Fred and Mary Johnson and then president Don Cantwell found an aging Seventh Day Adventist Church (built by them in 1912), seven miles from Modesto, located on a rural highway surrounded by farmland. The church and three outbuildings on 0.87 acres of land cost $25,000. This was a difficult financial decision for a small group without endowment and with limited finances. Rev. Tucker encouraged us to move ahead – to risk – and we accepted the challenge. By March 1964, we had saved $8,725 toward the goal of getting a home of our own. Dr. Ford Lewis spoke to the Fellowship in June, encouraging us to take “the great leap forward into the future with confidence and optimism”. He said Sacramento had done so and doubled its membership within four years.

Money came in for the building fund but less generously for the operating budget. Attendance was shrinking because of the poor meeting places and the financial pressures. In November we received word from the UUA that it would loan us $2,500 interest free, and guarantee our bank loan for $12,500, so the way was clear to purchase the Seventh Day Adventist Church. We made the move to Kiernan Road on December 20, 1964. We shared the premises with the Adventists until they completed their new building.

It was an ideal arrangement, since the Adventist met on Saturdays and continued to pay operating costs while they remained. The boost given by having quarters of our own and space to operate a good program for both adults and children soon showed in a growing membership and operating budget. The ever-resourceful program committee turned to the community, Starr King, and fellowship members to present a variety of programs.

So, finally, in 1964 the Unitarian Fellowship of Stanislaus County settled in at 2172 Kiernan Av. (Universalist wasn’t added until 1977). On April 1967, we dedicated the Fellowship as a house of light, a house of goodwill, a house of joy, and to a life universal. The group met at least in five different places before settling here in 1964. One of the charter members, Lois LeBaron, wrote on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary, “It seems to me that we moved about as much as the Jews during their early years before finding the promised land.” It was a promising time, but there was a setback created by the increased capital outlay to finance the property. This would in turn require cuts in the operating budget, which left no money to pay a minister even if it was a modest salary.

Modesto Bee Article

Friday, April 7, 1967 p. B-3

Unitarians Set Church Dedication

A dedication ceremony for its permanent home will be held at 4 pm Sunday by the Unitarian Fellowship of Stanislaus County at its property at 2172 Kiernan Road in north Modesto.

The ceremony will take the place of the regular 10:30 am service. The public is invited.

The Rev. Samuel Wright, professor of social ecology at Starr King School of the Ministry in Berkeley will give the keynote address.

Others on the program are the Rev. Michael Boardman, executive director of the Pacific district, Universalist Unitarian Association [sic – Unitarian Universalist]; Dr. Harold Schmidt, Stockton Unitarian Church; Dr. Clifton Gordon, Sacramento State College; Dr. Ford Lewis, Sacramento Unitarian Church, and Gordon Jaroch, president of the Modesto Council of Churches.

Fred Johnson, president of the fellowship, Lee Binna and Walter Lab are in charge of the program, which will include special music.

After the dedication, members of the Junior Fellowship will plant a dogwood tree in honor of the Rev. Boyd W. Tucker, who has served as minister of the group since coming out of retirement in 1961.

The fellowship was formed in 1952 [sic – 1953] with meetings held in various members’ homes and in temporary locations. In 1964 purchase began of the present location with a unique ecumenical arrangement whereby operating expenses were shared with a Seventh-day Adventist congregation.

The Adventists moved into their own church last December and the Unitarians now are sole owners of the buildings.

Ministers:

Boyd Tucker had served from 1962 – 1967. He understood the situation and we tearfully accepted his resignation in June of 1967.

1968 – 1970: Charles Spencer. During this time Rev. Charles (“Spence”) Spencer, a former Congregational Minister, volunteered to speak once a month, to serve in ceremonial capacities, and to provide comfort and support to the congregation. In 1992 Rev. Spencer was still an active and supportive participant of the Fellowship, and continued to provide an occasional program when it fit into his busy traveling schedule.

The fellowship continued to grow and was beginning to think about a full time minister.

1970 – 1975: Bill Petersen. These years were full of action and hard work. Bill Petersen, who was studying at Starr King and had spoken at the Fellowship, contacted the Board about becoming their interim part time minister until he graduated. He decided Modesto needed him and he needed us. The members were soon in agreement and upon graduation, we unanimously called Bill to be the full time minister. He came to us single (divorced with two daughters). He soon married Mary Ann Brewer, who had two children. Bill and Mary also took in the three orphaned nephews of Bill’s. With his new family and his church flock, he was very busy. Bill was full of ideas and energy and inspired others to be likewise.

The congregation kept going at full tilt on many fronts. Bill performed weddings, memorial services, baby naming and new members ceremonies. He introduced candle lighting festivities at Christmas, which later became one large candle representing togetherness, and sermon talkbacks. After five years, mental and physical exhaustion set in and Bill surprised the congregation by resigning.

The Fellowship decided that they did not want to do without ministerial services and a selection committee was soon searching for a replacement.

During these years Fred and Mary Johnson tended the grounds. Their job was made easier when Bob Norman installed an automatic sprinkler system and the Fellowship upgraded the tools for the yard.

1976 – 1978: Leroy Egenberger. After several months of study, corresponding with candidates and a recruiting visit to the Claremont General Assembly of the UUA, the committee chose Leroy Egenberger, and the congregation voted to call him as their minister. In September 1976 we welcomed Leroy, Pat and their two sons, Jeremy and Zachary, into our Fellowship.

Leroy was soon busy giving classes in assertiveness training using Transactional Analysis techniques. He set up an evening group studying Unitarian Universalist History, which grew into a study of liberal religion. Pat became an advisor to the Liberal Religious Youth group and they both worked closely with the Religious Education committee to develop youth orientated programs. We still remember their Sunday services, with Pat doing Mother’s Day and Leroy Father’s Day.

Unfortunately, because of lack of money, the Fellowship found it was no longer able to sustain a minister. Out of the previous seven months, five months had shown an income shortfall. The budget in January 1978 showed a reserve of $1,288.01. By February of 1978 the Board had to recommend that Rev. Egenberger’s contract not be renewed.

Expansion

In 1976 we purchased 1.4 acres of adjacent farmland for possible future expansion. In 1977 we began working on a large activity room in back of the cement block building. (We named it the Solar Room at first, in honor of its heating, and then the Johnson Room, in honor of Fred Johnson.) Fred Johnson, Howard TenBrink and a number of other members constructed almost the entire building. Members provided money for this project by gifts and loans.

Religious Education:

Directors were Helen Cooperider, Peggy Mensinger, David Galbreath, V.J. Vogelzang, Janet Garrison, Ken LaConde, Sharon Arpoika, Mary Menz and Lynda Rau. The ministers’ wives, Mary Ann Peterson and Pat Egenberger, both made the Religious Education program a chief interest and were of great value to parents and teachers.

Social Action:

Mary Johnson served on the steering committee for CASA, a group working for defeat of the Realtor’s Initiative (Prop. 14) against “fair housing”. Many women of the fellowship were persuaded to help organize a community liaison committee to get out the vote in the attempt to defeat the measure. Peggy Mensinger was active in this, too.

Later on, after 1970, Julie TenBrink went to South Carolina in the black voter registration drive. Howard TenBrink was still involved with self-help housing, peace vigils, opposition to the Vietnam War along with many members who were growing increasingly more concerned about the double threats of atomic power plants and ecological disasters.

Walt and Olive Lab and others marched, seeking better conditions for migrant farm workers. That night, the Fellowship and the Labs provided lodging for some of the United Farm Workers and their supporters.

Rev. Peterson took on the mayor and the community in regard to the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfasts and attacks on free speech centering on pornography outlets. He served on the Food Bank Committee and on the Mental Health Committee.

Ann Enochs proposed a nondenominational parent cooperative nursery school; it was soon operating at full enrollment.

Activities:

Dorothy Schmidt formed the first circle dinner groups. There were sensitivity groups, discussion groups, sex education study groups for adults and kids, kayak building sessions, journeys inward, back-packing trips, peace marches, draft counseling, ecological education, ecology action, weekly discussion groups, women’s lib nights (Mary Ann Petersen’s special interest).

Our members helped organize the Stanislaus County chapters of N.O.W. and Friends Outside.

We had Easter Communion brunches, walnut harvests, a 25th anniversary celebration, Thanksgiving dinners, potlucks, bake sales, countless Religious Education planning sessions, challenging sermons, ministerial exchanges, pulpit dialogues and fine special programs from the program committee.