My Story
Hello! I am Dan Lillie. I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I graduated from high school and took some classes at the University of New Mexico. In my young adult years, I tried a number of career paths: I started in the restaurant industry, working as a server, bartender, and manager. Next, I got my real estate license and became a REALTOR (which, in 2007, turned out to be a poor choice). After that, I tried collaborating with my dad and brother to start a family business doing countertop and bathtub resurfacing.
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It was this last career path that took me out of New Mexico: first to Colorado, then to Austin, Texas, then back to Colorado. I worked for the family resurfacing business for three years, but I was never very good at it, nor did I like the work. So in 2011, I decided to go back to school to finish my bachelor’s degree. With most of my credits from UNM transferring, it took me two years to complete; but in December of 2013, I received my B.A. in Ministerial Development and Spiritual Formation (a customized major) with a minor in Religious Studies from Metropolitan State University of Denver.
I met my wife Emily at this time while living in Denver. We both started attending First Universalist Church of Denver around the same time. In a congregation that size, it took us a few months to meet each other, but in July of 2011, we crossed paths at a Sunday service and we have been building our lives together ever since.
After finishing my bachelor’s degree, I jumped into seminary at Iliff School of Theology in Denver. A Methodist institution, Iliff has been a liberal, justice-focused school since its founding. I appreciated attending seminary in a non-UU setting, as it gave me experience in working with folks of different faith traditions. It also helped me understand the connection between faith and justice.
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As I neared the end of my seminary coursework, I did my first unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. After years of classrooms, lectures, and papers, this was my first taste of practical professional ministry. Serving as a chaplain intern, I had to learn how to support people who were sick, injured, or who had just lost a loved one. I learned a lot about myself and my own feelings as I sat with people in the heavy emotional moments of their lives.
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Upon completion of CPE, Emily and I moved to New Mexico for my ministerial internship at First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque. For me, it was a returning home, but for Emily it was a new adventure. Serving a brand-new (to me) community in the familiar setting of my hometown turned out to be a gift that allowed me to improve my relationship to the place of my upbringing. I came to appreciate some aspects of Albuquerque that I didn’t see when I was growing up, and I was able to balance some of the more difficult memories of my earlier life with the positive ones I was creating with my wife and my new community.
I finished my internship in May of 2017, which was the final requirement for my Master of Divinity degree. And so, I graduated from Iliff just a couple of weeks later in June of 2017. However, something else big happened in the summer of 2017: the senior minister of First Unitarian, Rev. Christine Robinson, retired, and the second minister, Rev. Angela Herrera, was called as the new senior. This left an opening in the second minister position previously held by Rev. Angela; and so, with permission from the Ministerial Fellowship Committee (MFC), I stayed in Albuquerque to continue serving First Unitarian as their Ministerial Resident for the next two years. My ministry there ended in July of 2019 as planned, and I spent the fall of 2019 preparing for my interview with the MFC in December of 2019, which I passed, and was granted preliminary fellowship. At that moment, I officially became a Unitarian Universalist minister!
So far, 2020 has been a busy year (and that was before Coronavirus hit the U.S.). In January, I began the search process for a congregation. After months of interviews and thousands of miles traveled (again, before Coronavirus got here), I am happy to share that I am the Candidate to become the Minister of Woodinville Unitarian Universalist Church (in Woodinville, WA).
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While this process was unfolding, another huge milestone took place as well: Emily and I welcomed our first child to the world! Natalie May Kuo-Lillie was born on February 5, and we have spent every waking moment since then learning how to be parents. Our two rescue pups, Bella and Copper, have welcomed Natalie to the family with open paws. They are eagar helpers, making sure we hear her when she cries, and they are always willling to offer supportive licks on the baby's toes whenever they can get away with it.
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Questions about my journey? Please feel free to reach out here.
