Pastor Darlene Avery ("RevDar")

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Pastor Darlene Avery, affectionately known as “RevDar,” was born in Germany into a military family and spent her first 18 years moving frequently between the U.S. and Europe. Her early spiritual life was shaped by ecumenical military chapel worship, and her baptism certificate simply reads "Protestant." Raised in a Christian home that honored cultural diversity and interfaith respect, her faith was rooted in both tradition and global perspective.

 

Darlene was also nurtured in music and the arts, beginning college studying oboe at the University of Illinois. After the loss of her father to Huntington’s Disease — a condition that would later claim her only sister — she worked her way through a liberal arts degree at DePaul University. During that time, she applied her intercultural skills in international programs administration at the University of Chicago.

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In Chicago, she discovered a dynamic United Methodist congregation actively partnering with UCC and Lutheran churches in mission work. There, her spiritual curiosity deepened into a clear call to care for those suffering in body, mind, and spirit. That call led her to Colorado, where she pursued graduate degrees in Divinity and Social Work through the Iliff School of Theology and the University of Denver. As she explored church life more deeply, Darlene found the UCC to be her spiritual home — drawn to its unique balance of local church autonomy and shared covenant. That structure energized her sense of call and felt like a natural fit.

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Over the years, Pastor Darlene has served UCC congregations in Colorado and Utah. She has been active in La Foret Conference & Retreat Center’s youth and adult ministries, and has worked extensively in healthcare ministry and counseling — including hospitals, hospice care, and private practice — while continuing to support churches through education and pastoral care. After a decade of covering sabbaticals and interim periods at Church in the Wildwood, she was officially called as pastor in July 2019. In 2025, she celebrated 25 years of ordained ministry in the United Church of Christ.

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Darlene’s ministry is deeply rooted in community. She helps anchor Church in the Wildwood’s presence as a hub in the Ute Pass area and volunteers with the American Red Cross, offering spiritual care and mental health support during disasters. She currently serves as the Spiritual Care Lead for the Southern Colorado chapter.

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Pastor Darlene’s family is small but close. Her husband, Rev. Derek Krehbiel — a fellow UCC minister and Licensed Clinical Social Worker — recently shifted from hospice chaplaincy to full-time counseling in a UC Health clinic. ​They live with Darlene’s mother, Mary Anne Calkins, a retired nurse and an integral member of their family.

 

The family has two beloved rescue dogs: Zoey, a spunky 11-pound, three-legged Terrier/Chihuahua mix and Hank, a 60-pound bulldog mix - the mellowist, happiest dog they have ever owned. Hank completed his advanced Canine Good Citizen certification, passing the exam with perfect scores three weeks early! He is showing therapeutic aptitude, so may go into therapy or HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis support training. People all agree, he really does look like an adorable pygmy hippo, so he has been nicknamed "Hank the Happy House Hippo!"