How Smith College Helped Shape a Faith Journey

The Rev. Melissa Carvill Ziemer ’95 says her path to ministry winds directly through Smith College.

Not only was Smith where she first learned about the Unitarian Universalist congregation she now leads in Northampton. The college was also a wellspring of experiences—both inside and outside of the classroom—that helped shape her spiritual identity and choice of vocation.

“No one else in my family had ever gone to college and no one knew how to do it,” says Carvill Ziemer, who was raised by a single mother and attended high school in Pittsfield. After two years at Westfield State University, she transferred to Smith, where “the world just opened up for me,” Carvill Ziemer says.  “Smith equipped me for life. It’s hard to overstate how consequential it was.”

Among the hallmarks of her time at Smith were her major in women’s studies (now the study of women, gender and sexuality); a paid summer internship with a community organization in Chicago that sparked her interest in anti-racism and activism; and a women’s leadership conference she attended in Washington, D.C. during her senior year.

Even the experience of living on campus was formative, Carvill Ziemer says, noting that, “In my senior year I was in Tenney House where there was a vegetarian coop. That’s where I learned how to cook and how to make bread.”

Carvill Ziemer began work in August as the settled minister of the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence (USNF).  A graduate of Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, she previously served as a settled minister of a Unitarian congregation in Kent, Ohio, and as an affiliated minister at First Parish of Northfield, Unitarian. Her experience also includes a stint as co-director of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association in Boston.

Carvill Ziemer is not the only alum currently leading a Northampton religious congregation. The Rev. Sarah Buteux—a fellow member of the Smith class of 1995—is pastor at the historic First Churches of Northampton.

Shortly after assuming her role at USNF, Carvill Ziemer sat down in her brick-walled office to share some thoughts about her time at Smith, and her work in the larger community.

What led you to enroll at Smith?
“No one in my family had gone to college, but I happened to be good at school. I worked at a Stop & Shop all through high school. When all of my friends were going off to college, the best I could figure was to go to a college in a town with a Stop & Shop (smiles).

I went to Westfield State where I had amazing teachers and a co-worker in the Department of Continuing Education who advised me that I needed to go to a more challenging school and encouraged me to apply to Smith. When I arrived, I had major culture shock and class culture shock, but I dove in and I was stunned to find that I could do it! I majored in women’s studies, which was really about trying to make sense of what I’d experienced growing up—poverty, sexism, domestic violence. Smith was so consequential and formative. It changed my life.”

Did you grow up in a religious tradition?
“No. I was exposed to Christianity and Judaism via sleepovers at my friend’s houses. I was on a quest. At Smith, I joined a pagan group and then I heard someone talking about this (USNF) congregation. She said, they have a woman minister—that was still not common in 1993—and you’re not required to believe in God. The very first Sunday that I came here, I knew this was what I was looking for. The Unitarian Universalist Association was one of the first to ordain LGBTQ clergy. Unitarians were part of the lawsuit that led to marriage equality. I myself am queer and that embrace is part of what’s drawn me to Unitarian Universalism.”

What made you decide to pursue ministry?
“Smith gave me a bazillion things—including an intellectual path. But I had to do some internal work before I was ready to reap that harvest. I did another internship after graduation on a farm on Martha’s Vineyard. Then, I came back to Northampton and got a job in Greenfield doing anti-domestic violence education and advocacy. I came back to this congregation and the seeds that had been planted were ready to flourish. I decided ministry was the way I could bring everything together.”

How do you envision connecting with Smith in your role as settled minister?
“I’m very eager to figure out how to deepen that connection. We want to welcome seekers and the curious. We also have an ongoing opportunity to partner with students who are interested in service. When I went to Smith there was a service fair every year for volunteer opportunities. I know a lot of current Smith students will also be looking for those experiences.”

What is a typical day like for you?
“Part of what I love about ministry is that it’s the last great generalist vocation. We’re studying what it means to be human, and every day is different. There’s the social justice work, and the caring for people—the one-on-ones with people who are grieving or struggling. Then, there is the spiritual care: What is the divine for me? I’m starting a spiritual autobiography class here, where people can explore their faith development journeys. I love to have conversations with people about that!”

I understand you’re part of a two-minister family [Carvill Ziemer’s spouse is also a Unitarian Universalist minister]. What is that like?
“I like to joke that I wish at least one of us was more easy going. It’s demanding and intense. And that’s true of many other families who are doing work that is of the heart. Having children helps a lot! Mine are 11 and 12 and there are times when I just have to go. I have another calling.”

What’s the most challenging part of your work?
“The needs of the world are just so great. We’re in a time of huge societal transformation and there are so many pressures on people. AI is changing communities, there’s a decline of confidence in civic structures, there’s a climate collapse—and just the cruelty enshrined in the highest office in the land. For all of us who want to bring more kindness, more connection, there is never enough of us or our time. It’s a requirement to try and find ways to renew and not burn out. I do think there will be something new born out of this moment. The work is to accompany each other through uncertainty to find places for rest, community and courage.”