Our Ministry

We are proud to work with partners local and global who serve God, our community, and our world. Whether by donating time, talent, or treasure - our congregation is motivated to “be the church”. If you have a cause close to your heart you would like to see ECUCC support, please contact Jill Sanderson, Director of Ministry Education. 

 Guest Pastors 

Reverend Sonny Graves

Rev. Sonny has prior experience in chaplaincy and parish ministry, and currently works in nursing and healthcare. Rev. Sonny served mostly rural congregations in the midwest region as a part-time solo Pastor and feels very comfortable in a broad spectrum of political and theological congregations and people.Some areas ministry focus have included substance use/addiction and harm reduction, integrating contemporary arts into worship, LGBTQ+ inclusion, rural congregations, and trauma informed spiritual care. Rev. Sonny lives on the east side of Madison and belongs to the worshipping community and ministry teams of Holy Wisdom Monastery as a lay minister, and celebrates the ecumenical and inclusive love of God there most Sundays. 

Reverend Shelby Jeidy

Rev. Shelby grew up in Waukesha, as a third generation UCC member, and attended Chicago Theological Seminary for their M.Div. Rev. Shelby was ordained in 2021 to a position with UCC Global Ministries in Ramallah, Palestine. In February 2022 they moved to Madison for a settled call as the staff Trauma Chaplain at UW Health University Hospital. Rev. Shelby married their spouse in July 2024 and now lives in Stoughton with Collin and their two cats, Alba and Astrid. 

Rev. Shelby Jeidy is nonbinary and prefers the use of they/them or she/her pronouns. Jeidy is pronounced y-EYE-dee.

Reverend Kathleen Remund

Rev. Kathleen is an ordained UCC minister who recently retired from congregational ministry. Rev. Kathleen moved in June 2024 from Menomonie, WI, to Madison and currently works part-time as a hospice chaplain. Rev. Kathleen loves to weave poetry and contemporary writings from a variety of religious and cultural perspectives into her sermons as well as dramatic enactments, speaking imaginatively from the perspective of a character—or characters—in the scripture text.

Reverend Susan Shands

Reverend Susan Shands is a child of the United Church of Christ, having been baptized, confirmed, and ordained into Christian ministry at First Congregational UCC in Madison. She works primarily in healthcare chaplaincy, with a particular focus on end-of-life spiritual care and grief tending. She also carries a deep commitment to justice work, especially in the form of prison ministry and care & advocacy for those experiencing housing insecurity. Susan’s personal spiritual interests and practices are informed by Celtic spiritual lineages, eco-spiritual traditions, embodied mindfulness, and music as a portal to divine wisdom, joy, and resistance. Through everything, Susan has a heart for listening and connecting deeply with self and others, offering care and witness especially through the most challenging life transitions. She lives in Middleton with her partner, Fergus, and his two children, along with 2 cats, 2 guinea pigs, a puppy, and countless dust bunnies.

Reverend Doctor Barbara Wells

Rev Dr Barbara Wells, a retired pastor in the Wisconsin Conference. She received her MDiv in Washington DC at Wesley Seminary. Barbara is married and lives in Edgerton Wisconsin. She has served 2 churches in Maryland and 4 churches in Wisconsin. Barbara began her career in ministry after working for The Gallup Organization and national organizations in education.