Rev. Anastasi has served the congregation at Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Church as its minister since August, 1990. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee (1984) and he received his Master of Divinity degree from Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley (1987). Most recently, he is a candidate for a Doctor of Ministry degree.
Thomas’ background is not typical for a UU minister. He grew up in a Pentecostal Christian environment, and as a young adult studied for the ministry in the Church of God. In the late 1960’s, amid much personal, spiritual turmoil in regard to his conscientious objector status to the Vietnam War as well as an increased realization of his sexual orientation, he left his childhood church. For years after that, he was anti-church, anti-religion, and anti-God.
In the 1970’s Thomas became a professional musician, playing and singing with traveling rock bands. Later, he worked as a “piano bar” musician, and much of his present theological and spiritual views— what he calls “cheap theology”— was informed by this experience.
Twenty years ago Thomas wandered into the Unitarian Universalist church in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and for the first time in his life felt a genuine welcome, signaling that he had finally “come home.”
Whoever you are,
Wherever you are on your life’s journey,
You are welcome here!
“Before this amazing moment in my life, there had always been some kind of condition of acceptance, based on the belief that I was ‘a sinner’ and needed to change who I am, even the essence of who I am, in order to be ‘saved.’”
Now, at Shoreline Church, Thomas repeats those spiritually invigorating words every Sunday in the Call to Worship: “Whoever you are…”
If an overall theme can describe Thomas’ spiritual focus, it is about “ordinary theology”: that genuine spirituality is found in our everyday human experience. “This is a pure form of Universalism. The primary theological challenge is: How can we embody our innermost spirituality in all of life? How can we close the gap between what we say we believe and what we do? How we respond to these important questions constitute the central message of my ministry.”
Thomas lives in Lake Forest Park with Bob, his partner of 26 years, and “Whipper”, their buoyant miniature dachshund.
