Pastor Rabe ‘settles’ at First Congregational UCC

Members of the First Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC) of Fort Atkinson unanimously approved the call of Rev. Sara Rabe as their settled pastor. The congregation made the call agreement official at its Jan. 22 Sunday service, according to information released Friday by the church. 

Pastor Rabe (pronounced Rob) had served as the church’s interim minister since June 2021, which followed the departure of Rev. Chris Buckingham-Taylor who had provided ministerial leadership for 17 years, the release stated. 

Pastor Rabe grew up and worked on her family’s dairy farm near Kiel, Wis. She pursued her calling of ministry early in her life, graduating from Lakeland College near Sheboygan with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion. She then attended Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis. Later, she graduated from McCormick Theological Seminar in Chicago, where she received a Doctor of Ministry degree with an emphasis in parish revitalization. 

Pastor Rabe served two United Church of Christ appointments in Illinois before moving back to Wisconsin to serve as the solo pastor at Zwingli UCC in Paoli, leading that congregation for 12 years. In 2017, Pastor Rabe become senior pastor at Covenant Lutheran ELCA in Stoughton. 

Feeling a call to return to her UCC roots, she assumed the role of interim pastor at First Congregational UCC in Fort Atkinson, the release noted.  

As reported in the release, one of Pastor Rabe’s references, a UCC minister, wrote of his colleague: “I would give Sara my enthusiastic endorsement for any position, any time, any place. She is genuine, hardworking, and authentically pastoral. She is the best I know.” 

Within the release, a member of one of Pastor Rabe’s former churches said: “She is a creative and inspiring preacher.”

In her free time, Pastor Rabe enjoys doing anything in the outdoors, which includes hiking, biking, and camping. She resides in Stoughton with her wife, Amy, and their three children.

First Congregational UCC is handicap accessible and an inclusive congregation, welcoming all persons. This includes those of all races, ethnicities, ages, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, family structures, faith backgrounds, abilities, and economic circumstances, the release stated.   

The church is located at 31 West Milwaukee Ave., Fort Atkinson, with Sunday worship beginning at 10 a.m. Services are live-streamed and archived on YouTube. For more information, visit: fortfcc.org or call the church office: 920-563-4802.