Catherine Foote - Minister

CFoote@universityucc.org 

Catherine was born and raised in Long Beach, California, the youngest of five children. She became a Christian as a teenager. After graduating from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky with a Ph.D. in Education and Theology, she worked for ten years teaching Christian education and biblical studies at San Jose Christian College. She then spent eleven years as a youth minister and later associate minister at First Congregational Church in San Jose, California. Catherine began her work in ministry with UCUCC on December 1, 2001.

She brings to her work here a passion for ministry, a love of teaching, and a delight in telling Bible stories. Along with her responsibilities in preaching and pastoral care, Catherine is also working Christian education and Stewardship ministries.

Catherine currently lives on Whidbey Island where, in addition to tending the flock at UCUCC, she raises another flock of Romney sheep. She also enjoys all sorts of outdoor activities, a joy she regularly expresses in trips to Yosemite, where she and her sister have a tradition of hiking to the top of Half Dome to celebrate each nephew’s graduation from high school.

In addition to her work in ministry, Catherine is the founder of “Brake the Cycle, National Ride to Stop Child Sexual Abuse,” and has ridden her bicycle across the country five times, raising funds for child abuse prevention and recovery programs. She has also written the book Survivor Prayers, Talking with God About Child Sexual Abuse.

Catherine is the Staff Liaison for the following groups:
Stewardship Ministry
Christian Education Ministry
Convening Leadership Staff
Personnel Board
Library Committee

Catherine's days off are Friday and Saturday.

Peter Ilgenfritz - Minister

PIlgenfritz@universityucc.org

Peter grew up in Lynnfield, Mass. His family attended Centre Congregational Church there. He has a sister three years younger than he. He received his BA from Colgate University in Hamilton, New York in 1984, and his MDiv from Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut in 1987. He met his partner Dave Shull at Yale Divinity School. He served as Associate Pastor at First Congregational Church in Ithaca, New York from 1987 to 1989. He and Dave moved to Chicago in 1989.

He was the founding Executive Director of a comprehensive HIV/AIDS care organization in Evanston, Illinois and later worked as a development director for an AIDS organization and a non-profit affordable housing organization.

Peter Ilgenfritz and his partner Dave Shull were called to UCUCC as Associate Pastors in June of 1994. They were the first gay couple called to a mainline Protestant church in the country. Dave left his position at UCUCC in January 2006 to pursue his call to minister with the Hispanic community.

For his first two years here, Peter worked part-time at the church, and part-time as the Development Director of the Washington Association of Churches. Since August, 1996, he has been employed full time at the church. Peter has a wide range of responsibilities, including monthly preaching, counseling, and teaching.

Since January 2005 Peter has been the pastor for youth and their families and is the liaison to the Worship and Music Board and the Youth Ministry Board.

Peter's days off are Friday and Saturday.

Donald M. Mackenzie, Jr. -
Minister and Head of Staff

DMackenzie@universityucc.org

Don Mackenzie was born in Chicago and grew up in the mid-west on several college campuses. His father was a college dean and president and his mother a musician and teacher. He holds a B. A. from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, a 
M. Div. and Th. M from Princeton Seminary, and a Ph. D. from New York University. He and his wife Judy were married the day after they graduated from Macalester. They taught at Gerard Institute in Sidon, Lebanon before being evacuated during the Six Day War in June of 1967.

After graduating from Princeton, he worked in the Department of Field Education at Princeton during graduate school in New York. He was Associate Minister at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton from 1980 to 1983, and Senior Minister of the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College, UCC in Hanover, New Hampshire from 1983 to 1995. He was Adjunct Professor of Practical Theology at Bangor Seminary in Maine and adjunct faculty at Princeton in the Doctor of Ministry program beginning in 1980 to the present.

He came to Seattle in 1995. His interest in the Middle East stems from a job as a lifeguard at the Nile Hilton Hotel in Cairo while in college. The peak of his amateur musical career came when the country band he was in at Princeton appeared in the documentary film, "Family Name".

Don and Judy have two daughters, Mary and Alice.

In his role as Head of Staff, Don has overall responsibility for the ordering and well being of our entire church staff. He and David Anderson, our Business Administrator work very closely together on staff issues. He is the chief liaison to the work of the Church Council. He also represents the clergy staff on the Theologian-in-Residence Advisory Committee, now called the Theology Project. In addition to the regular pastoral duties of worship leadership, baptisms, weddings, funerals, and pastoral care, Don represents the church on the Church Council of Greater Seattle as Chair of the Palestinian Concerns Task Force. He is also co-founder of the Seattle Network for Peace and Justice in the Middle East.

Don is the Staff Liaison for the following groups:
Church Council
Justice and Outreach Ministries
Parish Life Board
University District Interfaith Alliance

Don's days off are Friday and Saturday.