Who’s Who – First Unitarian Universalist Church San Antonio

Ministers & Staff

Rev. Mark Skrabacz
Senior Minister
minister@uusat.org
pronouns: he/him

About Rev. Mark

Rev. Mark Skrabacz received his Master of Divinity Degree from the Jesuit School of Theology, in Berkeley, California, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame. Before becoming the consulting minister at First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Antonio (First UU) in February 2020, he served as Settled Minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Hill Country in Kerrville and at San Gabriel Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Georgetown. He is married to Carolyn Wright, a retired environmental attorney. Mark believes that the work of community building and social/environmental action requires a commitment to personal practices of compassion and contemplation. He says that nothing we do defines us as much as what we give back to others.

Rev. Nell Newton
Assistant Minister
nnewton@uusat.org
pronouns: she/her

About Rev. Nell

Rev. Nell Newton received her Masters of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School and her B.S. and M.A from the University of Texas at Austin. Previously she served as the minister of the Amarillo UU Fellowship from 2017 to 2021. A lifelong UU, Rev. Nell delights in the mystery and beauty of this world. She counts martial arts and sweeping her porch as her spiritual practices. She is married to Monty Newton and they have two adult children as well as a mess of cats, a flock of chickens, and one sweet dog.

Rev. Art Severance
Minister Emeritus
emeritus@uusat.org
pronouns: he/him

About Rev. Art

Rev. Art Severance received his Master of Divinity Degree from Lancaster Theological Seminary in 1987 and later completed his internship at the Princeton Unitarian Church. Rev. Art was the minister at First UU for 15 years, from 1991 to 2006. After becoming our minister in March of 1991, the church grew from 250 to over 400 members and the Sanctuary was built during his tenure. He later served in Unitarian Universalist ministry at Boulder Valley UU Fellowship in Lafayette, Colorado, East Shore UU Church in Kirtland, Ohio, First UU Church of Stockton, California, and at the UU Church of Amherst, New York. He retired in 2015 and moved back to San Antonio. He now serves as Minister Emeritus at First UU, as well as a visiting minister at other churches in the area.

Bridget Laflin
Director of Lifespan Religious Education
dlre@uusat.org
pronouns: she/her

About Bridget

Bridget Laflin received her Master of Divinity from Seattle University, and her B.A. from the University of Minnesota. Previously she served as the Director of Religious Education at Woodinville UU Church in Woodinville, WA. Bridget is also slowly but surely pursuing the path to ordained UU ministry. Bridget moved to the San Antonio area in July of 2022 with her husband, Jason Laflin. They have two adult children and a cat. Bridget’s passions include creating LEGO mosaic art, playing board games, and nerding out over Star Trek.

Dr. Susan Dill
Director of Music
choir@uusat.org
pronouns: she/her

About Susan

Dr. Susan Dill holds Ph.D. and M.M. degrees in Music Education from the University of North Texas and a Bachelor of Music degree from Southern Illinois University. Dr. Dill has been the music director at First UU since 2008 and is currently Associate Professor of Music Education at The University of Texas at San Antonio where she has served as the music education area coordinator since 2001. In addition, her career in K-12 public schools spanned 22 years. She has served on the editorial committee for the Music Educator’s Journal and is a past president of TMEC, the Texas affiliate of NAfME, the national music teacher’s organization.

Kathy McFarlane
Congregational Administrator
office@uusat.org
pronouns: she/her

About Kathy

Kathy McFarlane has worked as a Registered Nurse and a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, as well as in Financial Services for US Bank. Kathy’s attention to detail and experienced logistical management are great assets to First UU, where she has been a member since 2017. She was raised in the UU Church and has four adult children and three grandchildren.

Jaime Ramirez
Artist in Resident
pronouns: he/him

About Jaime

Jaime Ramirez is a San Antonio based music director/composer/pianist with a B.A. in Music from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He has accompanied at First UU since 2011 and has enjoyed every moment of it. In addition to his work here, Ramirez also works heavily in the theatre and music scene in his native San Antonio. He currently services as Resident Music Director at The Public Theater of San Antonio. He was Resident Music Director at The Magik Children’s Theatre from 2000-2007, has music directed theatrical productions in community theatres throughout the city for over 20 years, does regular recording/touring work for several local bands, and has 2 albums of his original music available on all streaming platforms. Ramirez also teaches Band and Choir part-time at St. Mary’s Hall and is a full-time, amateur gardener.

Glenna Jones-Kachtik
Religious Education Assistant
pronouns: she/her

About Glenna

Glenna Jones Kachtik has been a member of First UU since 1991. Prior to her current position as Religious Education Assistant, she worked for two years as a childcare worker in the nursery and served several years as the Director of Religious Education at Community UU Church. Her husband, Von Kachtik, has been attending First UU since he was a small child.

Gary Evans
Sound Technician
pronouns: he/him

About Gary

Garreth Evans has been the sound technician at First UU since 2008. He grew up in the church and has been attending First UU for over 30 years. He has lived in San Antonio all his life and has one child named Milo.

Charice Hoptowit
Youth Advisor
pronouns: she/her

About Charice

Charice Hoptowit is currently a teacher and Early Childhood Coordinator for the Greater San Antonio Homeschool Co-op. She has also served as a Children’s Special Education advocate since 2014, assisting families of children with learning concerns. Along with these roles, Charice has also served as a Child Advocate for Court Ordered Visitation, CASA Court Appointed Special Advocate Volunteer, and a licensed foster parent.

Alex Bush
Childcare
pronouns: he/him

About Alex

Alex Bush is from San Antonio and has been attending First UU since third grade. He has been active in both Youth RE classes and social groups. He has volunteered as a summer camp counselor and was the recipient of the Wade Richmond Scholarship in 2019. He is currently a student at the University of Texas at San Antonio, studying Computer Science.

Charley McFarlane
Childcare
pronouns: she/her

About Charley

Charley McFarlane has lived in the San Antonio area for 26 years and is a Childcare Teacher. She has 2.5 years of experience in a preschool environment, and has two cats. She enjoys reading, crocheting, and playing vintage video games.

Claire Blood-Palin
Childcare
pronouns: she/her

About Claire

Claire Blood-Palin has attended First UU Church San Antonio since she was 6 years old. She received the Wade Richmond scholarship in 2022 and is currently studying in university.

Cynthia Daughtrey
Coffee Sexton
pronouns: she/her

About Cynthia

Cynthia Daughtrey received a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction – Educational Diagnostician, and a Masters of Science in Counseling and Guidance from Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi. She also received a B.A. from TAMCC in Interdisciplinary Science, College of Education Majoring in Reading. Cynthia served in public education as a paraprofessional, teacher of general and special education students as well as an Educational Diagnostician throughout her 30 year career in public education. Recently retired, she acts as the Coffee Sexton for the church and enjoys volunteering within the church as well. She has two adult children and enjoys spending her retirement years with family and friends. Her hobbies are gardening, reading, board games and photography. Her continuing interests are archeology and anthropology.

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