UNIVERSITY UNITARIAN CHURCH

Ministers

Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae, Senior Minister

The Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae (them/them/any - gender queer/non-binary) is a pastor, community leader, teacher, ritual artist, spiritual writer, and intersectional activist. At University Unitarian Church (UUC), they are responsible for worship, spiritual leadership, strategic planning, social justice activism, and a broad array of services to the congregation and larger community. 


Jeremiah served in congregational, community, and academic ministries in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area before being called to serve as Senior Minister at UUC in the spring of 2026. Most recently, they served the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Monica, as Vice President of the Santa Monica Area Interfaith Council, and as member of UCLA Medical Center’s Ethics Committee. 


In the San Francisco Bay Area, they served in parish and community ministries–co-founding the San Francisco Interfaith Food Bank, the Guardian Group for LGBTIAQ+ refugees and asylees, and neighborhood ministries. As a member of the adjunct faculty at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, California, they taught courses on transreligious thea/ology and philosophy and anti-racist and counter-oppressive social change.


In addition to being a Unitarian Universalist minister, Jeremiah is a dervish in the Chishtī lineage of Islamic Sufism, having received bayat (lineage transmission) from his late Pir and heart-friend Dr. Ibrahim Abdurrahman Farajajé. Lal Shahbaz Qalandar is their Sufi Muslim given name. They also received an earlier diksha (initiation) into Hindu Shaktism, and were confirmed in the UU Christian tradition. Their multireligious belongings and experiences of making community with Jewish, Humanist, Buddhist, Jain, and Earth-based friends informs their broad and inclusive approach to religious life.


Rev. Jeremiah holds a Master of Divinity from Starr King School for the Ministry at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, a Master of Science in Social Administration (Social Work; Mandel Scholar) with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and a Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, from Baldwin-Wallace University in Berea, Ohio. 


They completed their Parish Internship at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, an advanced Clinical Residency in Spiritual Care at the Cleveland Clinic, and a Killam Fellowship at the First Unitarian Church of Cleveland.


In their free time, they enjoy spending time with family and friends, power yoga and spin class, meditation and prayer, running and swimming, traveling, and eco-halal vegan and vegetarian cooking.

Rev. Victoria Poling, Acting Associate Minister, Community Engagement

UUC welcomed the Rev. Victoria Poling (she/her) in August of 2025. She is here for a two year commitment, eligible to transition to a regular, ongoing position if mutually determined with Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae.


Rev. Victoria's ministry at UUC is part of our new staffing structure that emphasizes shared leadership with congregational teams. Rev. Poling will guide several essential ministries of the church, including welcome, caring community, social justice, and collaborations with other UU congregations and the larger community. 


Victoria brings us an insightful and experienced understanding of ministry, wise and compassionate understanding of the ways of church life, and considerable experience working with lay teams in congregations. 


She is deeply called to serve the land, water, and people of the Salish Sea. She looks forward to enaging in UUC community through various roles, including collaborating with UUC family ministry leaders and leading summer services. 


Rev. Victoria holds a Masters of Divinity degree from Seattle University School of Theology & Ministry. In addition to her ministerial experience, Victoria has an impressive background in nonprofit management and environmental education. 

Rev. Jon Luopa

Minister Emeritus

At its 2025 Annual Meeting, the congregation enthusiastically voted to designate the Rev. Jon Luopa as Minister Emeritus of University Unitarian Church. Rev. Luopa had served the church with distinction as Senior Minister for 25 years, from 1999 to his retirement in 2024.


As Minister Emeritus, Jon has the right to serve as one of UUC's religious professional delegates to the UUA's General Assembly. His continued involvement at the church or occasional service to the congregation is guided through mutual covenant with the Senior Minister.


The grandson of Finnish immigrants, Jon grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts with his two younger sisters. The family religion was Lutheran, but by his early teens, Jon began to question those beliefs. He became a Unitarian Universalist in 1978, and entered Harvard Divinity School, earning his M.Div in 1981. 


Jon served several churches in the greater Boston area and in Connecticut for 19 years. During that time, Jon had the privilege of working closely with both the Rev. Dr. Dana McLean Greeley, first president of the UUA, and Professor James Luther Adams, renowned Unitarian social ethicist. 


Jon and his wife Annie continue to live in the Seattle area, as does their younger daughter's family; their elder daughter lives in Atlanta, GA.

Rev. Janine Seitetsu Larsen

Covenanted Community Minister

Janine retired from full-time employment at UUC in June, 2025. She was Director of Ministries from 2016-2024, then served as Acting Administrator for the final six months of her tenure. 


Prior to her time at UUC, she served the Unitarian Universalist Association for 12 years as the Pacific Northwest District Executive and as a member of Regional Staff, following a 20 year career in nonprofit management with a specialty in fundraising, marketing, and strategic planning. 


Janine has been a student of Zen since 2001, and was ordained a novice Zen priest (Unsui) at UUC in 2019 by the Rev. James Ismael Myoun Ford, a UU minister and Zen Roshi. She was then installed as Resident Priest of the Bright Cloud Zen Practice Groups in Seattle, one of the Empty Moon Zen Sanghas. Janine received Denkai Transmission and ordination as a full priest (Osho) from Myoun Roshi in 2022.


She identifies her calling, ministry, and spiritual practice as fully grounded in Zen and UU. In addition to establishing UUC's Zen Group shortly after joining UUC staff, Janine supported and nurtured a Zen group for many years at the Woodinville UU Church, where she was a lay leader and past president.


Janine lives in Woodinville, WA, with her spouse. She delights in cooking, hanging out with dogs, and taking road trips, and taking pride in their son & daughter-in-law in Duvall and daughter in Portland, OR.


Her role as "Covenanted Community Minister" is primarily focused on continuing support of UUC's Zen group. Click here to read Janine's statement on "Work, Zen and Retirement." 

Ministers Affiliated

UUC formally and gratefully recognizes a covenantal relationship with our Ministers Affiliated. These ordained UU clergy are not employed by the church, but serve ministries in the larger community, as chaplains, counselors, spiritual directors, or in other capacities. They choose to affiliate voluntarily with UUC, and we with them through vote of the congregation, as an integral and important part of our beloved community. Each Minister Affiliated offers specific service to UUC in addition to their professional work elsewhere, or in retirement as Ministers Affiliated Emeriti.

Rev. Justin Almeida, Minister Affiliated

The grandson of Mexican immigrants, Justin grew up among the yucca and sage of the Mojave desert. Raised in Las Vegas, NV the family religion was Roman Catholic with Justin even contemplating being a priest. Which brought him to the University of San Diego where he received a BA in philosophy and theology. Choosing a different path, he worked in broadcast journalism until marrying his partner Heather, whose dream was to serve in the Peace Corps.


Six months after marriage, Justin and Heather left the US for Romania for 2½ years. While there, Justin encountered Hungarian Unitarianism in the Hargita valley of Transylvania which opened him to a new relationship with spirituality and religion. On returning to the US, they moved to Seattle and found University Unitarian in 2012. Inspired by Unitarian Universalist principles and sources, and the ministers and mission of the congregation, Justin entered seminary in 2014 at Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry. He graduated in 2020 with a Master of Divinity (Chaplaincy).


Justin was ordained by University Unitarian Church to Unitarian Universalist ministry in 2021. He serves as a hospital chaplain specializing in palliative care and hospice. He is also involved in UUC’s equity team, religious education, and the UUA Pacific Western Region’s youth and emerging adult activities.


Rev. Justin Almeida, MDiv (he/they)

Palliative Care Chaplain Fellow, VA of Puget Sound

Spiritual Care Provider, Harborview Medical Center

Affiliated Minister, University Unitarian Church

justinalmeida.com

Affiliated Ministers Emeriti

Rev. Linda Pashby Kaufman

The Rev. Linda Pashby Kaufman retired in 2017 after 10 years as Chaplain at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. A long-time member of UUC, she served the church in many lay leadership capacities before joining staff from 1996-2001 as Director of Membership and Fund Development. 


After leaving UUC staff, she earned her Master of Divinity and Post Master’s Certificate in Transforming Spirituality at Seattle University. She was ordained by UUC in 2006 and called as Minister Affiliated in 2007. 


With her colleague the Rev. Deborah Raible, Linda has overseen the UU Wellspring program in Spiritual Deepening at UUC since 2010. Linda has also served on a Search Committee and the Faith Formation Team, and frequently volunteers in other ways. 


Linda and her husband Bill both grew up in Iowa but have lived in Seattle since 1968, and have been members of UUC since 1988. They have two grown children, Bob and Kim, living in the area. Linda loves travel, movies, reading mysteries, cooking dinner for friends, nature, photography, and watercolor.

Rev. Deborah Raible

The Rev. Deborah Raible is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist, following three previous generations of Unitarians in her family, and the third generation to go into the Unitarian (and now) Universalist ministry. 


Deborah is also a lifelong member of University Unitarian Church in Seattle, which ordained her in 1996 and called her as a Minister Affiliated in 1997. She retired in 2022 from her work as a community minister in private practice as a pastoral counselor.  


Deborah put her private practice on hold and stepped in more than once to help UUC as  an additional parish minister when needed. She has also been an active volunteer at UUC with the UU Wellspring Program, the Faith Formation Implementation Team, and the Partner Church program.


Deborah is married to another lifelong Unitarian Universalist, Kevin Clark, who is also a PK (preacher’s kid), and the two of them have delighted in raising two more of the same, Nathan and Caleb Raible-Clark. In addition to her family, Deborah enjoys the spiritual practices of praying, playing classical piano and taking walks.