Rev. Jason Cook
"He is an amazing preacher who is able to weave spirit with intellect to create new insights and inspiration."
About Me
Welcome!
I invite you to get to know me better through these pages. You'll see what I believe is at our core as Unitarian Universalists: the power of loving connection in transforming lives for the better.
I am living proof of the power of Unitarian Universalism to give meaning and direction to a life. Born and raised in Indiana, I struggled with my sexual orientation at the height of the AIDS epidemic. I went on to work as a writer, editor, actor, and business owner, all the while committed to social justice. Working as an HIV prevention counselor helped to affirm my call to ministry when I realized how isolated people were in an often cruel world.
But it was Unitarian Universalism itself that ultimately gave me a profound hope for the future--a hope so great that I now feel called to share it with the wider world. I see our congregations as places to not just do the deep spiritual work that nourishes our hearts, minds, and imaginations, but also as the starting point to reaching beyond those walls out into the wider world. I believe Unitarian Universalism is deep enough, loving enough, and strong enough to welcome in people from all walks of life--and I am committed to this notion of radical hospitality in my ministry. Perhaps your congregation shares this vision of inclusivity, too.
First and foremost, I am a preacher. I believe in the power of preaching, the power of a minister and a congregation to learn together through this sacred act of storytelling and connection. When a minister and a congregation join forces in worship, we grow and transform into something greater than we were before. For me, worship and preaching are the places where we begin that work of personal transformation and social activism.
Come dream with me about what our ministry could be together.
In faith,
Jason
Rev. Dr. Lee Barker, President, Meadville Lombard Theological School
About My Family
I am married to Lawrence Ingalls, who has an MBA with a finance emphasis from Pepperdine University. He manages the patent expense and royalty income for the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Lawrence was a board member at Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church during the transition from settled to interim minister which occured during the challenging time of the congregation's relocation to new facilites. He has chaired several committees and was instrumental in the growth of the Young Adults group. Lawrence speaks English and Spanish and is part of a Latino family whose love of music has transferred to him. He sings, plays a concert grand pedal harp, and has been the guest musician or speaker at approximately twenty Unitarian Universalist congregations from New York to California. We have two wonderful nephews who teach us a lot about the unpredictably of life, as well as siblings, parents, and other family members who enrich our lives with their love. Lawrence and I celebrated our twentieth anniversary not long ago.
