Rev. Lee John Milligan comes to Casas Adobes after eighteen years of ordained ministry, the previous twelve spent at Church of the Painted Hills UCC here in Tucson.  He graduated in 1991 from Andover Newton Theological School in Massachusetts with a Masters of Divinity degree and spent his first six years in ministry as pastor of the Arlington Community UCC in Arlington, NE.

Pastor Lee received training in spiritual direction at Phoenix's Kino Institute of Theology's Art of Spiritual Direction: An Ecumenical Program and at the Hesychia School for Spiritual Direction at the Redemptorist Renewal Center here in Tucson.  He also has been trained in group spiritual direction as a participant in the Called Back to the Well program for clergy renewal of the Samaritan Counseling Center in Albuquerque, NM.  In a different field, he has completed the Certificate Course in Non-Profit Management at Creighton University in Omaha, NE, and Survival School: Church Leadership Training out of Phoenix.

Pastor Lee has always been active in the UCC beyond the parish, serving on the Committee on Church and ministry for the Omaha Association and the Southwest Conference of the UCC and as both Vice-President and President of the Omaha Association.  He presently serves as Moderator-Elect for the Southwest Conference.

Other skills he brings to ministry here include playing guitar and art appreciation.  He and his wife Teresa Hager enjoy movies and novels together, and Lee does well cooking vegetarian food for them both.  At one time their household has included as many as seven cats, but they now live with only one.

Danny Catts  (currently an inactive M.S.N. member and former Steering Committee member.)

Many members that have been around for several years may recall Danny's smiling face bouncing around with the 50/50 raffel tickets at our monthly Pot Lucks.  Danny at the time owned Mother Hubbard's on Grant and hosted Cigar Poker and Tuesday Movie Nights OUT at the Crossroads.  Danny has had family problems that have taken him away from his activities with the M.S.N. but things are "getting better", which as we all know, time usually does cause change.

Danny has been volunteering at Wingspan.  I have been in email communications recently and he is planning to attend this Saturday to meet old friends and discuss a new service he has entered - - "If the creek don't rise, I will be there as a representative of 'N Touch News and Desert Knight news.  I am the new sales rep.  You will love, love, love the new pastor."