Meet Barb Frey - our new Christian Education Coordinator

May 2016

Dear Members and Friends of Spring Glen Church,

Let me introduce myself. I am Rev. Barbara Frey and you can call me Barb. I will begin at Spring Glen on May 15 as the Christian Education Coordinator. I am excited to be here and looking forward to being part of a community full of faith, fun and enthusiastic fellowship. I embrace new beginnings and I am looking forward to this time of new possibilities in the life of your church as you call a new pastor. My personal mission statement is “To empower God’s people to be God’s ministers,” remembering that in the UCC we all are ministers together, sharing our gifts and interests and serving where God calls us. When an active, creative, spirit-filled partnership exists between God, the pastor, the staff, and the congregation / the people, the possibilities for ministry and faith formation are limitless and exciting. I look forward to getting to know not only the children, youth and their families, but also all the members of the church community.

I concluded my ministry at First Church West Hartford on June 30, 2013. I served there for almost 14 years as the Associate Pastor and as the specialist in Christian Education and Parish Care. Before being ordained in 1999, I was a commissioned Minister of Christian Education and served churches in East Haven, Guilford, Kensington. I also am a certified public school teacher for grades 1-8 and taught 5th and 6th grades in Reading, MA and Mannheim, Germany. For several years I taught part-time at the Polly McCabe Center in New Haven which is a transitional high school for pregnant teens. In the past 3 years I have been in discernment and looking for how God would call me to serve and to use me. A shaping experience for me was in 2013-2014 when I served for an entire year as a Consultant of Faith Formation at First Church in Hartford/ Center Church. As the consultant, I helped Center Church discover and create a model of Christian Education/Faith Formation that would serve them well now and into the future. Part of that role involved mentoring their new coordinator of Faith Formation. In doing that, I remembered my passion to teach and transform and all the hands-on experiences I had been missing. This led me in my search to find a new church home and to Spring Glen.

I live in Haddam and I enjoy travel and the outdoors---whether bicycling, hiking, kayaking, or x-country skiing. I was widowed five years ago. I have two sons, Tom who lives in CT with wife Darcey and Aubrey (4 years old) and Ed who lives in CA with wife Helen and Steven (15). I am an upbeat person who loves life and people. I always find time for family and friends (both new and old). I also always find time to “touch fabric” and quilt, as well as to read a good novel. My newest interest and challenge is golf lessons which I began this spring.

I am looking forward to meeting you and being in relationship with you as we journey in faith together.

Blessings of hope and peace,
Barb