UU Luminaries: Rev. Meg Riley and Charles Du Mond

Hope & Heresy: Life on the Religious Left

In this episode of the Hope and Heresy podcast, Rev. Peggy and Rev. Sarah are joined by Rev. Meg Riley and Charles Du Mond, Co-Moderators of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), to discuss the question at the heart this season of the podcast: What is the Central Task for Humanity at this Moment in History? In this episode, we phrased the question a bit differently, asking, "If you could wave a magic wand and fix or change one thing about the world, what would it be?"

Our hosts and guests discuss the power of approaching with curiosity and saying "yes," the importance of uplifting marginalized voices in our communities, the necessity of reforming our policing system, and more.

About this week's guests:

Rev. Meg Riley, a lifelong Unitarian Universalist, was raised in congregations in Charleston, West Virginia, and Akron, Ohio. After serving for 38 years as a religious professional in a variety of capacities, Rev. Riley retired in the summer of 2020. She now serves, with Charles DuMond, as co-moderator of the Unitarian Universalist Association. She lives in Minneapolis, nestled in with her family, animals, gardens, deep friendships, and a vibrant activist community. She is also the editor of Testimony: The Transformative Power of Unitarian Universalism.

A lay leader who came to Unitarian Universalism from the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Charles Du Mond, for many years, described himself as a Quaker who belonged to a UU Church. Now, he is simply a Unitarian Universalist.

He joined the UUs of San Mateo in 1993. He has served on its Board of Trustees, holding all the leadership positions: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Financial Secretary. He taught religious education (RE), including every Our Whole Lives (OWL) level from kindergarten to high school, facilitated the Beloved Conversations curriculum three times, led a capital campaign, participated in a Ministerial Search Committee, and developed and led Sunday Services.

Beyond his local congregation, he served on the UUA Pacific Central District Board, District Presidents’ Association / Regional Leaders Group, the Board of the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF), the Board of the Starr King School for the Ministry, and the advisory board for UU United Nations Office.

Du Mond has a PhD in Statistics which he uses to design, analyze, report, and present the results of clinical trials to regulatory agencies. He lives in San Mateo, CA. He has been married to Barbara for 40 years. They have two adult children, Jennifer and Emily, and one grandchild, Rio.