Pulpit Supply

What is Pulpit Supply?

Pulpit supply is a ministry that helps your local church fill your pulpit in times of need, such as when a minister is on vacation or has an emergency. Churches, the ministers listed below are available for pulpit supply. Please contact them directly.

Each church and Pulpit Supply Minister may negotiate their own compensation. A typical honorarium is $125-250 per Sunday, depending on the size of the church and the number of services required.

Ralph Datema
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The Rev. Dr. Ralph S. Datema has been an ordained UCC Clergy since 1970 and has had his Standing in the RMC since 1982. He is a Diplomat in the AAPC (American Association of Pastoral Counselors – now a part of ACPE – Association for Pastoral Clinical Education – ACPE), is a Licensed Marriage and Family therapist in Colorado (LMFT) and is a member of AAMFT (American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists). He has served numerous churches in the Conference as an interim pastor, served one UCC Church as solo pastor, and one Disciples of Christ Church as a solo pastor. He also completed a two-year contract with the local Disciples region as their Interim Regional Minister. Dr. Datema is available for pulpit supply as well as teaching/facilitating courses and workshops in addressing congregational health and social challenges.
Jerry Eslinger
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John V. Gaudreau OEF
Having been ordained for the past 28 years in the UCC, I have served three churches, three as senior pastor and one as Minister of Pastoral Care and Community life. My focus in my work and in my Sunday reflections has always been spirituality and the care for others in relationships. Topics such as, loving others as we are loved by Christ and seeking reconciliation wherever possible. Being an Ecumenical Franciscan for the past 21 years has only furthered my awareness and care for the sick and the dying. I would welcome the opportunity to serve if the occasion arises.
Rev. Cal Kemper, M.S., AAPC
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Cal loves to preach, teach, and pastor in most any setting. He is also a professional pastoral counselor and has an energetic, entertaining, and personal style in serving our churches. Cal is ordained and has been a pastor in several different RMC churches. He currently lives in Thornton, Colorado. His background and talents include being an elementary and middle school teacher, a professional musician (saxophone, drums), a public school administrator, psychologist for public schools and mental health centers, a family counselor in private practice, a college psychological researcher, a daily radio talk-show host, contemporary worship leader, and new church start pastor. He is available for individual Sundays (or other worship days), Sunday series (more than one worship in a row), and will travel to RMC churches to lead worship, communion, and/or do pastoral care.
Mark Lee
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Mark is the Director of Christian Formation for Adults at Plymouth UCC in Fort Collins. During the school year, his availability is sketchy; he is more available during the summer when there are not regular Formation events in his home congregation. He serves as the ONA Coordinator for the RMC, so has particular expertise speaking to ONA issues. The rest of the time, he is a dedicated lectionary preacher, who likes that the lectionary makes him grapple with texts he otherwise might avoid. His D.Min from Iliff focused on homiletics, and so he employs a variety of preaching styles. He also raises goats, stories of which often creep into his sermons! How come goats get such a bad rap in the Bible?
Karen Howe
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Karen earned her M. Div. from the Iliff School of Theology in 2013, having received a Master’s Degree in Christian Education from there some years earlier. She has worked as Christian Education Director at Community UCC in Boulder, interim minister in Hayden (northwestern Colorado), and after ordination in 2016, pastor at First Congregational UCC in Pueblo, where she was involved in community social justice issues, summer sabbatical interim at First United Church of Arvada, and, most recently, as chaplain at Frasier Retirement Community in Boulder. Karen’s focus in preaching is on bringing the Biblical stories to life and present day relevance with historical context, a sharing of God’s deep and unconditional love for all people and all Creation, with the understanding that God holds a preferential option for the poor and otherwise marginalized, and with humor. She believes God wants us to find joy. Karen is available for preaching, teaching adult book and Bible studies, and interim or bridge positions within a ninety mile radius from her Louisville home.
Pat Slentz
Before relocating from the Southwest Conference UCC in 2016, I served as a UCC Commissioned Minister in a multi-denominational church in northern New Mexico, then served seven years as a hospice chaplain and five years as a hospital chaplain. I work also as a certified Spiritual Director/Companion and a Veriditas trained Labyrinth Facilitator and former church organist. I enjoyed doing frequent pulpit supply for PC(USA) and UU churches in northern NM and have enjoyed serving as pulpit supply in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming UCC churches. I am available for pulpit supply within 90 minutes of Fort Collins. My passions include relating Biblical stories to unconditional love of creation, self, and others and to social justice issues of our time.
Cheryl Swing
Cheryl is an ordained clergy woman in the Metro Denver Association. She is a Chaplain in Residency at Littleton Adventist Hospital and a former Hospice Chaplain. Cheryl also served National Jewish Hospital and the New York Health and Hospitals System as a TeleHealth Chaplain during the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cheryl is a graduate of Iliff School of Theology with an MDiv and was awarded the 2018 as the Ronald E. Sleeth Preacher of the Year. She has completed 7 units of CPE through ACPE/CPSP. Cheryl is available for pulpit supply, special requests, and workshops. She is an experienced Preacher, Chaplain, Spiritual Life Coach and Workshop Facilitator and has shared her gifts throughout the UCC, Presbyterian and Methodist communities in Colorado. Outside of her regular chaplaincy obligations, Cheryl is a Writer, Wedding & Funeral Celebrant, Spiritual & Pastoral Counselor, Life Coach, Workshop facilitator, Authentic Motivational Speaker and Curator of Sacred Spaces (www.illuminationcss.com). Cheryl currently is in the final stages of a book grounded in personal stories and lessons that have shaped her as she seeks to live and serve through Embodied Wholeness. Cheryl is a member of Columbine United Church and a mother to a teenage daughter, Jaida.
Sara Weatherman
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Available for pulpit supply in Southeastern Association. After 40+ years of educational ministry in a wide variety of settings (I am a Commissioned Minister), I “retired” in 2011. Since then I have enjoyed doing worship leadership, especially providing meaningful and accessible worship for people of all ages. I have always loved exploring the Scriptures; putting my reflections and ponderings into a sermon is my new learning edge. I have also served as an interim in 5 smaller congregations.
Jenny Whitcher
Rev. Dr. Jenny Whitcher (she/her) is the Minister of Prophetic Formation and co-founder of Juniper Formation, an ecumenical faith community of the UCC. Juniper Formation’s mission is to prophetically reimagine the Church from the margins. As part of her ministry, Jenny works with local congregations and denominations in relational discernment and co-creation of new and transforming ministries. Jenny is an entrepreneurial minister, community organizer, and theologian committed to social justice. She has over 15 years of experience coaching and mentoring leaders, teaching, and developing community partnerships. Her work spans nonprofit, congregations, and higher education. Her areas of expertise include: change management; entrepreneurial and prophetic ministry formation; democratic culture, leadership, and pedagogy; and social change theory and practice. She is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ (UCC) and was the recipient of the Peacemaker Award from the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Church of Christ in 2006. She has a B.A. from New York University, an M.A. in International Human Rights from the University of Denver, and a Ph.D. in Religion and Theological Studies from Iliff School of Theology & University of Denver. (full bio) Jenny is able to travel and available for single or series preaching, worship leadership, education/training, and consulting. She is most interested in working with congregations around the prophetic, justice-centered, and hope-filled future of the Church.
Tracey Perry
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I am an ordained Minister and I have an M.Div., from Wesley Theological Seminary. I love to preach, teach and serve God’s people. I have been in Ministry for eight years. I have served as a Senior Pastor, Bible Study Teacher, Ministry Associate Pastor, Retreat Leader, and Keynote speaker for Women’s events. I am an anointed, Holy Spirit filled woman of God. My Ministerial strengths are – Preaching, Teaching, Prayer, Biblical Knowledge, Pastoral Care, Mission/Outreach, Storytelling. I preach on social justice, loving Christ and each other, peace, Salvation, redemption and other biblical texts. The Bible verse that speaks to my ministry is, Ephesians 4:11-12 – So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. I serve norther Colorado to Downtown Denver.
Steve Sherman
Rev. Steve Sherman is seasoned ordained minister, recently relocated to Colorado Springs, seeking to partner with others in providing care and hope; whether that is within the church or in a secular environment, lifting up all who are struggling, while giving priority to those most in need. Willing to travel 2 hours from Colorado Springs.
Nicole Kelly Vickey
Nicole Vickey serves on staff at Cairn Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Lafayette, Colorado. Nicole is in her second year of her Master of Divinity at Duke University, via a hybrid program that allows her to stay living in Lafayette. Prior to beginning the process of discerning ordination within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) she served as a pastor for three years at Envision Community Church, a progressive and non-denominational church in Longmont. She hopes to seek dual standing within the UCC following her Disciples ordination and would welcome ongoing opportunities to serve as pulpit supply in UCC congregations. She also has a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment and spent her first career working for The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.
Candace Woods
Rev. Candace Woods (she/her) is a Colorado Springs based pastor, open to traveling to provide pulpit supply or preaching via Zoom. She graduated with a Master’s in Divinity from Iliff School of Theology in 2019, with a certificate in Social Justice and Ethics. Candace serves as the Minister of Gender + Sexuality Liberation at Juniper Formation UCC and owns and operates an entrepreneurial ministry called Woods + the Wild (www.woodsandthewild.com) which focuses on the wild intersections of gender and sexuality, faith and spirituality, and bodies and nature. As an experienced sexuality educator, Candace loves to preach on topics related to LGBTQ+ inclusion, building cultures of consent, and the belovedness of all types of bodies. She is an herbalist and lover of the Earth, so themes of forests and mountains and oceans are often used in her sermons. Candace is a skilled worship leader and liturgy writer as well, bringing in song and poetry into church services. Additionally, her history in evangelicalism and as a pastor’s kid allow her to connect with many types of UCCers and preach to contextual needs in congregations. Personally, Candace lives with her partner, 2 dogs, 5 chickens, and a beehive on a little urban farmstead. She loves to be outside, whether hiking, camping, or in the garden, and she also loves connecting in community over coffee or a beer, dreaming up how to co-create the future with God and her neighbors.
Richard F. Ward
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I am an ordained Minister and I have an PhD. I recently retired as Professor (Emeritus) in Homiletics and Worship from Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa Oklahoma. I teach as an adjunct at Iliff School of Theology and do interim and supply preaching in the Denver area. I am a member at Sixth Avenue UCC in Denver. I am married to Amy Smith Ward and enjoy storytelling and playing guitar.
Rev. Dr. Craig M. Whitcher
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My story, in brief, begins with having served 45 years as a pastor, mostly in Massachusetts and Connecticut: three years as a Lutheran Youth Minister beginning my Junior year at Clark University in Worcester, MA; ordained in 1972, served 7 years as a Youth Pastor with nearly 200 youth and 23 youth advisors at First Church, Glastonbury CT; as lead pastor for five churches 1979-2013, one for a brief 3 years was at First Congregational, UCC, Greeley, CO. Over those pastorates I led a dozen work camps for Habitat for Humanity in the US; Latin America; Haiti; Zambia, Africa; and Hungary in Europe; took studies in Cuba and Oxford University, England; a ten year stint as a Reserve Army Chaplain with Summer training overseas in Kenya; 6 years as Fire Chaplain in Connecticut and one very brief year as a Police Chaplain in Denver (not a role for a progressive). The high point of my ministry was 17 years as Lead Pastor of the 600 member Congregational Church of Topsfield, MA, UCC, where Jenny grew up. I am a progressive, liberation Theologian. However, my general theology has been in liberating church members from worship attendees to seeing themselves as disciples of Christ, and as spiritually gifted ministers with and thru the church for their everyday life and work. We all have an evangelical Calling. Jenny has shown me that there needs to be an evangelical re-imagining of the church as a whole. Juniper Formation Church of the UCC is focused on a virtual church with those who minister at the margins both here and away. Her influence has lifted me beyond my traditional, stained glass, walled conception of a pew-ed people of God.