Congratulations to Rev. Howard K. Bell, who has been appointed by the Board of Directors to be Acting Conference Minister, beginning June 11, 2013 at the retirement of Rev. Dr. Karen Smith Sellers and continuing until the called Conference Minister begins his or her service!
Howard is known to many across the Minnesota Conference through his work as Co-Chair of the Annual Meeting Planning Work Group. He has also served the Conference on the Realignment Task Force and the Transition Task Force. He's been a member and chair of the Planning and Evaluation Committee, a member of the Policy Manual Revision Task Force, and a member and chair of the ONA/LGBT Team. Howard also served on the Associate Conference Minister Search Committee, which resulted in the calling of Rev. Elena Larssen and Rev. Rick Wagner.
He is a member of the United Church of Christ in New Brighton, and for the past three years has served as Interim Associate Minister at Mayflower UCC in Minneapolis.
A graduate of Yale Divinity School, Howard was for seven years a Program Director at the University of Minnesota YMCA. He has extensive experience in non-profit leadership, having served as the Coordinator for Hospice Care at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, and Associate Director for the Minnesota AIDS Project. He was for twenty years the Executive Director at Pathways, an organization that offers psychological, emotional and spiritual support to seriously ill people, their families and their caregivers. He also served as a founding board member for the Minnesota Coalition for Death Education and support (formerly known as the Coalition for Terminal Care); was the first hospice chaplain in Minnesota at the Bethesda Lutheran Medical Center; was a founding board member of Grace House, a hospice for persons with HIV/AIDS; was a founding member of the Minnesota Hospice Organization and served on the board of the National Hospice Organization.
Howard lives in New Brighton with his partner of 23 years, Christopher Cook. He has four adult children, three of whom are married, and is the proud grandfather of eight grandchildren.
References characterize Howard as a person of integrity, kindness and spirit. He is described as a visionary leader who is both passionate and compassionate and who adeptly manages organizational demands. He has extensive experience in fiscal management and fund development. He is a team leader and a team builder - one who listens well and is open to new ideas.
Please join the Board of Directors in thanking Howard Bell for his deep love of the Minnesota Conference and his willingness to take on this significant assignment.
