The Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley (UUCB) was founded as the First Unitarian Church of Berkeley in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

in 1891 and moved to

Kensington, California Kensington is an unincorporated community and census designated place located in the Berkeley Hills, in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area, in Contra Costa County, California. In the 20th century it was considered part of Berkeley ...

in 1961. It is one of the oldest and largest

Unitarian Universalist Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present) ...

churches on the West Coast and has had many distinguished members, including numerous professors at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. It is highly regarded for its music program as well as its series of renowned ministers and its many avenues for spiritual growth, learning, and social action.

History

The First Unitarian Church of Berkeley was founded on July 12, 1891. (The name was changed to Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley in 1998.) Its first minister was Edward B. Payne. The church occupied rented quarters for several years, purchasing land for a building at Bancroft Way and Dana Street in 1893. Following a resolution by the Pacific Coast Unitarian Conference to establish a Unitarian divinity school, an ambitious design for the church and seminary was drawn by architect Joachim Mathisen. However, the

Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States that began in 1893 and ended in 1897. It deeply affected every sector of the economy, and produced political upheaval that led to the political realignment of 1896 and the pres ...

intervened, and the seminary did not materialize until later, eventually becoming the

Starr King School for the Ministry Starr King School for the Ministry is a Unitarian Universalist seminary in Oakland, California. The seminary was formed in 1904 to educate leaders for the growing number of progressive religious communities in the western part of the US. The scho ...

. A more modest design by

A. C. Schweinfurth A. C. Schweinfurth (1864–1900), born Albert Cicero Schweinfurth, was an American architect. He is associated with the First Bay Tradition. The son of a German woodcarver who had immigrated to the United States a decade before his son Albert wa ...

for the church alone was built in 1898. The redwood-shingled First Unitarian Church became a landmark of Bay Region "building with nature" architecture and still stands at the same location, now used as a dance studio on the University of California campus. It has been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

(NRHP) since 1981.

Bernard Maybeck Bernard Ralph Maybeck (February 7, 1862 – October 3, 1957) was an American architect in the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th century. He was an instructor at University of California, Berkeley. Most of his major buildings were in ...

, another leading California Arts and Crafts architect, was a member of the church and designed its parish hall, built in 1909 (not extant). (He had been out of the country during the period when the Schweinfurth building was designed and built.) He also made sketches for a Mission Revival style building for the Pacific Unitarian School for the Ministry. In the mid 1950s, the elderly Maybeck was also the owner of a tract of land in Kensington, an unincorporated area of the Berkeley Hills, which he sold at a discount to the church when it had outgrown its old building and the university had taken the property through

eminent domain Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...

. A new church building on the Kensington site was designed by Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons with Theodore Bernardi as lead architect. Bernardi was a great admirer of Maybeck and said Maybeck's work influenced his church design.

Geraldine Knight Scott Geraldine "Gerry" Knight Scott (July 16, 1904 – August 2, 1989) was a California landscape architect. She taught landscape architecture at the University of California, Berkeley and was a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects. S ...

was the landscape architect. The congregation began using the main building in 1961; two religious education classroom buildings were added soon thereafter. During the planning for the move to Kensington, a segment of the congregation, dissatisfied with the move and the leadership of the Rev. J. Raymond Cope, decided to remain in Berkeley proper. They formed th
Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists
which still exists at Cedar and Bonita Streets.

Loyalty oath resistance

In 1950, Harold Levering, a California assemblyman from Bel Air, proposed an amendment to the state constitution that would require all religious institutions to sign a

loyalty oath A loyalty oath is a pledge of allegiance to an organization, institution, or state of which an individual is a member. In the United States, such an oath has often indicated that the affiant has not been a member of a particular organization or ...

or lose their tax-exempt status. The demand for a loyalty oath already applied to all public employees of the state through the

Levering Act The Levering Act (Cal. Gov. Code § 3100-3109) was a law enacted by the U.S. state of California in 1950. It required state employees to subscribe to a loyalty oath that specifically disavowed radical beliefs. It was aimed in particular at employees ...

, but this was the first time in the history of the United States that a government imposed such an oath on a religious group. It was passed into the California state constitution by popular vote in 1952. Religious institutions had until March 1954 to decide whether or not they would comply. Most churches signed the oath, but the First Unitarian Church of Berkeley, led by Rev. J. Raymond Cope, joined the

First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles is an independent congregation affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, which is considered a Protestant denomination. Since its founding in 1877 the church has been a leader i ...

and a few other congregations (Unitarians, Methodists, and

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

) in refusing to sign. Their tax-exempt status was revoked, but in 1958 the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

declared the Levering oath unconstitutional, and taxes that had been paid were refunded.

Music

Under the direction of Dr. Bryan Baker, the church continues a tradition of fine music production. Vocal music is performed by "Luminescence" (the main choir), a Youth and Children's Choir, and other ensembles. An

Aeolian-Skinner Æolian-Skinner Organ Company, Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts was an American builder of a large number of pipe organs from its inception as the Skinner Organ Company in 1901 until its closure in 1972. Key figures were Ernest M. Skinner (1866– ...

organ, three grand pianos (Yamaha, Chickering and Baldwin), a harpsichord, and a

gamelan Gamelan () ( jv, ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀, su, ᮌᮙᮨᮜᮔ᮪, ban, ᬕᬫᭂᬮᬦ᭄) is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. T ...

are among the many musical instruments featured in church services and special events. The church is the home of the Kensington Symphony Orchestra and is frequently used for musical recordings because of its excellent acoustics.

André Watts André Watts (born June 20, 1946) is an American classical pianist and professor at the Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University. In 2020, he was elected to the American Philosophical Society. Life and early performances Born in Nuremberg ...

gave piano recitals at the church in the early 1990s, two of which were recorded on the EMI label. A sing-along performance of

Handel's Messiah ''Messiah'' (HWV 56) is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel. The text was compiled from the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter by Charles Jennens. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 ...

has been a December tradition since 1966.

Advocacy and social action

The congregation has a strong commitment to social justice and a history of progressive actions to foster human rights, world peace, and humane living conditions for all. In recent years it has especially focused on marriage equality and immigration justice. Ongoing projects also include both financial and volunteer support of the Greater Richmond Interfaith Project and its family shelter, the Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Community Organization (CCISCO), a partner Unitarian church and village in the

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

region of Romania, the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry California, the

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) is a non-profit, nonsectarian associate member organization of the Unitarian Universalist Association that works to provide disaster relief and promote human rights and social justice around the ...

, and numerous other organizations.

Publications

* In 1898 the Women's Auxiliary of the First Unitarian Church of Berkeley published ''A Berkeley Year: A Sheaf of Nature Essays'', edited by Eva V. Carlin, which includes writings by members

Charles Keeler Charles Augustus Keeler (October 7, 1871 – July 31, 1937) was an American author, poet, ornithologist and advocate for the arts, particularly architecture. Biography Early life Charles Keeler was born on October 7, 1871 in Milwaukee, Wisconsi ...

Joseph Le Conte Joseph Le Conte (alternative spelling: Joseph LeConte) (February 26, 1823 – July 6, 1901) was a physician, geologist, professor at the University of California, Berkeley and early California conservationist. Early life Of Huguenot descent, h ...

Willis Jepson Willis Linn Jepson (August 19, 1867 – November 7, 1946) was an early California botanist, conservationist, and writer. Career Born at Little Oak Ranch near Vacaville, California, Jepson became interested in botany as a boy and explore ...

, and others, with ornamentation by Louise Keeler.(OCLC 4948044) * ''Natural Versus Supernatural, or A Man as a Unified Whole and as Part of Nature as a Unified Whole,'' by

William Emerson Ritter William Emerson Ritter (November 21, 1856 – January 10, 1944) was an American biologist. Ritter initiated and shaped the Marine Biological Association of San Diego (now Scripps Institution of Oceanography of UC San Diego) and the American S ...

, 38 pp., 1933. (OCLC 14525907) * ''What Does a Sermon Do,'' by Rev. Richard F. Boeke with an introduction by Huston Smith, 32 pp., 1974. (OCLC 2505586) * ''The First Unitarian Church of Berkeley: A History,'' a 23-page booklet by Merv Hasselmann, was printed in 1981 for the church's 90th anniversary. (OCLC 8354855) * Co-minister Barbara Hamilton-Holway authored three books as a resource for small group ministry in Unitarian Universalist churches: ''Evensong: An Eight-Week Series of Gatherings,'' (1999, ), ''Evensong, Volume Two'' (2002, ), and ''Evensong for Families'' (2006, ). She also wrote ''Who Will Remember Me? A Daughter's Memoir of Grief and Recovery'' (2004, ). Co-minister Bill Hamilton-Holway is co-author of ''Gatherings: Small Group Ministry for Men'' (2006, ).

Called ministers at UUCB

*Edward B. Payne, 1892–1897, formerly minister of First Congregational Church of Berkeley and subsequently founder of Utopian community Altruria and spiritualist *William B. Geoghegan, 1897–1899, formerly and later of First Unitarian Church in New Bedford, Mass. *Frederick L. Hosmer, 1900–1904, writer of many hymns *John Howland Lathrop, 1905–1911 *Arthur Maxson Smith, 1911–1915 *Harold E.B. Speight, 1915–1921, Field Director of American Red Cross *Robert French Leavens, 1922–1925, compiler of ''Great Companions: Readings on the Meaning and Conduct of Life from Ancient and Modern Sources'', 1927 (OCLC 1360662) *Eldred C. Vanderlaan, 1925–1932, a signer of the

Humanist Manifesto ''Humanist Manifesto'' is the title of three manifestos laying out a humanist worldview. They are the original ''Humanist Manifesto'' (1933, often referred to as Humanist Manifesto I), the ''Humanist Manifesto II'' (1973), and ''Humanism and It ...

, 1933 *Horace Westwood, 1934–1945 *J. Raymond Cope, 1946–1968 *Howard W. Oliver, 1969–1972, later executive director of

American Federation of Television and Radio Artists The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) was a performers' union that represented a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording ar ...

*Richard F. Boeke, 1973–1994 *Barbara and Bill Hamilton-Holway, 1996–2014 *Christopher (Craethnenn) Holton Jablonski, Minister of Religious Education, 2005–2011 *Christian Schmidt and Kristin Grassel Schmidt, 2016-2020

Some notable past members

* Kinsey Anderson *

Marian Diamond Marian Cleeves Diamond (November 11, 1926 – July 25, 2017) was an American scientist and educator who is considered one of the founders of modern neuroscience. She and her team were the first to publish evidence that the brain can change with ...

Joseph FabryLucile W. Green
*

Bernard Loomer Bernard MacDougall Loomer (March 5, 1912 – August 15, 1985) was an American professor and theologian. Loomer was longtime Dean of the University of Chicago Divinity School and a leading proponent of Process Theology. Biography Loomer is p ...

Aurelia Henry Reinhardt Aurelia Isabel Henry Reinhardt (April 1, 1877 – January 28, 1948) was an American educator, activist, and prominent member and leader of numerous organizations. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berk ...

Malvina Reynolds Malvina Reynolds (August 23, 1900 – March 17, 1978) was an American folk/blues singer-songwriter and political activist, best known for her songwriting, particularly the songs "Little Boxes", "What Have They Done to the Rain" and "Morningtown ...

Charles Seeger Charles Louis Seeger Jr. (December 14, 1886 – February 7, 1979) was an American musicologist, composer, teacher, and folklorist. He was the father of the American folk singers Pete Seeger (1919–2014), Peggy Seeger (b. 1935), and Mike Seeger ( ...

* Frederick C. Torrey *

Earl Morse Wilbur Earl Morse Wilbur (Jericho, Vermont, April 26, 1866 – Berkeley, California, January 8, 1956) was an American Unitarian minister, educator, and historian of Unitarianism. Wilbur was the first dean 1904-1910; then president 1911-1931; and u ...

Some notable past guest speakers

* Ysaye Barnwell *

Robert Bellah Robert Neelly Bellah (February 23, 1927 – July 30, 2013) was an American sociologist and the Elliott Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. He was internationally known for his work related to the sociology of reli ...

Forrest Church Frank Forrester Church IV (September 23, 1948 – September 24, 2009) was a leading Unitarian Universalist minister, author, and theologian. He was Senior Minister of the Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York City, until late 2006 when he ...

Daniel Ellsberg Daniel Ellsberg (born April 7, 1931) is an American political activist, and former United States military analyst. While employed by the RAND Corporation, Ellsberg precipitated a national political controversy in 1971 when he released the ''Pent ...

Viktor Frankl Viktor Emil Frankl (26 March 1905 – 2 September 1997) was an Austrian psychiatrist who founded logotherapy, a school of psychotherapy that describes a search for a life's meaning as the central human motivational force. Logotherapy is part ...

Johan Galtung Johan Vincent Galtung (born 24 October 1930) is a Norwegian sociologist who is the principal founder of the discipline of peace and conflict studies. He was the main founder of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) in 1959 and served as its ...

Van Jones Anthony Kapel "Van" Jones (born September 20, 1968) is an American news and political commentator, author, and lawyer. He is the co-founder of several non-profit organizations, a three-time ''New York Times'' bestselling author, a CNN host and c ...

Jack Kornfield Jack Kornfield (born 1945) is an American writer and teacher in the Vipassana movement in American Theravada Buddhism. He trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, Burma and India, first as a student of the Thai forest master Ajahn Chah and Mahasi ...

George Lakoff George Philip Lakoff (; born May 24, 1941) is an American cognitive linguistics, cognitive linguist and philosopher, best known for his thesis that people's lives are significantly influenced by the conceptual metaphors they use to explain comple ...

Rabbi Michael Lerner Michael Lerner (born 1943) is an American political activist, the editor of '' Tikkun'', a progressive Jewish interfaith magazine based in Berkeley, California, and the rabbi of Beyt Tikkun Synagogue in Berkeley. Biography Family and education ...

Holly Near Holly Near (born June 6, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, teacher, and activist. Early years Holly Near was born in Ukiah, California, United States, and was raised on a ranch in Potter Valley, California. She was eight years o ...

Linus Pauling Linus Carl Pauling (; February 28, 1901August 19, 1994) was an American chemist, biochemist, chemical engineer, peace activist, author, and educator. He published more than 1,200 papers and books, of which about 850 dealt with scientific top ...

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf Feisal Abdul Rauf ( ar, فيصل عبد الرؤوف, born October 23, 1948) is a Kuwaiti-born Egyptian-American Sufi imam, author, and activist whose stated goal is to improve relations between the Muslim world and the West. From 1983 to 2009, h ...

Rosemary Radford Ruether Rosemary Radford Ruether (1936–2022) was an American feminist scholar and Roman Catholic theologian known for her significant contributions to the fields of feminist theology and ecofeminist theology. Her teaching and her writings helped est ...

William F. Schulz William F. Schulz is a Unitarian Universalist minister who is most known for his role as the executive director of Amnesty International USA, the U.S. division of Amnesty International, from March 1994 to 2006. He is a prominent spokesperson, a ...

Huston Smith Huston Cummings Smith (May 31, 1919 – December 30, 2016) was an influential scholar of religious studies in the United States, He authored at least thirteen books on world's religions and philosophy, and his book about comparative religion, ' ...

Howard Thurman Howard Washington Thurman (November 18, 1899 – April 10, 1981) was an American author, philosopher, theologian, mystic, educator, and civil rights leader. As a prominent religious figure, he played a leading role in many social justice movements ...

Tim Wise Timothy Jacob Wise (born October 4, 1968) is an American activist and writer on the topic of race. He is a consultant who provides anti-racism lectures to institutions. Early life and education Wise was born in Nashville, Tennessee, to Michael ...

References

External links

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley website
{{Coord, 37.917848, -122.282721, display=title Churches in California Unitarian Universalist churches in California Unitarian Universalism in California 1891 establishments in California History of Berkeley, California History of Contra Costa County, California Religion in the San Francisco Bay Area