Justice-rooted Joyweaver

with a ministerial heart and a scientific mind

Hi, I’m Dr. Emma Farrell (they/we), a biochemist-turned-Unitarian Universalist minister, parent of two neurodivergent kids, lifelong educator, and a devoted seeker of what is real, tender, and holy in everyday life.

For many years, my work was rooted in science. I taught (and still teach) college-level chemistry and environmental science, worked as a senior research chemist, and published in fields like enzymology, metabolomics, and education. What captivated me most was not just the data, but the truth behind it: life is deeply interconnected. We are never just individuals. We are systems, relationships, communities…always greater than the sum of our parts.

Over time, that same truth led me into ministry.

My call emerged slowly, through parenting, grief, teaching, community-building, and a growing call to help people feel less alone in a complex and often painful world. I came to see that I had been doing ministry all along: listening deeply, tending relationships, helping people make meaning together. Unitarian Universalism gave me a faith wide enough to hold mystery, justice, science, doubt, joy, and love at the center.

Today, I serve as a ministerial intern at the Unitarian Church of Evanston and as a guest preacher throughout the Chicago area. I show up in pulpits, hospital rooms, living rooms, coffee shops, and memorial halls. Whether I am preaching, offering spiritual care, officiating a wedding, or sitting quietly with someone in grief, my core commitment is the same: presence. I believe that being truly seen and held in love is healing, and that showing up, with humility and care, is the heart of ministry.

My ministry is relational, collaborative, and grounded in trust. I lead by listening first, paying attention to what a community already knows, already carries, already yearns for. I believe real change happens through relationship. We move at the speed of trust. My role is not to have all the answers, but to help create spaces where wisdom can surface, courage can grow, and people can become more fully themselves.

Theologically, I am shaped by Unitarian Universalism, religious naturalism, and contemplative practice. Practically, that means I honor many paths to meaning and hold them with curiosity rather than certainty. My work is rooted in the belief that love is not just a feeling, it is something we practice, together, again and again.

I am committed to creating spaces of deep welcome and belonging, especially for LGBTQIA+ folks, neurodivergent people, families in all their forms, and those who have been hurt or excluded by religion. I strive to move away from urgency and perfectionism and toward nurturance, mutuality, and shared leadership, because communities flourish when people feel safe, valued, and invited into authentic, accountable relationship.

In addition to congregational ministry, I offer weddings, memorials, spiritual care, tutoring, and workshops that weave together science, spirituality, ethics, and care for our shared world. Across all of it, my guiding hope is simple: to help people feel more connected to themselves, to one another, and to the wider web of life we belong to.

If you’re looking for a minister who leads with warmth, curiosity, steadiness, and heart, I’d be honored to walk alongside you.