In 2008, we celebrate 100 years of Unitarian Universalism in the Borough of Queens. We are very proud of our history and achievements and excited about sharing our message of peace and spiritual growth with the future generations. Presently, our community is called The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Queens reflecting the merger of two churches in 2006: the Unitarian Church of Flushing and the Hollis Unitarian Church. We remain in the historic edifice of the Flushing church on the corner of 149th St. and Ash Ave. While we are busy enacting our vision for what is to come, we are careful to treasure where we have been. Below you will find brief histories of both of these communities.

The Unitarian Church of Flushing

Unitarianism has a long history in Flushing and Queens. Several efforts were made to establish a Unitarian congregation here as early as the late 1800's. Finally, a small group began meeting regularly in Flushing in 1905 (first at the Lend-a-Hand Club and later at the Masonic Temple). They incorporated the Church in 1908 and after setting up their regular programs and worship, began the work of collecting a building fund. This progressed with help from the American Unitarian Association and contributions from many other Unitarian congregations, as well as the Woman's Alliance.

Building a church began with the purchase of a lot on the corner of Central Avenue and Ash Street in Flushing — now known as 149th Street and Ash Avenue. The cornerstone was laid May 31, 1914 with all appropriate ceremonies and on October 23 of that year, the first Service was held in the Sunday school room. By the fall of 1915 enough money was raised by members of the Congregation, either as loans or gifts, to complete the upper part of the church building and the Church was dedicated on Sunday, December 10, 1916, with what has been described as "a very impressive service."

One of the founding members of the congregation is now known well beyond the borders of Flushing: Lewis Howard Latimer (September 4, 1848 - December 11, 1928). His name and memory remain honored in the congregation and a special portrait hangs in the sanctuary, dedicated in 2003. Latimer, a descendant of slaves, was an inventor who collaborated with Thomas Edison on the development of the filament for the electric light. He was a member of the congregation until his death in 1928 and his family has continued its relationship with the church until this day.

The congregation became firmly established as, under the leadership of several different ministers, it grew in membership and programming. A Sunday School was established along with a roster of other programs: the Women's Alliance, a choir, a successful Youth and Adult Group, and a variety of social justice programs. By the middle of the 20th century the congregation's members and Sunday School program had outgrown its space. In 1957 the congregation raised money to expand the original church structure, adding new church school rooms, and additional seating capacity for the church auditorium. And when the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America merged in 1961, the Flushing congregation changed its name to reflect this merger.

The congregation has been served by fourteen different ministers from 1905 through to the present, each bringing gifts and challenges to the membership. The congregation, still worshipping and working in its original location, has weathered the changes in leadership and in the surrounding community. Although it is a smaller congregation now, the light of liberal religion continues to shine brightly.

The Hollis Unitarian Church

We have to go back to 1922. It was a moment in time when the world appeared to return to a state of normalcy. Men wore black or gray suits, white shirts, black ties and gray trench coats. Women were to be seen but not heard. In May of this same year an official Unitarian institution was formed in Hollis. It was named “A Unitarian School of Religion and Preaching Services.” Its membership included 7 adults and 5 children

In the autumn of 1922 Mary Lawrance was sent to this tiny congregation by Denominational Headquarters, which paid her salary. She was employed to take charge of an experiment known as the “Jamaica Movement.” By the end of the first year this tiny group grew to 30 children in the school along with 18 women registered in the Women‚s Alliance, a Unitarian group. In April 1924 the Denominational Headquarters decided to terminate the “Jamaica Experiment.” Led by Mary Lawrance, the congregation refused to disband.

In November 1924 this emerging group formally organized and changed its‚ name from the Liberal Community Church to the Hollis Unitarian Church with 29 members. From 1925 to 1926 Mary Lawrance’s father William L. Lawrance served as minister. During the ministry of Kenneth C. Walker (1926-1930) in 1928 the Denominational Headquarters purchased a large house at 89-25 190th street in Hollis. The Recording Secretary‚s annual report for 1929-1930 identified one of the more active committees as a Hollis Branch of the General Alliance of Unitarian and Other Liberal Christian Women which met regularly on the second Tuesday of the month at the church house.

The property located at 190th street was affectionately known as The Meetinghouse. For 33 years it was home to the Hollis Unitarian Church, although, over the last 5 years of its tenure it functioned as a Sunday School and hosted the Coffee Hour. The Hollis Theater on Jamaica Avenue served as the house of worship for Sunday Services during this same 5 year time period. In 1958 HUC initiated plans and started a fund raising campaign for a new building. At this moment in time the Hollis congregation boasted an adult membership of 150 „Patrons‰ and 80 children.

At the ground breaking ceremony in May 1960 it is interesting to note, from the archived pictures, that men still uniformly wore gray trench coats over neatly pressed dark suits and ties of course. It was a rainy day. In one of the pictures I counted 10 gentlemen, some brandishing umbrellas and nearly all of them wearing conventional Stetson brimmed hats. In February 1961 the Hollis Unitarian Church moved into the new building that it occupied up until it was sold in September 2005. The new building was financed mainly be the members (listed as Patrons), with some support from the denomination. It carried a conventional 30-year mortgage.

The time in the life of HUC from 1960 to1976 was a period marked with struggle between form and matter. In 1960 the Hollis Unitarian Church was full of promise. The membership numbers were high. It was all systems go. HUC had a new building on Hillside Avenue at a central point in Queens. It came equipped with a full time minister, RE classes were full at all age levels, and the Sunday worship service was conducted according to form. The sanctuary was abundantly filled with natural sun light thanks to the massive windows at the front and the skylights that were located between the flat roof and the two sides of the building. The room was always filled with beautiful green plants and on every Sunday fresh flowers were provided at the service hour. HUC had an organist-choir director and a wonderful set of voices. The family structure was alive and well. The UU presence in Hollis, New York appeared to be growing, so it would seem.

Over the next two decades strong and turbulent winds of change would pass through HUC leaving in its wake a struggling congregation. The traditional family unit was coming apart, people were constantly on the move, neighborhoods were changing faces, and religions and morals were microscopically being tested by society. Television and the computer were making the world a much smaller place. HUC became a refuge for minority opinion yet it struggled to maintain itself along classical lines of what a church seemingly should represent.

One member of the Hollis congregation recalls that on a sunny Sunday morning in the springtime of 1976 a guest minister was invited to speak. He came from a rather traditional suburban setting. When he arrived at about 30 minutes prior to the appointed hour he was greeted by a large poster planted in the front lawn, which advertised in bold letters, “Don’t By Grapes.” As he proceeded into the church building there was a table set up accepting signatures on a petition to the governor of New York State taking a pro-abortion stance. I asked this member what the minister’s sermon was about but she couldn’t remember the topic.

By 1976 HUC membership fell to 50 pledging units. The children‚s RE program numbered no more than 10. Thanks to a faithful, steadfast few the Hollis Unitarian Church continued to meet the needs of its UU community. Several community outreach activities, which included the Thrift Boutique, the Hollis Creative Pre-School Center and the semi-annual auctions were what kept the church doors open. Over the ensuing years these activities brought many people into the building but few felt the need or desire to join this tiny group. Kate Lehman was the last minister to serve Hollis for a prolonged period of time from 1980 to 1988. She was hired on a part time basis but in reality she gave HUC full time service.

Over the many years of what started out as the „ Jamaica Experiment‰ the Hollis Unitarian Church, later changed to Congregation, served as a platform for many of the more notable ministers in the UU directory. To name just a few: Dale DeWitt, Vincent Silliman, Ralph Bailey, Allen Wells, John and Betsy Skeirik, Richard Neff and Donald and Aniko Harrington.

HUC had no shortage of talented people. It was home to artists, educators, writers, singers, comedians, thinkers, speakers and craftsmen. Many children grew up within HUC walls to become model citizens. When we count the years from 1922 to 2005, eighty-three years, it seems like a long time, but in the larger picture of time it is really just a brief moment. HUC closed the doors and sold the building in September 2005. There are still a hand full of members from the Hollis congregation who have joined the newly formed Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Queens. Perhaps there will be a new day for a new Hollis UU congregation, and then perhaps not, as time goes by.