Sunday Service - Guest Preacher

Rev. Joanne Hus

United Methodist Church of Martha's Vineyard

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Reverend Joanne Hus worked for over forty years as a visual artist, illustrator, and graphic designer before earning her Masters of Divinity degree from Boston University’s School of Theology.

In June 2023, she was commissioned as a provisional elder in the New England Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, where she also serves on the Commission on Religion and Race. She was a member of the inaugural cohort of graduate research affiliates at the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. She is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree at BU STH. Her research centers on developing effective and theologically informed methods of antiracist practice.

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Bible Study

Rev. Ross Allen

Transformational Leadership Pastor and Consultant, UCC

Managing Director of the Narrative Project, The Christian Century

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Rev. Ross M. Allen is Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Narrative Project at The Christian Century, the flagship journal of Mainline Protestantism, which focuses on reshaping the narrative of American Christianity through compelling storytelling. An award-winning writer, he received top honors from the Associated Church Press for long-form interview, and has had additional work featured in Religion News Service, Chalice Press, WCC Publications, and elsewhere.

In parallel to his editorial work, Rev. Allen serves as a Transformational Leadership Pastor and Consultant. Certified as an Intentional Interim and Conflict Transformation Specialist, he has worked with over a dozen congregations across denominations, helping groups navigate complex transitions such as mergers, revitalizations, and dissolutions. His leadership includes guiding the successful merger of two historic United Church of Christ congregations near Boston and currently leading Christ Church United (UCC) in Lowell, MA through their Legacy and Dissolution Process.

A graduate of the University of Chicago, Rev. Allen was selected as an emerging theologian delegate to the 2022 World Council of Churches Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany. He also co-founded a rural community development nonprofit and previously served as a Congressional staffer and faith-based community organizer in Washington, D.C.

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Sunday Service - Service Leader

Rev. Aliya Browne

Union Chapel​

Reverend Dr. Aliya F. Browne is an ordained minister in the American Baptist church. She currently serves as an associate minister at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset NJ where she leads the Small Group ministry and serves the online church.

She is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary where her focus was on practical theology and spiritual direction. She is a graduate of Oasis Ministries with her certificate as a spiritual director. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Ministry at Gordon Conwell Seminary in spiritual formation.

She teaches Christian meditation and enjoys hosting spiritual retreats for women. She lives the scripture to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48). She is a board-certified clinical cardiologist and incorporates spiritual practices into her prescription for holistic health.

She is married to her college sweetheart Reggie Browne and they have four adult children.

Sunday Service

Rev. Janet Newton

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Rev. Janet Newton is a third-generation Unitarian Universalist, born and raised in the Unitarian Church of Los Alamos, New Mexico. After many years teaching high school English and philosophy, she followed a call to ministry, serving First Parish Church of Berlin and the UU Society of Martha’s Vineyard. Realizing that she missed working with teenagers she returned to the classroom — and she now works to braid both worlds. Her ministry also finds expression in public poetry (Poems for a Kinder World) and music.

Theologically rooted in Religious Naturalism, Rev. Janet sees in religion a shared invitation to seek, nourish, and honor the spark of the sacred all around us, that we might live and connect more authentically. Her work centers on creativity, contemplation, deep listening and service as tools to grow the soul, build community, and mend the world.

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She lives on Martha’s Vineyard with her Islander wife, their two kids, an accidental dog, and a flock of chickens. As a high-desert to ocean transplant, she maintains a passion for green chile at breakfast and head-clearing beach walks in high winds.

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