Dr. Laura McGuire
Dr. McGuire is honored to serve as Unitarian Universalist Friendship Fellowship's part-time intern minister. They preach and provide religious education to the community in person two to three times a month and offer pastoral care and ritual services Sunday through Wednesday from 9 AM to 5 PM. Please be patient as they will respond to all texts, calls, and emails during their regularly scheduled hours, excluding holidays. They are also off on the following dates for a religious observance: Shavuot, June 2 and 3; Rosh Hashanah, September 23 and 24; Yom Kippur, October 2; Sukkot, October 7 and 8; Simchat Torah, October 14 and 15.
Dr. McGuire is currently a Unitarian Universalist seminary student at Earlham School of Religion, where they have studied trauma-informed theology, restorative justice in religious systems, and Jewish perspectives on modern-day theological questions. They will graduate with their Masters in Divinity in spring 2025.
Dr. McGuire also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from Thomas Edison State University and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Change from Fielding Graduate University. Their doctoral research project was entitled ‘Seen but Not Heard: Pathways to Improve Inclusion of LGBT Persons and Sexual Trauma Survivors in Sexual Health Education.’ They are also a full-spectrum doula, yoga instructor, certified sex educator, and member of The American Association of Sexuality Counselors, Educators, and Therapists.
Dr. McGuire grew up with Baptist and Catholic families and converted to Catholicism as a teen. They continued to feel a call to religious life but were unsure of what path to pursue. After dropping out of high school, they entered an abusive marriage, but through pursuing going back to school in their mid-twenties, they were able to leave that experience and encourage others to do the same. Dr. McGuire finds spiritual connection in European Pagan practices and Goddess-centered Judaism. In 2022, after uncovering their mother’s B’nei Anusim heritage, they returned to their ancestorial Jewish faith. They love serving in the interfaith environment of Unitarian Universalism, where all are embraced, where they are on life’s path, and where each individual explores spiritual truth for themselves.
They bring their previous experience in trauma-informed care and violence prevention to their current ministry work having served in K-12, university, and military settings. Dr. McGuire lives in Central Florida, where they work as an adjunct professor at Widener and Dominican University and serve as CEO of the National Center for Equity and Agency Inc.
Dr. McGuire is currently a Unitarian Universalist seminary student at Earlham School of Religion, where they have studied trauma-informed theology, restorative justice in religious systems, and Jewish perspectives on modern-day theological questions. They will graduate with their Masters in Divinity in spring 2025.
Dr. McGuire also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from Thomas Edison State University and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Change from Fielding Graduate University. Their doctoral research project was entitled ‘Seen but Not Heard: Pathways to Improve Inclusion of LGBT Persons and Sexual Trauma Survivors in Sexual Health Education.’ They are also a full-spectrum doula, yoga instructor, certified sex educator, and member of The American Association of Sexuality Counselors, Educators, and Therapists.
Dr. McGuire grew up with Baptist and Catholic families and converted to Catholicism as a teen. They continued to feel a call to religious life but were unsure of what path to pursue. After dropping out of high school, they entered an abusive marriage, but through pursuing going back to school in their mid-twenties, they were able to leave that experience and encourage others to do the same. Dr. McGuire finds spiritual connection in European Pagan practices and Goddess-centered Judaism. In 2022, after uncovering their mother’s B’nei Anusim heritage, they returned to their ancestorial Jewish faith. They love serving in the interfaith environment of Unitarian Universalism, where all are embraced, where they are on life’s path, and where each individual explores spiritual truth for themselves.
They bring their previous experience in trauma-informed care and violence prevention to their current ministry work having served in K-12, university, and military settings. Dr. McGuire lives in Central Florida, where they work as an adjunct professor at Widener and Dominican University and serve as CEO of the National Center for Equity and Agency Inc.
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They are the author of two books- Creating Cultures of Consent (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021) and The Sexual Misconduct Prevention Guidebook (Fielding University Press, 2022) and have been published in outlets ranging from Patheos to Edutopia. Click on the images to read more about the books.
To read more of Dr. McGuire’s theological writing, check out the articles below: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/jewishvoices/2022/08/unitarian-universalism-and-the-bnei-anusim-jews/ https://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithforward/2022/01/how-atonement-theory-impacts-survivor-experiences-within-the-church/ https://www.spectrumsouth.com/trans-god/ https://www.spectrumsouth.com/enby-tznius/ https://www.spectrumsouth.com/discovering-my-jewish-roots/ https://www.friendsjournal.org/handle-with-care/ |
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