Unitarian Universalists Celebrate 50 Years in Fairlawn

The ’s decision 50 years ago to move from the “center city” of Akron to the farmlands of Fairlawn Village created a rift in the congregation. Some members left the church. And the minister followed them.

It was a tumultuous era for the church, then known as the First Universalist Church of Akron – but it’s one that is celebrated today as part of the congregation’s “incredibly rich history,” said the Rev. Tim Temerson.

That rich history has been recorded for posterity in a recently published 60-page commemorative booklet compiled by historian Norma Rios. Temerson said Rios was the perfect person to head up the book project, considering the fact that the 55-year church member witnessed much of that history first-hand.

“There are many things I remember, plus my memory has been jogged by talking to other people and researching minutes and annual reports,” Rios said.

The keepsake book, “50 Years on Morewood Road,” celebrates the congregation’s decision to purchase a 6.5-acre plot of farmland in Fairlawn to construct a modern, sprawling house of worship. The “new” building was dedicated in November 1961.

“There were some tumultuous times then. It was the ’60s and the civil rights movements were starting. We were moving out into the suburbs and it was harder for people to get to the new location. Some of them left the church. There were a lot of concerns that we had not had before,” Rios said.

Even the congregation’s focus and style of worship were changing.

“When we were at Mill and Broadway (in Akron) we were a Universalist church. When we moved to Fairlawn in 1961 we became a Unitarian Universalist church,” Rios said. “We went from being focused on a more Christian Universalist (doctrine) to focusing on how we could help other people. It became more about the service that we can do in the community, and in the world, actually.”

Temerson said it was the 250-member congregation’s rich history of community involvement that attracted him to the Fairlawn church in August 2009.

“This church has a wonderful legacy of – and continuing commitment to – spiritual growth and social justice in the community,” Temerson said. “In the late 1990s, this church voted to become what’s called a welcoming congregation. It’s a wonderful program that deeply respects, welcomes and affirms the worth and dignity of (people who are) gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender.”

Temerson said he admires the congregation’s eagerness to continually grow and evolve. In just the past two years, the church community has embraced new styles of worship and music that are vastly different from those experienced by congregants 50 years ago.

“We are becoming a more vibrant, energetic place of worship. We have The UU Band, a five-person jazz combo that performs once monthly during services. There’s dancing in the aisles. They really get people moving,” he said.

Temerson is a big fan of the church’s music program and ministry. “We have a wonderful 30-member chancel choir. Our music director, Bob Carlyon, does a great job of blending traditional church music with more-contemporary music. The choir adds a great dimension of beauty and dynamism to our worship services,” he explained.

A popular initiative launched last fall is “Friday Night Alive,” a once-monthly lay-led alternative worship service preceded by a potluck dinner. “They have their own bands that come in and the service is less structured than on Sundays. It’s become a great worship experience,” Temerson said.

The church’s religious education programs have always been one of its strengths, Temerson said. “The programs that really shine are religious education for children and youth. Our director of religious education, Rich Roberts, has a great reputation that draws many families to the church,” he explained.

Asked what that education entails, and Temerson shares the slogan: We’re a religion of deeds, not creeds.

“I see Unitarian Universalism as a great religious experiment,” he said. “People who come into our community with diverse beliefs come together around a common set of values, like love, compassion, justice, acceptance of one another and peace. That’s what this religion is all about.”

For more information about the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron visit its website, call 330-836-2206 or attend the “Brown Bag Lunch with Rev. Tim,” held at noon nearly every Thursday at the church.