Bryan
Jessup
Minister
 Bryan
Jessup is a true “Son of the San Joaquin!”
Born in 1947 in Tulare County to an orange-growing,
small business family, Bryan went to Strathmore schools.
He was a Boy Scout, high school student body president,
football player.
He graduated from Stanford University with a BA in
English in 1969. He declared himself a Conscientious
Objector to war and as an alternate service, he taught
English in Portuguese Macau with Volunteers in Asia.
After Macau, he returned home to Porterville, CA where
he taught elementary school for 10 years. He married and
he and his wife had two daughters, Amy and Kate. He was
active in community theater. He was the program chair
for the UU Fellowship in Porterville.
In the Fall of 1980 Bryan went to Starr King. He and his
first wife divorced. He met Edie. She and her son
Josh moved up to Berkeley and Bryan and she became
the sexton “team” at the UU Church in Berkeley from 1981 through 1984. They married in June of 1984.
Out of seminary, Bryan served U.U. churches in Delaware
for 2 ˝ years and in Maine for 11. His church in Maine
collaborated with the local homeless shelter to provide
a free meals kitchen at noon three days a week in the
church. This continued after he left. Edie worked for
the shelter and helped establish a free medical clinic.
Bryan been the minister at the UU Church of Fresno since
August 1998. Edie works for Metro Ministry where she
advocates for access to food for all people. Bryan has
been one of the co-chairs of the Interfaith Alliance in
Fresno for six years and is one of the founders of the
Fresno area TV program “Forum for a Better
Understanding.”
He and Edie are grandparents now! Daughter Amy and her
husband Ofer have two girls, Zohar and Livneh. And
step-son Josh and his wife, Michelle, have Avery
Catherine. Meanwhile, daughter Kate is a writer for
Diablo Magazine in Walnut Creek.
Denise Lanier
Director of Religious Education
 Denise graduated with her B.A. from the Psychology Honors program from California State University , Fresno , in 1995. Her post graduate studies included classes in biology. She is also a graduate of Leadership Fresno and the San Joaquin Political Academy . Her work experience includes serving as Community Liaison, HR and Grants Director for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center and Director of Educational Services and Grants at Valley Public Television.
After the birth of her daughter in 1997, Denise searched for a religious community that honored the potential of women, care for our environment, and respect for the diverse philosophical and religious paths of our world. She found what she was looking for in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno. We are pleased that Denise brings us the experience and knowledge of her previous careers in human services and nonprofit administration and that she will apply them to support and broaden the spiritual questioning and individual development of the children of our church.
Leslee Weaver
Church Administrator  Born into a Mormon pioneer family, Leslee Weaver hails from Ogden , Utah . She earned a B.A. in English and German with a Secondary Teaching Credential from Weber State University , Ogden , Utah . She completed an M.A. in literature from the University of Memphis , Memphis , Tennessee , and another M.A. in cinema studies from New York University , New York , New York . She has taught developmental, basic, and honors composition and reading skills; poetry and drama; British, modern European, and women's literature; critical thinking; early film to 1960, contemporary cinema, and the aesthetics of film courses—all at the college level. In addition, she has worked in the hospital, land title, real estate, human resources consulting, and workers compensation industries. A former member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of the River in Memphis , Tennessee , and a friend at the Unitarian Universalist All Souls Church in Manhattan , Leslee has served as church administrator for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno since 2004.
Lorenzo Bassman
Music Director
 Music Director Lorenzo Bassman received his A.B. Degree in music
from Duke University, graduating Magna Cum Laude, after
which he attended the Juilliard School, receiving a
Diploma and Master of Music degree in French horn. He has performed chamber music
with many of today’s leading musicians. He also received his Doctor of Chiropractic
degree from New York Chiropractic College, after which
he practiced chiropractic in New York, Pennsylvania and
finally in Fresno.
Lorenzo, his wife Lynette, and their son Jonah moved to
Fresno in 1997, and joined the Unitarian Universalist Church of
Fresno in 2000. Lorenzo
quickly became active in the church’s music program, and
in 2006 assumed the Music Director position. He has
brought many innovations to the program, broadening its
scope to include music of many genres including pop,
folk, jazz, rock, reggae, gospel, and the traditional
musics of native and immigrant cultures. He has arranged
music for adult, youth and intergenerational
instrumental and vocal ensembles, has established a
regularly performing and versatile church band, Stolen
Thunder, and has taken the church’s music program to the
larger Fresno community, with performances at numerous
peace community events.
Tito Hinojosa
Financial Manager  Tito Hinojosa has been our churches Financial Manager since 2004. Tito has done a wonderful job of reorganizing our bookkeeping system and continues to make
innovations
in our accounting department.
Judi Kralevich
Office Assistant
 Judi Kralevich, Office Assistant, comes to UU Church of Fresno after spending five years working for a local Methodist Church.
In 1998, she signed up and started attending Heald College, pursuing a degree in Computer Technology. At that time, females were not so involved in computers, especially the repair and networking side. She was one of two females in her class, older than the other students and even the teachers, but she graduated with honors. After completing that course, she attended and again graduated with honors from Heald's Computer Networking class.
David Firth
Sexton
 David Firth has been the sexton of our church for 24 years. It is David's job to prepare the church for the many events that take place through out the year, plus he oversees the housekeeping and maintenance of our physical campus. David also assists with the sound system and taping of our Sunday sermons for our web site.
Betty Pingel
Minister Emerita
 Betty Pringle, Minister Emerita, served for eleven years and worked with the congregation to build a more spiritually contemplative style of Sunday Service. She introduced more singing and a meditation time. She included children in the service with a story for all ages. Together, Rev. Pingel and the congregation built a more solid organizational structure , After retirement Betty moved to Colorado to be with her family and was succeeded by our present Minister, Bryan D. Jessup.
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