Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis.
(The times are changed and we are changed within them.)
Definitions from two editions of Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary:
| 1994 Edition1 | 1971 Edition2 |
| Unitarian - n. One who denies the doctrine of the Trinity, believing that God exists only in one person; also, one of a denomination of Christians holding this belief. | unitarian n. A). often cap. - one who believes that the deity exists only in one person B) cap. - a member of a denomination that stresses individual freedom of belief, the free use of reason in religion, a united world community, and liberal social action. |
| Universalism - n. theol. - The doctrine that all men will eventually be saved | universalism - n. A). often cap. - a theological doctrine that all men will eventually be saved B) the principles and practices of a liberal Christian denomination founded in the 18th century to uphold belief in universal salvation and now united with Unitarianism |
No matter how much the official definition of their religion changed, however, church members were not bound by any definition or creed. Long ago, the Sacramento Unitarian Society had resolved doctrinaire debates in a simple but effective fashion. At its annual meeting in 1926, it had incorporated into its by-laws this simple provision: “No religious test shall be required of any member or of any applicant.”3
Everything was upbeat upon the resumption of regular Sunday services on September 4, 1960, in the newly constructed church building. Most of the 450 members were under fifty and full of enthusiasm for converting the largely rustic, undeveloped site into a park-like environment. There was still a mountain of tasks to be accomplished. Among other things, a parking lot had to be graded from the slightly rolling terrain still covered with unkempt weeds and wildflowers.
From the beginning, the congregation had planned for the facility to be harmonious with nature, spacious and open to the skies, winds, rains, dews, fogs, mists, stars, and sunlight. surrounded by greenery. Above all, they wanted an environment conducive to the soaring of free spirits and the flow of ideas, enhanced by the beauty of the visual arts, of poetry spoken and written, of prose old and new.
At that triumphal time, the congregation was without a minister, the Rev. Theodore Abell having just retired. Earlier, the American Unitarian Association had provided guidance to the autonomous Sacramento Society in its process of selecting another minister. That procedure began in May when the Directors created a committee which presented a slate of 14 nominees from which a seven-member Pulpit Committee was to be elected by congregational vote. The biographies of the candidates having been published, a special meeting was convened on May 22nd at which these committee members were elected:
| James A. Bradfield, Chairman | |
| Clifton Gordon Sylvia Karkanen Mario Levy |
May O'Neill Eleanor Van Valkenburgh David Whittlesey |
Rev. Victor Goff, Regional Director of the Pacific Coast Unitarian Conference, gave professional guidance in the use of the Unitarian Association’s “Recommended Procedure for Churches Seeking New Ministers”4 including a four-hour instructional conference for Pulpit Committee members. The Committee prepared its prospectus describing the Sacramento Society for prospective candidates for its pulpit.
In the preparation of the prospectus, the Pulpit Committee circulated a questionnaire designed to solicit measurable data from its members. In July, a six-page “Tabulation of Returns to the Questionnaire from The Pulpit Committee”5 summarized the information from the 174 forms returned of those mailed to 446 members, a 39% rate of response.
Fifty-nine percent of responses to the questionnaire were by women, 41 % by men. The estimated number of children in the congregation was 500, 73% being under the age of 12 and 14% age 12 to 14.
As for the composition of the congregation by age group, 67% were between 26 and 50 years old; 17% were aged 51 to 65, and 12% were over 65.
In reply to the question “How much formal education have you had?” 11% stated that they had not graduated from high school. Eighty-nine percent had attended college, ranging from 20% reporting some college to 19% having a graduate degree.
Of the 27 numbered items in the questionnaire, the first 20 were designed to elicit opinions. The first question was this: “The following are phrases which might be used to describe the minister we are seeking. Please check the five phrases which you consider most important.”
Responses showed a desire for these qualities in a minister:
66% - A man with a mature personality
51% - A man who is sensitive to people and their needs
49% - One who understands and works easily in group situations
44% - A man who has a quick and creative mind
44% - A man with a sense of humor
Next, a list of eleven different kinds of sermons a minister might deliver was presented with the request that a check mark be made by those considered most important. These were the five most frequently checked topics:
65% - The personal problems most people live with
60% - Current issues: world, national, or local
59% - Philosophical ideas
54% - Personal moral obligations
45% - An interpretation of the many world religions
10% - Sermons drawn from the Bible
To get an indication of members’ theological identity, they were asked to choose which among several phrases best described their religious philosophy. These were some of the responses to 17 such questions:
82% - One who would examine all sources of religious and philosophical teaching as potential guides to moral and ethical development
75% - One who believes that religious truth is derived from nature and not from miraculous or supernatural revelation
70% - One who emphasizes human values, as opposed to supernatural values in religion
57% - One who finds the term “Christian” too limiting to define his religious philosophy
39% - One who believes only in that which seems rational and credible
33% - One who believes that we cannot know for sure whether God exists
15% - One who believes in an impersonal God as a creator and guiding force in the universe,/
4% - One who believes in a personal God who concerns himself with humans
4% - One who denies the existence of God
In reply to the question, “Why do you identify yourself with a Unitarian Society?”, these are some of the replies to eight statements offered:
59% - I like Unitarians‘ principles of liberal religion, creedal freedom, and rational approach to religion.
6% - I identify with them for my children’s sake.
1% - I was raised in a Unitarian or other liberal church.
The prospectus which was sent to candidates also included a comprehensive description of the Society. They were told that the budget for 1960 was $22,554, representing a per capita expenditure of $50.57 for each of the 446 members.6 The ministerial budget allotment was $8,303, of which $7,000 was for salary. The proposed 1961 budget included an increase to $9,785 for the ministerial budget item.
1 Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Fifth Edition, G. & c. Merriam Co., Publishers, Springfield, Mass., copyright 1944.
2 Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & c. Merriam Co., Springfield, Mass., copyright 1971.
3 Authorized History of the Unitarian Universalist Society, Sacramento, Vol. 2, 1915-1945, Chapter 15, 1977.
4 “Recommended Procedure For Churches and Fellowships Seeking New Ministers”, Department of Ministry, A.U.A., 25 Beacon Street, Boston 8. Mass, October 1958. A copy is filed with the Board Minutes of the Special Meeting, 22 May 1960.
5 This “Tabulation” dated 28 July 1960 is filed with the Minutes of the Board of Directors meeting of 8 August 1960.
6 “Report to the Annual Meeting”, 22 January 1961, filed with the Minutes of the Board of Directors for that date.
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