A message from our new minister, Rev. Danielle Garrett!

More info on the Search/Welcome Team Page.

April 13, 2025
Dear First Church in Salem,

I am so thrilled to be joining you as your new minister this August. From my very first rich and lively conversation with the search team, I could feel the spirit leading me to Salem. 

I am no stranger to historic towns. I grew up in Virginia, attending the College of William and Mary, right in the middle of Colonial Williamsburg. So when I visited your beautiful city, I felt both comfortably at home and alive with new possibilities.

Through conversations with your search team, I came to admire the earnestness, thoughtfulness and dedication with which you have approached the interim ministry period. One of my favorite hymns in our hymnals is “Where Do We Come From?” It’s inspired by a Paul Gauguin painting and asks, “Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?” To me it encapsulates the very essence of why we come together as faith communities. These are questions we can never hope to answer definitively, but I believe we come closest to understanding the sacred when we are wrestling with them in community. And these are the questions I see you all ready and willing to take on. How can you honor your long, rich history? How do you want to be together in the work of shared ministry we’re called to in the present? How can you move this historic, beloved church into the future?

I can’t imagine more exciting, fulfilling and meaningful work. It will be an honor to join you to undertake it together. 

It’s been a joy getting to know Laura, John, Anna, Peter and Chris and I can’t wait to get to know each and every one of you. Our first chance will be May 9th through the 12th when my wife Mari and I will be visiting for the weekend. I will begin officially on August 8 and my first priority will be getting to know you, learning more about why you love First Church, and hearing about your hopes for the future.

I look forward, with hope and gratitude, to this journey together.

In faith,
Danielle

You can find more information about Danielle, listen to her sermons and read some of her writing by visiting her website!

Rev. Danielle was ordained on June 7, 2025 at the First Unitarian Church in Portland, Oregon. The service was recorded and can be viewed online.