Our Minister,
the Reverend Cynthia A. Snavely
Rev. Cynthia Snavely
is our new minister! She will give her inaugural sermon Holding On and Letting Go
at UUFHC on Sunday, August 30, 2026.
In her own words . . .
I grew up in central Pennsylvania attending a United Methodist Church where my grandmother was the Sunday School Superintendent; where my mother, grandfather, and uncle taught Sunday School; and my father was the person to call if anything needed repair at the church or parsonage. I began teaching Sunday School myself as a teenager.
I attended Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA and Drew Theological School in Madison, NJ and began my ministry as a United Methodist minister serving churches in eastern Pennsylvania.
Once I transferred to Unitarian Universalist ministry, I served congregations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Florida and New Jersey.
I came to Harford County to serve this congregation and to be with my family. I live with my daughter and her partner, four of my five grandchildren and a cat.
Spiritually I identify as a religious humanist. My favorite spiritual teacher is Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist who died in 2022. I also appreciate earth-based spiritualities, the teachings of Jesus, and the call for justice of the Hebrew prophets.
For fun, I enjoy walking, playing word-games, and reading mystery novels. I particularly like the authors Michael Connelly and Louise Penny.
I believe that members of a spiritual community should celebrate together what gives them awe, be present for one another as needed, and work together to bring about more good in the wider world. I believe this is in harmony with this congregation’s mission statement, which is:
Our mission is to . . .
• Explore the richness and mystery of all stages of our earthly and spiritual lives;
• Grow together in welcoming, inclusive fellowship; and
• Radiate love and justice into our community and into our world.