Rev. Tovis is delighted to serve the UUCSR community alongside Rev. Amy and looks forward to connecting with you!  

Rev. Tovis is called to both congregational and interfaith community ministries, and to the larger Unitarian Universalist movement that seeks to embody a theology of radically inclusive love, continuous revelation and collective liberation. She envisions a future in which UU congregations are connected nodes of transformation in the wider web of regenerative, life-sustaining change.

With roots in San Mateo County, Tovis has served the UU congregations in San Mateo, Redwood City and Half Moon Bay in various leadership capacities and has been active in interfaith circles on the Peninsula for over a decade. She was ordained in May 2023 by the UU Fellowship of Redwood City, her family’s home congregation of many years. Between February 2023-June 2025, she served the Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo as a transitional co-minister. In addition to her role at UUCSR, she currently serves as the Program Director of the Peninsula Solidarity Cohort, a network of religious leaders from diverse traditions working for justice, equity and compassion in San Mateo County.

Prior to receiving her call to Unitarian Universalist ministry, Tovis earned a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a PhD in Religion, Gender and Culture from Harvard University. Eventually she realized she was more interested in the practice of religion than the study of it. Tovis has a background in Vipassana meditation practice and completed a yearlong course in Buddhist chaplaincy before starting her UU training at Starr King School for the Ministry in 2017. She completed her congregational internship with the UUs of San Mateo in 2019 and her Clinical Pastoral Education at Stanford Hospital in 2022. 

Tovis lives near Redwood City with her spouse, two teenage sons and various furry, feathered and scaly critters. She enjoys gardening, nature, spending time with loved ones and a good cup of coffee. 

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Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern was Parish Minister of our congregation in Palo Alto for 22 years, 2003-2025. Before that, she served with the UU Church of Rutland, VT, 1999-2003, and (for her ministerial internship) the Champlain Valley UU Society in Middlebury, VT. After 25 years in ministry, she decided to shift from full-time to part-time to make more space for the rest of life, and is excited about this collaboration with Rev. Tovis and the people of UUCSR.

Amy was raised in Conservative Judaism, in Hamden, Connecticut. She and her family were very involved in their synagogue and she thought about becoming a rabbi one day. Her parents taught her that someone's particular religion was not as important as whether it helped make them a good person, and they also taught her to question and explore. So it was not too big a surprise when she questioned her way out of Judaism and, eventually, into becoming a Unitarian Universalist and a minister. Along the way, she accumulated a BA in religious studies and studio art (Wesleyan University), an MA in religion (Syracuse), and an MDiv at Harvard Divinity School. Ever curious and apparently not knowing when to quit, Amy is currently studying for a DMin in the Theology and the Arts program of the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. Her thesis project will be an exhibition of mixed-media pieces on themes connected to the Tower of Babel, language, and empire.

Amy writes Ask Isabel: Advice for the Spiritually Perplexed or Vexed, and also ruminates about religion, politics, and culture on her blog, Sermons in Stones. She is amyzuckermorgenstern on Instagram, revamyzmorgenstern on Blue Sky Social, and revamyzuckermorgenstern on Facebook. (She does have a TikTok account but hasn't made good on the threat to use it.)

Amy and her wife Joy married in 2005, and live in San Francisco with a cat named Luna. Their daughter is in college in the Netherlands. Amy and Joy love to travel, read, make art, visit art museums, cook, make good trouble in the political realm, spend time with friends, and do the daily Spelling Bee puzzle. Amy also solves (daily) and makes (rarely) crossword puzzles, watches movies, and swims, not all at the same time.

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Aphrodite (she/her) has been a member of UUCSR since 2007. She was a Worship Associate at UUCSR for over 4 years and also helped lead the CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans) group for many years. She has had a 32 year career in the field of Early Childhood Education as a teacher and Director of two different programs.  In the winter of 2021 she became the new full time Congregational Administrator, and is happy to serve UUCSR in this new way!

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Era Capone (she/they) has worked with children of all ages throughout their career, with a background in early childhood education and childhood development. They earned their bachelor’s in Developmental Psychology from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and was a preschool teacher for over five years before becoming the Director of Religious Education here at UUCSR. Era believes passionately in an ecological model of development, which posits that a child’s growth is fundamentally tied to the community and world that surrounds them. Because of this, Era strives to support not only kids, but their families and teachers as well, by building an environment of inclusivity, support, and love.

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Roger Corman has played piano professionally in Sonoma County for over 30 years.  He studied music at Sonoma State University and SRJC, and studied piano privately with Larry Snyder and Peggy Donovan-Jeffry.

Roger specializes in improvised music of all types: including jazz, blues, Latin and world music.

Roger was the pianist for the Santa Rosa “Wednesday Night” jazz band for 15 years, and accompanied jazz artists including Joe Pass, Louie Bellson and Richie Cole.  He leads a local jazz quartet, and has performed for various UUCSR services since 2005.

Gage Purdy believes that music is a way by which to unite people in the human experience of being close and harmonious with one another – that music fundamentally shapes the mind and changes the heart to be more joyful, more passionate, and perhaps a little better equipped to find light in our world. Gage was born and raised in Sonoma County and is thrilled to be taking on a role supporting this vibrant community through fellowship and music! Outside of UUCSR, Gage directs two other local choirs, the California Redwood Chorale and the Occidental Community Choir, and lives in Santa Rosa with his darling wife Crystal and their two sons, Bodhi and Finn.

Our Sexton Carlos started working for UUCSR in the Summer of 2024. Carlos comes to us with a LOT of experience as a Custodian from another religious organization in town. He is excited to be working for UUCSR and is looking forward to helping us care for our building and being of service on Sunday mornings.