston she learned about the UU church from a friend of hers which captured her interest. Also while in Houston she had the good fortune of meeting the man who would became her husband, Gary Anholt. He too was searching for a new spiritual community as he was questioning his religious views himself. About 3 years ago Shammi decided to move to San Antonio as Gary was hoping to leave Houston. They believed it was important so they could be closer her aging parents since Shammi is their only child. Shammi got a job at UT Health San Antonio at the Mays Cancer Center as a Physical Therapist to help get an oncology rehabilitation clinic started there. Since they were in a new city Shammi and Gary decided to try to find a community where they could feel comfortable and decided to check out the First UU Church of San Antonio. They immediately felt welcomed and knew that they had found their spiritual home.
Martha Cooley joined First UU San Antonio in early 1985 when she and her husband Charles moved here from Alvin, Texas. They had been members of First Church in Houston and before that officially became UUs in Austin in 1961. Within a month after joining First UU SA, she was asked to reopen the bookstore; and that began many years of activity in this beloved community including chairing the Community Responsibility Endowment Fund (CREF), Leadership Development, Committee on Ministry, and serving as President of the Congregation. She also facilitated the Crones Chalice Circle for many years and continues to sing in the choir. Thinking she had retired in 1984 after about 25 years of teaching, she enrolled at UTSA to earn a Master’s Degree. However, upon graduation, another 20 years of teaching lay before her. As a teacher of English, Debate, and German, she also served her profession as department chair, president of the Alvin Teachers Association, and the local chapter of the American Association of University Women. Her family includes two daughters: Liesien, an IT, lives here in San Antonio; and Terasa, a UU minister, currently serves as developmental minister in Columbus, Ohio.
Patricia Stout
Tina Solis
Joedy Yglesias
Patricia Stout (Patty) has been a member of First UU San Antonio since 2021, where she has served in the Black Live Matter-Racial Justice committee, consulted with the Inclusion Team, and is a musician in the worship band. She was a UU in Lacombe, Louisiana for about 25 years, where she was in leadership in Religious Education, as a Chalice Circle facilitator trainer, worship leader, and on the board. She is married to Johnny since 1988, and they are active in their grandchildren’s lives. She has a private practice in clinical social work and holistic psychotherapy and is the founder of the Women’s Center for Healing & Transformation.
Joedy Yglesias is a native Texan with indigenous roots, born and raised in Corpus Christi. He’s been a Chicano, LGBTQ, and AIDS activist since his teenage years. He enlisted in the Navy in 1998 and served at the Pentagon, in Europe, Iraq, and South America before returning to Texas and settling in San Antonio when he was promoted to Chief Cryptologic Technician. Before that, in 2005, he was stationed in Norfolk, VA, where there was a UU Church in his neighborhood and he began attending services regularly there and also in Monterey, CA. When he moved to San Antonio in 2008, he was only able to attend First UU San Antonio occasionally because of his work and deployment schedule. After retiring from the Navy in 2019 he became a State Park Ranger at Big Bend Ranch State Park, but returned to San Antonio during the pandemic. He is a certified Texas Master Naturalist & Texas Waters Specialist and serves on the Environmental Advisory Committee for the San Antonio River Authority, the Regional Council for the National Park Conservation Association and is part of the Mexican American Studies Program at UTSA. After the election in 2024 he decided to become a full, regular, and active member of our congregation.
Monday-Thursday
9:00am-3:30pm