Reverend Tim Kutzmark

Our minister, the Reverend Tim Kutzmark, is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, where he received the prestigious Hopkins Shareholder Award for academic and ministerial accomplishment.

Rev. Tim previously served as minister of the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Glen Allen, VA, a congregation in the suburbs of Richmond. Under his leadership, that congregation became one of the fastest growing Unitarian Universalist Congregations in the nation. Rev. Tim's time there had a special emphasis on ministry to families and children, and to those with no church affiliation who were looking for a welcoming place to explore their spiritual questions. Through Rev. Tim's encouragement, the church became a champion for social justice issues in the greater Richmond area.

Prior to his ministry at the Glen Allen congregation, Rev. Tim served as Assistant Minister at Second Parish in Hingham, MA. He joined the Unitarian Universalist Church in Reading from his most recent appointment as Chaplain at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, RI. In the past, he has also served as a chaplain at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Rev. Tim has completed advanced training in pastoral care to adults and children through the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education. He is a certified instructor of Kundalini Yoga, and has guided spiritual seekers in that practice for twelve years. He also teaches several forms of meditation and spiritual practice, and leads spiritual reflection groups and retreats. His strongest spiritual influences include Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism and mystical Judaism, and he incorporates elements from all these traditions into his ministry and his own spiritual life.

Prior to entering the ministry, Rev. Tim served for eight years as Coordinator of Alumni Career Services at the Harvard Graduate School of Business, providing career counseling and transition support to business professionals. Some people might also remember Rev. Tim as the creator and host of "Encore," a popular Boston radio program that featured the music and stars of Broadway and cabaret. For a number of years he was also a music and theater producer in the Boston area, with shows and artists appearing at the Boston Center for the Arts, the Copley Plaza Hotel, the Lafayette Hotel, Theater Lobby, and Club Café.

Rev. Tim was born in Pittsburgh, PA, and also lived in Illinois and Ohio as a child. As a teenager, he worked as a professional magician. He also earned his Eagle Scout Award. He moved to Boston to attend Emerson College, where he received his Bachelors of Fine Arts in Theater Performance.

Rev. Tim has a passion for good theater, New York City, an evening at the movies, Broadway music, a day (or a week) at the beach, working out at the gym, sleeping late (he never gets to do that enough!), relaxing in front of the TV, and eating out at various ethnic restaurants. He enjoys learning more and more about various religions and spiritual perspectives on life and the world. He has a soft spot in his heart for New Mexico and the stark and stunning deserts of the South West. One of his proudest accomplishments was hiking down and out of the Grand Canyon in one day, which took over twelve hours of hiking. Needless to say, he was sore the next day!

Tim's partner of 19 years is Jim Vetter, who is the Program Director of a nationally known social and emotional learning organization that provides staff training and curricula to elementary schools in Massachusetts and other areas of the Northeast. Jim is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Tim and Jim are legally married, thanks to marriage equality in Massachusetts. They share their home in Wilmington with Tucker, a high-spirited shelter rescue dog.

Feel free to contact Rev. Tim if you have any questions about the Unitarian Universalist Church of Reading, his ministry, or if you would like to discuss how Unitarian Universalism might fit into your spiritual journey. He can be reached by phone at 781-944-0494 or by email.