Rev. Leah Ongiri
Acting Director of Lifespan Faith Formation & Family Ministries
(she/her)
Rev. Leah Ongiri came on staff in 2023 but her relationship with First Unitarian began when she started attending as a toddler with her family. She directs programs and other events for children, youth, and families of all ages and configurations. Click here for more information, including what’s happening this Sunday.
If you’re curious or passionate about multigenerational community, or would like to connect simply to say hello, please don’t hesitate to be in touch. Leah loves hearing from and getting to know the church’s friends and members, whether brand new or firmly established.
Since her ordination to the UU ministry in 2010 (in First Unitarian’s Eliot Chapel) Leah has served congregations in California, New Jersey, Florida, Wisconsin, and Colorado, focusing in areas of lifespan faith formation, spiritual care, and membership/belonging. She attended and received her Master of Divinity degree from Starr King School for the Ministry in California in 2009. A proud UU Jew, she is former president of UUs for Jewish Awareness and coeditor of the Skinner House book Jewish Voices in Unitarian Universalism.
Leah is an amateur potter and casual poet. She lives in the Kenton neighborhood of North Portland with her spouse Amy, their four children, two feisty tuxedo cats, and a handful of hermit crabs.