Bearer of philosophical wisdom, seeker of deeper understanding of spiritual matters, knowledgeable of the practical and metaphysical aspects of Christianity, and focused on the divinity of all humankind. These positives define Unity Associate Minister, the Rev. Judy Tafelski, consummate teacher.
For Judy, who earned her degree in Theological Letters at Emma Curtis Hopkins College and Theological Seminary, asking questions is a natural forte, and she is always open to the further question. When studying for her degree in psychology at the University of South Florida and taking electives in religion, Judy met the Rev. Del deChant, USF Master Instructor and Associate Chair and productive scholar and former associate minister at UCC, where he was instrumental in initiating the Emma Curtis Hopkins Seminary.
Since 1987, when she first came to UCC, Judy has never gone to another church. “The message,” she recalls, “just spoke to me, blew me away. I cried for a month.” She began taking all available classes and eventually taught at the seminary. Of all her classes, she loves “Lessons in Truth.” “Mysteries of Genesis” is another front runner. “When I start to get into old cultural habits,” she says, “it’s time to teach a class.”
After coming to Florida in 1968, Judy never returned to St. Louis. A graduate of Notre Dame High School, a convent school, she fancied becoming an artist and was a college art student before choosing a dental hygienist career, which brought her to St. Petersburg, site of the country’s top program for dental hygienists. After licensing, she worked for 30 years in the same Clearwater practice and has been at the second practice of her career for the past 12 years. Not surprisingly, she brings to her work a therapeutic approach, which patients appreciate. One comes once a month, ostensibly for dental cleaning but, admittedly, for Judy’s “therapy lesson.”
The mother of three daughters and grandmother to three-year-old Bryn, Judy looks forward to the October birth of her first grandson. Family represents happy times, but life has not always been Pollyannaish. When Judy was less than a year old, her mother died of cancer at 32. Her brother, too, died of cancer at 32. Fortunately, her stepmother, who she would eventually befriend, lived to her 90s.
In the future, Judy’s aspiration is to create a book, using nuggets from Charles Fillmore’s writing to encourage the reading of his works. “He gives the tools you need that are straightforward. He hits you between the eyes,” she says.
In months with five Sundays, Judy teaches on that final Sunday in the youth program to mixed ages. This month, on the fourth and last Sunday, she will be giving the September 25 lesson on the topic of “Expecting.” Given the blessed event of October, one might surmise that it will be positive, personal and powerful.