Minister
(he/him)
Rev. Ali K.C. Bell (he/him) is a Black, Neurodivergent, Transgender man and an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister in full fellowship with the Unitarian Universalist Association whose ministry brings together spiritual depth, courageous justice, and vibrant congregational life.
Rev. Bell recently served as the solo contract minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Las Cruces in New Mexico, leading worship, pastoral care, and partners with lay leaders to strengthen congregational life and shared ministry. In worship and congregational leadership, he invites communities into spiritual reflection, moral courage, and the work of beloved community. His preaching draws from Unitarian Universalist theology alongside womanist thought, Buddhist practice, and wisdom from multiple faith traditions.
Previously, Rev. Bell served at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda, Maryland, as Minister of Congregational Life and Engagement to one of the largest Unitarian Universalist Congregations in the U.S.
Alongside parish ministry, Rev. Bell served as chaplain at Riderwood Senior Living Community in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he preached regularly and developed adult faith formation and social action groups with a covenanting community of more than eighty Unitarian Universalists within the retirement village.
Before parish ministry, Rev. Bell worked as a social worker and completed a chaplain residency at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, a thousand bed Level I trauma center.
He was ordained by the Church of the Larger Fellowship with votes from incarcerated and free world members, The Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, New Jersey, and the First Unitarian Church of Wilmington, Delaware.
While serving in the LGBTQIA Governors Commission, Rev. Bell received a citation from Maryland Governor Wes Moore recognizing more than three decades of advocacy for underserved communities.
His spouse, Rev. JeKaren Bell, is a fellowshipped Unitarian Universalist minister and an artist. She recently was hired to be Co-Director of the New Communities Fund of the UUA. Together they share life with two young adults and two chihuahua mix rescue dogs.
