Rev. David McFarland
Rev. David McFarland
The Reverend David V. McFarland – or just “Rev. Dave” – began his ministry at Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church in September of 2004. He preaches and sings from the heart and brings a style of worship some have called “lively” – and them some! He has a passion for social justice and a deep commitment to urban communities. He shares from the pulpit stories of faith, hope, and love. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Rev. Dave graduated from UCLA and Harvard Divinity School and was ordained at The First Church in Boston, where he served as intern minister under his mentor, Rev. Rhys Williams.
His first call was to an AIDS ministry at the Universalist Meetinghouse in Provincetown, Massachusetts. In Utah, Rev. Dave was minister of the Cache Valley Unitarian Universalists, where he met Dr. Tim Nuttle. They moved to Jena, Germany, where Rev. Dave began a Ph.D. in Applied Ethics at Friedrich Schiller Universität (“Banking in Dignity: Applying Food Pantry Collection Distribution the Ethic of Human Dignity at the World Bank in the Wolfensohn Years”). They were married in Jena before returning to the United States. Here in Pittsburgh, they have added two sons to their family and now are enjoying the challenges and other blessings of parenthood. He counts among his mentors Rev. Mark Belletini, Rev. Dr. Kenneth Torquil MacLean, and the late Rev. Dr. Forrest Church. He has served on YOD's Board of Directors since 2012.