UUFG History, 2000s
In 2002 the congregation named its gathering room the "George Phillips Social Hall" in honor of UUFG member George Phillips who died in May of that year. The naming was in recognition of George’s continual, untiring work for the Fellowship. He worked on the physical facilities, both at the old and new sites, by constructing cabinets and doing renovations. He was involved in planning the new facility and did much of the initial work on the sound system and telephones to enable the project to stay within budget. The 34th Street facility has a windowed sound room largely due to George’s advocacy.
The same decade saw the UUFG Memory Garden take shape. Begun as part of an Eagle Scout project by Kit Hamblen, the Memory Garden was developed from a plan submitted by Paul Bird, who worked tirelessly planting camellias and other landscape plants and establishing a plaque of remembered UUFG members. In 2006, the congregation named the garden "The Paul Bird Memory Garden" in his honor.
Changes to the Sunday service agenda in this decade saw the beginning of a ritual of "singing the children out" after the children’s story, the transfer of Joys and Concerns to a book read from by the worship leader. Interim minister Barbara Jamestone initiated these and other changes to make Sunday services more "deeply meaningful, carefully orchestrated, professional and polished."
The 2000s saw the proliferation of groups at UUFG. These included support groups for bereavement and chronic illness, covenant groups, book discussion group, women’s writing groups, and a simplicity circle, which was an outgrowth of the congregation’s official designation as a Green Sanctuary congregation. The Great Outdoors group morphed into River Rats, and the Singles group became open to all. As a Welcoming Congregation, UUFG sponsored an active Interweave group dedicated to the spiritual, political, and social well being of bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender persons and their allies.
In November 2004, Tom Mareci initiated Café Scientifique, an international program in a café setting consisting of a short lecture on a scientific topic by a scientist followed by a group discussion. More than 50 UUFG members and the public jammed the Phillips Social Hall once a month on Café Scientifique Wednesdays.
The Whittaker family funded and built a labyrinth in honor of the 95th birthday on October 13, 2005, of Iantha Whittaker, mother of UUFG members Denis and Robin Whittaker, and a longtime member of the Miami UU congregation.
In 2006, the congregation turned down a request from the Gainesville Fire Department to consider selling two acres of land where the brick barn had stood.
UUFG Minister of Music Ruth Lewis was recognized for 30 years of service to the UUFG music program in April 2006. Ruth was surprised with the choir’s singing of an anthem commissioned in her honor, "Summon Our Voices," composed and directed in a guest appearance by the Rev. Jason Shelton, with words by Dr. Kendyl Gibbons, both of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville.
In March 2006, Celebration Sunday and pledge campaign packed more than 200 persons into the sanctuary for a Sunday service, dinner, and Search Committee’s unveiling of the ministerial candidate, who turned out to be two candidates. The 2006 pledge campaign topped $200,000 in pledges for the first time and enabled the congregation to become a "fair compensation congregation" for all its staff in accordance with UUA guidelines. The word "tithe" was heard for the first time at UUFG, as several members pledged 10% of their gross income and encouraged other members to move in this direction.
UUFG responded to hurricanes with the chain saw posse that traveled to Orlando to assist the UU congregation with clean up. UUFG members responded to Hurricane Katrina as well. David Etherington volunteered with the Red Cross and then was quickly assigned to manage a shelter when a second hurricane followed the first. Amy Jo Smith traveled to Louisiana to help with rescued pets. And Dr. Jean Boudreaux established a network for helping lesbians displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
Safety trumped history, as the congregation commissioned the demolition of the brick dairy barn on the southwest corner of the UUFG property after damage by hurricanes made the structure unstable and unsafe.
Social Concerns in this decade saw the congregation take the big step of hosting homeless families as part of the Interfaith Hospitality Network. Once a quarter, homeless families spend a week eating and sleeping at UUFG facilities. The congregation continued supporting the after-school program at Prairie View Elementary School and Gainesville Community Ministries. Study Circles focused on topics such as "Putting a Face on Racism." The Social Concerns emphasis on poverty and local needs precipitated a new project in 2006 to assist residents of the high poverty and high crime neighborhood of Pine Ridge near the Fellowship. Based on a neighborhood needs assessment, an after-school program and neighborhood clean ups were initiated.
In May 2005, Stefanie Samara Hamblen resigned as UUFG Director of Children and Youth Programs after 10 years in the position. Stefanie was much beloved by children and parents in the congregation due to her devotion to the children and her rapport with children of all ages. During Stefanie’s tenure, the Religious Education program began an annual Halloween carnival and Winterfest, an annual winter festival first coordinated in 2003 by Lisa Parker. The Children and Youth Programs Committee renovated the playground and began selling "Fair Trade" coffee, tea, and chocolate to pay for that and other unbudgeted needs. (In support, the congregation began serving only Fair Trade coffee during Sunday coffee hour.)
In June 2005, Kathleen Smee was hired as acting director; her position was made permanent in September 2006, when she was given the title of Director of Religious Education. Kathleen coordinated and hosted OWL ("Our Whole Lives," a human sexuality program) training and Youth Advisor training for congregations throughout the state. In June 2006 she initiated Chalice Camp, a summer day camp. By 2006, RE enrollment had grown to the point that all classrooms were full and more space was needed to divide large classes.
Following the retirement of the Rev. Jack Donovan from parish ministry in 2003, after a 17-year ministry at UUFG, the congregation entered a three-year interim period. During the first interim year (2003-04), that of the Rev. Bill Murchison, the congregation was shaken by conflict that necessitated expanding the search for a minister to two years. The congregation split, with approximately 30 members leaving and forming a new congregation. The second interim year (2004-05) with the Rev. Barbara Jamestone was a time of healing and growth; however, once again the congregation was rocked by conflict over Barbara’s leaving and a failed vote to call the candidate presented by the Search Committee.
A third interim year under the Rev. Louise Ulrich restored calm and prepared the congregation for a settled minister. A new Search Committee was formed, and in April 2006, the congregation in a unanimous vote called the Rev. Dr. LoraKim Joyner and the Rev. Dr. Meredith Garmon to be settled ministers of UUFG. The new ministers started in August 2006, and quickly Sunday service attendance topped 250. Wednesday evenings were devoted to dinners—pot luck and catered—and to adult religious education, including classes on "The New UU," "World Religions," and "Building Your Own Theology." The congregation was faced with a new challenge—the need for larger facilities.
In 2006, President Arnie Bleiweis signed a new mortgage with approximately $160,000 remaining on the mortgage for UUFG facilities. In a few years, the congregation intends to pay off the mortgage with a capital campaign, just in time to incur a new mortgage to expand the facilities, as the congregation continues the transition from a pastoral to a program-sized congregation.
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