Channing Memorial Church announced the selection of the Rev. Dr. Althea Smith as the congregation’s new minister, making her the first African American to lead the historic Unitarian Universalist congregation in its 190-year history.
Rev. Smith, a community activist with an extensive background in nursing and psychology, comes to Channing from the Unitarian Universalist congregation in Nantucket. She will lead her first service Aug. 3 at 10 a.m.
The congregation expects Rev. Smith to lead Channing into a new era of social activism in Newport and beyond at a time when society’s fundamental values are in question. In Nantucket, she led her congregation in efforts to support the island’s vulnerable immigrant population.
Rev. Smith has been deeply engaged in community advocacy. She served for five years as chairperson of Brookview House, a multi-service nonprofit organization in Dorchester dedicated to supporting women, children and youth experiencing homelessness. During her tenure, she guided the organization through the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis and a transition in leadership.
Born and raised in Boston, Rev. Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from UMass Amherst before going on to obtain a Ph.D. in clinical/community psychology from Boston University and a master of divinity from the Episcopal Divinity School.
Rev. Smith had an impressive career in healthcare leadership, serving as center director/superintendent at The Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center in Boston and senior vice president for nursing and women’s health at New York City Health and Hospital Corp. During the Covid epidemic, she was a consultant to nursing homes for infection control.
In recent years, Rev. Smith answered a calling to serve the community as a Unitarian Universalist minister. She was ordained at First Parish UU Church in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 2022, where she served as an affiliated community minister from 2022-2023. She served as summer minister at First Parish UU Church in Concord, Massachusetts, in 2023 before taking the post two years ago in Nantucket.
Rev. Smith’s ministry is rooted in social justice, compassionate pastoral care, community involvement and shared ministry. Her approach is to center on love, on healing and on creating a beloved community, turning her attention to what is needed most and leading by encouraging members to stand together.
“As Unitarian Universalists, we are a non-creedal faith rooted in love,” she said. “Whatever your understanding of the Holy, you are welcome here. We honor each person’s spiritual journey and invite you to come learn, explore, and grow alongside us.”
People of all creeds, all races and all sexual preferences are welcome at Channing. Congregation members are invited to hold religious practices or opinions that best express their individual spiritual or philosophical orientation.
Rev. Smith’s first service will take place in the Channing Memorial Church Sanctuary at 135 Pelham St. on Aug. 3 at 10 a.m. Parking is available in the Elks lot next door. The entire community is invited to come and welcome Rev. Smith to Newport.