Reverend Alison Wilbur Eskildsen

The Reverend Alison Wilbur Eskildsen will begin serving as the Settled Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens, Georgia, in August 2010.  Called to this position in May 2010, she is currently serving as Assistant Minister and Director of Religious Education at the UU Church in Reston, Virginia. She is a fourth generation Universalist, and grew up in UU churches in Westport, Connecticut, Summit, New Jersey, and Louisville, Kentucky. While attending UU Rowe Camp throughout her teen years, she found early mentors and friendships that helped her develop a sense of self and of the UU values that began to call her to the ministry.

Upon graduation from Albion College, she began working at the National Geographic Society, expecting to earn enough money to go to seminary. What began as an internship grew into a 25-year career directing elite photographers, and developing books, articles and websites. Her work from 1976 to 2001 included managing a staff, critically evaluating contributions, developing her skills in education, graphic design and communication, as Senior Illustrations Editor of National Geographic World.

While living in Virginia, she was a member of the UU Congregation of Fairfax, a large congregation of more than 600 members, where she assumed leadership responsibilities including long-term membership on the Worship Committee, took part in Religious Education for all ages, worked closely with the ministry, and served as member, President and Vice President of the Board. A large church like Fairfax depends on lay leadership, and her strong role was a major part of her early ministerial experience. In 2001, she left the National Geographic and was hired as the Administrator of UU Fairfax’s successful $1.7 million capital campaign.

Rev. Eskildsen has used her experience in communications and education at the National Geographic to develop RE curricula for adults and children and multimedia services. In 2002 she was hired as Director of Religious Education for youth and adults at the UU Church in Reston. In that capacity, she developed curricula and provided pastoral care to children and families. The DRE at Reston serves on the Board, where Rev. Eskildsen became a long-term and respected voice and facilitator of decision-making. She developed a lay ministry program and served with a ministerial team giving sermons and leading services. 

By 2007 she knew that she wanted to become an ordained minister and attended Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. During her training, she was Summer Minister at UU Congregation of Fairfax (VA), and Intern Minister at UU Church of Arlington (VA), a super-large church with over 1,000 members. She also worked at South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and served as Student Chaplain at Georgetown University Hospital. In 2009 she was ordained and became Assistant Minister at Reston.

Rev. Eskildsen describes herself as a humanist religious naturalist. She is a non-theist, deriving her spiritual source from the vast wonder of nature and expressing her spirituality by living the UU principles that honor and respect all of humankind.

Rev. Eskildsen says she looks forward to ministry with UUFA because we are a congregation

Interested in worship that is energetic, creative, participatory, and theologically inclusive

• Committed to social justice, multiculturalism, and anti-oppression work
• Interested in shared, collaborative ministry and strong ministerial leadership
• Interested in being a liberal religious voice in the local community.

Her husband, Paul Eskildsen, is a corporate attorney.  They have two sons, Scott, who is in medical school, and Brian, Director of Men’s Basketball Operations for the University of New Orleans. Rev. Eskildsen enjoys playing and coaching soccer, watching movies and sports with her family and quilting, beading, and other handicrafts.