Vanessa Southern

Vanessa Southern
Born 1968 (age 43–44)
Residence Maplewood, New Jersey[1]
Nationality American
Education Harvard Divinity School[1]
Alma mater Stanford[1]
Occupation Minister
Years active 1991–present[1]
Employer Unitarian Church of Summit, NJ
Religion Unitarianism
Spouse Rohit Menzes[2]
Website
ucsummit.org

Vanessa Rush Southern (born 1968) is an American Unitarian minister in New Jersey notable for increasing church membership[1] as well as being a progressive liberal advocate of issues such as reproductive health care options for women,[3] diversity and racial tolerance,[4] affordable housing including projects for Habitat for Humanity,[1][5] human rights,[3] and remembrance of civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King.[6] She is minister of the Unitarian Church in Summit[1] and has presided over high-profile weddings[7] as well as local community discussions on topics such as diversity and tolerance[8] and the "achievement gap" between low–income and high–income families.[9] Her father was the director of an acting school in New York City called the School for Film and Television and her mother was a hematology technologist at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.[2] She was married in 1999 to Rohit Menzes.[2] She wrote a book entitled, This Piece of Eden.

Ministry

Southern was minister of the Universalist National Memorial Church in Washington from 1996 to 2001.[1] During her years as minister in Summit, from 2001 to the present, congregation membership grew from 100 to 500 members, and childrens' education expanded to 200 members, according to a report in the Independent Press.[1] The congregation supported relief efforts in Darfur, Haiti, New Orleans, Pakistan, Guatemala and elsewhere, as well as social action projects including tutoring sessions in an Irvington school, local food banks, a program entitled Summit Helping Its People, a transition program for homeless people called Homefirst, house-building efforts, and other charitable projects.[1] In 2010, Southern's congregation was honored by the Unitarian national assembly as being one of four "breakthrough congregations" in North America for increases in membership and charitable activity.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Staff writer (December 26, 2011). "Summit Unitarian pastor celebrates 10th anniversary". Independent Press. http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2011/12/summit_unitarian_pastor_celebr.html. Retrieved 2012-01-04. 
  2. ^ a b c "WEDDINGS; Vanessa Southern, Rohit Menezes". The New York Times. May 2, 1999. http://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/02/style/weddings-vanessa-southern-rohit-menezes.html. Retrieved 2011-07-31. "The Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern ... graduated from Stanford University and received a master's degree in divinity from Harvard University." 
  3. ^ a b "Summit Unitarians support reproductive-health spending". Independent Press. June 14, 2011. http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2011/06/summit_unitarians_support_repr.html. Retrieved 2011-07-31. "... reproductive health care services ... Parish Minister Vanessa Southern stated: “These cuts are shortsighted ... This is a human rights issue.“" 
  4. ^ Staff reporters (January 17, 2011). "N.J. plans Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations". Newark Star-Ledger. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/01/new_jersey_celebrates_holds_ev.html. Retrieved 2011-07-31. "... Program of Remembrance, sermon by the Rev. Vanessa Southern of the Unitarian Church of Summit and song by Continuo Arts Foundation commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.’s contributions to all people" 
  5. ^ Liz Keill (January 5, 2011). "Summit's first Habitat structure rises on Morris Avenue". Independent Press. http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2011/01/summits_first_habitat_structur.html. Retrieved 2011-07-31. "... "When the framing goes up it will be magical,” said Vanessa Southern, rector of The Unitarian Church in Summit. ..." 
  6. ^ "Martin Luther King Day of Service launches 10-year initiative; spotlights Latino community". Independent Press. January 13, 2011. http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2011/01/martin_luther_king_day_of_serv.html. Retrieved 2011-07-31. "... A Program of Remembrance ... with a sermon by The Rev. Vanessa Southern of The Unitarian Church of Summit" 
  7. ^ "WEDDINGS; Grace Kim, Erin Caddell". The New York Times. March 25, 2001. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/25/style/weddings-grace-kim-erin-caddell.html. Retrieved 2011-07-31. "The Rev. Vanessa Southern, a Unitarian Universalist minister, participated in the service." 
  8. ^ Barbara Rybolt (August 10, 2009). "Prime Time Calendar of Events for the Week of August 12, 2009". Independent Press. http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2009/08/prime_time_calendar_of_events_2.html. Retrieved 2011-07-31. "... There will be a community discussion on the book ... The leader will be Vanessa Southern from the Summit Unitarian Church" 
  9. ^ Heather Collura (October 22, 2009). "Mayor Holds Monthly Diversity Forum". SummitPatch. http://summit.patch.com/articles/mayor-holds-monthly-diversity-forum. Retrieved 2011-07-31. "... Vanessa Southern, Unitarian Minister, said she's read that the achievement gap widens during the summer when some families cannot afford to have their children participate in enrichment activities." 

External links