Category: Universalism

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Lay-led Universalist congregation: 1796 edition

I’m reading up on the Society of United Christian Friends, an early branch of Univeralism and native to New York. It was founded in 1796 in New York City when three class leaders from the now-venerable John Street Methodist Church withdrew (before being expelled) for their Universalism. But this left them churchless and pastorless. From The Christian Universalist:

Thus situated, belonging to no church, we seriously considered what was our duty, as professors of religion, on the subject of worship. We knew that we could read the Scriptures together, pray to God for each other, sing the praise of God, our Saviour, and be helpers to each other in our common faith. We therefore determined to worship together, hoping for the enjoyment of the promise of Christ, that where two or three are gathered together in his name, he would be with them.

As it is necessary that wherever men associate for any permanent purpose, they should distinctly understand by what rules they would govern themselves in their associate character, so we thought it best to draw up these rules; and while we were engaged in this work, sundry persons who had previously belonged to the Methodist Society, and who, with us, hoped for the final happiness of all men, united with us, and among these, Barnet Mooney, a highly esteemed friend, whose sound good sense was of great service to us in the formation of our constitution; he was the writer of the preamble to it. By its title we find its date, for it is called Constitution of the Society of United Christian Friends, established at New-York, May, 1796.

Said Constitution had annually elected, non-renewable spiritual offices, and not a provision for a customarily ordained and settled pastor and deacons. This system lasted about twenty years, until Edward Mitchell (the author above) was selected its pastor. The congregation did not long survive his death in 1834.

Likewise it started in the rooms of one of the founders — a lay-led fellowship, meeting in the livivg room? — and ended up with a hall on Duane Street, later bought and converted to a Catholic Church, itself replaced on the same plot and still stands near City Hall.

But that’s not all. They had an interesting liturgical practice, too. For later.

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Sharing costs for church projects: the subscription

Subscribers for "the pirate edition", page 1
Subscribers for “the pirate edition”, page 1
The talk about the new, emerging Unitarian Universalist crowdfunding project will lead to a series of posts here.

Let me start with a pic from my “pirate edition” copy of Hosea Ballou’s Treatise on Atonement. Why this 202-year-old book? (From my library; have I never written substantively aboutit?) Because in was crowdfunded, by the subcription model.

Variations of the model continue; indeed, I recently paid into a Kickstarter appeal that (cleverly) funds an internship for investigative reporting on internship abuse. (Do I see anthor Unitarian Universalist minister’s name in that list?) So it can do some good. But how? And is it the best way?

Subcribers for "the pirate edition", page 2
Subscribers for “the pirate edition”, page 2
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The Universalist church in Harriman, Tennessee

I’ve known for years that there was a Universalist Church in Harriman, Tennessee, and that it was proposed in 1890, Young People’s Christian Union (the Universalist young adult organization) as a domestic mission.

But why Harriman, Tennessee? Why not its larger neighbor, Knoxville? Indeed, why the then-stony soils for evangelism called Tennessee?

I found a clue in a guide for the YPCU 1896 Jersey City, New Jersey meeting. One of the sponsored events was a visit to a new development on Staten Island: Prohibition Park, a wholesome place for non-drinkers to live. Harriman, too, was established in 1898 as prohibition town with a national scope and an eye to honest industry. Universalist grain magnate Ferdinand Schumacher was an investor. So I’d think settlement utopianism was the attraction.

The church is long-gone, but understand that one of its windows survives in the United Methodist church in Winterville, Georgia, near Athens.

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Sandy Day blogging

I’ve not bothered to see if Hurricane Sandy has degraded to a tropical storm (or been upgraded in colliding with that winter storm) because all evidence is that it’s terribly fierce. I hear the wind, rain and sirens of emergency vehicles.

But we’re better off than the Jersey Shore; remember its people and our beloved Murray Grove in prayer.

I wrote about hurricanes in 2003 and you can find some resources there.

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The actual hymnal I mentioned

Following up on the last post. Back in 1939, Universalist National Memorial Church (evidently) used the 1917 Universalist Hymns of the Church — not a well-loved hymnal in its own day if sales figures indicate. (The older Church Harmonies dominated until Hymns of the Spirit.) It was probably too formal for most Universalist churches, so well-pitched for “the Washington parish.”

Here’s what they sung that day. Quite a typical assortment of liberal hymnody.

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An old order of service at the old church

A little Google-noodling lead me to this order of service from Universalist National Memorial Church in 1939. Yes, the service is on one leaf — very different than the norm (in most any church) today. Indeed,

  • an outline pasted in the hymnal
  • hymns and readings on the hynmboards, and
  • announcements from the lectern would produce a similar outcome.

The difference is what the congregants then expected to receive, which is (I suspect) why today’s order of service idiom is essentially the same, bun only more elaborated. Add color, pictures, the full content of hymns today, say, … but is the printed bulletin any more useful or helpful to newcomers, who surely rely on it more than the old hands.

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Exterior work at Universalist National Memorial

A few people — including some of my dear readers — know I’ve been attending Universalist National Memorial Church regularly for a few months after having not been after the end of my pastorate (2000-2003) there. It feels good and it feel right; it is also the best church experience I’ve had in Washington in years, and I’m enjoying my time in the pew.

They’re doing some noteworthy things which should bear fruit, but more about that later. Suffice it today to note exterior masonry repairs which (I gather) should put some damage right, both to correct bad past repairs and more recent earthquake damage.

Scaffolding on tower at UNMC

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Nineteenth century "new media" social networks: thoughts for Universalist history

I found an article as a link (and example) of the author’s use of plain text to compose complex (in his case, academic) documents. I’m being drawn to this practice as a way to improve my productivity. (I now often use UberWriter, a GUI frontend application to pandoc, but will also use pandoc on the command line directly.)

But that’s not what inspires this post. That example of academic history is about role of personal relationships to build trust in the water cure. There’s something about nineteenth century American fringe movements — like mesmerism, abolitionism and women’s rights — that makes me wonder if there are lessons for Universalist history. And I hadn’t considered personal repute so clearly. (Family ties were, and still are, key in historic Southern Universalist churches.)

A thought.

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Bad quotations bear false witness

Unitarian Universalist minister and historian Peter Hughes, in a recent online article of uuworld.org, exposes the false origins of two favored passages: the “not hell, but hope” passage from Universalist pioneer John Murray and the “love alike” quotation from Francis David. I’ve wondered about the alleged Murray passage for at least five years. Why would the newly arrived Murray be making the “go out” charge? Why would Murray, the cagey preacher, play his cards so plainly? Didn’t make sense, but it wasn’t until a trip to Murray Grove that I got the truth. (Hughes tells it.)

Now we should retire these texts, especially in worship and promotional pieces. That’ll hurt; each is punchy and inspiring. I don’t read Latin to delve into David and I have read some Murray: he wasn’t the master of the quip. We should read their works — and others who have brought us to this day — but read them for what they are, and not for who we would have them be. Their heritage and our integrity depend on this.