Staff
The Reverend Stacy Swain is our Minister. Stacy comes to ordained ministry in the United Church of Christ after more than twenty years experience in the field of public health with poor and disadvantaged populations. Whether working with homeless persons in Boston, psychiatric patients in London or peasant farmers in El Salvador, Stacy has been inspired (to borrow words of poet Adrienne Rich) by those “who with every reason to despair have refused to do so.”
Stacy was born and spent most of her childhood and youth in Minnesota. She received a B.A in English literature from Carleton College in Northfield MN, a Master of Public Health with concentration in Epidemiology from the School of Public Health at Boston University and a Master’s of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School.
Stacy lives with her husband Mark, their two adolescent children and two dogs in Roslindale, Massachusetts. She is a great fan of the outdoors enjoying downhill skiing and skating in the winter, and camping and biking in the summer.
William Merrill is our Organist and Music Director. Mr. Merrill is one of Boston's most highly respected collaborative pianist/coaches. He has worked with luminaries such as Helen Donath, Roberta Peters, Erie Mills, Eleanor Steber, and Deborah Voigt, as well as many other eminent singers. The Boston Globe praised his collaborative accompaniments as "supportive, elegant, and apparently effortless." He has given recitals at Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York. He also has played at the Gardner Museum, Jordan Hall, Symphony Hall, and virtually every concert venue in Boston and throughout New England, including the Newport Music Festival. He has played around the country in places such as the San Diego Art Museum and the San Francisco War Memorial Auditorium. Mr. Merrill also has participated in community concerts around the U.S. Additionally, he has appeared on CBS "Sunday Morning" with Charles Kuralt. Abroad he has played in concert throughout Europe and in China as a guest of the government. His recordings include the CDs "A Room With a View" songs of Noel Coward on Newport Classics and "Guinevere and Other Ballads" of Sir Arthur Sullivan on Pearl Records with baritone Richard Conrad. Mr. Merrill's extensive professional affiliations include the Boston Academy of Music, the Boston Lyric Opera, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Goldovsky Opera Institute, the New England Conservatory Opera Department, and the Opera Company of Boston.
Kathy Malone is our Director of Youth and Children's Ministiries. Before coming to The Union Church, Kathy served as the chair of the Christian Education Committee at Church of the Covenant in Boston and was responsible for the smooth running and oversight of the educational programming for the church's children and youth. One of the things Kathy loves about the Union Church is our child cherishing focus and she is always looking for ways to integrate, more and more fully, the children and youth into the worship, mission and community life of the church. She is also particularly interested in exploring ways to nurture the spiritual life of children, youth and families in the home. Kathy works part time between August 15th and June 30th.
Luisa O'Toole is our office manager. Luisa has an accounting background and solid familiarity of church operations. Luisa is known for her capacity to manage a wide array of tasks with competency and grace. Luisa's first day is Tuesday, June 29th. She will be working Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 8:00 to 12:00 over the summer and then, in the fall, Monday through Friday 8:00 – 11:00am.
