Margo Kelly grew up in an Irish Catholic family but the religious part did not quite fit. While she liked the rituals, she did not like the patriarchy or the church’s stance on many social issues. For a time, she found the folk services at National Cathedral filled some of the gaps, but found the dogma too difficult to take after attending synagogue services with her former partner who was Jewish. She tried All Souls Unitarian Church in DC, but it did not really speak to her. In 2011 she found UUCSS. From the first, she was entranced with Reverend Liz’s sermons which combined intellectual firepower with a real commitment to LGBTQ+ rights. Attending the women’s retreat sealed the deal for signing the book. UUCSS has provided a community for Margo and her daughter, Daniela, sharing Family LUUV camping expeditions, Catoctin, and of course, Daniela’s Coming of Age ceremony.
Margo has been an Annual Budget Drive steward and helped out on the Capital Campaign. Maggie Hayes remembered that she worked in non-profit fundraising and suggested she be tapped for the ABD. This year she was our lead ABD co-chair spearheading a successful fund drive. Asked about volunteering she said, “It’s important for us to find ways to give back to the community. We’re only as strong as we are together, and we all have skills and talents that can help the church.” May we all find those skills and talents and recognize them in each other.