Our History -- A Fellowship Begun
Over a half century ago a group of families in this area came together to share their liberal religious beliefs. The nearest Unitarian churches were in Oakland and Berkeley. They wanted a congregation of their own. In 1951 the group officially became a Fellowship, with Dr. Glen Kent as President. When they outgrew meeting homes, then rented a little house on Pine Street, no longer in existence.
In 1959, the Fellowship became the Mt. Diablo Unitarian Church and called its first minister, Aron Gilmartin, from the University Unitarian Church in Seattle. They rented the basement of the Highland Building, for the minister's office and space for church school classes. Services were held at the Walnut Creek Women's Center, and as membership increased they met at the Red Cross Building, with two Sunday morning services.
Members dreamed of all being together. The Building Committee worked for a year to find a site. When they saw the hillside on which our church now stands they agreed, "this is the place."
The property, almost 14 acres, was purchased and the congregation raised money to develop the site. In 1965 they engaged architect Frank Ehrenthal to build five buildings, a sanctuary on the hill and four for classrooms. Unable to obtain financing, members borrowed money from themselves to erect the first two buildings – for the office, minister's study, and sanctuary; the other for religious education rooms. The others were a dream for the future.
For almost 25 years Beverly Scaff served the church, retiring as Church Administrator in October of 1990. The office building constructed by church members in 1986 is named in her honor.
{besps}history{/besps}{besps_c}0|boardmtg1960-61web.jpg|Mt. Diablo Unitarian Church Board Meeting - 1960|{/besps_c} {besps_c}0|1960sundayschwebm.smits.jpg|Mary Smits conducts a Sunday School class - 1960|{/besps_c} {besps_c}0|arongilmartingrdbrkg.jpg |MDUUC Eckley Lane property groundbreaking with Aron Gilmartin - 1965|{/besps_c} {besps_c}0|mduucorigbldgs68web.jpg|MDUUC site Model. Only 3 of the buildings were completed due to cost - 1967|{/besps_c} {besps_c}0|1968mduuc_constrweb.jpg|Construction of the Gilmartin Building (Original sanctuary in foreground) and Dorothy White Building (background)|{/besps_c} {besps_c}0|1967-pioneersweb.jpg||{/besps_c} {besps_c}0|1967_sunschoolkids.jpg|One of Mt. Diablo Unitarian Sunday School classes -1967|{/besps_c}{besps_c}0|alternatelifestyle68web.jpg|Festival of Alternative Lifestyles held at MDUUC - 1968|{/besps_c} {besps_c}0|70speacerallyweb.jpg|Mt. Diablo Peace Center Peace Rally at Naval Weapons Station, Concord - 1970|{/besps_c} {besps_c}0|coffeeala1974web.jpg|Coffee after Sunday Service in old sanctuary lounge - 1974|{/besps_c} {besps_c}0|AlanMcClain70s.jpg|Some of the 70s people Alan MacLane|{/besps_c} {besps_c}0|ArtUngar70s.jpg|Some of the 70s people: Art Ungar|{/besps_c} {besps_c}0|GailRodens70web.jpg|Some of the 70s people: Gail Rodens|{/besps_c} {besps_c}0|PeterChristiansenMin.jpg|Minister Peter Christiansen with staff members|{/besps_c} {besps_c}0|SundayService1974web.jpg|Sunday Service in Gilmartin Building - 1980|{/besps_c}
Years of Action
From its inception the Fellowship was deeply involved in social action, locally and in-ternationally. The church entered a period of intense social action in 1964. The Mt. Diablo Peace Center was founded when Andy Baltzo gave up a teaching career to devote his life to working for world peace. It became the Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center, and in 2005 separated from the church to do more work in the schools. It is affiliated with the Fellowship of Reconciliation.
Rev.Gilmartin marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, and members participated in Voter Registration projects in the South. Harold Wilson, a black graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry, was hired as cominister. Rev. George Johnson, another black clergyman, was named Associate Minister, serving as director of the East Bay Project in Oakland, begun by Gil. Almost everyone in the church worked with the Black community in Oakland. We participated in numerous peace demonstrations and protests against the Vietnam war. We sponsored a Guatemalan family housed on our property, and a Vietnamese boat refugee family of eleven.
A time of turning inward followed the intense social action and protest. Almost 200 members and friends participated in encounter groups during the next eight years. There was an active Singles group for 15 years. Extended Family groups were begun, with some still in existence.
Members planted trees and laid bricks in the Patio between the two buildings. Alice's Restaurant dinners had long waiting lists. For 28 years we produced Hungry-U’s, based on the Hungry-I in San Francisco. Community Lecture Series featured speakers such as Alan Watts, S. I. Hayakawa, Bob Kimball (later President of Starr King), and others. We presented gourmet dinners, musicals, plays, and art shows. The Coffee-house beginning in 1958, continued thru the 90’s.
Years of Growth
When Aron Gilmartin resigned in 1974, Josiah Bartlett, former President of Starr King School for the Ministry, was appointed Interim Minister. The following year Til Evans became Director of Religious Education and was ordained Minister of Religious Education by the church. Peter Christiansen was called as Minister in 1976, serving five years. Til Evans then served as minister for several months until her appointment as full time assistant professor of education at Starr King School for the Ministry. Bob Forbes, Til's husband, became Interim Minister. It was his only ministry, as he died of cancer in 1984. The Memorial Garden, created to honor members who have died, includes a fountain dedicated Rev. Forbes.
David Sammons was called as Minister in 1984, after serving churches in the East and Midwest. He was graduated from Starr King School in 1965, and received his doctor of divinity from Pacific School of Religion in 1978. During his 23-year tenure the congregation continued to grow to a mid-sized church of over 350 members, with two services on Sunday mornings, plus Meditation, and offering a full range of religious programming. Since 1955 our ministers and the congregation have been mentors to 62 intern ministers
In 1999, realizing a longtime dream, the congregation moved into our new sanctuary. The building once used for worship was remodeled as religious education rooms and named the Gilmartin building. Sanctuary funding involved a capital campaign and sale of part of our land for building lots. In 2007 the Dorothy White Building, named for a generous donor, was remodeled to house a full-time private day care center, replacing the co-op nursery begun by church members in 1974.
MDUUC Today
Following David Sammons' retirement after 23 years of ministry, he was named Minister Emeritus. In 2006 MDUUC welcomed Diane Miller as our Interim Minister for a two year transitional period.In 2006 we welcomed Diane Miller as our Interim Minister for a two year transitional period. In 2007 we elected a Ministerial Search Committee which met weekly for a year. On the recommendation of the Committee, the congregation called David and Leslie Takahashi Morris from Charlottesville, Virginia to serve in a shared ministry. They began their co-ministry at MDUUC in August 2008 and were formally installed by the congregation in February 2009.
The lifetime religious education programs of the church, now under the direction of Heather Sawyers, serve all ages in exploring the quest for religious meaning, ethics and social issues. MDUUC helped pioneer OWL (Our Whole Lives) -- sexual education for children, teens and adults -- and continues to offer OWL classes at all levels.
The MDUUC choir, begun in 1963, continues to grow under the direction of Mark Tuning and pianist/accompanist Dr. Lino Rivera. Our newsletter editor, Beverly Bortin, has served almost 45 years. A service of Meditation, begun 20 years ago continues every week. In 2008 we added a Thursday evening Vespers Service, preceded by a community supper
We proudly fly a rainbow flag, symbol of a "Welcoming Congregation" to gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual people. We offer programs to help eliminate racism and to encourage cultural diversity. Many members participate in TIE (Together in Exploration), small groups that explore ideas, moral and spiritual values.
We continue to support vital social action programs -- the Marriage Equality Task Force, the Interfaith Council, the UU Service Committee, the Food Bank, the UU Legislative Ministry of California, homeless shelter programs, Habitat for Humanity, etc. We donate a portion of our collection one Sunday each month to a charity. We continue our relationship with Erdoszentgyorgy, A Unitarian congregation in Transylvania, Romania. Our Green Sanctuary Committee has led MDUUC to be designated a Green Sanctuary within the UUA, and the church community continues to seek ways to be environmentally responsible.
After years of planning and fundraising and nearly a year of construction, the David and Beverly Bortin Fellowship Hall was dedicated in January 2009. This beautiful "green" building greatly expanded the opportunities for all-church events and for use by the wider community.
By Summer 2009 our membership topped 400 and religious education enrollment was soaring. In addition to our talented staff of full and part-time employees, many dedicated volunteers, both members and friends, continue to sustain the vision and work of our church community.
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