Reverend Bryn Smallwood-Garcia

Senior Pastor

On October 8, 2006 the congregation unanimously voted to call the Rev. A. Bryn Smallwood-Garcia to be our next settled senior pastor. She began her ministry with us on January 22, 2007. What an exciting time for this congregation! As a creative and incredibly spiritual fellow traveler, Bryn brings a fresh eye to our ministry. She asks probing, thought-provoking questions. She has great ideas for adult Christian education. She is excited about serving a church that is 250 years old. 

Bryn was ordained in 1996 and has been the associate pastor at the Orinda Community Church, UCC in Orinda, California for the last 8+ years. During that time she reorganized and restarted youth ministries, children’s choirs and pageants, parish callers and prayer groups. She also created retreat programs for parents and families. She has been active with many outreach projects, mission trips, the homeless and the domestic violence task force. Prior to her work in Orinda, she served the First Congregational Church in Berkeley, CA as the minister to youth and young adults. And in a former life, she worked for McKinsey & Co., an international consulting firm, and as a newspaper editor.

Educational Information:

• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, B.A. Journalism, 1981
• American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco,CA, S.T.C. 1984
• Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA, M.Div 1992
• Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA, M.A. 1998

Contact Reverend Bryn Smallwood-Garcia by email here