Our Staff

Rev. Anthony Makar became West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church’s 7th settled Senior Minister in May of 2019. He came to this ministry after twelve years as the settled Senior Minister at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta and, before this, from four years as the founding minister of Pathways Unitarian Universalist Church in Hurst, Texas.

Unitarian Universalist ministry is Rev. Makar’s second career. Prior to this, he was a philosophy professor for eight years at Blinn College in Bryan, Texas, specializing in ethics, philosophy of religion, and contemporary Continental philosophy.

Rev. Makar is a spiritual being having a human experience. Life is a journey full of joys and sorrows. Spirituality is our human capacity to be fully alive and appreciative of the joys as well as deeply resilient and hopeful in the face of the hurts of life. Churches like West Shore are important because they are non-dogmatic and inclusive communities that develop and deepen our spiritual capacities in unique ways. Together, we gather our resources to accomplish things that can’t be done alone. Together, we grow personally and we serve the values of compassion and justice.

In his personal life, Rev. Makar is a competitive ice dancer. He teaches Learn to Skate classes for all ages at the Serpentini-Winterhurst rink in Lakewood. He is also a visual artist and works primarily in acrylics.

David Blazer was born and raised in Oklahoma where he began studies with Douglas Payton on piano and Oneta Puckette on the organ. At age 15, he became the organist of the First Presbyterian Church in Miami, Oklahoma. He studied at the famed Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio, where he received the B.M. in Organ Performance under the guidance of Garth Peacock and George Lamb. He continued his studies in Early Music Performance Practices at Case Western Reserve University and in Liturgical Music at the University of Notre Dame. For many years he has participated in studies of Gregorian Chant at the Pontificial Institute of Sacred Music in Rome, Italy. From 1987-1997, he was the Executive Director of the Riverside Academy of Music. He is a member of the American Guild of Organists where he holds the Service Playing Certificate. He is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Musicians Network and the Organ Historical Society.

David Blazer is currently the Director of Music and Organist of West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church in Rocky River, Ohio. He is also the assistant director of choral activities at Lorain County Community College where he is accompanist for the Lorain County Civic Chorale and also teaches private voice and piano. David Blazer is widely known for his jazz piano in local clubs throughout the Cleveland area including the famed Velvet Tango Room.

Meghan is a life-long Unitarian Universalist and native Clevelander. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Meghan has taught Sunday School for over 20 years and is a certified facilitator for Our Whole Lives: Lifespan Sexuality Education and Spirit Play. She joins West Shore after serving as the Director of Religious Exploration at the Oberlin Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Her prior work experience includes managing public and private grants with the goal of improving the health of under-served and vulnerable populations, creating and facilitating training for health professionals, and providing reproductive health education to learners of all ages. Much of her work has been focused on youth and LGBTQ+ populations.

Her current position encompasses Religious Education for Adults and Youth and Membership and Engagement activities. She supervises a staff of two and staffs the church’s Membership and Engagement Council. Meghan lives in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood of Cleveland with her husband, Jim, and many rescue cats.