Meet Reverend Carter —
The dynamic, loving spirit that uplifts and inspires those around him to be a positive force in our community.
Are you in search of a spiritual home where you can grow personally and spiritually? A community that understands and is supportive when you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by our world? Reverend Michael’s thought-provoking sermons focus not only on empathetically meeting participants where they are, but on challenging our preconceived beliefs and ideas to inspire and guide you on your journey.
His mission is to help you evolve and connect with the inner peace that exists within you. He’s found his way, and he is glad to guide you on your own journey.
Listen to Rev. Carter's Sermons
Into history?
Einstein's God
Want something to make you think?
The Contradictions of Living
New to UU? Give this a listen:
What Exactly Is It That UUs Believe?
Feeling overwhelmed? This message might be for you.
Anger, Boundaries & the Word "No"
Listen to Rev. Carter's Sermons
Into history?
Einstein's God
Want something to make you think?
The Contradictions of Living
New to UU? Give this a listen:
What Exactly Is It That UUs Believe?
Feeling overwhelmed? This message might be for you.
Anger, Boundaries & the Word "No"
Minister, Father, Author,
Husband, Energy Healer
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, I was steeped in the African American Baptist Church tradition. Yet I was always curious and open to other forms of worship. So while growing up in my Baltimore neighborhood, I attended synagogues, Catholic churches, and other nearby Protestant denominations. Later, when I moved to New York, I visited mosques, Religious Science and New Thought churches. What intrigued me was what connected the many and varied religions and belief systems of the world. I participated in “A Course in Miracles” groups, went to Native American sweat lodges and pow wows, and attended Buddhist and Hindu temples along the way. And, ultimately, I departed from my traditional Christian upbringing for theological reasons.
I had moved to New York City to pursue a career in the professional theater, and for 20 years I worked as an actor. But I still—always—wanted more in my life. I wanted to serve. A friend suggested that I might want to visit a UU congregation. Prior to this I had never heard of Unitarian Universalism. After a while, I ended up attending The Community Church of New York, became a member, and the rest, as they say, is history.
It would be fair to say that from a very young age I knew that I wanted to become a minister or priest. I felt so at home in the church, no matter which one(s) I was attending at the moment. So I finally decided to leave the theater world and attend The New Seminary Interfaith Temple in New York, which trained and ordained interfaith clergy. I was ordained in 1994, and I supported myself by working as an actor for a while and, once ordained, as a professional chaplain. In 1997 I enrolled at the famous Union Theological Seminary, where I received my Masters in Divinity degree in 2000.
These two paths of my life, theater and religion, were a fortuitous combination. Comparative Religious Studies had always fed my spirit and became my area of interest in seminary, and the theater training has been a major asset in assisting me in communicating and getting a message across. Now, in my eighth year as the minister for the UUSV, my roles have merged and blended in a way I could have only imagined so many years ago in Baltimore.
Want to hear more from Rev. Carter?
Want to hear more from Rev. Carter?
UUSV Staff
UUSV Staff
Board of Trustees
Kathy Folsom
President
A lifelong Southerner and an avid lover of travel, Kathy spent many decades working as an early literacy specialist in South Carolina public schools. Her work included teaching, coaching, and leading training classes for teachers. She has also spent many years as a yoga teacher and yoga therapist. She loves to read, walk, hike, kayak, fish, and garden. She and her husband Davis have been Unitarian-Universalists since 1981 and have been actively involved in the UU community in Black Mountain since moving here full time in 2023.
Walter Milne
Vice President
Walt grew up in North Jersey and as a youngster enjoyed playing sports and serving as an altar boy. After high school he joined the Air Force, where he served as a communications specialist until honorably discharged. He returned to school to study social sciences and earned his B.A. Walt spent most of his adult years in Florida as a construction worker, until being hired at the Parks Dept. in Gainesville, where he had a rewarding career serving that community. He retired in 2023, and as a longtime vacationer in the mountains of N.C. he relocated here and joined UUSV. He enjoys watching many sports, especially college basketball.
Eric Smith
Treasurer, non-voting
After growing up in Ohio and working the majority of his career as a CPA in Michigan, Eric and his wife retired and moved to Black Mountain in 2024 and could not be happier. They are grateful to be part of the Black Mountain community and the UUSV congregation. Being able to connect with like-minded people sharing the same morals and values makes this place home. He worked over 35 years in the tax and finance areas with his last job as the head of tax for a publicly traded real estate investment trust. He enjoys being in nature by walking, hiking, and birding in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina, and the great live music and abundance of talented singer-songwriters in this area.
Rochelle Broome MD
Secretary
Rochelle has been a resident of Black Mountain and a member of UUSV since 2020. She retired in 2024 after 40 years in clinical and administrative practice. Though she no longer sees patients for a living, she still gets the opportunity to provide medical education and health coaching for those in her congregational community, as well as in her work as a Water Aerobics instructor at our local Black Mountain YMCA. She enjoys cooking and entertaining at home, gardening, traveling during our WNC winters, and is an active member of multiple committees at UUSV. She served on the UUSV Board of Trustees from 2021-2024 and is returning to the Board for a second term.
Heidi Blozan
Heidi grew up in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. She came to Warren Wilson College in 1985 and made her home here ever since. She has two young adult children who grew up in the RE program at UUSV. Heidi’s proudest community achievement was being the visionary founder for our local Montessori School in 2003. Currently she is a CNA at Black Mountain Neuro Treatment Center and answers the phone for her husband’s business, Appalachian Arborists. She loves gardening and knitting.
Marti Saltzman
Although Marti grew up in Rochester NY, her parents were from the Southern Highlands of Appalachia. Her uncles and brother were old time and bluegrass musicians. After a lifelong career in the photo industry, which included running two photography book publishing companies for KODAK Books and Barnes & Noble, and traveling extensively on business throughout North America and Europe, she retired to Asheville NC. Today she is the proud grandparent of four grandchildren. Marti enjoys playing Duplicate Bridge, going to concerts, art shows, and walking her dog in the beautiful country that surrounds Asheville.
Ron Marcello
Ron, along with five brothers, was raised in north NJ. After graduating from Morris Catholic High School, he spent two years attending the University of Dayton in Ohio. Feeling like he was wasting his parents' and his own money, he tuned in and dropped out. He traveled the country and ended up in California. He had his first child, a son, out there and decided to get a real life and moved back to Ohio, where he was fortunate to be hired into the Dayton Fire Department. He spent the next twenty-eight years there, getting promoted twice to the level of Captain. Also had his second child, a daughter, and got married to his last wife, Jane. He and Jane were fortunate to retire at an early age and moved to Florida in 2002. They thought this was their last move to their last home. But after 10 or so years, they grew tired of flat, hot, and buggy living and searched for their second last home. After a few years of searching, they discovered Black Mountain. The media in Florida always referred to it as Paradise. They didn’t agree. And now in Western NC, they have found a true paradise. They volunteer at the Museum and the library, and they each serve on two committees in the UUSV. They love the joy, community, and harmony experienced by being members.
Jonathan Braden
Gracie Novacek
After a young adulthood consumed by athletics in rural Pennsylvania, Gracie Novacek is now a Lead Software Engineer at a Fortune 500 company, where she brings a unique perspective shaped by her unconventional path into tech. Previously, she served as the Director for Students with Disabilities at a Pittsburgh college, advocating for accessibility and inclusive education. Gracie loves attending UUSV service as a part of her weekly routine, along with practicing pottery at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts and performing as a clarinetist with the Montreat Symphony Orchestra.
Libba Tracy
Having moved permanently to Black Mountain in '96 from Phoenix, Az, Libba discovered that to find a gathering of kind and thoughtful like-minded folks would be a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, she is happy to land in the company of UUSV and take on the role of Board Member. As an artist by trade, isolated work is a normal reality, as she has her studio in a barn on her farm close to town. For many years, she was a commercial artist, graphic designer, and illustrator until the wild world of ceramic sculpture took over as a focus 15 years ago. As she approaches her 70th year, she sees this as a new chapter, a new focus, and an opportunity to expand. She has been married to Tom for 46 years, and together they have a son, Guy, and a daughter, Savannah, who both live 17 hours away in two entirely different directions.
Reverend Carter
Minister, non-voting
Board of Trustees
Kathy Folsom
President
A lifelong Southerner and an avid lover of travel, Kathy spent many decades working as an early literacy specialist in South Carolina public schools. Her work included teaching, coaching, and leading training classes for teachers. She has also spent many years as a yoga teacher and yoga therapist. She loves to read, walk, hike, kayak, fish, and garden. She and her husband Davis have been Unitarian-Universalists since 1981 and have been actively involved in the UU community in Black Mountain since moving here full time in 2023.
Walter Milne
Vice President
Walt grew up in North Jersey and as a youngster enjoyed playing sports and serving as an altar boy. After high school he joined the Air Force, where he served as a communications specialist until honorably discharged. He returned to school to study social sciences and earned his B.A. Walt spent most of his adult years in Florida as a construction worker, until being hired at the Parks Dept. in Gainesville, where he had a rewarding career serving that community. He retired in 2023, and as a longtime vacationer in the mountains of N.C. he relocated here and joined UUSV. He enjoys watching many sports, especially college basketball.
Eric Smith
Treasurer, non-voting
After growing up in Ohio and working the majority of his career as a CPA in Michigan, Eric and his wife retired and moved to Black Mountain in 2024 and could not be happier. They are grateful to be part of the Black Mountain community and the UUSV congregation. Being able to connect with like-minded people sharing the same morals and values makes this place home. He worked over 35 years in the tax and finance areas with his last job as the head of tax for a publicly traded real estate investment trust. He enjoys being in nature by walking, hiking, and birding in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina, and the great live music and abundance of talented singer-songwriters in this area.
Heidi Blozan
Heidi grew up in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. She came to Warren Wilson College in 1985 and made her home here ever since. She has two young adult children who grew up in the RE program at UUSV. Heidi’s proudest community achievement was being the visionary founder for our local Montessori School in 2003. Currently she is a CNA at Black Mountain Neuro Treatment Center and answers the phone for her husband’s business, Appalachian Arborists. She loves gardening and knitting.
Rochelle Broome MD
Secretary
Rochelle has been a resident of Black Mountain and a member of UUSV since 2020. She retired in 2024 after 40 years in clinical and administrative practice. Though she no longer sees patients for a living, she still gets the opportunity to provide medical education and health coaching for those in her congregational community, as well as in her work as a Water Aerobics instructor at our local Black Mountain YMCA. She enjoys cooking and entertaining at home, gardening, traveling during our WNC winters, and is an active member of multiple committees at UUSV. She served on the UUSV Board of Trustees from 2021-2024 and is returning to the Board for a second term.
Marti Saltzman
Although Marti grew up in Rochester NY, her parents were from the Southern Highlands of Appalachia. Her uncles and brother were old time and bluegrass musicians. After a lifelong career in the photo industry, which included running two photography book publishing companies for KODAK Books and Barnes & Noble, and traveling extensively on business throughout North America and Europe, she retired to Asheville NC. Today she is the proud grandparent of four grandchildren. Marti enjoys playing Duplicate Bridge, going to concerts, art shows, and walking her dog in the beautiful country that surrounds Asheville.
Ron Marcello
Ron, along with five brothers, was raised in north NJ. After graduating from Morris Catholic High School, he spent two years attending the University of Dayton in Ohio. Feeling like he was wasting his parents' and his own money, he tuned in and dropped out. He traveled the country and ended up in California. He had his first child, a son, out there and decided to get a real life and moved back to Ohio, where he was fortunate to be hired into the Dayton Fire Department. He spent the next twenty-eight years there, getting promoted twice to the level of Captain. Also had his second child, a daughter, and got married to his last wife, Jane. He and Jane were fortunate to retire at an early age and moved to Florida in 2002. They thought this was their last move to their last home. But after 10 or so years, they grew tired of flat, hot, and buggy living and searched for their second last home. After a few years of searching, they discovered Black Mountain. The media in Florida always referred to it as Paradise. They didn’t agree. And now in Western NC, they have found a true paradise. They volunteer at the Museum and the library, and they each serve on two committees in the UUSV. They love the joy, community, and harmony experienced by being members.
Gracie Novacek
After a young adulthood consumed by athletics in rural Pennsylvania, Gracie Novacek is now a Lead Software Engineer at a Fortune 500 company, where she brings a unique perspective shaped by her unconventional path into tech. Previously, she served as the Director for Students with Disabilities at a Pittsburgh college, advocating for accessibility and inclusive education. Gracie loves attending UUSV service as a part of her weekly routine, along with practicing pottery at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts and performing as a clarinetist with the Montreat Symphony Orchestra.
Jonathan Braden
Reverend Carter
Minister, non-voting
Libba Tracy
Having moved permanently to Black Mountain in '96 from Phoenix, Az, Libba discovered that to find a gathering of kind and thoughtful like-minded folks would be a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, she is happy to land in the company of UUSV and take on the role of Board Member. As an artist by trade, isolated work is a normal reality, as she has her studio in a barn on her farm close to town. For many years, she was a commercial artist, graphic designer, and illustrator until the wild world of ceramic sculpture took over as a focus 15 years ago. As she approaches her 70th year, she sees this as a new chapter, a new focus, and an opportunity to expand. She has been married to Tom for 46 years, and together they have a son, Guy, and a daughter, Savannah, who both live 17 hours away in two entirely different directions.