The main building of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Stockton was constructed in 1930. Jackson Hall and the office suite were added in 1954 and then remodeled in the early 1990′s. The plan of the building still follows the architectural sketch from the fundraising campaign in 1952 when the addition of Jackson Hall was contemplated.
The beginnings of Unitarianism in Stockton were in the early 1890′s. A First Unitarian Society was organized in 1892 with Reverend W. E. Copeland as the first minister. Reverend Copeland lasted only 14 months. Reverend G. Heber Rice served from September 1893 until July 1896. The society seems to have started by word of mouth but went into debt and folded.
Five charter members, Mrs. Darah W. Wakefield, Mrs. E. C. Clowes, Mrs. H. M. Board, Mrs. Sarah H. Bond, and Mrs. Julia May Carney, did not give up the original society and by 1911 a second group started with Reverend Franklin Baker from Sacramento. On March 28, 1913, the First Unitarian Church of Stockton was formed with a Board of Trustees. Reverend Arthur Heeb was hired in November 1914, at a salary of $65 per month. It was probably a full time job. In October 1914, the Women’s Alliance was formed with 13 members, meeting in their homes.
In December 1916, the church with assistance from the American Unitarian Association (AUA) purchased a lot on the southeast corner of Center and Elm. Reverend Heeb left to work with the Red Cross in 1918, and plans were left unfinished and all activity toward a building stopped.
The church came to life again in 1924, under Reverend Thomas Clayton from Fresno. In 1926, Reverend Milen Dempster served as minister and services were held in the Philomathean Club and later the Hotel Clark. At that time, the society voted to build a church at the corner of Pacific and Bristol. Mr. Wright was the architect and drew up the plans without charge. Reverend Dempster found a quote from Felix Adler for the woodcarving behind the pulpit that read, “The place where men meet to seek the highest is holy ground.” The church building was completed without debt and was dedicated on October 12, 1930 with a membership of 50.
The depression was very hard on the church. In the summer of 1931, Reverend Dempster was asked to leave. He was a strong pacifist and the church membership was very conservative. In September 1931, the Reverend Clarence M. Vickland of Fresno arrived but membership dwindled to 15 or 20. He was asked to leave in March 1936, perhaps because of his Communist leanings.
Reverend Arthur Foote started in October 1936, sharing services with Sacramento. Growth became steady. During his nine years the church became more important in the community life of Stockton. He collected many hymns that were used for many years. He left in 1945 for the Unitarian Church in St. Paul, where he stayed until his retirement. Addison (Ash) Steeves took over the pulpit. At this time folding chairs were purchased at $11.28 each, paid for by members’ pledges. The choice of the chairs took over a year. Reverend Samuel A. Wright, Jr. was here for two and a half years. During his ministry, the church hit its highest peak in membership. There was even talk of splitting and creating a second church. An active youth program was started which included an art class on Saturday mornings in the kitchen. There were eleven enthusiastic members. Three months later there was concern about the chaos in the kitchen on these mornings, and regulations had to be adopted.
Both Reverend Steeves and Wright were active in community affairs. Reverend Wright left to become head of the Youth Program of the Unitarian Association (headquartered in Boston). Plans were started for a parish hall that was hoped would also serve as a needed community center. Jackson Hall, the Fireside Room, and what is now the office wing were added in the 1950′s.
Harriot West Jackson was a charter member of our church. She was an outstanding woman, giving much of herself to people, the church, and the community. When she died in 1948, she left money to be used for the addition to the building. Groundbreaking was in January 1954 and completed four months later. In 1952, J. Ford Lewis was hired as minister. He initiated several public forums on community and local problems. During his five and a half years, he hired Jeannette Olson as church secretary.
In 1958, Harold Schmidt began service as minister. Andy Hill helped provide funds for a minister’s study and in 1961; the church bought an adjacent lot that became the church school building. Reverend Schmidt was also interested in community affairs. He went to Washington DC in 1967 to protest the war in Vietnam at a time when protests were still unpopular. The next year he went to Selma, Alabama, protesting the death of Reverend Reeb. The protests and others were a catalyst for building support for the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Reverend Schmidt retired in 1973 and was honored as Minister Emeritus.
Reverend Robert E. Green served from the fall of 1974 until the summer of 1996. Many different areas of the church life developed with Reverend Green’s nurturing. The musicals were inaugurated in 1973 and continued for over ten years. In 1975, a Country store event was held. In 1976, the Bristol Street Country Carnival was sponsored. Both events were successful fund-raisers for the church and for the Liberal Religious Youth (LRY) group. The church was the beneficiary of the Bernice Spaeth Trust in 1983, in recognition of the many community-oriented activities sponsored by the church. In subsequent years, several other substantial memorial gifts have been received, in part in recognition of the presence of the church in community affairs.
In 1987, the first Thanksgiving Award for deserving persons was established. The award recognizes recipients for their service to the church and/or community. Roger and Gladys Walton were the first honorees. During the year, a successful fund-raiser for the new Kawai piano was held.
Reverend Green was actively involved in numerous organizations that benefit the local community. He was the founder of the local memorial society, served on the boards of Metro Ministry, the ACLU, the Emergency Food Bank, and the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless. He retired from active ministry in September 1996 and was honored as minister emeritus by a vote of the congregation in the spring of 1997.
In the fall of 1996, Reverend Leslie Heyboer began service as Interim Minister during this search year. She has helped to raise issues of growth, process, administration, and change. The church has acquired two new properties this year, with an eye toward future growth. There is increasing participation by members on committees and in the activities of the church. The church currently has about 230 members of record, including 17 new members who were recognized during a special service in November 1996.
In May 1997, Reverend Nancee Campbell accepted the call of the congregation to be its next minister. Reverend Campbell is a native of Maine, where she has served as the minister of the First Universalist Church of Rockland, ME. Ordained at the First Parish in Brewster, Maine, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ricker College in Houlton, Maine, a Master of Arts from Emerson College in Boston, and a Master of Divinity degree from Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley. Prior to ministerial studies, Reverend Campbell had a successful career as a drug and alcohol counselor in the State of Maine.
In August 2000, Reverend Campbell went on disability and resigned. Sean Parker Dennison was hired as Interim Minister and began his service with us in October 2000. Sean is an Iowa native who received his bachelor’s degree in sociology and women’s studies from Iowa State University in 1996. He completed his Master of Divinity at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley and served as Interim Summer Minister at the Berkeley Church. He was called to Salt Lake City as Settled Minister in 2002.
Reverend Joy Atkinson served as Interim Minister from August 2002 to August 2003.
In September 2003, Reverend Sofia Craethnenn became our minister. Sofia, a native of the New York City area, graduated in June 2003 with the degree of Master of Divinity from Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley. Sofia had been the intern minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley and served in that capacity since September 2002. She graduated in 1997 from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, with a degree in Ethnobotany.
In 2005, Sofia became the Program Coordinator for Racial and Ethnic Concerns at the Unitarian Universalist Association’s department of Identity-Based Ministries. The Rev. Carol Rudisill served as interim minister from 2005 to 2006.
The Rev. Laura Horton-Ludwig has served the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Stockton since 2006. Before coming to California, Laura served congregations in Illinois and Wisconsin. She received her Master of Divinity degree from Meadville Lombard Theological School (Unitarian Universalist) in Chicago; she also has an undergraduate degree in English from Harvard University and a master’s degree in classical vocal performance from the Boston Conservatory.
