Centre Church Staff
Our Pastor
| Rev. Dr. Scott E. Couper |
Centre Church is pleased to welcome the Reverend Dr Scott Couper, AKA “Scott,” who officially started on Sunday, July 22. Scott felt a call from God and the Centre Church to serve in Brattleboro and our Search committee felt the same way.
Scott grew-up in a military family travelling all over the USA, and thus moved every two-and-ahalf years of his young life. He studied International Relations (School for International Service at the American University, Washington, D.C.) and travelled abroad to Chile, Nigeria and Zimbabwe (the latter two through Brattleboro’s own School for International Training, SIT). While in university during the summers, Scott served as a local church pastor and chaplain in Pennsylvania. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree, Scott became a missionary in the Kingdom of Lesotho monitoring human rights abuses. After returning to the USA, he married Susan Valiquette (also an ordained UCC minister) and then studied theology at the University of Chicago Divinity School and Chicago Theological Seminary. After earning a Master’s Degree and becoming ordained in the UCC, Scott became a missionary, living with his wife and children (Micah and Madeline) in the Republic of South Africa. For eighteen years Scott served many local Congregational churches there, initiated and fostered HIV and AIDS ministries and curated a local history museum and archive for an historic Congregational school. While in South Africa, Scott earned a PhD in History and published a biography of the only Congregationalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Albert Luthuli. Scott’s ministry also involved teaching political science, theology and history at two universities (one being SIT!) and at a Methodist seminary. Though an academic, Scott’s desire is to be intimately accountable to a local faith community. Scott’s connection to Brattleboro reaches beyond his being a student of and lecturer for SIT. His great-great-great-great-grandfather was once sheriff of Brattleboro! For most of his life, Scott says he has felt in exile from and is eager to reside in his ‘ancestral’ New England (as most of his family is from Maine and Massachusetts). Both Scott and the Search Committee feel we were led by the Holy Spirit to be partners in Christ’s ministry. Scott’s ministerial passions are pastoral care, preaching, and community activism. Scott and Centre Church both share a love of history, a love for justice and a love for missional outreach – no doubt, a “match made in heaven”!
When asked what attracted him to Centre Church, Scott replied:
"I want to support Centre Church’s practice of gifting its spiritual, human, infrastructural and financial resources for the benefit of the local community and the world thus honouring God’s intended purpose for it.
I crave the opportunity to partner with Centre Church that stands in radical solidarity with those who are most marginalised, be they on its doorstep or on another continent, and thus foster the Realm of God on Earth as it is in heaven.
I found Centre Church to be a ‘target rich environment’ whereby I feel like a mosquito in a nudist camp – I simply don’t know where to turn! – the past accomplishments, the present ministry opportunities and the future potential harvest are all so plentiful!
Also I enjoy New England Clam ‘Chowda’, maple syrup, and running where my radiator will not have to work so hard!"
The Search Committee feels Scott has high energy and experience. He has a focus on mission and will work to see the needs of the community and the strengths within the church to address those needs. He's a good listener, has a desire to get to know the congregation, and is easy to talk with. He’s faith-filled, and always sees projects through to completion. He thoroughly enjoys teaching and is able to bridge his academics with sermons. Visiting, whether in homes, hospitals, or elder care institutions is very high on his list of priorities. The Search Committee feels as Scott said above that Centre Church and Scott are an excellent match.
Scott grew-up in a military family travelling all over the USA, and thus moved every two-and-ahalf years of his young life. He studied International Relations (School for International Service at the American University, Washington, D.C.) and travelled abroad to Chile, Nigeria and Zimbabwe (the latter two through Brattleboro’s own School for International Training, SIT). While in university during the summers, Scott served as a local church pastor and chaplain in Pennsylvania. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree, Scott became a missionary in the Kingdom of Lesotho monitoring human rights abuses. After returning to the USA, he married Susan Valiquette (also an ordained UCC minister) and then studied theology at the University of Chicago Divinity School and Chicago Theological Seminary. After earning a Master’s Degree and becoming ordained in the UCC, Scott became a missionary, living with his wife and children (Micah and Madeline) in the Republic of South Africa. For eighteen years Scott served many local Congregational churches there, initiated and fostered HIV and AIDS ministries and curated a local history museum and archive for an historic Congregational school. While in South Africa, Scott earned a PhD in History and published a biography of the only Congregationalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Albert Luthuli. Scott’s ministry also involved teaching political science, theology and history at two universities (one being SIT!) and at a Methodist seminary. Though an academic, Scott’s desire is to be intimately accountable to a local faith community. Scott’s connection to Brattleboro reaches beyond his being a student of and lecturer for SIT. His great-great-great-great-grandfather was once sheriff of Brattleboro! For most of his life, Scott says he has felt in exile from and is eager to reside in his ‘ancestral’ New England (as most of his family is from Maine and Massachusetts). Both Scott and the Search Committee feel we were led by the Holy Spirit to be partners in Christ’s ministry. Scott’s ministerial passions are pastoral care, preaching, and community activism. Scott and Centre Church both share a love of history, a love for justice and a love for missional outreach – no doubt, a “match made in heaven”!
When asked what attracted him to Centre Church, Scott replied:
"I want to support Centre Church’s practice of gifting its spiritual, human, infrastructural and financial resources for the benefit of the local community and the world thus honouring God’s intended purpose for it.
I crave the opportunity to partner with Centre Church that stands in radical solidarity with those who are most marginalised, be they on its doorstep or on another continent, and thus foster the Realm of God on Earth as it is in heaven.
I found Centre Church to be a ‘target rich environment’ whereby I feel like a mosquito in a nudist camp – I simply don’t know where to turn! – the past accomplishments, the present ministry opportunities and the future potential harvest are all so plentiful!
Also I enjoy New England Clam ‘Chowda’, maple syrup, and running where my radiator will not have to work so hard!"
The Search Committee feels Scott has high energy and experience. He has a focus on mission and will work to see the needs of the community and the strengths within the church to address those needs. He's a good listener, has a desire to get to know the congregation, and is easy to talk with. He’s faith-filled, and always sees projects through to completion. He thoroughly enjoys teaching and is able to bridge his academics with sermons. Visiting, whether in homes, hospitals, or elder care institutions is very high on his list of priorities. The Search Committee feels as Scott said above that Centre Church and Scott are an excellent match.
Our Music Director
Our Music Director and Organist, Mary Milkey-May, has been a pleasure to work with since June 2015. Mary is a Brattleboro native who was blessed to have many positive organ influences early on in her life. She began studying the organ in high school, and was fortunate to have a key to the Baptist Church, so she was able to practice on their beautiful organ practically any time she wanted. Her high school chorus teacher was an organist in Greenfield, MA, and got her started playing services. In fact, one of those first jobs was at the West Brattleboro Congregational Church in 1972, where she earned $15 a week. Big money at the time, especially for a high school student!
She began studying music at Boston University in 1973, but transferred to UVM as a sophomore because they were getting a wonderful new Fisk Organ along with a new music building. After graduating she taught music for a few years in Colchester, VT before moving to Amherst, MA to get her Master's degree in organ performance. After squeezing a two year degree program into one year of study, while also serving as a teaching assistant, she returned to teaching in Colchester. At the same time she served as both the organist at College St. Congregational Church and the choir director at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Burlington, VT.
In 1984 she returned to Amherst and has resided there ever since. During that time she taught primarily for the Amherst Public Schools, and also held Director of Music positions at the E. Longmeadow Methodist Church, followed by the First Church of Monson, where she remained for 20 years.
Mary loves working with church choirs (both adult and youth), and she still finds so much joy in playing the organ for services. With COVID, this has involved a lot of prerecording organ music for our Zoom services, including creatively rearranging settings to make the most of the way organ music renders on video and through the Zoom interface.
She began studying music at Boston University in 1973, but transferred to UVM as a sophomore because they were getting a wonderful new Fisk Organ along with a new music building. After graduating she taught music for a few years in Colchester, VT before moving to Amherst, MA to get her Master's degree in organ performance. After squeezing a two year degree program into one year of study, while also serving as a teaching assistant, she returned to teaching in Colchester. At the same time she served as both the organist at College St. Congregational Church and the choir director at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Burlington, VT.
In 1984 she returned to Amherst and has resided there ever since. During that time she taught primarily for the Amherst Public Schools, and also held Director of Music positions at the E. Longmeadow Methodist Church, followed by the First Church of Monson, where she remained for 20 years.
Mary loves working with church choirs (both adult and youth), and she still finds so much joy in playing the organ for services. With COVID, this has involved a lot of prerecording organ music for our Zoom services, including creatively rearranging settings to make the most of the way organ music renders on video and through the Zoom interface.
Our Administrator
Bruce Landenberger was our administrator for some time up until a few years ago when he had an opportunity to pursue his other career in architecture. He has now been back with us for a couple of years (while still engaged in his other life), keeping us organized (often akin to herding cats), and we are happy to have welcomed him back into our church life!