Unitarian Universalist Church of Flint
A WELCOMING CONGREGATION
service at 10:30 a.m. Sundays

Past Ministers

Minister
Rev. David Carl Olson

Director of Lifespan Learning
Amy Derrick

         
Return to the UUFlint home page

Minister	Tenure	Reason for Departure
Arthur Winn	1931-34	.
Walter Ryder	1934-36	.
Herbert Gans	1937-39	.
Harold Scott	1940-45	Called to a church in Miami
Leon Land	1946-51	Resigned
John Morgan	1952-57	Called to a church in South Bend, Indiana
Karel Botermans	1957-62	Called to Marin Church in California
Waitstill Sharp	1962-67	Left by mutual agreement
Paul Killinger	1967-74	Resigned
Bruce Marshall	1974-81	Called to a church in Long Island, NY
Brooks Walker	1981-82	Interim minister
Charlotte Cowtan	1982-94	Became UUA Michigan-Ohio Valley District Executive
Angeline Theisen	1994-96	Interim minister
Lisa Friedman	1996-2004	Relocated to Minnesota in response to husband’s career move
Jean Wahlstrom	2004-05	Interim minister
David Carl Olson	2005- present	.

Two ministers, Bruce Marshall and Charlotte Cowtan, were ordained by the UU Church of Flint. At least two ministers, Bruce Marshall and Brooks Walker, are known to have written books on religion. There is not much in the archives about Arthur Winn, Walter Ryder or Herbert Gans. The American Unitarian Association paid their salaries. Winn is said to have been a "beautiful, dignified, kindly gentleman with silver hair, in his middle sixties or older" and to have had great understanding of, and rapport with, the children. In 1938 the AUA planned to sever financial aid. When Harold Scott arrived in September of 1940, he came at first for a three - month trial period, salary to be paid by the AUA. Someone said of Scott, "He knows his business and is willing to take chances." Rev. Scott is mentioned regarding a cake left over from a bake sale, which cake the Alliance wanted to raffle off. Rev. Scott’s response was, "Not in my church. There will be no such thing going on in my church." In 1945 the church was said to have the "best small choir in the city." That year the congregation celebrated paying off the mortgage in full. When Scott left, he said the church was "no longer thinking in terms of survival but of continued victories." After a year of lay leadership, Leon Land became minister. Land is described as a widower, a short, chubby, friendly, personable man in his fifties, a great theater lover and one of our most conservative ministers who frequently quoted Reinhold Niebuhr. He had been a protégé and assistant minister to John Haynes Holmes. Rev. Land had a serious stuttering problem but spoke perfectly in the pulpit. By the end of his tenure, the church was free of AUA subsidies for the minister’s salary. The church was "bursting at the seams" but in 1951 it passed a deficit budget. At the same meeting, Land resigned. John Morgan is said to have been our most liberal minister. He was an intellectual and a poet, "a handsome man with a friendly, outgoing personality." He was proud to be a Harvard graduate and wore academic robes in the pulpit. He is remembered for his informal but powerful delivery and, being a "Hoosier," for the use of homespun tales in his services. Members had no difficulty with his theology. Morgan was the first minister since Gans not to hold dual fellowship with the Congregational and Unitarian denominations. At the time of Morgan’s ministry, the second house at the Clifford Street church was used as a parsonage. Morgan and his wife, Jeanette, thought the traffic in the area was too dangerous for their children. They bought a house and then asked the church for a parsonage allowance. This caused some upset but was agreed to. Karel Botermans was a member of the Dutch underground during the Hitler years. He came to America as a Dutch Reformed minister before becoming a Unitarian. He is described as being of small, slender stature and appears to have been beloved by the congregation. He was very friendly but of strong convictions. He was not stern but had a serious mien. Waitstill Sharp was a buoyant personality always excited about what went on in the church. He is considered to have been conservative and was very formal and didactic in the pulpit. He had an autocratic manner that displeased many. During his ministry there was much discussion relating to preferences for either a fellowship or church with minister model. He had been called by only a 2/3 vote. Later, the constitution was modified to require a much higher affirmative vote before asking someone to be the minister. He and his wife Monica held "fireside chats" in their home where members discussed religious and other issues. Waitstill believed in a Supreme Deity. He was famous for his work in wartime Europe guiding Jews and others across the Pyrenees to safety in Spain. Paul Killinger came to Flint from a church in Orange County, California. He was a humanist and a social activist. He epitomized the spirit of the civil rights era. During his ministry the church was a haven for those who rejected the political and religious forces of the day. The church, in fact, had a policy that any group denied any other place to meet could meet one time in the UU Church of Flint. To Paul and his congregation, individual rights were supreme. They fought for their own rights and the rights of others. They experimented with alternate life styles and alternate beliefs. They were involved with crafts and arts and held in-church shows where they displayed their work to other members and to the community. Paul himself was a craftsman in rare woods. A couple of pieces of his furniture are still in the church and many members have examples of his bowls, plates, candlesticks, etc. Bruce Marshall was a gentle man, somewhat shy, another much-loved minister. He had a gift for writing, creating works of poetic strength from ordinary experiences. His empathy and sense of humor delighted the congregation. Charlotte Cowtan had a winning smile and a soft voice. She loved to dance. She came to UUCF as a married woman with two children. When she recognized her orientation as a lesbian, the congregation, with a few exceptions, rallied around her as she divorced and entered a new life. She helped the church grow in understanding issues of sexual orientation by her example, research, and openness, Charlotte devoted much energy to examining and organizing our historical record, helping the congregation see itself more clearly. In 1984 there was a debt retirement party, the chapel was filled to overflowing, sound was being piped to another room. Charlotte attempted to aid people’s exploration of the challenges and opportunities of a larger-sized congregation. She considered the options to be to 1) do nothing (become a private club), 2) enable a new congregation, 3) move to two services, or 4) build. There was no consensus from the beginning, though she pushed hard for the building option. Her success in this endeavor is seen in our present sanctuary. After the building controversy, Angeline Theisen, interim minister, was asked by the Board to help the congregation have fun together again—and she did so. Lisa Friedman seemed wise beyond her years. She was beloved by almost all the congregation. Her kind heart was apparent and her thoughtful, well-crafted services were much appreciated, memorial services, in particular. With skill, she enhanced our common rituals, homegrown and otherwise. She left long before either she or the congregation was ready for the relationship to end, though her reasons were understood.

Return to 1st page of History

2474 South Ballenger Highway
phone: 810-232-4023   fax:810-232-4221
office hours: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., M-F
e-mail: office@uuflint.org
contact webmaster
Copyright © 2005. Unitarian Universalist Church of Flint.