Meet the Minister

On August 1, 2010 Central Unitarian Church welcomes Rev. Dr. Matt Tittle as its new minister. Rev. Matt comes to us after six years as senior minister of Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church in Houston, TX. He has also served congregations in Illinois, and Indiana.

Ministry is a third career for Matt. He is a 2004 graduate of Meadville-Lombard Theological School in Chicago, IL, where he received a Master of Divinity degree. Matt was previously an assistant professor of educational psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the assistant director of the Univ. of Illinois Campus Honors Program. He earned a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the Univ. of Illinois in 2001. Matt also holds an M.A. in the teaching of Russian from the Univ. of Illinois, an M.A. in national security affairs from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, and a B.A. from the Univ. of South Carolina. He is a graduate of the U.S. Defense Language Institute, and is a certified teacher for grades 6-12. Before his academic and ministerial careers, Matt served on active duty as a naval officer for over eleven years and as a reservist for another nine years. He retired from the Navy in 2003 at the rank of Commander. During his naval career, he served as a nuclear weapons inspector in Russia; conducted research for the Department of Defense POW/MIA Office; saw combat action in Grenada and Lebanon; and had the opportunity to travel to over thirty countries on five continents. Most of his military service was as an intelligence officer specializing in Soviet/Russian military affairs.

Matt grew up primarily in Charleston, South Carolina. His wife, Gail, is a social worker specializing in child welfare, and was an Air Force officer for fourteen years. They have two children, Alex (18) and Andy (14). Together, Matt and Gail co-authored Harvest the Power: Developing Lay Leadership (UUA, 2009), and co-edited Bless All Who Serve: Sources of Hope, Courage, and Faith for Military Personnel and Their Families (Skinner House, 2010). Matt is also the author of Taking Back Faith: Heretical Thoughts for a New Century (iUniverse, 2006).

In his spare time, Matt is an amateur marathoner and triathlete. He has completed more than a dozen marathons and as many triathlons, including the Ironman Arizona triathlon.

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For the past two years, Central Unitarian Church has been served by Interim Minister Rev. Carlton Elliott Smith. Rev. Smith's tenure at CUC ends on July 31, when he moves to Virginia to serve as a minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington. CUC is grateful for all that he has contributed to our congregation and wish him great success with his next congregation.

Reverend Smith was ordained into the Unitarian Universalist ministry in October 1995.

After graduating summa cum laude from Howard University School of Divinity in 1992 (M.Div.), he attended the World Council of Churches’ Graduate School at the Ecumenical Institute outside Geneva, Switzerland for five months. The following year, as a Henry Luce Fellow, he was a staff writer for Religion News Service, then based in Manhattan. His articles were syndicated by the New York Times and appeared in newspapers across the country, including The Washington Post, The Detroit Free Press, The San Jose Mercury-News, and The San Francisco Chronicle.

In the fall of 1994, he began active pursuit of parish ministry, as a full-time ministerial intern serving two congregations: The Unitarian Church in Summit (2/3rds time) and the Unitarian Universalist Society of the Palisades in Englewood (1/3rd time). In 1995, Rev. Smith began a two-year UUA extension ministry placement at the Hollis Unitarian Church in Queens. From 1997 to 1999, he was Minister for Extension and Outreach at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, California.His most recent position was as Assistant Minister at First Parish of Arlington, Mass., where he’s served since 2002.

A native of Mississippi, Rev. Smith is delighted to be returning to the Metro New York District in general, and to the Garden State in particular. He writes, “Whatever I do as a UU minister, northern New Jersey will always be the place where I started. I cut my clerical teeth here 14 years ago, working with inspired mentors and dedicated lay people. When I gave my sermon here in March, I had no idea that this would be the place that I would land for a time. I was impressed with CUC then, and I’m looking forward to the work we will do together. For me, this is a season of grace. May it be so for us all, and for those seeking the beloved community we offer.”