Name: Piya Jacob

Place of Birth: Hazaribagh, Bihar, India

When did you come to the Verde Valley and why? My husband and I would come up to Sedona from Phoenix for weekends. We loved it here. We bought our home here 31 years ago and moved here permanently after we retired about ten years ago.

What is your religious background? My father was a Syrian Christian. They are orthodox Christians who live in the state of Kerala, in South India. St. Thomas came to spread Christianity to this part of the world. My mother’s grandfather, a Brahmin, converted to Christianity and got thrown out of his home for doing so. My parents met in New Delhi and that is where I grew up.

What brought you to SUUF? The private school where I worked in Phoenix was located on the premises of the Unitarian Church on Lincoln Drive. Rev. Ray Manker and Rev. Susan Gray were ministers there when I worked at the school. A professor at ASU introduced me to the Unitarian Church and I attended his classes on the history of UUs. This philosophy of building community and liberal thinking appeals to me.

How does SUUF fit into your spiritual journey? The “spiritual” conversations and teachings, readings and music are all in line with my own philosophy of how to live a meaningful life. Also, I find that the talks that the minister or guests give are interesting and give me ideas to explore on my own. I appreciate that the umbrella of UUs embraces people of all or no faith and embraces people who are expressing themselves and their love for others in their own, unique ways. Nobody is left out of the huge umbrella.

[This article appeared in the SUUF Newsletter for March, 2023]