Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church

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Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church

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Appreciating Our Past
A sermon preached by Rev. Lyn Plumb at the Brookfield Congregational Church on October 24, 1999

Readings & Stories:

From T.S.Eliot:
"Think now –
History has many cunning passages,
contrived corridors - and issues,
deceives with whispering ambitions,
guides us by vanities."

From The History of First Parish Church, written by the Rev. William Walsh in 1904:
"Collections to make up a deficiency are first mentioned April 1st, 1834 and they are still in fashion."

Another quote from this history by Rev. Walsh demonstrates how the Unitarian Controversy that marked the beginning of Unitarianism affected this congregation:
"The Rev. Nathan Fiske, after a most happy pastorate of more than forty years, died in office in ... 1799. He was succeeded by Rev. Micah Stone … in 1801. For several years conditions were comparatively harmonious, but Mr. Stone was not tactful and as time passed an increasing number of his people were alienated. Besides this, the new interpretations of religion spreading through New England about that time caused dissatisfaction with his teaching, greatly weakening the society over which he ministered. .. In 1827, he was asked by the parish to resign his pastorate."

Story told by Horace May, the 94 year old life-long member of this church, about an event in his childhood, illuminating the congregational tendency of stoically holding one’s tongue in times of distress:

Horace May recalls when he was a boy in the church’s Sunday school program. It was the custom then to honor all students who had had perfect attendance in a given year with a gold pin stating this fact. It was given to the student with great fanfare during a church service each year. The one and only year Horace received one, the person pinning him with his reward accidentally pinned a bit of his flesh as well as his shirt. But Horace, having been taught to be quiet in church at all times, uttered not a peep.

Story divulging the secret ingredient in the congregation’s famous Turkey Suppers’ Mashed Potatoes:

The late Louie Hyde, the person who for many years coordinated and worked long and hard on the highly successful biannual church turkey suppers of the 1960’s & 1970’s, once was criticized by a fellow female cook about his failure to cut off the little black spots on the potatoes he was peeling. With a casual shrug of his shoulders he replied, "Aw, we’ll just tell ‘em it’s pepper."

Congregations are like families, religion psychologist Edwin Friedman proclaims in his ground breaking book, Generation To Generation. He claims they both develop certain character traits that get passed down to succeeding generations. Thus, I have chosen to illuminate our historical appreciation of our past by tracing our own lineage and the various family-like congregational character traits developed over the years.

The people of the Brookfield UU Church are the inheritors of the distinction of being the First Parish of Brookfield, the descendants of the first European settlers of this region of what was originally called the "Quaboag Plantation." It was first settled in 1660 and located on what is commonly known today as Foster Hill, bordering what is now West Brookfield and Brookfield.

Now, you the inheritors of this title of First Parish, of the First Congregational Church, did not come by it easily. There have been many "contrived corridors" such as T.S. Eliot mentioned in our reading today, many convolutions before the issue was finally settled, before our lineage could be agreed to begin from that early date. This congregation had to stand its ground to keep its title, and seemed to argue its point quite well and successfully. But not without some contention.

For one thing, UUism was not established as a religion in 1660. The first settlers here, as was true of much of New England, were Puritan Congregationalists who practiced a theocracy, whereby the church and its minister were the primary governors of the people. Each settlement’s meeting house was both a religious and secular center for the people. Town taxes paid for the church, and all people, whether they went to church or not, helped pay the minister’s salary. Yes, the democratic process was in operation here, but on many religious matters there was no questioning authority. This was not to last long.

Early growth of the Quaboag Plantation was thwarted by some Native Americans during the King Philip’s War of 1675. These "Indians," as they were called at the time, burned down the original meeting house as they mocked the settlers by seemingly raucously parodying the settlers’ pious hymns. Luckily no one was in the meeting house at the time. The settlers were nearby though, but had wisely chosen to hide from the Indians in the settlement’s only other large building, the tavern, which the Indians did not successfully burn. It seems that the thought of earthly food and drink in a time of potential siege - and perhaps a quick trip to one’s Maker - was more important to these early settlers than the official place of spiritual nurture during this terrifying time. Thus, they were a practical lot from the very beginning. Religion had its place for them, yes, but survival was survival.

Convolutions started in earnest after this war. Quaboag Plantation was renamed the Town of Brookfield and its first settled minister arrived in 1717. This is the official date of our congregation’s beginning, so attested on many a document, and despite what others in the area have tried to claim. This is the official beginning of our present day congregation - 1717. We go back a long way.

But the unwieldy 64 square miles in the township were a hardship for some in the outlying areas to travel to on a Sunday morning for services and other town events, so during the 1700’s Brookfield church township got divided up into North, West , East Brookfield and plain old Brookfield as well. And so the question arose - who hold the title of "First Parish" with all these divisions occurring.

But it has been said that perhaps even more than a geographical distance, theological differences seemed to have caused these divisions. Authority, even the ultimate authority of God, it seems, was questioned early on.

One such theological difference happened in 1754 where the majority of the settlers of the original Quaboag Plantation site proclaimed their more liberal ways and decided they would leave the more conservative minority and would move to our present day area - here on what was then called Barrister Hill and what we now call the Brookfield Common. This date of 1754 also marks a beginning of our official congregational status. We, the liberal inheritors of those original dissenters.

Also, this graciousness in allowing the minority to stay in the existing meeting house was not often repeated in other New England towns going through similar shake ups. Usually in these towns it was the victor that got the spoils. This graciousness, this willingness to be cordial to the "losers," so to speak, to those with differing views, was to become a trait often repeated in this church’s lineage.

This more liberal majority did take the pewter communion set with them when they left, however, - the one now displayed in our church parlor today. It seems whoever had this symbol of their faith were the inheritors of the title of "First Parish," rather like the ancient Hebrews wandering around in the desert, but grounded by the holy objects they carried with them.

A more important argument for the title of "First Congregation," though, was that it was the people, the congregation of believers themselves, and not the church building or other possessions, or the earthly site of the church, that was the most essential thing. Like the family which may move from place to place, it is the body of people with a common lineage that is the most essential thing. This understanding helped them quite a bit in later years, as this congregation was to occupy many buildings.

The first church these liberal dissenters of 1754 built is the church across the green from us - what is now called the Brookfield Congregational Church. But, ah, there then arose what is called the Unitarian Controversy, which occurred form 1803 - 1825. This controversy advocated the God-given power of reason and a rejection of the Christian trinity in favor of just one Divinity. Jesus was not divine, the Unitarians proclaimed, but instead, was a divinely inspired spiritual teacher of humanity.

Such liberal, heretical thought rocked the more conservative elements in largely Congregational New England, and Brookfield was no exception. Many a church in New England during those years had to make the painful decision of where they stood theologically - Trinitarian or Unitarian. Whatever way the democratic vote went in these towns and cities, new churches had to be built to house the people with now two different ideologies.

In Brookfield, it was the liberals, again, who were the majority espousing this new Unitarian faith. The majority generously agreed, again, to move out and build another church for themselves, as they had done before. They took the communion service with them, however, rather like tribal totems that helped identify themselves.

Their first church building as Unitarians, built upon this present day site of our congregation, quickly became too small for their increasing numbers. Therefore, they sold that building to the Catholics that were beginning to come to town in the mid 1800’s. And the Catholics moved that building to its present site on Lincoln St., just off the town Common. And that Catholic church, St. Mary’s, is still using that building today. Graciousness was seen in our congregation again, and a willingness to cooperate with their religious neighbors, especially at a time when many a Protestant in New England did not welcome these new "Papist intruders," as they were often called back then. This harmonious ecumenical spirit is still seen today.

And so this congregation built themselves a larger, quite lovely wooden church, one with a steeple that was the tallest in town. Such high and lofty aspirations proved to be disastrous, however, for in 1911, on a humid July day, lightning struck the steeple and burned the church to the ground.

Two of our present day and life-long members were around when this happened. Horace May, our 94 year old member, was a young lad then and remembers seeing the smoke and flames from the burning church from his front porch down the street. And Loana Nichols Gadaire, 90 years old now, was a mere babe then, but remembers hearing her parents talk about how they, as well as many others, went to helplessly watch the huge fire.

But this congregation recovered quickly from the grief of their loss. A trait that served them well, and still does today. This congregation has weathered many a change, theologically and physically, over the generations, and this developed trait helped to strengthen them even more. Within a little over a year, they had rebuilt their church as we see it and use it today. They readily and speedily moved to set things to rights again - they, the descendants of those practical first settlers making the right and speedy choice in opting for the tavern to save themselves. And, in their practical mode, they built a stone church with no steeple this time. Even though it is said that lightning does not strike the same place twice, they were taking no chances.

And from time to time, this congregation has called ministers who were practical survivors as well. One was Rev. Ted Kennedy who was ordained here and served from 1963 - 1965. He was Hungarian by birth, had suffered much, including some time in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. He escaped from there and had to disguise his identity and name many times before he finally made his way to America. When he landed here, he randomly opened a phone book and pointed to a name that he would take as his own in this new country. It was Ted Kennedy.

Rev. William Walsh was another such practical survivor. Serving this church from 1893 - 1914, he skillfully guided this congregation through the harrowing times of the church fire and the rebuilding. Rev. Walsh served here for 21 years, and that long a duration for a minister here was not necessarily the norm.

Through much of the 1800 and 1900’s, the average ministerial stay was well under 10 years. Two exceptions to this in this century were Rev. Howard MacDonald, who left this congregation in 1948, having served here for 28 years. The other was more recent - Rev. John Agnew, who retired from this church in 1995 after 17 years of service. But, for most of this congregation’s history, it had to adjust to new ministers in their midst every two, four or six years or so. But this congregation weathered these changes in their pulpit quite well, and even had times when they were without a minister at all for a number of months or even a year. This tends to make a congregation resilient and adaptable. Good strengths to have.

Another change that was met here was the denominational merger of Unitarians with Universalists which occurred in 1961. The Universalists espoused a belief in a God of universal love and a fine tradition of social justice and service that rivaled even the Unitarians proud history in that area. And thus, these two parallel denominations became one here as well.

This merger has brought about many changes in the individual congregations of this new denomination of UUism, keeping some old traditions perhaps, letting go of others no longer reflective of the congregation’s direction. Something with which this particular congregation had much experience. Congregations, such as this one, also embraced new searches for truth and meaning that have taken us on investigations and appreciations of many religious beliefs and practices around the world. It has meant new rituals, new types of services and new elements within the services, new topics to ponder and discuss, new ways of being in community with each other.

Ours is a denomination and ours is a congregation that has gone through many changes throughout its long lifetime. We are forever in flux, moving forward. Remember, this was the congregation that chose to move rather than stay put in the old familiar church building, first at Quaboag Plantation and then across the town common. Tradition has its importance (remember the pewter communion set that survived the fire and is with us still ) but tradition also has historically and periodically made room for new liberal ideologies, new ways of being a religious community together.

Our challenge for the future is to determine what of the old familiar traditions is worthy of keeping, is essential for us all as a group to hold dear. And it is to determine what as a congregation we also hold dear and precious and essential to our hearts and souls now and for our future. Determining this in a practical, rational, democratic fashion, as our history has shown us how to do, will be the way we can weather whatever wars, sieges, disagreements, changes and fires fate might bestow on us in the future.

I would like to close with the words of the dedication of the popular Stone Church Cookbook, published by the congregation and sold as a fund-raiser in 1950, for its words are just as timely for this congregation today as they were nearly 50 years ago. They are:

"To the Church of Tomorrow -

A church where people are always happy to labor for the cause of God ... always seeking new creations ... and where they never cease to speak of the love of God to their children, and their children’s children ... through endless generations."

So may it be.