One Church’s Living Witness

First Universalist Church of Camp Hill (est. 1846)

Last Sunday, I made my annual trek to the Homecoming celebration of the First Universalist Church of Camp Hill, Alabama. It had been a two-hour drive and I managed to make my way up the steps just as the bell in the belfry tower sounded the hour for the service to begin. This year marks the church's 171st year. At one time they were the largest Universalist Church in the Southeast.

Looking at the historic church in Camp Hill, one has no doubt that its builders saw that it was important to create something of beauty, of substance, and of lasting value. The craftsmanship that went into the woodwork, windows and the brick structure of the building reveals an attitude of careful symmetry and quality. The philosophy espoused by the congregation is likewise one of careful symmetry and quality in that that the traits of love, justice, liberty, and reason should be evident in equal measure. (1)

Many churches have been seeing membership decline since the 1960s, and the beautiful historic church in Camp Hill is no exception to that trend. Changing demographics and social trends, however, do not necessarily tell the whole picture. Sometimes smaller denominations have a larger influence upon society than their numbers would indicate. The Quakers, with their message of peace, non-violence, and social action are one such denomination. Another is the Unitarian Universalist Church. They are a living witness to liberal religion born in nineteenth century America which continues to support a reasoned and responsible search for meaning, inclusiveness, and social justice. (2)

While membership may have waned through the years, the hopeful message that the Universalists have always carried has actually found its way into many Christian denominations. From the very outset, the Universalist message conveyed by early leaders such as Hosea Ballou declared that a loving God does not seek to cast people into eternal damnation. For them, the gospel message is that we should live our lives in response to God’s love rather than in fear of God’s punishment.

In Our World Today

A view from the pulpit

When I wrote about my first visit to the Universalist Church in Camp Hill, I stated that “it takes faith to have a liberal worldview these days.” At last Sunday's service, the sermon by the guest minister, Rev. Barry Whittemore, exemplified the kind of faith and action that is needed in our world today. He began his message by setting the stage to see our present day conditions.We are in what recent scholars have named the Anthropocene Age, the age in which humans have the most profound impact upon the environment. One example he gave of the effects of climate change is the prospect of some of our major coastal cities being  under water by the year 2050. 

Rev. Whittemore added that the majority of the earth’s human population now live in cities which has led to our “disconnection from and destruction of creation.”

He then recounted how our history in America has led to a number of social and environmental concerns. Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations described an economy that moved us from being cooperative to being competitive. With our capitalist economy, Whittemore said, “your neighbor is your essential competitor.” Added to this competitive economy, the United States engaged in genocidal practices toward the native population and “invented race-based slavery.” As a result, the reverend pointed out, “We have become unmoored from nature and place.” Our economic system of quarterly profits does not see things in the long term.

A Call for Action

After Rev. Whittemore’s bleak assessment of our world today, he countered that religion calls us to serve the common good. He cited Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si, which highlights the harmful effects humans are having on climate change and calls for social action to save the environment. Whittemore also cited the 19^th century social movements for prison reform, temperance, the abolition of slavery, mental health care, education reform, and women’s suffrage – all of which arose from the faith community. These movements were part of a religious motivation to create a better society. Theirs was not a “me first personal salvation” but rather sought salvation for all society. The Universlist vision sees all of humankind in relationship to a living God. He added that “Happiness is not dependent upon getting more stuff, but on good housekeeping.”

A Faith for Our Time

Reverend Whittemore ended his sermon saying that it is up to us to live out our theology. His message captured liberal religion’s appeal to all of us: God’s love calls us to take responsibility for the care of our neighbor and for the preservation of our environment. It is a message that rests upon the hope that love will prevail. It is also a message of faith that we humans are worthy and able. We can rise to the task of mending our relationships and repairing our world.

Inside the sanctuary

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(All photos taken by Charles Kinnaird)

(1) This paragraph is taken from my essay, "Where Love and Reason Dwell," in which I recounted my first visit to the church. 

(2) The Universalist Church was established in 1793 and the Unitarian Church in 1825. In 1961, both of these small denominations merged to form the Unitarian Universalist Association (you can read a brief history of these movements at https://www.uua.org/beliefs/who-we-are/history/faith).

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