Minister

Rev. Dr. David Usher is a lifelong Unitarian, born and raised in the Adelaide Australia congregation where he was active throughout his childhood and adolescence. He spent four years working as a jackaroo on outback sheep and cattle stations before embarking on what proved to be a year of world travel taking in New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Mexico, United States and Canada before arriving in Britain. During that year of travel he heard the call to ministry, and after a year of living and working in England he was accepted for and began his ministerial studies at (Harris) Manchester College. He earned an Oxford degree in Philosophy and Theology and graduated in 1981.

He had successful ministries in Greater Manchester and London before moving in 1991 with his American wife to a nine year ministry in New Hampshire, during which he earned a doctorate from Andover Newton Theological School in Boston. He returned to England in 2000 for ministries in Lancashire and Kent, and then from 2007 to 2014 was District Minister to London District and Provincial Assembly. In 2014 he again moved to the States, this time for a two year interim ministry in northern California, from which he retired.

In addition to his ministries with congregations, David was the initial advocate and then founding President of The International Council of Unitarians & Universalists, in which capacity he made contact with Unitarians around the world, leading conferences and training programmes and making personal visits. He has served on numerous General Assembly committees, including the Executive Committee.

He is the author of two books, Ten Steps to Spiritual Health and Life Spirit as well as numerous articles and chapters in the denominational press and other publications.

He is married to his second wife, Rev. Vail Weller, a Unitarian Universalist minister, and has three adult daughters from his first marriage who live in London.

His leisure interests include narrowboating, cricket, learning Spanish and travel.