Here at First Parish, as in every thriving ecosystem, we are in the midst of change. This week, we announce the exciting news of a new UUA Ministerial Intern who will join us for the next church year. Back in the winter, FPL was contacted by several prospective UUA Ministerial Interns who were finishing up their Master of Divinity programs. After preliminary conversations, Kit and I and a small committee of lay leaders interviewed two finalists. We feel so fortunate to be welcoming our first choice, kel alford, next year. kel is a wise, creative, and humble person who brings many gifts to ministry. Please scroll down to hear directly from kel and learn a little more about her! (kel prefers lowercase for her name.)

kel will be with us from September 1, 2026 through mid-June of 2027. Working 25-30 hours per week, her position will include worship leadership and preaching, pastoral care, teaching, participation in committees and groups, and more. First and foremost, kel is here in a covenantal learning agreement as part of her journey towards ordination in the UUA. Folks who have been part of FPL for a while will remember that we’ve been a site for a number of UUA Interns in the past (including Rev. Rosemary Lloyd, once upon a time!). It is a privilege (and challenge) to be a good “teaching congregation,” and we look forward to learning much from kel in turn. kel’s hoping to join us in person for one of our final services in early June, so we can say hello to her then.

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kel alford (she/her) is a beginner and an elder. kel received her Masters of Divinity from Boston University in 2026 and had the privilege of serving as student minister at Arlington Street Church in 2024 and 2025, mentored by Rev. Kim Crawford Harvie and Rev. Parisa Parsa respectively. Before returning to graduate school, kel worked as a creative entrepreneur, pattern maker and graphic designer, fostering creative expression in every facet of life, believing deeply in the power of art, design and commerce to make the world a more beautiful, humane and meaning-filled place. kel has made a lifelong commitment to integrating the arts into everyday life and understands the uplifting power of the arts and arts education to infuse all we do with meaning, purpose, and possibility. In her ministry, kel hopes to weave together her reverence for creativity as a spiritual practice with her longing to be of service into a tapestry of community, art, healing, and wholeness. kel is mom to four lovely young adults, and grandmother (kk) to two beautiful, curious, and loving grandchildren.

It is a true honor to be invited into the life of this congregation next year, and the ongoing work of building trust across difference. I am excited to learn, serve, listen, create, and help weave a little more beauty, courage, healing, and wholeness into our shared life. I am choosing First Parish in Lincoln because it feels like a spacious and faithful place to keep becoming — grounded in inherited traditions, open to honest seeking, and committed to being a “big tent” spiritual home. I am especially drawn to FPL’s deep welcome, theological breadth, and willingness to honor difference without asking people to leave any true part of themselves at the door. I am grateful for the chance to continue growing in preaching, pastoral care, worship, justice-making, and creative ministry in a congregation that understands formation as relational, dynamic, and alive.

kel’s most recent sermon
15  March 2026
Arlington Street Church
Myths as Medicine and Maps