At ORUUC, we're not perfect… far from it. ;xNLx;But, we've got a dream that the world could be different. That every life could be honored. ;xNLx;And that, as we reach out in love, love would change us, as well.
In 1947, a small group of like-minded liberals found one another, and began to meet in homes to discuss their concern for the religious education of their children, and their desire to fulfill their own spiritual needs
Rev. Lon Ray Call Rev. Grant Butler Rev. Richard Henry is minister for both churches - Knoxville and Oak Ridge
In the summer after Rev. Bliss left, church services were moved to the Green Room of Ridge Recreation Hall. By this move we achieved a morning service time, long an objective. Sunday school was still held at Elm Grove School, but at some point was moved to Jefferson Junior High across the street from Ridge Recreation.
Rev. Paul Bliss comes to Oak Ridge to a church wanting to be active and independent here 12/31/1950 Oak Ridge Church dedication, Rev. Paul Bliss becomes first full time minister
Rev. Paul Arow, a local liberal minister and friend of the church, and Rev. Dan Welch serve as interim ministers
At about the time the Grahams arrived, our senior high young people affiliated with the Unitarian youth organization, the LRY (Liberal Religious Youth). This happened in 1954 as an extension of our church school program. Steve Sapirie was the first student president, and the first high school graduate. Robert Kernohan (Uncle Bob) was the adult sponsor and youth Sunday school teacher for many years.
22 years of service and leadership to ORUC and Oak Ridge
With great foresight, in 1947 the Unitarians made their move to acquire land and selected a lot at the corner of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Robertsville Road. For us, one of the attractions of this property was the across-the-street location of the “Wildcat Den” youth center, which we anticipated might serve as extra religious education space on Sundays. Now older, some Youth from that time remember having Sunday School around the Wildcat Den's pool tables.
Some of our members had ideas for community benefit projects, and about this time used our church structure to provide a vehicle for implementing their hopes. As a result, a Projects Committee was established to work on these ideas. Our new committee set up a workshop on mental hygiene, which was the forerunner of the Oak Ridge Mental Health Association. The committee also originated the Oak Ridge Unit of Recording for the Blind.
Raising Money: To accomplish all this construction, past and future, the church sponsored a long series of fund-raisers.
The Handicraft Fair, sometimes called “The Fall Fling”, was one of the most popular activities for the church and the community at large
Under Rev. Graham’s leadership the church joined like-minded groups from other denominations in forming the Community Relations Council and the Oak Ridge Federation for Equal Public Services. Church members Robert and Elizabeth Peelle were the prime movers for the Community Relations Council. Unfortunately, at the end of the 1950’s many public facilities were still not open to all.
THE FLOWER COMMUNION CEREMONY WAS FREQUENTLY HELD ON EASTER WITH CHILDREN IN THEIR BEST CLOTHES HANDING OUT DAFFODILS FROM MEMBERS’ GARDENS.
We soon found there was a glare problem from the window behind the pulpit at the time of morning services, and some of our clever and artistic members, including Betty Graham, John Googin, and John Turpin created a large and unusual shoji screen, using butcher paper, Kleenex, and diluted Elmer’s Glue to incorporate dried grasses and flowers.
An example of continuing segregation was in local cemeteries. Robert Officer died in February, 1958. His wife, Arizona Officer, asked for the church’s help in finding integrated burial space.
Within the church and throughout the community, Unitarians demonstrated their values.
The Tenth Anniversary Celebration in September 1960, chaired by Helen Kniseley and Jack Goodwin, involved most members of the church.
Fun and food are reasons for fellowship
So many kids; so little room ....The Religious Education Committee, as Marjorie Ketelle, firmly told the Board, was in an “untenable situation” in November 1960. There were 230 children enrolled, four classes were at the Wild Cat Den, and the new addition probably would not be finished by the start of classes the next year. With all-volunteer staff, including nursery attendants, the committee struggled through until the addition was completed.
In 1961, The American Unitarian Association (to which the Oak Ridge Unitarian Church belonged) joined with the Universalist Church of America to form the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA). The Oak Ridge Unitarian Church, however, did not change its name to include the “Universalist” name until 1983. Later the Oak Ridge Unitarian Church members voted to affiliate with the new Thomas Jefferson District of the UUA, approved the District By-Laws, and cast their ballots for District officers at a special congregational meeting on January 27, 1963. There was an active Denominational Affairs Committee and members continued to participate in both the national and district organizations.
A 4,000 ft addition with classrooms, a larger lobby, and new kitchen was completed in 1962.
The Board in 1960 was a hands-on Board and through its Administrative Committee appointed and approved all committee chairs and members. They wrestled with problems ranging from malfunctioning mimeograph machines, changing the name and format of the newsletter (The Exponent made its debut in 1962 thanks to Ralph Kniseley), membership promotion, sale of the parsonage, major additions to the building, to the purchase of stands and urns for flowers. The organization of the church evolved. The Board was enlarged to 12 members in April 1963, with chairs of committees to serve on the Board, and closer contact between the Board and committees. Ralph Kniseley suggested the development of personnel policies for the secretary and also that “Board meetings have an agenda” (Board Minutes, July 8, 1964). The role of “friends of the church”, and whether they could be chairs or voting members of committees was resolved and “friends” were allowed to work but not vote in Congregational Meetings. New Policies of Church Administration were presented in 1967 but the Board agreed that a “flexible, less legalistic approach should be taken”, culminating in the new church organization manual adopted in May 1968.
Church League basketball was an important recreation program. In November 1963, 6 boys and 9 girls signed up; $58.10 was needed to cover expenses and Mary Nelson was “given license to raise it somewhere”. (Board Minutes, Nov. 12, 1963). The program grew and by 1964 there were 61 children (50 Unitarians) shooting hoops. Dr. Avery King became the girls’ coach, and in later years, Board member Stan Kirslis resigned his board seat to devote more time to his basketball responsibilities.
Beautification, and plans for a private office for the minister were initiated. The Oak Ridger (Oct. 23, 1964) carried “Unitarians Re-Decorate” to the outside world with a picture of a stunning wildflower screen in the front of the sanctuary.
A choir and pianist provided music for the services. The choir was led initially by volunteers Marvin Whately, Ralph Kniseley, and Howard Adler, and its continued existence was sometimes “marginal” (Board minutes, May 10, 1964). Robert Shepard, another church member, then took over the job on a contract basis in the late sixties. After practice, the singers frequently adjourned to a nearby restaurant for a beer and snacks. A children’s choir was started in 1963. Joan Feldman, followed, in 1961 by Elizabeth Hanson who stayed with the church for many years, were the pianists. A new piano was discussed frequently, but continued as a low priority compared to the problems of additional space until 1966 when one was purchased.o here
In an effort to have people know each other, President Ralph Kniseley reported that “John Googin single-handedly has made name tags for the entire congregation.” (Board Minutes, Jan. 18, 1967).
Budget making was a high priority: the decade began with a finance campaign “Things Yet To Be” and a total church budget of $23,930. By 1969 - 70, the budget was $37,492 and the rallying theme “In The Spring, You Have To Plant The Seeds”. As the church labored to raise adequate money to meet budgeted needs, different approaches were taken - dinners, clever songs, charts, supplementary canvasses and “....guidelines for pledging..... to help members realistically assess their share of participation in the program of the church. It is hoped that the canvass can be pretty well completed within a two week period, so that the budget can be prepared....” (Board Minutes, Mar. 13, 1968, Marjorie Ketelle, Ass’t Secretary).
Community activities included support of Awareness House, a community attempt to deal with a growing drug problem among Oak Ridge youth.
The choir was led in the 1970’s and 1980’s by Robert Shepard and later by his wife, Phyllis.
Rev. Graham sent a letter to our board describing challenges he saw for our church. There was a decline in employment in Oak Ridge, and a decline in church attendance on a national basis. Our members are older; we seemed to be in a holding pattern. He felt we should address these problems by aggressive preventative measures, particularly by creating attractive programs to draw in new members. Later in the year he suggested that congregational meetings should be held twice a year: in the fall for program planning, and in the spring for budget creation. This suggestion was later adopted. A special committee was set up to explore the issue of alcoholic beverages in the church. The Board decided against any such permission for a variety of reasons, mostly involving our image in the community. It was said that the conditions in 1971 were much like those in 1955, for example. This would continue to be an issue for us. Opposition to smoking was also expressed.
We temporarily lost our R.E. Director Mary Nelson when the Nelsons took an extended trip to Europe, but Virginia Jones ably took over in that position. Virginia Jones resigned as R.E. Director, after a job well done in makeshift quarters. In September, 1973 Mary Nelson returned from Europe and resumed her former position.
In the spring the Board discussed the reported military surveillance of four UUA churches, and the UUA Board’s resulting protest. At the same time, the Beacon Press was being harassed by the Justice Department following their publication of the Pentagon Papers. The church sent letters to our U.S. Senators William Brock and Howard Baker, protesting the handling of the Beacon Press issue. Our senators forwarded the letters to the Justice Department and the FBI, from whom we received polite responses.
An “extended family” program began, and involved many of our members in extended family groups which met for dinners and other multi-generational activities. An Organization and Policy Committee with George Ragan as chair was started to re-examine our methods of operation. Later a Church Council was initiated as an outgrowth of this committee’s recommendations. This Council, made up of committee chairs, staff, and Board members, worked to promote cooperation between committees and to develop programs for the church.
On Sunday, October 29, 1972 we had an uneventful congregational meeting. The last person left the building at 10:30 p.m., and everything seemed fine. A few minutes before 1:00 a.m. a patrol car driven by Officer R.W. Henley passed on the Turnpike. Officer Henley saw flames and radioed for the fire department. Three companies responded, and as a result we still had a church, albeit a desperately damaged one. The bathrooms, the nursery, and an adjoining storage closet were gutted. The telephone on the wall by the office melted; the whole building suffered massive smoke damage. The Counts mosaic was hanging in the hall but was undamaged, although its metal frame was distorted by the heat.
In January, 1974, as a change in policy, the Board voted that alcohol be allowed in the building only when “specifically approved by the Board”. It then approved wine for the upcoming homecoming celebration weekend. (In April we would restrict smoking to an area to be selected by the Board President. So do our permissible vices evolve.)
We returned to the renovated church in March, 1974, with a celebration (its theme The Phoenix Rises) the weekend of March 22-24. A poem by Arthur Graham includes the lines “Our will and sacrifice, our need/ Has lifted this place from ashes.” It happened just that way.
The sculpture is “Flight”, a bronze with stylized birds by David Bowie, which was hung in the sanctuary. The sculpture, in two pieces has adapted beautifully to various spaces as the church building has evolved during the years.
An interim minister, the Reverend John Wood, filled our pulpit in early 1976. Although here only a short time, Rev. Wood was an effective and beloved presence. During his residence here, a search committee for a permanent minister found Howard Box.
Howard Box's candidacy occurred in late August and early September, 1976. Rev. Box was called, and he and his wife Jean and three children moved to Oak Ridge in December. He started his ministerial duties at that time; his official installation was on March 13, 1977.
A painting commissioned by the Memorial Committee was delivered by Mary Smyser, and dedicated on April 23, 1978. This was untitled, many artists felt that interpretation of a work should be left to the beholder. Howard Box, our Minister, was not so sure, suggesting that “The argument is defensible that ‘if you can express your theme in words, you don’t have to paint’”. However, ministers are seldom shy about putting things into words, and I want to repeat what Jacinta Howard, Memorial Committee Chair, said at the dedication. She shared a conversation she had had with Mary in which they referred to a Chinese story wherein “a lotus seed falls into the mud, then slowly sprouts and grows until at last it gives forth its fragrance into the air”. In fairness, this is Jacinta’s and my commentary, and each of us will make our own as we continue to enjoy the painting.
The Board remained interested in sponsoring a venue for young people, similar to the old “Coffee House”. It would not be called the Coffee House, since this had undesirable connotations related to drugs. At some point it was decided to call this venture “Friday Night Live” and not limit attendance to high school students. This project subsequently started and went well, with live entertainment and paid admission.
In early February, 1979, our church and the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church (TVUUC) in Knoxville celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of our joint beginning. The celebration was held in Knoxville, and included participation by the Rev. Richard Henry (the first minister of the joint church) and by John Buehrens, Minister at TVUUC and future president of the UUA.
The members brought their values into the community. In the church all manner of issues were discussed: sociological, political, theological or physical. The minister’s contract allowed him to voice his opinions from the pulpit or elsewhere. The church committees could also voice the opinions of their members. However, the church could, and still can, take a public position only as a result of a majority vote at an appropriately called meeting.
There was also an active Adult Education program which enriched the lives of both church members and friends. A variety of topics to study in smaller groups ranged from book discussions to yoga, from walks in the woods to personal growth; from Great Decisions to an historical approach to the Bible.
Early 80s, Peggy Meier was the RE Director. Barbara Dyer became RE Director in 1982. In 1986, Donna Mosby became the R.E. Director.
Finally, in 1983, the Oak Ridge Unitarians voted to change their name to the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church or ORUUC as it is commonly known.
“Roots Of Our Strength”, a dramatic presentation about Unitarian Universalist women of the 19th and early 20th centuries
The multi-generational Spring migration to a local state park for a weekend in the woods was initiated in the early ‘80s and continues to the present.
The ‘80's also saw the beginning of one of the greatest re-cycle, fund-raising, eagerly-anticipated events in Oak Ridge - the ORUUC Rummage Sale! In 1980 and 1981, the Montessori School had a rummage sale that was successful. In 1982, the church had a sale to benefit a specific cause. In 1983 the sale cleared about $3,000 and was on its way to becoming a tradition. In the mid-‘80s Betsy and Martin Bauer joined the church and under Betsy’s steady hand and Martin’s and Jack Goodwin’s technical know-how for the computers and small appliances, the rummage sale became a yearly event with participation by many in the congregation.
This project was built, in large part, thanks to ORUUC members Watch this later rebuild:
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