Rev. Marisa Brown Ludwig

Pastor

Rev. Marisa Brown Ludwig, MSW, MDiv is an ordained minister in the Southern New England Conference, United Church of Christ (UCC), serving as settled Pastor at First Congregational Church of Lee since December 3, 2023. She had most recently served as Associate Pastor at First Church of Christ in Longmeadow, UCC, from November 2013 through June 2022. Throughout 2023, she was an active guest preacher at many UCC churches in the Pioneer Valley of Western Mass, co-presider at monthly worship for Church Without Walls serving the homeless of Springfield, MA and served as part-time Canon for Community Life, and an Ecumenical Minister for Christ Church Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts. She is part of an interfaith ministry team providing a Bible study at the Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Center in Chicopee.

Marisa has served on the Executive Team of the Interfaith Council of Greater Springfield (2019–2022 Vice President, 2015–2019 Comm. Coord.) and serves on the SNEUCC Task Team on Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations (Chair 2012–2018). She is active in issues of Racial Justice, Interfaith Peacemaking, LGBTQ Rights, Climate Change, Women’s Rights/Reproductive Justice, and co-hosted a weekly interfaith Coffee & Conversations locally for more than 6 years. Marisa is a licensed social worker, with a 15-year career in medical and mental health settings, including working for ServiceNet, Inc. as Assistant Director of Adult Services, director of a mid-size community mental health center in Holyoke in the mid-2000s, and more recently in 2023 as an Outreach Clinician for the Mental Health Division.

Marisa was born in New York City and raised in northern New Jersey. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Music, Business & Technology from NYU, a Master of Social Work from Boston College and a Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School. Marisa has sung professionally for many years, plays Celtic Harp and acoustic guitar, and is a member of the acapella singing group On That Note.  She is married to Peter, and has two grown sons, Morgan and Conor.