Rev. Anne Barker – Congregational Life Lead for the BC and Western regions

Anne has been a UU since 1998, when her kids signed up – on their first visit – to be in the
Unitarian Congregation of Saskatoon Christmas Pageant. After a year of exploring Unitarian
Universalism Anne became an involved lay leader, serving many roles including the religious
education and membership teams, the board of trustees, and as a social and regional event
planner. She began preparation for ministry in 2003/04, studying with the local Theological
Union and graduating from Meadville Lombard UU Seminary in Chicago in 2008.

Rev Anne served in parish ministry with Westwood Unitarian in Edmonton AB for 14 years,
from 2008 through 2022. She also has experience with regional, national, and continental UU
projects and teams, including three years as President of the UU Ministers of Canada. She was
honoured to be invited by colleagues to present the 2020 Confluence Lecture – which was
postponed by COVID – and became the first person to offer the lecture solely online (2021).

In the role of Congregational Life Lead for the BC and Western regions, Anne’s work includes:

• Supporting religious professionals and lay leaders, as they work to strengthen
  their faith communities,
• Involvement in staff transitions, ministerial settlement, conflict management,
  governance reviews, planning, program development, leadership training, needs
  assessment, worship, membership integration strategies, and more,
• Developing and sharing resources to aid in congregational relevance and vitality,
• Creating and facilitating learning opportunities for congregations and leaders.

Anne and her wife returned to Saskatoon in 2022 to be close to loved ones. They enjoy every
chance they get to spend with their friends and family (both birth and chosen), especially the
kids, grandkids, and grandpets that bring such joy into their lives. Fun Fact: Anne is a partner in
The Cracked Cup podcast with Liz James.

Contact Anne: anne.barker@cuc.ca