About Our Minister

The Rev. Daniel Charles Davis

The Rev. Daniel Charles (Charlie) Davis was born in Michigan in 1960.  He names as one of his earliest religious experiences seeing the Beatles when he was 5.  When he was 7, his Presbyterian Sunday school class sponsored an orphan in India, teaching him that actions speak louder than words in matters of faith.  His mother, who was very active in the church, died when he was 15.  Around that time, his faith grew more conservative and he began considering a career in the ministry.  While earning his BA degree in psychology at Alma College in Michigan, he was influenced by religion professors and chaplains who encouraged a more thoughtful Christianity, focused more on loving one’s neighbors than judging them.  Davis earned a master’s in social work at Loyola University of Chicago in 1987 and a master’s of divinity at McCormick in 1988.

While at seminary, Davis became a Unitarian, deciding that the humble teachings of Jesus were more helpful than the church's teachings that exalted Jesus to the position of Christ. He became a Universalist when he could no longer believe that a loving God could have created hell.  He joined First Unitarian Church of Chicago in 1988 and he now considers himself a transcendentalist along the lines of 19th-century Unitarians Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller, who believed that all people have divinity within themselves that connects them with the divinity found in nature, science, and world religions.

In 1988, Davis married his wife, Gail, and helped raise her two children, Jon and Devon. A son, Benjamin, was born to them in 1992.  As an interracial couple, they have worked to further reconciliation and community among all people. Gail is a talented vocalist, and Charlie writes music for guitar and mountain dulcimer.  They sing beautifully together and have performed professionally.

Before becoming a UU minister in 1995, Davis worked with hospice and the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin. He has been active in advocating for the rights of sexual minorities and has officiated at gay and lesbian union ceremonies. He ministered with The Sugarloaf Congregation of Unitarian Universalists in Maryland from 1996 to 2000.  Since that time, the UU Fellowship of Winston-Salem has been fortunate and grateful to have him serve as our minister.

His office hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. He is available at other times by appointment.  You can reach him by e-mailing minister@uufws.org or calling 336.659.0331 or 336.473.0318.