Our Fellowship has a long legacy of lifetime members, and is growing with new members. This page is a tribute to our history, and an intentional vision of our future: growing in our community, cultivating peace, and seeking justice! Here are some pieces of our story. Special thanks to Sylvia Schelkers, and all the UUFEC members who allowed us to use their thoughts on this page.
“We’d moved to this small town, away from my community, desperately seeking community. Every door closed in my face. I knew that UU’s were open to lots of traditions, so I came here. “
2013 Fellowship time after service
UU Picnic at Sylvia’s 1983 Sylvia Olds,Chuck & Carolyn Rainger, Herb & Nancy Eastman”(My husband) and I had met at Mt. Sinai Hospital and we were of different religions, but wanted to get married. We went to the library to look up religions and found the UU’s. Went to the Shaker Hts church. The minister married us. This started a trend in our family. My brother said, ‘You were the pioneer.’ “
“I was looking from the time I was 18; brought up in a mainline church. Religious experience was really important to me. Was considering becoming a minister. But I didn’t believe. Politically active, I kept running into these other trouble makers. I saw a flyer, showed up on a Sunday, and there were the other trouble-makers!”
UU Mortgage Burning Program Inside May 1978
UU Mortgage Burning Program May 1978 Cover
UU Picnic at Djubeks 1991
“When we first started attending, one of the moderators frequently read the poetry of Mary Oliver, who writes about nature, seeing herself as part of the whole. I saw her poetry in the hymnal. It reminded me of the Jewish hymnal, writings from all different traditions.”
Jim & Linda Marshall 1978
“I didn’t feel suffocated by dogma or doctrine. I felt like I didn’t have to hide my spiritualself, the werid person who was interested in the universe. The person who felt like a square peg in a round whole. I didn’t feel like I was being recruited (part of God’s army). I could be myself. Open. Didn’t feel like I was withholding things because it doesn’t jive.”
Nancy & Herb Eastman 1978
“I didn’t leave services irritated; didn’t feel like I need to zone out; no one dictates what I have to believe.”
Mary Douthit Xmas Party Baughmans 1989
Elna Molnar and Jim Wing
“The first time, there was a potluck. Everyone invited us to stay. When we started to go, neither of us knew anything about UU. It was all about the people: the conversations after the service. Listen to what these people are talking about. We weren’t hearing that anywhere else. It was all about the people. During the holiday service, I was so impressed. The year before we had taken our kids and my mother to (another) church and it was just awful: they had our kids come up (to the front) and quizzed them.”
Jamaica 1984 Marilyn Muth & John Baughman
UU Picnic at Sylvia Olds’s 1983
“(I like) the acceptance of my non-God beliefs; there’s no creed. I like the people in attendance.”
Charlie Schelkers & Sylvia’s Mother UU Christmas Party 1986
“It’s the UU principles. I became very disillusioned with organized religion. But I agree with what the principles say. They fit.”
Sam & Marilyn Shearer 1978
“Even though I said it was only for my children, I went to the Sunday service. And I teared up during every service. I had assumed there was nowhere for me. That I had to search alone. And it broke my heart open to realize there were people who were searching with me.”
“Years and years ago, we had gotten a grant for educating our group and
the community, with the goal of becoming a Welcoming Congregation (for the gay community). But it was a very unwelcoming time. It brought out the worst with some people. It was very difficult for me. My fear and concern was that it would tear apart the group. The toughest year. Now I look back and see how far we’ve come.”
“I felt valued when we’d been away from services after (our baby) had been born. It felt good that we were in the consciousness of others, not just a number. It felt so good when a member called us when we were on vacation. The card, too. It was really cool to hear from the group: Our absence was noticed. We were noticed.”
“It was 1968, it was the Vietnam war. I was in opposition. My good friend and I wanted to do draft counseling; we had just graduated from high school. This group had a stone building and allowed us to set up a counseling office in the basement. The group was so brave to allow us to be interviewed by the Sandusky Register, to have our story told, at a time when draft counseling in this town might have been viewed as treason. But certainly not by this UU group.”
