On Sunday, Oct. 13, we celebrated as four new members joined our church. They tell us a little about themselves below!

Clista Haley
I was born and raised in Cleveland, Mississippi, in the Delta. I am the oldest of 3 children. I have 1 brother, and 1 sister. Our dad was a farmer, and we had a wonderful upbringing by loving parents. I am the mother of 4 wonderful children, 2 sons and 2 daughters; Lauren is the youngest. I was divorced from their dad when Lauren was 7 years old. I went to college at UT Nashville with 4 children and got a degree in nursing. I was a stay-at-home mom until then.

After my divorce I moved back to Mississippi and lived about 30 miles from my parents. I worked at King’s Daughter‘s Hospital in Greenville as a registered nurse for several years, then worked for an OB/ GYN in a group practice for 6 years. I was his office nurse and assisted him in surgery. I remarried in 1985 to Ray Haley, a widower, and had a blessed life with him, traveling the world and being the stepmother to his 4 sons, all of whom were grown except the youngest who was a junior in high school. Ray died in 2010. I moved to Cincinnati several years after his death to be near my oldest child, David.

Lauren had been living in the Bay Area for a long time. She graduated from college here, married and has two grown sons. She convinced me to move here last year. I moved here in September of 2023. I have no special talents but I’m a voracious reader and enjoy gardening. I was looking for a church home, and Lauren did a lot of research and thought ACC would be a good place to visit. I was delighted that Yusef and she visited with me, and we are all becoming members. I love the open friendliness, the acceptance of all faiths and non-judgmental attitude of all. Jen is such a special pastor and I do so appreciate all she does for the church and the community as a whole. I look forward to becoming a member.

Lauren Eastland
I am from the deep South, but I have lived in California since 1990, when I moved out here to follow the Grateful Dead and get out of the South.

I am an anthropologist, educator, and scholar of religion and human rights. I teach anthropology at several Bay Area community colleges. I am also a PhD candidate in Religious Studies at UC Davis, and I conduct research on U.S. Muslim educational choices. I hope to spearhead some interfaith events with the Muslim community in the coming years.

I am the mother of two adult sons, Austin (26) and William (22), who live in the greater Bay Area.

My hobbies include hiking, swimming in oceans and rivers, gardening, and going to live music events with Yusef.

Yusef Malenky
I am from the mean streets of New York City, born to a secular Jewish family who immigrated from Eastern Europe in the early 20th century. My father is a musician, and I have been a lifelong music enthusiast, having been named after Yusef Lateef. I moved to California in 1988, also to follow the Grateful Dead and get out of the city.

I began working in childcare as a teen and continue to work with youth and families in my capacity as a LMFT (licensed marriage and family therapist).

I started a formal spiritual practice in Sufism in my 20s, although my first experiences of the divine were through the New Testament.

My hobbies include going to live music events, hiking, and reading, mostly books on human development and religion.

Rachel Sing
I am originally from the Boston area and moved to California more than 25 years ago, living first in the Central Valley and then in the Bay Area. I was raised Unitarian, but my children and I first attended a Disciples of Christ church and then joined a United Church of Christ church here in the East Bay.

Most of my career has been in education and youth development. My last position, before stepping back to focus on my children, was running a nonprofit based in Oakland that operated in the juvenile justice space, providing a peer-driven restorative justice program in partnership with the court system to divert youth from the pipeline to prison.

I love the outdoors and being outdoors -- mountains, forests, grasslands, and especially the ocean. I appreciate all manner of letting my mind forage and my imagination roam.

Clista, Lauren, Yusef, and Rachel are already active in some of our activities, and we look forward to their continued participation as they are able.

WELCOME!!

Faith Abel, on behalf of the entire congregation at ACC.