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This
home for a liberal religious faith began Friday, November 6,
1953,
when a newspaper ad drew 12 people to an exploratory meeting to
discuss Unitarianism. Three months later, the “Unitarian
Fellowship of Tallahassee” adopted a constitution and applied
for a Unitarian charter. In 1955, the Fellowship had eight students
in their first Sunday School. Today, we have over 50 children in our
Religious Education program.
Dr. Paul Finner donated land for a church, and the first program in a new chapel on Wildwood Drive (now on the FSU campus) was held Christmas Eve, 1957. The Fellowship voted in 1960 for the merger of Unitarians and Universalists. The next year, the Fellowship in Tallahassee had 67 members and an estimated monthly cost of $150 to maintain the church. Today, the UU Church on Meridian Road has 175 members, and 50 friends. The Meridian Road building was completed in October 1967, and the Fellowship soon became a church and a church council was formed. In 1978, our name changed to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tallahassee. In the late 1960's, the Tallahassee Democrat ran UU ads such as the following: “Are you a Unitarian and don’t know it? Do you believe that striving to live a wholesome, useful life is more important than accepting religious creeds and doctrines?” Unitarians in Tallahassee protested daily Bible readings in our public schools, worked against segregation in this city, urged federal intervention in Selma, supported opponents of the California Loyalty Oath, and sent clothing to Hungary. More recently, our members have worked with Habitat, supported ECHO and the Crop Walk, prepared monthly meals for The Shelter, and supported TEAM. We work for civil rights, racial harmony, and religious freedom, and we support the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and the UU United Nations Office. We also are a Green Sanctuary that strongly supports energy conservation. From the beginning, our members have enjoyed social events that draw them closer together. They have Dinners for 8, canoeing parties, theater events, family camp-outs, musical programs, and fundraisers like Casino Night and a “Pig Roast.” By 1994, the church budget reached $85,700—today it exceeds $210,000. In 1997, a new minister, Rev. Amy McKenzie, worked to define a vision of a “shared ministry” with lay members. Our new building—dedicated to the Religious Education program—was completed on September 14, 2004. Today, this community for liberal religious faith is thriving with a campus ministry, a fine choir, and music program, in addition to a wide array of opportunities for individuals to achieve spiritual and intellectual enrichment.
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