OUR LOCAL UUCE HISTORY

UUCE, A Brief History

Our church began in 1909 when religious liberals began meeting at the Hoffman House Hotel. The first minister was Steven Peebles, who walked in from Goshen most Sundays to lead the service. One of the four original signers of the church constitution, Dugald Campbell, would drive him home in his buggy afterwards. By the way, the archives committee just observed the 100th Anniversary of the Campbell home, which is still owned by a member of our church!

Our second minister, Arthur Sargent, led the drive to give the church a permanent home. A lot at 11th and Ferry was bought for the munificent sum of $2500 and the church was built with a lot of sweat equity. The dedication of the church was held in September 1912.

—Robert Tice Taylor

The UU Church During the 1940’s

After Rev. Higginbotham left, the little church on the corner was almost non-existent for several years. In 1942, about 10 members sent out a letter asking everyone to rejoin. As result, from 1942 to 1947 the UU church reconvened as more of a fellowship than anything else.

Then, on April 6, 1948, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Bryant started “Friendly House” in the church’s fireside room. More than 100 friends, students, and townspeople gathered to “express their faith and interest in the project.” People played games, conversed, engaged in folk dancing, and had a general good time. The Eugene Unitarian newsletter reported, “Since then the program is developing well…We want it to be a place for wholesome recreation, serious discussion with the best minds of the community meeting to talk over the most important problems of making and preserving our democracy.” In this they succeeded, as many of the returning GIs who attended the university came often, and many became members.

In 1948, the members called Rev. Sidney Peterman to serve as minister in exchange for rooms at the manse while he continued his studies at the University of Oregon. In May of that year, he accepted. The Eugene Unitarian wrote: “Our new minister will arrive in Eugene about 15 of July and will immediately undertake his church work. It is expected that in our next issue we shall present a definite program for the future.”

I have a special feeling for Syd Peterman, because he was my first contact with the Unitarian Church in 1959. At the time, he was a professor of philosophy at San Jose State College and minister of the lovely 100-year-old San Jose Unitarian Church. In August of that year, he performed the wedding ceremony for Sylvia and me, encouraging us to write our own vows (a new idea at the time). I only wish he were still around so I could tell him what an influence he had on my life.

A 1970’s history of the church stated, “He remained in the church for four years during the time the GIs were returning from the service and matriculating at the university. There developed a warm feeling of fellowship during those years with an active morning program, a Beacon Press book sales table, and an active Women’s Alliance. It was with true regret that we finally saw Sidney Peterman leave.”

- Bob Taylor, Archives Committee

The Sanctuary

Rev. James Mead was our UUCE minister from 1959 to 1963, when the building on Ferry Street was being sold and a new church being built. Here are his notes on what the main meeting room should be called.

“Many Unitarians prefer to call the principal meeting room of the church an auditorium rather than a sanctuary. To them, the concept of a room dedicated to sacred purposes is undesirable. They say, ‘It is a room for public meetings, not a place dedicated to God.’ Their rationale has merit, but it must not be forgotten that the primary purpose of this room is a very special kind of public meeting. This is ‘the place where men [sic] gather to share their highest ideals and promote their highest aspirations.’ It is, in the deepest sense, ‘holy ground.’ It is a sanctuary. “But this does not mean that such a room must be reserved for a single purpose. We would be false to our ideals if we were to so limit it. The principle of the sacredness of all life demands that we admit our total church life to our sanctuary. The principle of the conservation of resources demands that we avoid waste in the planning and construction of our physical facilities. Unlike most of our Christian brethren, we find it very difficult to justify two adjacent rooms of similar size, so restricted in their use that one is always empty when the other is in use. Therefore, our sanctuary must also be our Fellowship Hall.

“In this bit of enclosed space, we must somehow contrive to perform all of those functions which bring together large groups of people. This can be done. It has been done in a few communities. But I have not yet seen it done well. Perhaps the fault has been with the architects who have designed our buildings. More likely, it has been with the people of our churches, who have failed to give the architects adequate guidance. A capable, imaginative architect can design a space that will serve disparate functions well. … It must be flexible in arrangement of furniture and decoration. [Yet] it serves only one set of values. Therefore, it must have a character that remains the same through all changes of function, changing only in emphasis. The essentials must be constant.” It seems to me that our present sanctuary meets his criteria, although it no longer meets our
space needs. Next month some notes on what Rev. Mead felt the sanctuary should symbolize.

- Bob Taylor, Archives Committee

Our church has been in Eugene for almost a hundred years

...so we have had many ministers. Last month’s column concluded with the Rev. Sydney Peterman. If you recall, he was a recent graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry before he came to Eugene. After he left, we had another graduate of Starr King, George E. McDonough, who was only with our church from January 1952-July 1953. He left to join the Congregational Fellowship. Your history committee has found almost no information on him or the person who took over as interim minister, Robert Pratt. However, the following minister, Edward L. Ericson, has written a letter to Eve McConnaughey. In it he says that he was called to begin February 1, 1954 just three days after he turned 25. Quoting from his letter, " My ministry in Eugene was a happy one for me, and I believe for the church. When I arrived, my princely salary of $4,000 (no extras or fringe benefits) was subsidized by the American Unitarian Association in Boston. Within a year or so we were self-supporting. I remember the congregation in Eugene with fondness and many happy memories. During my more than thirty years of ministry in two Unitarian Churches and two Ethical Societies, I never served a more congenial and supportive membership. Our members and resources were small, but the spirit of our fellowship was unexcelled. …Just think. In five years the church will celebrate its 100th anniversary (my ministry almost closed its first half-century). How great it would be to be there - if we are then among the quick and lively! I am fortunate and proud to be in this progression."

When Rev. Ericson left in July of 1957 to take the post of Unitarian minister in Fairfax, Va., Robert Pratt again served as interim minister until Rev. James S. Mead was called in February of 1958. There is little information on him at the present time, but it was under his leadership the church at 11th and Ferry was sold and plans were made to build a new church. To quote from a recent article," one of the members, Paul Hoffman, a psychologist, was looking for property near downtown for a research institute and offered a good price for the building and the house next door, used as a manse. The offer was accepted, the congregation vacated the building and began meeting in Frances Willard School."

- Bob Taylor, Archives Committee

What Should Our Sanctuary Symbolize?

In years past our then minister Rev. Mead wrote the following about what we needed for our church. Among the values which we hold in common, he said, are those expressed in our covenant:

• To dwell together in peace;
• To seek the truth in freedom;
• To serve mankind in fellowship.

Peace, truth, freedom, service, and community are the essentials of our life together. They are the symbols that our sanctuary should express. And to them should be added beauty, without which no symbolism is adequately expressed. If they are adequately expressed, this space can serve all its functions without losing its character. It can be a place where we withdraw, for an hour, from our busy-ness, to renew our strength in peaceful sharing of our groping after truth. It can be a place in which we share the communion of a common meal. It can be a place in which we cast the light of our concern and our truth on the problems of mankind in public forum. This space can serve all of these functions, and serve them well, without losing its sacred character, if that character is truly sacred in the sense of our covenant.

For specific symbols, we have less concern. There should be a place for them in our sanctuary. It should be possible to express, in specific ways, our relations with and our inheritance from the great religious traditions of the world, but these traditions are not central to our commitment and must not be permitted to dominate. If any symbol is to be given a central place, it should be the flaming chalice. The chalice, which began as the symbol of the Unitarian Service Committee, has become an almost universal emblem of Unitarianism. For us, it evokes the warmth of love, the fire of service, the light of truth and the promethian [sic] freedom of man. Fire is a universal symbol, and the chalice that contains it is a widely used symbol of communion. This symbol might, therefore, be given the place of honor in our sanctuary.”

- Bob Taylor, Archives Committee

In 1959, after the old church was sold

...and we began meeting at Frances Willard Elementary School, Rev. Mead left and the church functioned as a fellowship under the leadership of church president Edmund Cykler while it looked for land to buy and build a new church. Church members shared ministerial duties and employed the speaking talents of people in the congregation and the larger community.

Although the congregation was not large, it compensated for lack of numbers by a determined effort to find a minister and to build a new church. They launched a major fundraising program, involving not only the members and friends of the church, but also people who appreciated having a liberal church in the community.

The first step was the quest for a minister. In 1962, Carl J. Nelson from Wellesley, Massachusetts was invited to meet with the congregation. After a busy weekend in which Mr. Nelson met individually with various church groups and spoke before the congregation, the church voted to call Rev. Nelson and he became our minister in fall 1962.

Meanwhile, the church had found a wooded lot at 477 E. 40th and had begun to build. Church member Grant Seder of Balzhiser, Seder, and Rhodes Architectural Firm designed the building. Don Furtick oversaw construction. The beauty of the church’s modern design, with a hint of oriental influence, drew a favorable response from the community and became a point of interest to local architectural students.

Even though the previous fundraising was successful, it was not enough to build a new church. The congregation appealed for money to the American Unitarian Association, to sister churches throughout the Pacific Conference, and to members, friends, and local citizens. Church members also contributed time and talent as “sweat equity” to keep costs down.

By fall 1962, building was well underway at the new location when Rev. Nelson arrived and began his ministry. The present building at 477 E. 40th was completed at the end of January 1963; the first service there took place on February 14, 1963 (an appropriate date, given that love and dedication allowed it to be built). The total cost of the new building and grounds was approximately $70,000, a small fraction of their worth now.

- Bob Taylor, Archives Committee

The Carl Nelson Years

During Rev. Carl Nelson’s installation at our church’s temporary headquarters, Peter Raible, head of the Pacific Northwest District, castigated our congregation for being too independent. Little did he know what was coming! With Rev. Nelson at the helm, our church became actively engaged with every major social justice issue of the 1960s.
On February 17, 1963, Rev. Nelson delivered the first sermon ever given in our new (present) church building. Once a month, on Forum Sunday, he traveled to UU fellowships that had no minister or traded pulpits with ministers of other UU churches. Over time, he spoke to 16 different UU congregations, making single visits to some and as many as ten visits to others.

Under his leadership, the church formed a Social Action Committee and opened our building to forums that aired both sides of local and statewide controversies. One such issue concerned capital punishment. Rev. Nelson’s booklet on the subject circulated throughout the state, was quoted during a session of the State Legislature by opponents of capital punishment, and became part of the state’s official record. The people of Oregon later voted to abolish capital punishment.

During the civil rights movement, the congregation helped send Rev. Nelson to Selma, Alabama, where he marched with Martin Luther King Jr. to protest the exploitation of black people by state authorities.

Rev. Nelson also strongly opposed the US government’s stance in Vietnam. He not only spoke out sharply from the pulpit on this matter but also wrote letters to state and government representatives and to the editor of the Register Guard, expressing his views and the reasons for them. In addition, Rev. Nelson and many church members worked with “Turn Toward Peace” and the “Council for a Sane Foreign Policy” to influence change in US foreign policy. In fact, our minister organized and served as the first chairman of Lane County’s Clergy and Laymen Concerned About Vietnam (CALCAV). Rev. Nelson joined church and other community members to march, attend rallies in the Park Block, and stand in silent protest against the Vietnam War.

On another note, Reverend Nelson’s book of meditations, Eternity Can Wait, was used by many ministers in pulpits across the nation before he came to Eugene. The meditations, which are the reflections of a life lived with intent and sensitivity, enriched the spiritual needs of the Eugene church and helped eliminate a “lecture hall” atmosphere. Most of the material in Reverend Nelson’s second book of meditations, Snow in April, was first written as meditations for services in our church.

Perhaps the most famous of Rev. Carl Nelson’s causes was his opposition to the midnight erection of a huge concrete, neon-lighted cross atop Skinner Butte. The uproar over the cross was immediate. A committee was formed with Rev. Nelson as co-chairman to protest the action before the city council. The case was eventually taken to court. There ten members of the community, including two Unitarians, contested the legality of the action. The court ruled in the committee’s favor, and after much breast-beating, wails of anguish and a wake from conservative Christians, the cross was removed and set up elsewhere (not on public property).

Rev. Nelson expressed the Unitarian and liberal religious point of view in many ways during his ministry in Eugene. He appeared frequently on local television and radio programs and spoke to many groups throughout the area, including high school social studies classes. He was even the baccalaureate speaker at South Eugene High School. He also served on many local committees dealing with peace and the abolishment of capital punishment.

Meanwhile, the church was playing another role in the community. The number of people who desired a different kind of marriage ceremony had increased each year, and Rev. Nelson’s poetic and liberal interpretation of the traditional ceremony drew couples—many not directly involved with the church—to seek his services. Requests for personal counseling also grew. Young people from the community and the university came by to speak with him, especially draft-age young men facing the moral dilemma of whether or not to enter military service. Those with marital and personal problems, many of whom were not directly involved with the church, also sought his ear. He even did some counseling by mail with people who had moved away or who were with his previous church in Wellesley, Massachusetts. One woman from his former church sought his help regularly by long-distance.

During Rev. Nelson’s tenure, activities such as family nights became a weekly occurance, along with film nights, potlucks, and drama, art, and musical activities. Yearly events included a traditional Christmas Candlelight Service, Youth Sunday, a Spring Festival, and a family picnic at the close of the church year. And, for church services, Rev. Nelson arranged a new song book that included spirituals, gospel, folk, songs from modern musicals, traditional liberal hymns, and some for which he wrote new words to accompany classical melodies.

Rev. Nelson's activities, persistence, and dedication to the greater good inspired many volunteers among the congregation. Our church was blessed to have such a stalwart defender of our faith and ideals at a time when it was greatly needed.

- Bob Taylor, Archives Committee

Eileen Karpeles to Sally Bryan

When the Rev. Peterson left our church, interim minister Eileen Karpeles held several meetings to allow members to express their feelings and get the church on the right track again. She served us as an interim minister from September 1984 to August 1985.

After Eileen left, we operated as a fellowship until January 1987. A search committee put together an prospective candidate book that explained the nature of our congregation exceptionally well. We later learned it was this book that convinced our next minister, Sally Bryan, to come to us. She was not only ordained here but accepted us as her first church as well. The ordination ceremony was held at our church on Sunday, October 25, 1987. Thirty Pacific Northwest ministers took part in the ceremony.

Sally’s enthusiasm was evident from the beginning. Sunday school numbers grew, both as a result of her devotion to religious education and to her own youthfulness, which drew young members to the church. It is said that her interest in the Waldorf school teachings helped her bring a more spiritual approach to religious education. She also did a lot to renovate the church. She had the childrens’ rooms redecorated and oversaw the purchase of a new lectern, new chairs, and the blue carpet that still covers our floor. The pottery chalice that hangs between the front doors of the church was paid for by a gift from Estelle Singleton. The Advent Garden, now a treasured tradition, was started then as well.

Rev. Bryan was also active on behalf of social justice. She traveled with church members and others to Nevada, where they demonstrated against nuclear testing with songs, words and crossing the barriers in an act of civil disobedience. She was also active in Project Care, an interfaith organization. At this time the church undertook the required study and review to become a Welcoming Congregation.

When Rev. Bryan came, the church was behind in its contribution to the UUA, but she was instrumental in getting our finances in order. In fact, pledges and fundraising increased so much that, at one congregational meeting to approve the annual budget, the UUA contribution rose because we had exceeded our canvassing goal.

When Rev. Bryan left in January 1995, the Board of Trustees and the Congregation unanimously agreed to pay her until August of 1995.

- Bob Taylor, Archives Committee

Two Interim Ministers Bring Healing

After the Rev. Sally Bryan resigned in 1995, the church lost several members. In the weeks following the separation, the congregation decided to call an interim minister, Rev. Betty Pingel to help them work through the problems they had had and prepare for the future.

Rev. Pingel was well suited for the task. Although coming to the ministry late in life, she had served as minister in Omaha, Fresno, Cincinnati, Akron, and Ashland, Oregon. Although she had planned to retire and had already bought a home, she agreed to serve us as interim minister for two years.

Under her leadership our by-laws were rewritten and shortened to less than half their former length. Policies were also rewritten to get rid of superfluous and anachronistic rules. She also taught the board to set goals for themselves, assign responsibility for reaching them, and evaluate their progress. As an example, Betty Pingel set goals for herself and had the board and congregation evaluate her progress. She also instituted a new pledge canvass, the Celebration Sunday Stewardship Drive. As a result, the church began to grow again and the budget was substantially increased.

The church intended to have a permanent minister follow Betty Pingel when she retired, but the candidate we picked backed out at the last moment. We were fortunate to find another interim minister, an Oregon woman whose mother lived in Forest Grove, to serve from 1997 to 1998. While she was with us, the Rev. Heather Lynn Hanson got her “final fellowship” in the Unitarian Universalist Church. She continued the good work that Betty Pingel had started—and had a beautiful singing voice as well. With her guidance, we added a second Sunday service to alleviate overcrowding. She also helped conduct the successful candidate search that led us to hire Rev. Carolyn Colbert.

In conclusion, here are Rev. Pingel’s own words in a sermon on time. “We can’t capture time in a bottle and keep it for eternity, yet each of us has all the time there is—if we measure it not by clocks or calendars or decades, not by words of philosophers or theologians but by heartbeats and human relationships.”

- Bob Taylor, Archives Committee

Building A New Church—Then and Now

As we consider expanding or building a new church, I thought it would be appropriate to share the following letter written in 1960 by Grant Seder, chair of the church’s building committee. (Comments in brackets are mine.)

He said; “The Building Committee has as its objective the development of a program for the new church and its surroundings which should express the physical and spiritual needs of the congregation….The committee’s current recommendation is that the church board explore the possibility of acquiring the corner lot adjacent to the new property [our present location]. If the corner could be obtained, the church and its property would have much more visual importance.

“This committee is aware that the current growth of the church, and particularly the church school, is making our present building increasingly inadequate. [Sound familiar??]…It is obvious that we can’t stay where we are for too much longer, and while there has been a somewhat defeatist attitude in the past concerning raising funds for a building project, it must be done if the church is to continue and to thrive. [More similarities!]

“Some of our thinking on what the design of the building should express is as follows: The building should express the fact that people meet here for purposes of worship; It should not express the mystical, but should express warmth, light, and openness (sic) to nature; Color may be used to give added warmth, but it should not be so lively as to be distracting or undignified; Light is desirable for visual relief and dignity, but some expression might also be found for the outward-reaching aspects of our church; An expression of liberal Unitarian freedom of thought and inquiry and lack of dogma would suggest the use of non-traditional architecture….

“There must be a main church room or chapel. If the church is built in stages, which is likely, a multi-purpose or social room might serve initially as the chapel. A room comparable to our present fireplace room is very desirable….

“The committee has not tried to arrive at room areas or capacities at this time, feeling that these specifics should be determined at the time the design of the building is started. Respectfully Submitted, Grant Seder, chairman.”

- Bob Taylor, Archives Committee