Leslie and David Takahashi Morris are coming to Mt Diablo UU Church from the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church Unitarian Universalist in Charlottesville, VA. David was ordained and began his settled ministry there in August 2001, and the congregation called Leslie as Co-Minister in January 2005.

Each came into the ministry as a second career, with rich experience in congregational leadership. They were married in 1998 and have two children. See their brief biographies.

David and Leslie describe their hopes for their new co-ministry:

• To partner with a congregation seeking to deepen its sense of community and its spiritual and theological grounding
• To be with a congregation engaged in social justice ministries that reflect some level of anti-oppressive analysis
• To find, with the congregation, new directions for dynamic, inclusive, intellectually and emotionally powerful worship
• To be with a congregation which sees itself as part of the larger UUA and which is committed to that movement

Their commitment to a culture of openness and shared leadership helped draw people to their Charlottesville church, where membership increased by almost a third (to 461 and church school enrollment to 212), with dynamic growth in programming and staffing.

According to Leslie and David, "Co-Ministry is a dynamic partnership between colleagues sharing responsibility for professional leadership of the church's ministry." They will share all areas of ministry in a single ministerial position.