Rev. Laura Nelson made President of the Fort Collins Interfaith Council

On September 22, Plymouth Congregational UCC gathered to celebrate the ordination of the Rev. Laura Nelson. Laura had been a longtime member of the congregation, and there was a great turnout of congregants, family, friends and the wider communicate to mark this milestone. Laura is a graduate of Whitman College (Walla Walla, WA) and San Francisco Theological Seminary, as well as holding a Certificate in Pastry Arts. She was the Executive Director of the Geller Center (interfaith religious center serving Colorado State University) before taking her current position as President of the Fort Collins Interfaith Council.

At the service, she was installed as their President, with prayers and blessings from the varied interfaith traditions the Council serves. Under her leadership, the Interfaith Council has had a very public profile coordinating community response to the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting, the Pittsburg Synagogue shooting, and to the recent targeting of CSU by Westboro Baptist Church. She is a specialist in Womanist Theology, and as someone trained in Nonviolent Communication, she has shared the insights of that discipline with the Geller Center, Interfaith Council and Plymouth, with an aim to lessen the polarization of our political and social discourse.

The Platte Valley Association Committee on Ministry had enthusiastically affirmed her gifts and skills for ministry, and are delighted that she has been ordained to the ministry of the Interfaith Council with full standing as an Authorized Minister in the UCC.