Church History
A Brief History of the Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church
Our first minister of record, the Reverend Dr. Augustus Phineas Reccord, was the minister of First Unitarian Church at Woodward and Edmond Place, in Detroit. Since this is our "parent" church, a bit of explaining is important.
In 1913, a house at Cass Ave and Prentiss was purchased with land extending to Forest Avenue, and in 1916, a building was dedicated as the First Universalist Church (Church of Our Father). The Unitarian Church members who met at Woodward and Edmund Place were displaced due to widening of Woodward, and as a temporary measure they began to meet with the Universalists and Dr. Augustus P. Reccord, a Universalist Minister. The church's Unitarian minister had been called to another congregation at that time, so in 1934, a year and a half after the first joint service, the two churches were joined permanently and the First Unitarian/Universalist Church came into being.
Several families from Grosse Pointe were attending the First UU Church during this time, and decided they needed a place to meet on the east side, closer to their homes. Dr. Reccord became the consultant who gave them tremendous support and assistance in working toward this goal. He met with the committee many times, helped with the paperwork, came to Grosse Pointe twice a month to provide Sunday services in various locations until the Grosse Pointe congregation was able to hire a permanent minister.
The dream of an east side Unitarian church was realized on March 19, 1939, when sixty-six women and men signed a covenant founding the Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church, the culmination of two years of dedicated work by Margaret Watkins and Evelyn Wilkins. For several years these founding members met at Alger House, also know now as the The War Memorial. Sunday School was held at Kerby Elementary School a few blocks away. A permanent church home was eventually sought, and the Carter House at 17440 E. Jefferson was purchased in 1943.
Groundbreaking for a new and modern church facility occurred in 1964, and a time capsule was placed in the cornerstone the following year, as the building was nearing completion. The property had been purchased from the City of Grosse Pointe, having been a garage and city service area until then.
To date there have been seven ministers who have served our church; 5 permanent ministers and 3 interims, which includes our current interim, the Rev. Mitra Rahnema.
Merrill Otis Bates
October 10, 2009 - 11:30am — Christopher Peplin
Laconia, NH (1936-39)
Grosse Pointe, MI (1939-50)
Birmingham, MI (1952-53)
The Reverend Mr. Bates was the first permanent Minister hired by the GPUC. He served our church from September 1939 until June 1950. Bates was a progressive who seems to have been actively involved in community action from shortly after he arrived in Grosse Pointe.
William D. Hammond
October 10, 2009 - 11:45am — Christopher Peplin
Boone County, MO (1939-40)
Calloway County, MO (1939-40)
Rush Hill, MO (1939-40) (presumably all part-time)
NY Society for Ethical Culture, NY (1942-45)
St. Louis, MO, Society for Ethical Culture (1943-45)
Chicago, IL Society for Ethical Culture (1945-46)
Chicago, IL (Unitarian) (1946-50)
Grosse Pointe, MI (1950-64)
Fort Wayne, IN (Mich-Ohio District Exec.) (1964-70)
Wayzata, MN (1970-74)
Asheville, NC (1974-83)
By all accounts, the Rev. Hammond was the right person at the right time for GPUC. We were meeting in the Carter House on Rathbone and Jefferson when he arrived. His inspirational and thoughtful sermons and caring ministry grew our membership to 260 in 1958. Rev. Hammond saw the membership through the trials of building a new church, our current home, to handle the crowds. During his tenure, our church was advertised as providing “Religion for the Modern Thinker."
Rev. Hammond was a man of many interests. He had a great interest in astronomy and semantics and taught both subjects in the adult education program of the Grosse Pointe Public Schools. He was one of the founders of the Greater Detroit Memorial Society, which addressed unfair funeral practices. He was also one of the founders of the Michigan Area Council of Liberal Churches, a predecessor of the Unitarian Universalist District of Michigan.
Robert Wilde Lawson
October 10, 2009 - 11:51am — Christopher PeplinBuffalo, NY (1939-40)
Reading, MA (1940-43)
US Navy (Chaplain) (1945-46)
Pittsburgh, PA (1946-49)
Dayton, OH (1949-52)
Wollaston, MA (1954-57)
Portsmouth, NH (1964)
Grosse Pointe, MI (1965)
Norwell, MA (1958-59)
Winchendon, MA (1959)
Weston, MA (1959)
E. Bridgewater, MA (1962)
Rev. Lawson served as interim minister in 1965.
Harry Chamberlain Meserve
October 10, 2009 - 11:56am — Christopher Peplin
Cohasset, MA (1938-42)
Buffalo, NY (1942-49)
San Francisco, CA (1949-57)
Rockefeller Foundation (1957-60)
Mt. Kisco, NY (1958)
Academy of Religion and Mental Health (1960-65)
Grosse Pointe, MI (1965-74)
Ellsworth, ME (1974-80)
Dr. Meserve had worked on both east and west coasts and in and out of the ministry. As result he brought a cosmopolitan ministry to Grosse Pointe at a time of change. He championed open housing and came out strongly against the war. Church members who were around at that time proudly remember that as President of the Grosse Pointe Human Relations Council, Meserve was able to bring Martin Luther King to the area just 3 weeks before he was killed.
While at GPUC, Dr. Meserve was a member of the board of directors of the Metropolitan Detroit American Civil Liberties Union and the Detroit Urban League and a member of the executive committee of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers’ Association.
He was author of at least 2 books "Faith in the Making," published in 1946, and "Peace of Mind," published in 1958, plus articles, editorials and reviews in the Atlantic Monthly, Saturday Review and numerous religious publications. He was the editor and consultant of the Journal of Religion and Health, published by the Academy of Religion and Mental Health in New York.
Fred Firth Campbell
October 10, 2009 - 12:00pm — Christopher Peplin
Little Rock, AR (1967-75)
Grosse Pointe, MI (1975-82)
Indianapolis, IN (1982-84)
Overland Park, KS (1984-85)
Rochester, MN (1985-90)
Fort Collins, CO (1990-91)
Atlanta GA, (1991-92)
Schenectady, NY (1992-94)
St. Louis, MO (1994-95)
Kalamazoo, MI (1995-97)
Lincoln, NE (1997-98)
Mr. Campbell worked with his Interfaith colleagues to establish resources for needy families. He enjoyed working with his hands and fashioned the wood chalice with the green background which still graces our church. Mr. Campbell became an expert in interim ministry after he left our church.
Brooks Robert Walker
October 10, 2009 - 12:05pm — Christopher Peplin
Plandome, NY (1959-60)
Canoga Park, CA (1960-65)
Mt. Kisco, NY (1965-68)
Providence, RI (1968-74)
Los Angeles, CA (1976-77)
Cleveland, OH (1977-78)
Miami, FL (1978-79)
Denver, CO (1979-81)
Flint, MI (1981-82)
Grosse Pointe, MI (1982-84)
Chicago, IL (1984-85)
Kalamazoo, MI (1985-86)
The Reverend Mr.Brooks Walker seems to have brought a breath of fresh air as interim minister to GPUC. He was respected and appreciated and did his job well. He was a good manager and recognized that "interim is what I do, what I enjoy". He told the Rev. John Corrado jokingly, that his avocation was the ministry and his vocation was music. He enjoyed learning to play a wide variety of instruments, and one surviving order of service from May 4, 1986 features Walker playing the autoharp and referencing his great grandmother, Peggy Kelly Walker.
John Corrado
October 10, 2009 - 12:08pm — Christopher Peplin
Charleston, WV (1966-68)
Camp Springs, MD (1968-76)
Albany, NY (1976-84)
Grosse Pointe, MI (1984-2009)
AB John Carroll University 1963, BD Starr King 1966
Received fellowship 2/14/1966
Named Minister Emeritus of Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church, June, 2009
Rev. Corrado became the virtual definition of a Unitarian minister to many while at GPUC, since serving this congregation for 25 years made him the only sitting minister many had ever known. He was the church to many, and the church was him. Much like a father figure, he masterfully guided us through the trials, tribulations and joys that any congregation experiences as it matures. The members of and visitors to GPUC during Rev. Corrado’s extraordinary ministry were often treated to music written and performed by him. “Voice Still and Small” “We Will Keep a Place for You”, and “Weaving”, for examples, all became familiar parts of services. He was named “ Minister Emeritus” upon his retirement in the spring of 2009.
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