We’re among those people who people say, “They’ve been coming here for a long time.” And it’s true. We started coming here in 1988. We started coming when our kids were very young and Mary Ellen raised the issue of our children needing someplace to go for their religious education. She had been raised Catholic; David was Jewish. We were not inclined to adopt the other’s faith of upbringing. 

“How about the Unitarian Universalist church?”, she suggested.  He said, “Huh?” not being inclined to church in general, never mind one with a 10-syllable identifier. But we checked it out, and we’re here 37 years later, the congregation being one of life’s big blessings for us. It saw us through our children’s upbringing, but it provided so much more than that. 

When we walked in, there was a building and a congregation full of people who supported us throughout life’s adventures – good and bad – and gave us some of our best friends, along with the insights into spiritual thinking that help us with our lives to this day.

We’ve been consistent supporters of the congregation throughout the years, giving of our time, talent and treasure – the latter typically to support the Congregation’s annual operations. But aside from some small projects over the years, we were never asked to support the evolution and maintenance of our physical plant. Not once. Not once in over 35 years of attending. Try that on your house and see what happens.

So here we are in the middle of the first real capital campaign for this building in 65 years. The place needs it. We’re not “building people” – we’re program/spirituality/community within people. But we’re aware that we need a place to convene – a place that welcomes all, makes it easy for all to get in and get to their spaces, that supports us for who we are today and what the congregations of the future will need.  

We don’t take the congregation, the people, or the building for granted. That’s why we made our commitment to the Capital Campaign. We hope you won’t take our spiritual home for granted either when you’re asked to meet to discuss the campaign and when you take out your pen to make your commitment. 

In fellowship and with gratitude, David Kantor and Mary Ellen McNulty

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