Jessica Laikeman (she/her), joined our Fellowship community in August of 2019 as our new Director of Lifespan Faith Formation.
A lifelong UU, Jessica has a deep passion for Unitarian Universalist faith formation and sees no better use of her skills than to companion children and adults alike on their journey of faith development. Though originally from California, Jessica spent much of her childhood in Dallas, TX, attending the First Unitarian Church of Dallas. While spending her teen years in Santa Fe, NM Jessica became very involved in UU youth ministry through youth CONs and UU summer camp. It was through these experiences that Jessica fell in love with Unitarian Universalist youth ministry and the magical quality of the community created there.
After completing her degree from the University of Massachusetts and living abroad for several years, Jessica found herself back in Dallas in the mid 2000s and began volunteering as a Sunday school teacher at her home church. Soon, in consultation with Rev. Dr. Laurel Hallman, the then senior minister at First Unitarian Dallas, Jessica came to recognize her love and passion for religious education and faith formation as a call to ministry.
After moving to Colorado in 2011 Jessica began serving as the part-time Youth Program Coordinator for All Souls UU in Colorado Springs and then in 2012 added the position of Director of Faith Formation for the other congregation in Colorado Springs, High Plains Church, UU. Using her connections with both congregations Jessica pioneered the first combined UU youth group in the Pacific Western Region (possibly in the entire UUA) and ran it very successfully for several years. Jessica continued to serve High Plains until 2019 when she accepted the position to join us at the Fellowship.
During her tenure as a religious educator over the past 9 years Jessica has served in a variety of leadership positions including; Leadership Development Specialist for the Mountain Desert District since 2013, Chaplain to Youth for MDD from 2016-2020, member of the leadership team for the MDD chapter of the Liberal Religious Educators Association from 2013-2018 and she currently serves our UUA as the Camping Ministries Director for the Pacific Western Region since January of 2019.
Personally, Jessica lives with in Longmont with her husband Josh, their twin girls, Josh’s teenage sister, Monet, and their family dog, Peanut. Together they enjoy gardening, hiking, camping, exploring their new home in Northern Colorado and finding ways to spend time outdoors as a family.