Guest Ministers
Intentional Interim
Following Rev. Derek's retirement, there will be a period of about three months during which guest ministers will lead our Sunday worship service. During that time, the cabinet will find an interim minister who will lead us through an intentional interim period before we call a new settled minister.
Rev. Judy Brain
May 3 and May 10
Rev. Judy Brain is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, where she was awarded the Billings Prize for Preaching. She served as senior minister at Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Lexington for 17 years. A resident of Essex since her retirement, she has continued as a bridge pastor for churches on the North Shore as well as the Boston suburbs.
In her ministry, a primary focus has been interfaith understanding and social justice. She has worked with many community organizations that promote respect, civility, and peace.
Judy is a leader in the Pastoral Excellence Program for the Southern New England Conference of the UCC. That means she facilitates groups of clergy who gather for collegial support and sharing best practices.
She is the mother of three sons and grandmother to three young men, all of whom can lift her off the ground. She is an enthusiastic gardener and enjoys swimming, kayaking, Netflix, all manner of puzzles, and splitting wood.
Director of Faith Formation Katie Welch
May 17 (with the FCCR youth)
Katie has been the Director of Faith Formation since April 2020. She began attending the Old Sloop when she was in third grade, and her mom found our church in the phone book! She has had various volunteer roles, including working in the nursery and teaching all different ages of Sunday school. She was an active member of the youth group during her middle and high school years. After she graduated from Eastern Nazarene College in 2010 with a BA in religion and a minor in youth ministry, she volunteered as a youth leader. Eventually, Katie was appointed Assistant Youth Director, and later began her role as Director of Faith Formation. She received her certification in Faith Formation and Youth Ministry Leadership with the UCC in November, 2021. She am currently working towards a Certificate in Youth Discipleship with Fuller Youth Institute.
Katie also works at Rockport Middle School as a paraprofessional.
Rev. Elsa Marshall Tranfaglia
May 24 and July 26
Rev. Susan Moran
May 31
Susan Moran attended Union Theological Seminary after a 12-year career in real estate finance. Ordained in 1996, Rev Susan has served congregations in New York City, Boston, and the North Shore. Her longest tenure was at the UU Society in Rockport, where she served as minister from 2011 to 2025. She is currently working on an “as-needed” basis, while enjoying all of the beauty and magic of Cape Ann.
Rev. Rick Spalding
June 7, 14, and 21
Rick is a (retired) pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA) who has held Dual Standing in several U.C.C. Associations around the Southern New England Conference. He studied at Yale Divinity School, Union Theological Seminary (NYC) and Hartford Seminary - and served congregations in Albany, NY, New York City, and Boston before being called into the heart of his career as Chaplain at Williams College in Williamstown, MA. For almost two decades at Williams, in addition to the familiar pastoral tasks of chaplaincy, Rick worked to expand the college's embrace of religious pluralism, helped to redesign first-year orientation, and led a popular January-term immersion for students in Nicaragua. Since retiring from Williams in 2018, he has served as Interim Senior Minister at the 1stPresbyterian Church of Ann Arbor, MI and at Old South Church in Boston. Fully retired at last, he lives in a very old house in Ipswich with his husband (of 53 years) Peter Bubriski and a cat named Steinway.
Rev. Anne Deneen and Rev. Dr. Joseph Duggan
June 28
Rev. Anne Deneen and Rev. Dr. Joe Duggan are a married clergy couple living in Rockport. They preach and preside as a team. Rev. Joe is an ordained Episcopal priest, a scholar, writer, and editor in post-colonial and liberation theologies, spirituality, and ecclesiology. Before retiring from congregational ministry, Rev. Joe served in the Dioceses of Nevada and Northern California. Rev. Anne served at St. Paul Lutheran Church (ECLA) in Gloucester for 18 years before retiring in 2020. She taught writing for many years and served as a chaplain on campus and in health care settings. In addition to congregational ministry, she is also a spiritual director and retreat leader. She has a deep commitment to ecumenical and interfaith dialogues. They both love walking by the sea and drinking in the beauty that is Cape Ann.
Deacon Jim Schell
July 5
Rev. Jamie Klopotoski and Sax Supercubed
July 12
Originally from Beloit, Wisconsin, Rev. Jamie Green Klopotoski is a graduate of Northwestern University and Harvard University's Divinity School and is dually ordained in the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches and the United Church of Christ. She provides pulpit supply to churches on Boston's North Shore, teaches music in the Gloucester Public School District, directs the Gloucester Student Band, and plays saxophone with many local musical groups. She lives in West Gloucester with her tuba-playing husband and their three cats, three ducks, and fourteen chickens.
Sax Supercubed (Sax⁴) is a saxophone quartet that was formed at Trinity Congregational Church in Gloucester to lead monthly jazz worship services. The group consists of Frank Freedman from Gloucester on alto saxophone, April Ferraro from Rockport on alto saxophone, Nick Capello from Gloucester on tenor saxophone, Rev. Jamie Green Klopotoski from Gloucester on baritone saxophone, and Sonyangelie Del Valle from Gordon College on vocals. All music is specially arranged for the group by Rev. Jamie. In addition to regularly leading worship at Trinity, Sax⁴ has performed at the West Gloucester Unity Service, the "Surely" service at Old Sloop, and at Topsfield Congregational Church.
Gracie Paterson
July 19
Gracie Paterson is a graduate of Boston University School of Theology and a candidate for ordained ministry in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She currently serves as Transitional Presbyter for the Presbytery of Boston and as Minister for Children and Youth at First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain, MA. Gracie's young ministry has already taken her to pulpits big and small, to the bedside of hospital patients, to Sunday School classrooms, and to the public square alongside interfaith leaders. She has earned a reputation for lively liturgical leadership and for guiding worshipping communities along the path to revitalization and transformation. Gracie is projected to be ordained in 2026.