May 24, 2007

After a recent Sunday program, some of the Unitarian Fellowship parents and kids posed in Goes Station. Pictured are, front row from left, Bengt Gregory-Brown, Corwin Gregory-Brown, Miranda Pelzl, Xander Gregory-Brown, Helena Swanson-Bishop, Michael Swanson-Bishop, Kaleb Millington, Kitty Pelham-Bush, Savanna Amos and Theresa Fletcher. Second row, from left, are Chris Doby, Kara Owens, Zyrian Arnett, James Owens, Dakota Gregory-Brown, Casey Amos, Will Turner and Emma Lord.

This is the seventh in a series of articles on
Yellow Springs spiritual communities

By Virgil Hervey

A blend, a weave, a mosaic — these are all ways in which you might describe a faith that has its roots in Unitarianism, Universalism and Congregationalism, that has much in common with the Buddhists and Quakers, and that has drawn its congregation from a wide variety of religious backgrounds. One member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Yellow Springs (UUFYS) was raised as a Catholic, practiced Buddhism and is currently a practicing Muslim. Another was a Methodist. Another former Catholic dabbled in earth-based spiritualism for awhile, and is now planning to attend divinity school to become a UUF minister. Many also attend the Dharma Center and Quaker meeting. These stories are pretty much commonplace at the local Unitarian Fellowship.

Housed in a building in Goes Station that was once a one room school house, UUFYS, after experiencing several growth spurts, especially in the past year or two, is bursting at the seams as it celebrates its 50th anniversary, said Executive Board President-elect George Katchmer in a recent interview. Liberal religion in general is seeing an increase, Katchmer said.

According to Katchmer, UUF is not dogmatic.

“It is like a gathering of neighbors and friends,” he said.

The Unitarians don’t have a creed, according to member Mary Sims. Rather, they are guided by principles that boil down to justice, equality, and being a good citizen, she said. They agree with the Ten Commandments and, according to Sims, they have an 11th -— treat others the way you want to be treated.

The term unitarian refers to the belief in one God, not a trinity, and universalism is the belief that we are not born in sin and depravity, Sims said.

According to Katchmer, Islam informs his life and the Unitarians give him the tools for critical thought and a liberal outlook. It doesn’t shake your strongly held beliefs, it informs them, he said. It is a way of looking at things, an exchange of ideas. At the fellowship people are encouraged in their own spiritual path, he said, and he sees it as a group of people experiencing different spiritual paths, “atheists to Christians to Muslims.”

The local Unitarian fellowship was organized in 1956 and is chartered by the national Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). According to Katchmer, the fellowship was started by two Antioch professors. Early members converted the schoolhouse to a place of worship with their bare hands, he said.

“We call ourselves a fellowship rather than a church, because we don’t have a minister,” Katchmer said. “We make decisions from the bottom up, rather than the top down.”

All programs and activities are planned and led by volunteers. Sometimes it can be difficult to get things done that way, said long-time member Mitzie Manny. Manny, who is a UUA ordained minister of music and celebration, accompanies hymns on the piano and is probably the closest thing the group has to an actual minister. Most Unitarian Universalist churches do have ministers, she said.

According to Sims, who has been a member for six years, they set out 85 chairs every Sunday for the service, and sometimes that number is not enough. In addition to their own growing congregation, a lot of community people come for specific programs, she said.

There has been talk about the need for a larger space, and committees have been started to consider a move, or to do something with the old building. However, there is some resistance to both growth and moving, Sims said, and some members don’t want to lose what feels like a family atmosphere.

Katchmer would like to see a move to a larger space that would bring the fellowship closer to town to serve the community better with outreach. But whatever happens, he said, the move will be decided by the entire congregation, town meeting style in a fashion that reflects the Unitarians’ New England roots.

David Kling, along with Kathy Robertson, is a director of religious education. According to Kling, there are three youth groups in the religious education program as well as a program for adults. There is a nursery for ages 0–6 years, a younger group and an older group, 13–18 years. The nursery focuses on simple developmental tasks, along with music and stories. The younger group learns Bible literacy, both Old and New Testament. The older, or coming of age group, is introduced to qualities that will help them in their transition to young adulthood, such as problem solving and working as a team. The older group recently went on a three-day retreat that involved a rope course, quiet reflection, rituals and crafts. Between the three groups, there is a total of 27 kids, Kling said.

“Religious education is experiencing a nice growth spurt,” Manny said.

Adult religious education takes place at 8:30 on Sunday mornings before the regular service in the form of a spiritual discussion group, which attracts about 10 to 12 people. The group has a specified topic each week, but conversation often veers off the path, according to Katchmer.

“It is an open exchange — intense, but in a safe atmosphere,” he said.

During the week, covenant groups of six to eight people meet to offer support and group study. These groups are concerned with the things that are going on in someone’s life or a topic of personal concern for that group, Sims said. Once-a-month potlucks are also held in groups of eight to 10 people who stay together for a whole year.

A social justice committee, chaired by Joan Chappelle, plans a social justice topic for the fellowship service once a month, Sims said.

The music program has changed a lot since Manny joined the fellowship in 1972. Originally, the fellowship had only one song and one speaker, and no real service to speak of. Now the services include a number of hymns and feature congregational participation. At a recent service that featured both a flower communion ceremony and a coming of age ceremony, it seemed as if everyone present took a turn at the microphone to offer words of wisdom for the older youth.

Manny joined the Unitarian Church on Salem Avenue in Dayton in the late 1930s. She moved to Yellow Springs in 1968, and joined the local fellowship. The fellowship has grown a lot since then, she said. For a long time, she was the only one who would attend the annual general assembly of the UUA. Now, she said, more people are going every year.

The changes Sims has seen have included more members availing themselves of training from the UUA, services going from 23 to 52 Sundays per year, a new sound system so that everyone can hear and be heard, and improved accessibility, she said.

Kling, who has been attending the fellowship for only two years, said that he was drawn to it because he finds it open, accepting and tolerant.

“We are welcoming to any lifestyle or point of view,” Katchmer said. “But although we are open, you better be ready to defend yourself. My only criticism is that sometimes we are too cerebral.”

“I’m pleased to be a part of this group,” Manny said. “It is a very important part of my life.”

Contact: vhervey@ysnews.com