Our Minister & Staff

Reverend Norman Allen, Minister

Prior to coming to First Parish, Rev. Norm (he/his) served the Davies Unitarian Universalist Congregation in the suburbs of Washington, DC, for six joyful years. His work also includes serving as consulting minister for Adult Spiritual Development at All Souls Unitarian, DC, and a two-year internship at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church, where he focused on issues of immigrant justice.

Rev. Norm’s essays and articles have appeared in publications ranging from Smithsonian and Yes! magazines to the Washington Post and Boston Globe, and on websites such as OnBeing and Tikkun. As a playwright, he has seen his work produced throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. He is the founder and former director of the award-winning Signature in the Schools theatre outreach program.

Deeply committed to serving the youngest members of our faith, Rev. Norm is a former English teacher and department chair. He served as a consultant to the Center for Inspired Teaching in Washington, DC, where he mentored first year teachers in the public schools. He received his Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary, his Master of Liberal Arts from St. John’s College in Annapolis, and his Bachelors in English from Boston University.

To learn more about Rev. Norm’s ministry, visit his website – www.revnorm.com. If you would like to reach Rev. Norm, please email minister@firstparishportland.org.

Born and raised in Maine, Beka (she/her) joins First Parish after years of working in academia, theatres, and nonprofits in Maine, Massachusetts, and Illinois. She earned a PhD in Theatre and Drama from Northwestern University, where she studied the intersection of performance and public memory in the United States from the 18th century to the present day. She teaches courses at MECA&D and is always interested in using her research and organizational skills to help others succeed, from assisting playwrights in their historical research to wrangling multiple schedules to make meetings happen. When she isn’t researching, teaching, or doing administrative work, she produces theatre with her new company, Fox Bramble.

You can reach Beka at office@firstparishportland.org.

Molly joins First Parish after years of experience working with youth. It all started in a first grade classroom, where she served as a New York City Teaching Fellow, and led to work at Emerson College in Boston. More recently, Molly has worked in preschools, afterschools, and daycare programs. Through those various settings, the connecting thread is welcoming all youth where they are and celebrating their unique growth. Not only does Molly love working with children and all of the fun and surprises they bring, she is passionate about supporting families. First Parish is a wonderful place to support children and families in community. Molly lives in Portland with her spouse, Bob, and their two young children and two cats. Her free time is limited during these years with small kids, but when she finds it, Molly loves taking tap dance classes and advocating for reproductive rights.

You can reach Molly at dre@firstparishportland.org.

Benjamin Holbrook, Music Director

Benjamin is the Choral Director at Massabesic Middle School in East Waterboro. He also serves on the Board of the American Choral Directors Association as Repertoire Manager. Benjamin received his Bachelors in Music Education from DePaul University in Chicago. He has plans to matriculate into a Masters program in Choral Directing at USM in 2023. Benjamin served as a music teacher for secondary schools in Chicago and Los Angeles before returning to Maine. While living in Los Angeles, Benjamin also wrote and arranged music for a variety of performance media including: The Call of Cthulhu (2005), Long-Term Relationship (2006), Kiss The Bride (2007), and Where Seagulls Cry is a Song (2009). He was recognized by LA Weekly for Outstanding Original Music for a Stage Play: The Grey Zone (2007). Benjamin currently lives on the West End in Portland with his partner Darry and their dog Abigail. He enjoys spending time with them, hiking, and walking around the Peninsula when he is not teaching or practicing.

You can reach Benjamin at musicdirector@firstparishportland.org.

Kyra Scrimgeour, Membership Coordinator

Kyra (she/her) has been working in communications, community building, and storytelling of different shapes for her entire career. She believes profoundly in the power of a connected and empathetic community to both hold each other up and to make a positive change in the world around them. Her work has served adult international students, English Language Learners, students and professionals who are formerly incarcerated, and a variety of artists and arts organizations–but above all, her work has served people. She has a B.A. in English and is certified to teach English as a Second Language to adults. Outside her work with First Parish, Kyra also freelances in website design, brand communications, and audiobook narration. Born and raised in Colorado, she now lives in a crooked historic apartment in Portland’s West End with her husband and two rambunctious cats.

You can reach Kyra at membership@firstparishportland.org.

Jake Fahey, Faith-in-Action Coordinator

Jake Fahey (he, him) is an interspiritual chaplain and community organizer whose resume includes work with Community Change Inc, the Groundwater Institute, and the Spiritual Care Services of Maine. He has dedicated his life to building local relational power, seeding systems of liberation, and seeking Truth inside and outside himself. At First Parish, that work calls him to deepen the connections among a variety of social justice endeavors in order to have a greater impact on the broader community. Whether speaking from the pulpit or building personal relationships, Jake supports the congregation in its mission to “help heal the world.”

You can reach Jake at fiacoordinator@firstparishportland.org.

Luke Dotson, Religious Exploration Teacher

Luke is originally from the southern-Appalachian region of Virginia and relocated to Maine last year to be closer to a family member here. He is passionate about Arts and Humanities, as well as empowering individuals and strengthening communities. He has a background in theatre, acting, music, public speaking, and more. He has an Associate of Arts in Theatre, and is working towards a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Language – French. He holds a RYT 200 Yoga Teacher Certification and hopes to teach more yoga in the Portland area. Spirituality is an important part of his life, and is very grateful for the opportunity which First Parish of Portland has granted him to serve and connect with the youth of First Parish. He looks forward to meeting you!

Born and raised in Maine, Caiden joins First Parish with over a decade of experience in education. After graduating from Cornell University, where she studied English and Philosophy, she worked at the Windward School for students with language based learning disabilities. Since then, she has worked with students both one-on-one and in the classroom to help them become the learners, thinkers, and people they are meant to be in the world! In 2025, she graduated from Seattle Pacific with an MFA in Creative Writing and is currently working on a book about her Maine heritage. She loves Russian literature, film, hiking with her dog Buster, and making (very bad!) collages!  

Sara Sturdivant, Keyboard Artist

Sara Sturdivant is a contralto, pianist, organist, and composer based in Standish, Maine. She is a graduate of the Mannes Conservatory, where she holds a Professional Studies Diploma in voice and opera, and the University of Southern Maine, where she holds both Bachelors’ and Masters’ degrees in voice. Recent performances have included Sr. Helen Prejean and Jake Heggie’s The Deepest Desire with Hope St-Germain and Hentus Van Rooyen, “Sorceress” in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with Saint Mary Schola, and many other concerts during the last 5 seasons of Saint Mary Schola, where she serves as a board member and chair of the media committee. Sara currently works as collaborative keyboard artist at First Parish in Portland, and appeared this past summer as the Fairy Godmother in Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s revival of Cinderella at City Theater in Biddeford.