Testimonials:

“I have witnessed Rumni’s capacity to provide pastoral care, lead meaningful worship, engage in fruitful self-assessment and reflection, and to remain differentiated in the midst of conflicted and complicated interpersonal situations. Her theological curiosity and passion for pluralistic faith settings shines through and will serve to deepen and strengthen a UU congregation’s spiritual life. She lives her own personal multiple-religious-belonging with Unitarian Universalist and Hindu traditions in a way that inspires. Rumni’s unwavering commitment to social justice witness in the public sphere is also an inspiration, and is deeply needed in these perilous times.” ~Reverend Jolie Olivetti, Minister, Unitarian Church of Sharon

“What I can say with conviction is that among Rumni’s many qualities that make her an ideal candidate for the ministry is her extraordinary strength and her huge reservoir of love for people that enables her to go directly to where the hurt is. When people are in crisis, facing the void, facing pain, loss, and uncertain futures, she knows instinctively how to approach them, to be with them. She has a loving and gentle presence in these situations that normalizes them, allows for the free-flow of emotion, and upholds the human dignity of the afflicted, while supporting the afflicted’s (or afflicted’) attending loved-ones. This gift cannot be minimized, and it is rare.

Rumni is a warm, fun-loving, and engaging person, who is also determined and tenacious. She is always good to her word. I think all of these qualities are extremely important in a minister, particularly being consistent with follow-though and being trust-worthy.”

~Katherine Roth-Huse, Long-time Member of Unitarian Church of Sharon and now First Religious Society of Newburyport

“Rumni was recommended to me by a colleague, and I first invited her to guest preach on the occasion of Diwali in the fall of 2023 at the First Church in Salem, UU, where I am the Interim Minister.

Rumni’s pulpit presence as a guest preacher at Salem, her story for the kids and interaction with them, and her sermon were fantastic. She was real, warm and authentic. Rumni is a very strong preacher. Her sermon both helped to educate us on some of the complex myths connected to Diwali while also being poetic, moving, and connected to both our everyday lives and the current state of the world. The congregation loved the service, and so did I.

Therefore, I invited her back to preach in Salem this fall of 2024, again on the occasion of Diwali. Her sermon was excellent, addressing Diwali, bringing forward the goddess Kali, and some of her attributes which might serve us well in this post-election environment. Again, it was both subtle and strong, with warmth and poetry. She did a great job with children and adults alike.”

~Rev. Jenny M. Rankin, Interim Minister, First Church in Salem, Unitarian Universalist

“I recently read adrienne maree brown’s book Loving Corrections. The “corrections” part of the title refers to ways to (according to the author’s website) “explore and break identity-based patterns including white supremacy, fragility, patriarchy, and ableism,” and the “loving” part is meant to ask how we can make such corrections in ways that call people in rather than out and center love and relationality in our accountability-holding processes. I bring this book up because I believe that this is one of Rumni’s many ministry superpowers. As Rumni’s colleague, I’ve been blown away by her ability to tread that “loving corrections” line—to always have her vision on justice and our UU commitments to anti-oppression, but to call folks she is working with in (not out) with a genuine motivation of love for the other and wanting to help move us all along on our journey to creating truly liberating spaces- in all forms.

Rumni’s ministry is a ministry of joy, authenticity, teaching, loving the people she serves, and loving justice. The folks she ministers to, in the various contexts I’ve shared with Rumni, 1) learn a lot and 2) feel so incomparably valued and loved. Our world so desperately needs ministry like the ministry Rumni offers; it is such an enormous blessing to our Unitarian Universalist faith movement. It has been a blessing in my own life as Rumni’s colleague; I too have been loved into a truer version of my own ministry as I have been exploring different forms of congregational ministry (and higher ed chaplaincy) over these last five years. Rumni encourages me and others to follow the tracks that joy leaves in our lives - as one of the best signs that we are moving in the right direction.”

~ Rev. Jenna Crawford, Acting MRE, First Parish Unitarian Universalist in Needham

“It was an absolute pleasure to work with Rumni on the RE Committee…While facing decisions, we could count on Rumni to help keep us all focused on our principles and values. Individually, she was our ‘go-to/ can-do’ lead person whenever we needed an event to come together. Her collaborative and engaging personality, with the whole congregation and not just the committee, really shined. She spearheaded: Teacher Appreciation, Cookies and Caroling, OWL Parent Orientations, ‘Make & Take’, etc. She was especially welcoming with new families and helping us in our efforts to recruit teachers and OWL facilitators. I was always impressed with how she was able to motivate others, whether or not they had a child in RE, and make beautiful events that built stronger intergenerational connections…What a gift!”

~ Andrea Panone, RE Committee Chairperson, Unitarian Church of Sharon

“Rumni consistently demonstrates sound judgment in decision-making. She approaches situations with a thoughtful, reflective mindset, carefully considering the short and long term needs of others before taking action. This sensitivity to the needs of others was evident during our seven years of working together at the Galvin, where I was the Principal. Rumni’s capacity for empathy allows her to serve as a mediator in difficult situations, offering both support and guidance without imposing her own agenda. I have observed Rumni consistently handle sensitive matters with grace and dignity. At the Galvin, she could be counted upon by all to make sure we analyzed a particular situation from all angles, and her genuine curiosity always prompted her to ask questions that ensured our work and decision was focused on ALL students.”

~ Dr. William Conard, Principal, Galvin Middle School

“Please know that you did an excellent job today. It was more than enough that you did that amazing and necessary service, and I know it was challenging to do. But then you did the talk back and you were in new place, engaging with curiosity with congregants…. I have been waiting for many years for someone to address this issue in congregations and you’re brave to have done it.

You are beloved and XXXXX and her 17 y. o. daughter XXX were very moved and affected by your Sermon. They are part of the family living in a trailer behind the church, after having lived in their car, four children + two adults for almost 3 months until the most Gracious XXXX XXXXX found this out and worked to put some kind of shelter in place for them. It’s been a learning time and a growing time for members.

The reason I tell you this is, I was sitting behind her, and she was weeping when you started talking about your children being affected early on by shunning and racism. You brought it down to a human level and she could see how you had been affected and worked through so many issues that she’s facing. You grounded your service on your own lived experience and that made it powerful. People didn’t feel judged and they could see how you had worked through a whole process to get to where you are now.

Like you said, we are all learning and we are all learning to let go of old ways of being and learning to be brave and be more open and affirming.
So thank you. Rest and eat well and don’t expect a lot of yourself. Love up your puppy!”

~ Gretchen Robinson, Retired UU Community Minister, Member of Murray Unitarian Universalist Church, Attleboro

“I can attest to how well Rumni is helping facilitate our sessions. She creates a very welcoming and safe space for deep sharing. Rumni always comes prepared and knowledgeable, is an excellent and deep listener, which she demonstrates in her responses to what folks share and she is good at sensing the flow of the meeting and whether adjustments need to be made.” ~Barbara Nelkin-Rose, Mentor for the Coming of Age program and long-time member of the Unitarian Church of Sharon

“Hello,

My name is XXXXXXXXX, and I am a member of a UU church in Lawrenceville, GA. I consider myself a UU Christian who has also explored Buddhism and Paganism. I was moved to tears by today's Braver/Wiser about meeting (but not meeting) His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Thank you for the lesson and reminder that how we frame the way we look at our lives either enhances or diminishes our sense of gratitude and what is going right or wrong in our lives. As someone who lives with bipolar disorder, and is currently struggling with depression, this message is both timely and helpful to me. Thank you so much for sharing your experience, and allowing me to share a bit of mine with you. Take care.”

~ J. G.

“This is the best Braver Wiser I have ever read. So beautiful. So true. Thank you for sharing.”

~Jessica York :: she/they
Director of Congregational Life
Based in Birmingham, AL

Dear Rumni,

This is just a note to say thank you and congratulations on a wonderful interfaith service. Thank you for all the care, dedication and attentiveness that you put into your work as an Interfaith Chaplain at AAIC and the warm, loving, welcoming energy that you bring to our community events. I'm so grateful to have you as part of the AAIC team.

Best

~Shir.” Shir Lovett-Graff, AAIC Executive Director

Dear Chaplain Rumni,

I am so beyond grateful I've gotten the chance to know you this semester. I'm so inspired and impressed by the way you stepped into this role, embracing vulnerability and authenticity and leaving such a wonderful example for all of us as we approach new relationships and life transitions. Your love for your students is so visible with everything you do and something I felt so lucky to experience. The way you approach and discuss life and spirituality is so similar to the humanism I was raised with and I felt so lucky to get to work so closely with someone who approaches life and humans with such appreciation. And I have to say, I'm quite excited for my parents to meet you. I'm really going to miss getting to catch up with you every week. But I've really valued the semester we were able to have together. And I'm going to take so many special moments and memories with me. I will absolutely be staying in touch.

Sincerely,

~Emma

“One of the things that I love about Rumni is that she “doesn’t sweat the small stuff.” There can be drama in seminary: conflicts between people and frustrations with administration. The frustrations were significant, given the realities of COVID education. With her experience as an educator and her personal maturity, she could detect negative energy in a room and transform it by making subtle interventions.

Leading with curiosity, she could invite others in and mobilize their strengths to create something beautiful. In any group, religious or otherwise, someone with this ability is foundational to the group’s well-being. Rumni brings this. In a time of negative speech and polarization, this may be the most powerful gift in her ministerial toolkit… All the above stems from Rumni’s deeply generous and infectious spirit. She is a welcoming presence and has the spirit of hospitality in everything she does. She delights in others and finds deep joy in witnessing growth and resilience. Her belief in the power of the human spirit, infused and intertwined with the universal Spirit that connects all beings, is indominable.”

Dr. Shelly Rambo, Professor of Theology, Boston University School of Theology

“I ALWAYS leave my conversations with Rumni inspired and motivated to continue and deepen in the practice of our faith. Her commitment to finding the holy in the everyday - drawing on her career in special education- is palpable.

As we look ahead to the next 15 years of Unitarian Universalism and ministry within the United States of America, I have deep faith Rumni will cultivate among our colleagues and the communities she serves a sense of caring, connection and purposefulness. Life is not without its profound hardships- whether the death of a child, the ravages of illness in old age, or the brutality, violence and cynicism of the powers and principalities of White Supremacy in American culture. Rumni’s faithful commitment to cultivating relationships of resistance and healing, of spaces for restoration and galvanizing, inspire me to deepen my commitment to our loving faith and its healing and liberatory message.

I heartily recommend Rumni for the ministry- as a peer, a friend, and a spiritual seeker. Our ministry and movement will be bolder for her voice, leadership and presence.”

~ Rev. Daniel Lawlor, Unitarian Church of Staten Island, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Hudson Valley