Minister

Emerson’s minister, the Reverend Ed Proulx (pronounced like “true, but with a “p”), was born and grew up in New Hampshire. He earned his Master of Divinity degree from Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago in 2017 and was ordained in 2020. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in modern languages and literature from St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Ed came to Emerson from the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Palm Beaches in North Palm Beach, Florida, where he served as interim minister from 2020-23. He has also been a chaplain at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina, an intern program assistant at United Ministries in Greenville, South Carolina, and intern minister at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clemson in Clemson, South Carolina.

Prior to entering professional ministry, Ed had a 28-year career in corporate pension plans. Before that, he was a high school teacher and a couple of other, less interesting jobs. He served in a wide variety of lay leadership roles in his home congregation in South Carolina, the Greenville Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, where he chaired the church’s budget drive, adult education program and social justice efforts, and was active as a worship leader and in the religious education program for both children and adults. He currently serves the denomination as Chair of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Retirement Plan Committee.

Theologically, Ed is a polytheist who finds his role in ministry to be to “walk with people as they experience the mysteries of being human.”

Ed and his wife Francine, were married in 1989. They have two adult daughters, one who lives in Austin and one who lives in Los Angeles.