UUSS History
Ten years after the first Unitarian sermon was delivered in Sacramento and after several guest lectures by the Rev Thomas Starr King, the First Unitarian Church of Sacramento was founded on March 29, 1868. With the financial panics of 1873 and '87, the church went through unsteady times but it reached firm ground - literally - in 1911 with the purchase of property at 1415 27th Street. The church building there was completed in 1915 and continually used until 1960 when the present building at 2425 Sierra Blvd was dedicated.
When America entered World War I in 1917, membership at the church had declined to seventeen but things picked up in the 1920's. In 1921, Berkeley B. Blake began his transistion from attorney to Unitarian minister and started serving the Sacramento, Woodland and Yolo County Unitarian churches. He was ordained on October 29, 1922 at the First Unitarian Church of Sacramento and served as the pastor until 1927 when he resigned from the pastorate to become the field secretary for the American Unitarian Association.
During the Great Depression and through the years of WWII the Sacramento institution survived with visiting ministers and by sharing a minister with the Stockton church. Immediately after the war the Society became revitalized with the installation of the Rev. Theodore Curtis Abell. On December 31, 1945, there were 37 members in Sacramento's First Unitarian Society but by the summer recess of 1946 the roster showed 192. The Society has maintained a strong presence in the community since.
By the 1950's it was evident that more space was required and a "Starters Club" was initiated in 1954. $19,500 was raised to purchase 5.76 acres on Sierra Blvd. The church was built over the following years. The new building was dubbed "The House of a Thousand Windows" because its walls contained 1,288 hexagonal windowpanes of translucent amber glass. This feature was the architect's response to the congregation's desire for a building that was in harmony with the sunny climate of the area.
Sadly, shortly after the contractor handed over the keys to the new building in May 1960, Rev Abell informed the Board of Trustees that he intended to resign as minister effective September 1, 1960 and that his last service would be Sunday, June 19, 1960 in the old 27th Street location. The first service at the new location was conducted on July 10, 1960. Rev Abell was in attendence but did not preside. He died 4 months later.
Since that time, five installed ministers have served this congregation: The Rev. Ford Lewis from 1960 to 1970, the Rev. Ted Webb from 1971 until his retirement in 1984 (he still serves as Minister Emeritus), Rev. Donald Beaudreault from 1985 to 1989, and Rev. John Young from 1991 to 1997.
Our popular and respected current minister, Rev. Doug Kraft, became minister in 2000 and continues to provide guidance for discovering the meaning and richness in life by his introspective teaching coupled with his Buddhist perspective and knowledge.