As ministry teams change and evolve, taking time to honor those transitions is important. It not only recognizes the ministry of the one who has departed, but it also welcomes the new partner into the work as their full selves. Between the inhale and exhale, we intentionally slow down to take stock of what it is that we are called to do and how we do it. In our context as your Regional Staff, we do the same as we are charged with fortifying your ministries as you lead with bold UU-idenity, spiritual depth, and generosity.
As we brought 2025 to a close, a hiring committee composed of Natalie Briscoe (Director of Congregational Life), Jessica York (former Director of Congregational Life), Pastor Kirk Freeman (Minister of Davies Unitarian Universalist Congregation), and myself conducted interviews for the next member of your Regional Staff. It is with great joy that I share that we have welcomed the Rev. Lyn Cox to the team. With their addition, your primary contact team is now complete, and we look forward to building and bolstering our partnerships with you across the region. Know that you are always welcome to contact any member of your Central East Region staff by email or by submitting a Partnership Activation Request Form.
From Rev. Lyn Cox
Dear ones, I am so pleased and honored to be joining the Congregational Life field staff as a member of the Central East Region team! I know from my colleagues and from personal experience what vital, life-saving ministries are happening in UU congregations and covenanting communities in our region, and I’m looking forward to supporting you through Connection, Coaching, Challenge, and Companionship. We may be just meeting, or we may have encountered one another before in the course of all of our exploring. I am reminded of T.S. Eliot as I treasure both the newness and the legacy of this moment, returning to a staff role and yet knowing this place for the first time. May we discover the gifts of this new moment together as we thrive in the shared mission that Love is calling us to live out.
About Rev. Lyn Cox
Rev. Lyn Cox (they/them) is a Unitarian Universalist minister with experience in transitional ministry, religious education, counseling, public relations, and congregations of various sizes. They have served congregations in California, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. Joining the Congregational Life Field Staff is, in some ways, coming full circle for Rev. Lyn, as they served in similar roles for the former Joseph Priestley District twenty years ago.
Rev. Lyn is a graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry and of the College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. They also have a Master of Science in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola University Maryland. As a student, their research interests included Universalist history and the intersection of family systems theory with behavioral health interventions.
Recently, Rev. Lyn has been a chapter leader for the Transition Ministers Chapter of the UUMA. Over the past three years, this group of Interim, Developmental, and Contract Ministers has made cultural shifts to welcome the involvement of more ministers doing transitional work. Rev. Lyn helped plan the annual Transitional Ministry Seminar as a multi-platform experience with meaningful connection and intensive professional development for both in-person and online participants.
In their spare time, Rev. Lyn enjoys gardening, walking, playing guitar, learning about dinosaurs, crafting, and reading. They live in Baltimore with their multi-generational, multi-faith family. Their “y” in their first name can be pronounced either as a short “e” sound (Len) or with a short “i” sound (Lin). Rev. Lyn is looking forward to helping congregations in the region to thrive in their Unitarian Universalist faith and mission.
In Faith,
Rev. Byron Tyler Coles
Central East Region, Lead