The Pullman Memorial Universalist Church is served by several ministers who alternate in the pulpit. Each brings their unique talents and style to provide a rich variety of services.
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Rev. Don Reidell has served the church part time since 1977. He holds a Bachelor degree from State University of New York College at Buffalo, a Master degree in English Education, and a Master of Theology from Canisius College. He is married and has three children — Erich, Kimberley, and Marcus. For 37 years he was a high school teacher of English, retiring in 1997.
In addition to preaching at Pullman Memorial Universalist Church, he serves U.U. churches in Jamestown, Niagara Falls, and Hamburg. “Serving the Pullman church provides me with inspiration and renewal. Each member is fully committed, not only to his or her own religious quest but also committed to a covenant of the church. It is my privilege to serve in this congregation.”
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Susan Dodge-Peters Daiss is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist, raised in Boston, and with a leaning since childhood toward the sacred. “My professional life for the past 25 years has been within the art world, writing and teaching about the visual experience. My love of the arts –especially the visual arts and writing–my connections to the natural world, and my commitment to help others connect with the sacred in themselves, others, and the world–has been leading me very slowly toward ministry. I began leading a service a month at Pullman (and in the summers at the Cobblestone Church) in the fall of 1995. Over these years I have become deeply attached to the people in the church and am incredibly grateful to have found such a welcoming community.”
Minister Emeritus
The Rev. Richard “Dick” Hood served the church as a pulpit supply minister for 35 years, from 1971 to 2006, but he cared so much about the faith community that he went above and beyond his preaching duties. Rev. Hood initiated Talk-back Sundays and the closing circle done on some Sundays, and the concept of Pullman Pennies (a strategy to make tough decisions). He also helped the congregation develop a long-range plan and the church covenant (which appears in each hymnal). Additionally, he presided over the Good Friday service for all of his years at Pullman, and offered untold hours of pastoral care and rites of passage. On Oct. 9th, 2011 the congregation unanimously conferred the status of Minister Emeritus (Minister for Life) upon Rev. Hood – the first minister in the long history of the church to be so honored.
Pullman Memorial Universalist Church 