Our Pastor

Amanda

Pastor Amanda Udis-Kessler

Meet our transitional pastor, Dr. Amanda Udis-Kessler. Amanda has been a Covenantal Partner at Vista Grande since 2020 and the church musician since 2021. She has a PhD in the sociology of religion from Boston College and a theology certificate from The Iliff School of Theology. A prolific preacher, author, composer, and liturgist, Amanda has written three traditionally published books (including the 2024 Pilgrim Press book Abundant Lives: A Progressive Christian Ethic of Flourishing). Her free-use original progressive sacred music is available at queersacredmusic.com and her free-use original liturgy is available at amandaudiskessler.com; her worship songs appear in multiple hymnals and GIA Music has published a number of her hymn texts. Amanda has developed trainings and adult spiritual development courses on topics ranging from antiracism to creativity, and from inclusive liturgy development to the spiritual wisdom of Broadway songs. She also brings two decades of institutional research and program evaluation expertise to Vista Grande, has served as a church consultant, and delights in helping congregations engage in visioning and discernment work. When not working, writing, or composing, Amanda enjoys British baking shows, Star Trek (selected series), and being humbled on a daily basis by her cat.

Executive Council

It is the hope of Vista Grande United Church of Christ to allow every member to be part of decision making AND it is the desire of the congregation to work by consensus. We recognize, however, that sometimes votes must be taken, and that in order for the church to grow in faithful service to our Lord, some folks must be charged with the task of managing the affairs of the church.

We call that group the Executive Council.

Managing the affairs of the church is only a minor role of the Executive Council. More importantly, they are charged with the responsibilities of exploring and offering ways to act out the Church’s vision and goals, and with keeping the membership informed of its actions and opportunities for ministry.

The Executive Council members, made up of the 4 members and 5 officers, are installed into his/her respective offices at our Annual Meeting in January. The 2025 Executive Council consists of:

Our Constitution and By Laws, which identifies us and provides our governing document, is currently in Revision 5.0 as last modified and voted upon by the congregation effective Jan 30, 2018:
Constitution and By Laws v5