About
“I grew up in an African-American Holiness-Pentecostal Church in Rochester, New York, and became a confirmed local minister prior to joining the First Universalist Church of Rochester, New York, in 2008. I embraced Unitarian Universalism because it first embraced me and ALL of me.
Rev. Verdis
Rev. Verdis LeVar Robinson (he/him or they) is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister in preliminary fellowship with the Unitarian Universalist Association. Rev. Verdis holds degrees in Voice Performance, History, and African American Studies from Boston University, Brockport University, and the University at Buffalo. In 2023, he earned an M.Div. from Meadville Lombard Theological School. He is currently the Minister for Growth at First Unitarian Church of Rochester and the Executive and Artistic Director of the Montpelier Community Gospel Choir.
bio
Before his ministry in Rochester, NY, Rev. Verdis worked as a community college professor, teaching history and African American studies. After earning tenure, he became a national leader in advancing civic learning and democratic engagement in community colleges and faith-based institutions, working for organizations such as the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Campus Compact, Kettering Foundation, and the National Issues Forums Institute.
Since 2022, Rev. Verdis has served central Vermont as the Executive and Artistic Director of the Montpelier Community Gospel Choir, sharing the hope, joy, and inspiration of African American gospel music in Vermont, and is the founder of The JUUbilee Singers, First Unitarian Church of Rochester’s first gospel choir.
Rev. Verdis has also served Unitarian Universalism as General Assembly coordinator for Diverse and Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM) from 2022-2025. He most recently serves as the Choir Director and Song Leader for UUA General Assembly 2025. He currently serves on the Appointments Committee and the Funding for a Just Society Panel for the UUA.
Rev. Verdis currently resides in Rochester, NY, with his two Kit-Princes- Prince Caspian and Prince Ali.
For More about Verdis LeVar Robinson:
“I would unite with anybody to do right, and with nobody to do wrong.”
— Frederick Douglass (1819-1895)
A Brief Statement on My Theology: “My theology is inspired by my ancestral African American roots and by liberation, postcolonial, and queer theologians.”