Rev. Dr. Tracy Sprowls has been officially called as our new settled minister. Tracy has been with this congregation for five years beginning in August of 2021, first as an interim then as a contract minister. The congregation voted to call her on May 17 with 99% affirmative votes. We are so proud to be able to continue to call Tracy “our” minister. Read her biography below, and click here to view her list of accomplishments.
Rev Dr. Tracy Sprowls is the minister of The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County. Tracy has been with this congregation for five years beginning in August of 2021, first as an interim then as a contract minister.
Tracy is in the midst of her twenty-seventh year in ministry. She has served five other congregations as minister or assistant minister in Alabama, New Jersey, and New York. These congregations have ranged in size from 75 to 1200 members.
Tracy’s interests in ministry have been broad and includes all ages faith formation, grief and trauma, storytelling, spiritual growth, shared ministry, leadership development, safe congregations, and dismantling oppressive systems.
She holds a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry degree from the New York Theological Seminary (NYTS). In addition to her work in the UU fellowship, Tracy is a first responder with the UU Trauma Response Ministry, the co-convener of the PA UU Ministers Cluster, and the facilitator of the Faith Leaders Network in Centre County. She is a core member of the Centre County Rapid Response Network, a board member of the PA Religious Coalition for Reproductive Justice, and supports Centre LGBT+ as a clergy advocate. In summer 2025, she served as the Unitarian Universalist minister of the week at the Chautauqua Institution. This past year, Tracy has been participating in Leadership Centre County.
Tracy considers herself a social activist. Since the 1980’s, she has participated in innumerable protests, die-ins, marches, and prayer vigils including the Call to Return to Selma in March 2015 (50th anniversary of the original march), the Women’s March in January 2017, and the Climate Justice March in 2019. She has organized a few too.
She has worked with the Poor People’s Campaign led by Rev William Barber and the Center for Constitutional Rights. She emceed the Hand’s Off Indivisible rally in April 2025 and spoke at the third No Kings in March 2026. She has been a leader with Keystone Indivisible. She has lobbied in state capitals and worked with local governments on issues of concern. Tracy worked with the Equal Justice Initiative visiting men on death row at Holman Correctional Facility. She has been arrested twice- once in 1999 for protesting the murder by NYC police officers of Amadou Diallo and in 2019 for Moral Mondays protesting in Trenton, NJ.
In the past, she served as president of the LREDA Metro New York Chapter, president of the UUFaithAction (legislative ministry) in New Jersey, President of the Ministerial Sisterhood UU, President of the Alabama Prison Project, and Chaplain at the UU@United Nations Spring Seminar. She is active in the UUA but has not served nationally on any committees.
In addition, Tracy is a writer with several published articles and several unfinished novels. She was also a religion blog writer for MyCentralJersey.com from 2014 to 2019. She has written many prayers and other liturgical elements for Sunday services and she also writes poetry.
She will be starting a Substack blog in summer 2026. With Ashley, Tracy is offering the keynote workshop at Star Island in July. In August, she begins a two year certificate program in Spiritual Direction. Tracy will be installed on November 1 at 10 am. She will take the first half of her sabbatical February 1 through April 30, 2027 and the second half in 2028. During this time, Tracy’s main goal is to finish one of those books and become fluent in French as well as be certified as a spiritual director.
She loves reading, knitting, writing, riding her bike, yoga, dancing, and the beach. Moving to Centre County has opened her to gardening, hiking, and birding. She also loves all things French (movies, food, books, bottles, cheese, wine) and is studying French. She enjoys traveling, making new friends, and trying new things.
Tracy and her husband live in Bellefonte, Pa. with their two dogs, Jova and Macy. Tracy and David have three grown children and one grandchild who loves robots.
