Rev. Nena Radtke comes to us as a second career pastor.  This follows a career as a business director for major and boutique law firms.   Rev. Nena is an honors graduate of Andover Newton Theological School.  She comes from a long line of ordained clergy—Episcopalian and Unitarian—and has been active in her church communities for as long as she can remember.  The United Church of Christ and its Congregational tradition melds her Christ centeredness with a global view that we are all God’s children exploring meaning and defining purpose.

Nena has a passion for working with congregations through transitional times—something she did in her corporate life.  She believes in inviting and being open to the Spirit’s presence in all.  She cares about the church, its wellbeing, and its future.  Having raised her own children in the church, she loves working creatively with the young and the young at heart around our biblical stories and how they apply to our lives today.

Nena believes in outreach in the local, national, and international missions. She has long served such efforts on multiple levels.  In recent years, she has served educational initiatives in rural Honduras and rural India—as well as at a local women’s prison.  She also had the honor of sharing in the blessing of one of the newest Habitat for Humanity builds in Central Massachusetts.

Nena also welcomes the church’s ongoing call to pastoral care for those going through challenging times and personal transitions.  Here church is defined by how we engage in supporting one another.  She believes in the power of praying with and for one another—and that burdens lighten when we can share and explore them in supportive and loving relationships.

Nena believes in the radical welcome of all into the body of Christ and exploring and embracing ways to express this invitation in community and to those in the broader community.

Nena has served on the SNEUCC’s North Central Association’s Committee on authorized Ministry since 2021.  She has also served as a UCC Synod Delegate in 2019 and 2021.

On a personal note, Nena is a lifelong traveler/explorer and animal lover.  She is passionate about history and historical context of our biblical traditions—even as she believes that God’s revelation in ongoing.  Nena engages in the spiritual practices of qigong, yoga, and centering prayer—and can be found getting together with friends and walking her yorkie rescue when not engaged in other activities.