Donna Dolham

The First Universalist Church of Auburn will ordain Donna Dolham into the Unitarian Universalist ministry on Saturday, June 16 at 1 p.m. The church is located at 169 Pleasant Street in Auburn. The service is open to the public.

Donna Dolham has served as an intern and sabbatical minister with the Unitarian Universalist First Church and Parish in Dedham, Massachusetts. Starting in August, she will serve as interim minister at Denton Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Denton, Texas. She holds a Masters in Social Work from Boston University and a Masters of Divinity, with a certificate in Ethics and Justice and a focus on interreligious dialogue, from Andover Newton Theological School.

Prior to attending seminary, Dolham worked as a community health social worker for Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice. She also practiced clinical social work in both Auburn and Union, Maine, with a specialty working with transgender and gender queer folks and their families. Since her early 20s, Dolham has been involved in community organizing efforts to increase access to basic rights for people living on the margins. Her interests have recently engaged her in several immersion courses exploring Buddhism in Myanmar, Sufi practice in California, and multi-religious education in Israel.

Dolham’s discovery of Unitarian Universalism began when she entered the doors of Auburn’s First Universalist Church in 1991. She has since served two different UU congregations as president of the board of trustees, among other positions.

Since 2001, she has been a volunteer facilitator for the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Beyond Categorical Thinking program, which helps congregations recognize and deconstruct bias as it relates to their settled ministerial search process. This work has taken her to over 50 congregations throughout the Northeast. She has also worked for the New England Region of the UUA as a peer facilitator, engaging congregational leaders through leadership retreats.