In January of 1881, for the first time since its inception, a different minister was leading Unity Church.  His name was Rev. George G. Miln from Brooklyn, New York.  Like Rev. Collyer, he converted from a more orthodox faith.

Rev. Miln was in his twenties with a religious philosophy which was still evolving.  He began to challenge the beliefs of the members of the congregation, such as predicting that in the future people would not be judged by whether or not they believed in a personal God.  At first he was not asked  to resign, but in February of 1882, they had had enough and fired him.  He then became an actor and appeared in the role of Hamlet on the Chicago stage.

The members of Unity then decided to "play it safe."  They hired Rev. George Batchelor, who was a graduate of both Harvard and Meadville, and seemed, in the words of the trustees, "a ripe and sound scholar...... We believe that he will avoid rash speculation and hasty departure."  Unfortunately, Rev. Batchelor became very ill within three years and had to resign.

Rev. Thomas Milsted became Unity's minister in 1883 and continued until 1891, when he decided to resign in order to spend a year traveling.  This left Unity without a minister for a time, and church attendance suffered a lot.

Finally, in 1894, Rev. Benjamin Bulkeley from Massachusetts was installed as the minister.  While attendance revived a little, word spread that he had received an invitation to return to the east.  Even though Bulkeley did reject the call, the Board of Trustees felt that the damage was done and made him reverse the decision to stay at Unity.  He left in 1897.

Another minister followed, who accepted the job for one year at the tiny salary of $2,400.  He moved on shortly to start a new congregation in Los Angeles.

By the 1890's Unity Church's attendance and pew rentals (key revenue for the church) declined severely.  In fact, when Rev. Albert Lazenby of Glasgow, Scotland was called to the pulpit in 1900, there were only seventy-nine members available to vote.  Despite the low salary, he accepted the position so that he could bring his family to America.

Things did not improve.  In 1897, the church mortgaged its property to settle all of the debts and offered the building and land for sale.  In 1902, there was no sale pending, but Unity members voted to discharge Rev. Lazenby, close the church, and try again to sell it.  Rev. Lazenby's last sermon was given in the spring of 1903 to an almost non-existant  congregation.  Everything was purchased by the Chicago Medinah Temple Association for the small sum of $65,000.  To say the least, they got a bargain.  They sold it in 1911 to the Scottish Rite Bodies of Chicago.

Members of Unity didn't really want to dissolve the church, so they decided to move farther north.  In the winter of 1900 to 1901, they tried evening services in a rented building called Martine's Hall on Hampden Court, near Wrightwood.  Since they were now without an actual church building of their own, they began to hold Sunday services in this building as well.They invited various guest Unitarian preachers because they could find no minister who would agree to take on a congregation with no building of their own.

Volunteer Spotlight:   Quinn

By Liz Krumwiede and Rev. Rudra Dundzila

Quinn is one of the most active members in our church.  In April, she joined the Committee on Ministries and resigned her leadership in other ministries.  The Young Adult Ministry and the Pastoral Care Ministry are two areas where her efforts have made an extremely significant impact.

In 2005, Quinn and Jen began their efforts to revive the Young Adult Ministry.  Since then, Quinn has remained a leader and an integral part of the ministry.  She has organized many activities, facilitated countless Circle Worships, and provided guidance to the current ministry leaders, Liz  and Rachel.  It was her vision for this church that has led to the success of our Young Adult Ministry.  We can credit this ministry as the reason that Second Unitarian has one of the largest Young Adult populations of any UU church in the area.  Quinn had this to say:

"When we first started the Young Adult Ministry three years ago, I could never have imagined the way it would work out.  I've made friends with people I might never know otherwise.  We've spent time together praying, singing, talking and generally hanging around having fun.  I'm really grateful for the way this ministry is working in my life."

Additionally, since January 2007, Quinn has been one of the core members of the Pastoral Care Ministry.  She is developing a pastoral care brochure for the congregation.  She has provided one-on-one pastoral care for a series of individuals and organized volunteers to cook meals for a number of families with newborn babies.  In particular, she has helped two families experiencing life crises with longer-term pastoral care and coordination.

Quinn, we truly appreciate your dedication to Second Unitarian.  Your ministry to the congregation has been an invaluable blessing.  We thank you for continuing your gift of service to our church.

Who Are the Young Adults?

by Liz Krumwiede

The Young Adult Ministry is geared towards people aged 18-35.  We are a welcoming community inclusive of all young adults, regardless of identity.  For many young people, participation in a Young Adult Ministry activity is their first step into greater involvement with our church.  We aim to bring people together in community and help everyone feel at home within our congregation. 

Many Sundays we gather informally for lunch after the second service.  On the first Sunday of each month we meet for Circle Worship - an intimate, participatory worship that provides and opportunity for spiritual exploration and community building.  New this year, we added an incredibly popular Potluck and Game Night on the 15^th of each month.  We also we hold social justice activities and special social events.  This fall we visited an orchard for apple picking, and held a successful canned food and clothing drive in the neighborhood.  Our biggest achievement was our Winter Retreat (Feb. 29 - March 3), in which 15 people participated. 

We maintain communication through our Yahoo Group, which has over 100 members.  You can be added to our list serve by going to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2uyoungadults/join.  The vibrant, dynamic Young Adult Ministry has grown to become an integral part of our church.  I want to offer special recognition to my co-leaders, Quinn and Rachel, without whom none of this would have been possible.  I also want to thank everyone who volunteered, participated and made this year a huge success!