In Memory of Stephen Dick (October 10, 1953 – December 2020)

The UU Ministers Association staff offer our condolences to the family and colleagues of the Rev. Stephen “Steve” Dick, who died this past December 2020 at the age of 68.

Born October 10, 1953, Rev. Stephen “Steve” Dick was an American UU minister who trained and served exclusively in the United Kingdom. Rev. Dick was influential in founding the European Unitarian Universalists (EUU), a support network and community for Unitarian Universalists and UU fellowships in Europe. In the 1980s, Steve helped found the EUU and several UU Fellowships throughout Europe. He also worked on the staff of the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) for several years while in Germany. In the United Kingdom, he was minister to congregations in Croydon and Horsham followed by a decade as District Minister for London and the South East and a brief stint as Chief Executive Officer of the British Unitarians.

In 2009 he began his work with the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU), for a time serving as Executive Director until his retirement in 2016. In 2010 Rev. Dick was accepted as an associate member in the UU Minister’s Association and upon his retirement was granted associate life member status. After his retirement Steve continued to travel around the world working with Unitarian groups in other countries and cultures, discovering we often have more to learn from them than they from us.

A former congregant writes in tribute: “We owe him a debt of gratitude for his successful efforts to establish an English speaking UU presence in Europe and for many years providing a safe haven for our religious growth.”

Rev. Dick is survived by his wife, Jenneke Dick-Schol and daughter Esther.