"CLF" by Laura Cavicchio ©

VI. BECOMING 'CHURCH':  Forming The Unitarian CLF

As a kind of post script in his account of the history of the Western Unitarian movement Charles Lyttle writes:

"It is another happy consumation of the century’s growth that in 1944 there was brought about the establishment of the Unitarian CLF, whose members are committed to no doctrinal basis, but avow simply ‘our earnest desire to lead pure, reverent, and useful lives (and) seek together the love which quickens fellowship and the truth which makes men free." ^[59]  

There are several reasons why this was a particularly ripe time in history for the emergence of what came to be known as the Unitarian Church of the Larger Fellowship.  First, with the advent of the war, what was being generically called the "national church" was a common phenomenon on the American religious scene.   The national’ church was a baby of patriotism by which, to show their support for the war effort, denominational associations were trying to meet the religious needs of those fighting for democracy.   A case in point is the National Memorial Church, located in Washington, D.C.  It was founded in 1944, apparently under the auspices of the Universalist Church of America. ^[60]  However, regardless of denomination, it seems as though the institutional actuality was little more than a kind of figurehead church that attempted to give scattered armed forces personnel a nominal religious base and identity. 

This national movement may have been a sectarian attempt to revive interest in ‘church’ during wartime, with each denomination welcoming service people into the fold.  Since the era of the Great Depression and the advent of fascism in Europe, religion had been in decline in America.  Unitarianism was no exception; churches were being consolidated and closed. ^[61]  Fortunately, Frederick May Eliot’s leadership inspired a new enthusiasm in the Association.  The AUA Board’s action on the recommendations of the Commission on Appraisal from 1937 included a move for the wider embrace of lay involvement within the denomination.  A ‘revivalist’ spirit was felt; new organizations, such as the Unitarian Service Committee were being founded, and there was an emphasis on broader spiritual and theological fellowship. ^[62]

       The Unitarian approach to the ‘national’ paradigm was characteristically different and unique.  AUA leadership wanted to create a trans-regional fellowship based upon the correspondence missionary model that would have its focus in a centralized parish  membership.  The new society was to be an agency of the Association; hence, members would be enabled "through the…Minister of the Church, to receive materials from any department of the Association which…meet their particular needs."  The leadership’s vision entailed that "an opportunity…be provided for the members to be contributors as well as recipients…not only financial contributors but also active participants in the affairs and policies of the church.  The congregational polity should be carefully safeguarded" ^[63] To this end, Frederick May Elliot proposed a By-Law provision for lay representatives -- "three, or perhaps two for each thousand members", who would participate at the Annual Meeting of the Association. ^[64]  The idea of regional centers "with half a dozen correspondence churches in various parts of the country instead of the one solely in Boston" was also proposed as an alternative to centralization as a means of infusing warmth’ and ‘fresh approaches’ into the church body. ^[65]

The name for this Unitarian, participatory, ‘mail order’ version of a national church came to be a point around which much of the spirit and purpose of the new institution was discussed. "The Larger Parish Church" was first considered but dismissed because of Frederick May Eliot’s feeling that "the phrase has been given a definite meaning in church circles which is entirely different from this." ^[66]  "All Souls" was also discarded because of its correlation with what was now considered an outdated and inward model that did not fit the current vision: "this is to be an entirely new outfit…this project is entirely one of extension". ^[67]  It was a time when church and fellowship extension was being taken seriously; another important aspect of why the time was ripe for this new seed of ministry to take root. The words ‘Larger Fellowship’ in the institution’s name were deliberately chosen by the AUA Board to reflect the hospitality being extended to Unitarians "and others", those "who are unchurched and not yet connected with the Unitarian fellowship".  The words, "Larger Fellowship" held another connotation, too, as expressed by a member of the Board:

"Down in Joplin, Missouri, I found three isolated Unitarian families.  It would be fine if families so situated could come together anywhere and feel that they were having a meeting as the Unitarian Church of the Larger Fellowship. I hope it will be so stated that not only can there be meetings at 25 Beacon Street but elsewhere.  If we should have meetings of the Church of the Larger Fellowship they would be Unitarian."

Another thought from the same Board discussion was expressed that as an agency of ‘Larger Fellowship’, the Church would be "a symbol of continuation to which they (the isolated) can feel their allegiance."^[68]  There was a minority feeling on the Board that the name was not definitive enough, but the ‘larger’ vision prevailed.  It was one that would allow room in the post war years for a more explicit articulation of the Church’s purpose in extending the bonds of fellowship beyond sectarian limitations.  It was indeed a time of expanding paradigms, when ‘religious prospecting’ on a variety of fronts was going on. 

The committee appointed by the AUA Board worked closely with Frederick May Eliot on the formation of the new society.  Eliot is documented as being the ‘founder’ of the Unitarian CLF.  The members of the planning committee were an equally prominent crew.  All were already on staff within the AUA: George G. Davis, Director of the Department of Extension, Dan Huntington Fenn, Director of the Department of Ministry and later to become the UCLF’s second Acting Minister, and Ernest W. Kuebler, Secretary of the AUA’s Department of Religious Education.  A memorandum was drafted in December of 1943 to lay out the basic model for the new institution, with a few points amended by Eliot in a follow-up memorandum.  Most of this material and the amendments were then drafted as proposed By-Laws, dated January 12, 1944, and approved by the AUA board on January 28. ^[69]  Thus, authorization was given for the organization of what was to become the Unitarian Church of the Larger Fellowship.

Even prior to the adoption of the By-Laws, the painstaking work of gathering and recording names for the first mass mailing of the Church was begun.  Lists of potential members were derived from the roster of Associate members of the AUA and former correspondence church lists, passed on by U.S. Chaplains and parish ministers out in the field, garnered by word of mouth and letters of inquiry, taken from registers of the enlisted provided by the War Service Council and service men’s clubs, and from the Laymen’s League, "the Friendly Links", "Cheerful Letter Committees" and Post Office Mission Committees of the General Alliance. ^[70]  According to the proposed By-Laws,

"The Purpose of this church is to provide a spiritual home for isolated Unitarians and their families.  Membership in this church is intended primarily for those for whom no local Unitarian church is available…church offices shall be located at 25 Beacon Street…services of worship shall be held regularly…the President of the American Unitarian Association shall be the Honorary Minister of the church.  The Active Minister, who shall be responsible for the organization and administration of the church, shall be appointed by and be responsible to the Board of Directors of the

AUA" ^[71]

The Unitarian CLF would be a financially contributing organization to the AUA and hold membership in the Association. Membership in the UCLF would be open to all over the age of eighteen, "who have subscribed to whatever Statement of Purpose or Bond of Fellowship shall be adopted by the church; and who make an annual contribution of not less than $5.00.  Members would receive a year’s subscription to The Christian Register, a copy of Hymns of the Spirit, and The Unitarian Yearbook.  A variety of issues were still to be determined, including the composition of a budget and nominations for the Acting Minister.  That nomination was later accepted by the Rev. Albert Dieffenbach, who formally assumed his duties in September.  Another question was how much governance would be conducted by the members.  In a memo to the committee, George Davis wrote:

"It seems to me that the difficulty of making any provision for actual participation in the government of the church by its scattered members – very few of whom could ever attend either its services or its business meetings – was insuperable.  We could, of course make some arrangement for their voting by mail, but this could not be either practical or realistic since the officers of the church must be people here at headquarters of whose personality and ability the members would have no actual knowledge.  I have therefore quite frankly based the organization on the theory that this church must not only be set up by the AUA Board, but that the Board… must exercise final control and authority." ^[72]

An Executive Committee in charge of policy, programs, and budget would be appointed each year and accountable to the AUA Board.  Still at issue was how much ‘tie in’ there would be on a practical level with ‘headquarters’, the Extension Department, and AUA staff.  There was significant concern as to the functional aspects of creating "a church where I belong" and yet, that would not conflict or compete with established churches, or fellowships that were starting. ^[73]  The minister’s duties were still to be established, but the role was envisioned as "primarily to create…the first thing will be to build up the membership and to keep in touch through personal correspondence…prepare the preliminary literature… a certain amount of traveling…(and the person) ought to be one of our leading ministers so that it would give it from the very beginning the full prestige of the Unitarian denomination…" It was decided to lower the age for membership to sixteen.  Finally there was the question of what level of evangelism, if any, would be employed to build membership.  Here was now a denominational vehicle, a real ‘excuse’ to do the proselytizing "we have been accused of…" ^[74]  

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^[59] Lyttle, 261.

^[60] Letter from George Davis to Miss Hope Dixon, January 24, 1944, archives of the UUCLF.

^[61] Conrad Wright, ed., A Stream of Light: A Short History of American Unitarianism (Boston: Skinner Books, 1989), p. 125.

^[62] Wright, 131.

^[63] Dan Huntington Fenn, Memorandum to the Board of Directors, Dec. 16, 1943, archives of the UUCLF.

^[64] E. Buckley, Memorandum to Mr. Davis, January 5, 1943, archives of the UUCLF.

^[65] Robert Raible, Minister, First Unitarian Church, Dallas, letter dated Dec. 4, 1943, archives of the UUCLF.

^[66] E. Buckley Memorandum, ibid.

^[67] Florence Plummer, letter to Rev. Robert Raible, Dec. 10, 1943, archives of the UUCLF.

^[68] "Excerpt from discussion by the Board of Directors UCLF, March 4, 1944, archives of the UUCLF.

^[69] Letter from George Davis to Perch W. Gardner, Esq., January 28, 1944, archives of the UUCLF.

^[70] David, Fenn and Kuebler report; memorandum from Florence Plummer, Nov. 1, 1943; memorandum from Florence Baer, January 13, 1994, archives of the UUCLF.

^[71] A.U.A. Board, "The Unitarian Church of the Larger Fellowship Report of the Special Committee, January 12, 1944, archives of the UUCLF.

^[72] Memo dated January 27, 1944, archives of the UUCLF.

^[73] Dan Huntington Fenn, Memorandum to the Board of Directors, Dec. 16, 1943, archives of the UUCLF.

^[74] "Excerpt from discussion by the Board of Directors, A.U.A, March 7, 1944 archives of the UUCLF.

Last updated June 12, 2005