INTERIM Minister
Reverend Erica Avena
Erica has been leading churches in transition since 2007, having joined us September 1, 2021. A Professional Transition Specialist with the Interim Ministry Network, she feels called to help churches manage change while maintaining vibrant ministries and focusing forward.
In over 30 years of ministry, she has served many churches in Connecticut including most recently at First Church, West Hartford, and the Asylum Hill Congregational Church. Erica has served on numerous church boards and in interfaith leadership. She holds an M.Div. (Master of Divinity) and an S.T.M. (Master of Sacred Theology) in Interfaith Studies from Yale University Divinity School. She is married to Attorney Robert Avena, who practices law in Stonington; they have three children and make their home in East Lyme, Connecticut.
If you’d like to connect with Rev. Avena, she can be reached at:
erica.avena@southchurch2.org
or 860-633-4651 ext.203.
Associate Minister
Reverend Larissa Forsythe
Larissa received her B.A. in Fine Arts at Western Carolina University (North Carolina) with a concentration in theater. She went on to get her M.F.A. in Acting at Lindenwood University (Missouri). She spent ten years acting and teaching in the professional theatre scene in the St. Louis area before being called to ministry. She then studied at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis and graduated in 2014 with a Master of Divinity Degree. She believes that ministry at its best is collaborative and that, together, we have everything we need to do the work before us.
Rev. Larissa can be reached at:
larissaforsythe@southchurch2.org
or 860-633-45651 ext. 205.