Pastor Chenault [Shen-ALT] was called to be our designated pastor in December of 2012. Martha came to us on an interim basis in June of 2011. Martha is a Professional Transition Specialist, and she has a passion for working to create healthy congregations and ministries. Martha is an animated and energetic person who loves to engage with people. She is a good communicator and has served in a variety of settings. As our designated pastor, Martha will serve as our minister and continue to work with us on ways to reach the goals that we have identified with her guidance.

Martha has been active in the wider church and has served as chair of the Church and Ministry Dept., Western Reserve Assoc., Ohio Conference of the UCC. She has special training through Lombard Mennonite Peace Center both in conflict transformation skills and mediation as well as “Healthy Congregations,” and she continues work with the center in Advanced Clergy Clinic. She is also a trained and experienced Stephen Ministry Leader, a trained/experienced Bethel Bible Series trainer and leader, and a certified/experienced administrator of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Martha is a native Kentuckian, and is both an honors graduate of the University of Kentucky with a BME (Music Ed) and Lexington Theological Seminary (Masters of Divinity.) Martha was ordained by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Kentucky in 1976 and has served in a variety of both settled and interim positions in the states of Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan. Today she holds Ordained Ministerial standing in both the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. She most recently served as designated pastor of the First Congregational United Church of Christ, Berea, OH.

Martha has recently moved to Farmington, CT with her husband, Larkin, and their West Highland Terrier, Mungo. They have two adult daughters, Cordelia and Carolyn, who reside in Germany and Boston respectively, and one grandchild, Samuel (pictured) born in 2011.