Staff Biographies

Rev. John T. Morehouse - Lead Minister

Rev. John is a life long Unitarian Universalist with many  years experience as a minister, teacher and community activist. He earned his B.A. degree in Anthropology from Grinnell College and his Masters of Divinity degree from Meadville/Lombard Theological School at the University of Chicago. Prior to being called to PUC, Rev. John served churches in Indiana and Maryland.

He considers himself an "enchanted agnostic with mystical tendencies" and has journeyed through many religious traditions, including Buddhism and liberal Christianity.

Rev. John serves on many local boards and councils including the South Coast Interfaith Council and the Dawn Unity Symposium, in which he is a regular presenter.

Rev. John is married to the love of his life, Frances, and they have five daughters and three grandchildren.

As the parish minister, Rev. John is responsible for much of the day to day operation of the church, as well as our dynamic worship. His vision of and leadership toward building a deeper, more inclusive community contributed to PUC being recognized as a 2008 "Breakthrough Congregation" by the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Rev. John welcomes all who come here seeking rest, asking questions, and hoping to heal our world.

Email contact: minister@pacificunitarian.org
Rev. John's Blog: Facing Grace

Rev. Teri Masters - Interfaith Minister, Director of Pastoral Care

Rev. Teri is an ordained Interfaith minister having graduated from The Chaplaincy Institute for Arts and Interfaith Ministries in Berkeley, CA., Prior to serving PUC, Teri was a hospice chaplain and grief counselor, having completed 1,600 post graduate hours of clinical pastoral education at Long Beach Memorial Hospital.

Rev. Teri, in conjunction with Rev. John, leads
a team of Lay Pastoral Associates who work together to create an atmosphere of hope for those PUC members and friends who are experiencing times of challenge, transition, or crisis.

And lest you think she is all seriousness, Teri will sing at the drop of a hat and is a member
of Vox Femina Los Angeles, one of the country's premiere women's choruses.

Rev. Teri and her husband, Dee, have two adult daughters and one grandson.

Email contact: pastoralcare@pacificunitarian.org

Craig Block - Church Administrator

Craig assumed PUC's Administrator duties in late 2006 following a 10-year stint working at a Hollywood public relations firm, and previous experience in operations, customer service, construction, and manufacturing. Craig's jack-of-all-trades experience makes him well suited for the multi-faceted duties of PUC's Church Administrator: Office operations, facilities rentals and operation, housekeeping, communication to and with our members and the public, database management, and purchasing.

A native of Northbrook, IL, Craig moved to the South Bay with his family in 1968 and, with the exception of the 4 amazing years attending UC Santa Cruz, has lived here ever since. He has made PUC his spiritual home since discovering he'd been a Unitarian Universalist all his life in the early 1990's. Craig is one of PUC's longtime Youth Advisors and is also active as a Sr. High youth advisor in the Pacific Southwest District and UU Continental Youth Ministry programs. He also co-facilitates the Jr. & Sr. High level Our Whole Lives programs - the Unitarian Universalist Association's comprehensive lifespan sexuality education curriculum.

Craig loves all types of music, is a compulsive gardener, and enjoys riding his bicycle along the South Bay's beautiful beaches and is a self-confessed techie. Craig loves working at PUC, where he can live out our Unitarian Universalist values every day. The people are wonderful, the surroundings heavenly, and the view is awesome!

Email contact: admin@pacificunitarian.org

Renée Daley - Director of Religious Education

Renée has been the Director of Religious Education at PUC since 1989. Her educational background is in Early Childhood Education.

She grew up as a Unitarian in the turbulent 60's and experienced many social justice activities with her church youth group. She got involved with Religious Education teaching and committee work at PUC while raising her own four children. Her motivation was to give them, and the other children who came to PUC, a diverse church experience.

While recognizing the importance of social justice, she also believes that there is a great need for our children to learn who we are as Unitarian Universalists: our history, our belief systems, and our worship traditions. It is also important for our children to understand the beliefs of other world religions and how to search for and discover their individual beliefs.

Renée and her husband, John, have four children and two granddaughters.

Email contact: RE@pacificunitarian.org

Membership Director

The Membership Director position is currently vacant and applications are being accepted by Rev. Morehouse.

PUC Membership Director Position Description

For inquiries to Pacific Unitarian Church Membership, email membership@pacificunitarian.org. Our Membership Chairperson, Maurice Chevalier, will respond or redirect your inquiry for response.

Dr. Severin Behnen - Music Director

Severin was born and raised on a small farm near Richmond, Minnesota, located on the western end of Garrison Keillor's fictional community of "Lake Wobegon." He became involved with church music at age 11 playing organ, piano, and guitar. He did his college work in the Minneapolis / Saint Paul area earning his BA from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul. He earned MA degree from California Institute of the Arts and his PhD degree in Music Composition from UCLA.

He served as the Music Director for twelve years Unity East Church in Woodbury, MN, a St. Paul suburb and for two years at a Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. In California, he served as the Music Director for five years at the Unity by the Sea Church in Santa Monica until the church closed their doors.

Severin loves a wide variety of musical styles including classical, bluegrass, jazz, avant-garde, and opera. He regularly performs with and composes for "Tango Nuevo," a quartet that he co-founded in 2003; developing a jazz group and has been a long time member of "The Blue Canvas Orchestra & Singers" which is a part of the Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua (sha-ta-qwa), a non-profit performing arts organization. He also is involved with an Arab Music Ensemble called "Saffron Parade Arabesque"

A talented composer, his works have been performed in a variety of venues, including Disney Hall in Los Angeles He has toured and performed throughout the United States, and in Asia. He also teaches Music Theory and Musicianship classes at LA Valley College and has taught at the high school and college levels in Minnesota.

Severin is married to Beth Peterson, a talented puppeteer, who he has collaborated with in a number of puppet oriented theatrical productions throughout the world. They live near the West Adams area of Los Angeles and have a 12 year old son named Ezra.

Email contact: music@pacificunitarian.org