Newtown Residents Lead Unitarian Universalist Congregation’s Building Project

DANBURY — The Unitarian Universalist Congregational of Danbury has completed a ten-year process of planning, building and recently opening a new Fellowship Hall and Religious Education building at 24 Clapboard Ridge Road. With its exposed beams, cathedral ceiling, wall of windows, and light and airy atmosphere, the new Fellowship Hall captures the congregation’s buoyant and welcoming spirit.

The congregation will celebrate the major project when its new building is dedicated the weekend of March 24–26.

The new building currently serves as the sanctuary, adjacent to what formerly was a single-family home and now serves as the religious education and administrative office building.

Long-term plans call for building a separate house of worship and using Fellowship Hall for meetings and special events and gatherings. It already has a large kitchen and is entirely handicap accessible and energy efficient.

Newtown members were instrumental in making the dream a reality. This entailed finding a suitable new worship site in Danbury, where the congregation has its roots, and moving away from its beloved “Barn” in suburban Redding. Christopher and Kimberly Schmitt of Newtown co-chaired the Comprehensive Planning Committee (CPC), tasked with executing the project after its founders, Donald Schober and Mimi Davison, moved out of state.

Newtown residents Bruce Berg and Jean Renjilian, and former residents Marcia Brooker and Art Warren also served on the CPC on the various design, building, and transition teams. Residents Kathey Brewington and Brad Greene also took leadership roles in the building project.

The Reverend Linda Hansen, also a Newtown resident, joined the congregation when the project was already underway. The respectful and enthusiastic manner in which the congregation embraced it influenced Rev Hansen’s decision to come to Connecticut to lead the liberal religious group.

“I applied to become this congregation’s minister because I was inspired by their determination to return to the city of their origin and become a more visible and active presence for Unitarian Universalist values in the larger community,” Rev Hansen said. “I’m even more inspired having been among them now for almost three years. The light and warmth of the new Fellowship Hall are wonderful symbols of their passion for learning and for community.”

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury is a direct descendant of the First Universalist Society of Danbury, which was organized in 1822. There has been an active Unitarian Universalist presence in northern Fairfield County since that time.

The decision to leave Redding did not come about easily for the congregation, which renamed itself prior to the move. But the renovated barn and separate religious education building in a residential neighborhood on Picketts Ridge Road in afforded no room to grow, and parking was becoming a problem.

After years of debate, then-Congregation President Maggie Hooton and her husband Bill took action. In 1996 they formed Task Force 2000, to take a fresh look at the need for more space. They held neighborhood meetings in the various communities where members hail from and after receiving overwhelming support, CPC was formed in 2001.

Despite having an interim minister and a concurrent search for a new minister, the project progressed.

The Redding property was purchased by a congregation member, who allowed the congregation to remain rent-free for a year while the search for a new church home continued. A site on Clapboard Ridge Road, in a residential area that already had several churches, was on the market and brought to the attention of the UUCD membership.

Architect Robert Faesy was brought into the project. Mr Faesy listened to what the congregation wanted and designed a building in accordance with their vision and budget, using energy-conscious “green” principles. The committee chose SEBCO as the builder, based on site visits and a recommendation from Newtown Congregational Church, which recently completed a large addition built by SEBCO.

In keeping with UU principles of respect and adherence to the democratic system, the Schmitts visited the neighbors to explain what the project was all about. They also shepherded the project through the requisite zoning approvals. Mr Fenster and Mr Schmitt were co-chairmen of the Money Team, Doug Parkhurst and Linda Spione co-chaired the Capital Campaign, John Miglietta was the board liaison and helped raise money from other Unitarian Universalist congregations through the Chalice Lighters ambassadors, and Bill McWilliams and Mr Berg worked together on the sound system.

Ms Renjilian, a UUCD congregation member since 1974, said she has always been interested in building. She and her husband, Jerry, built their house in Newtown, and she was excited about helping with the church project.

“I cared how the dream got put into reality,” she said. “We’re a warm, friendly, creative congregation, open to new ideas and diversity. We wanted a place that was visible, accessible, functional, and beautiful, with space to do what we needed to do, such as potlucks, receptions, parties, and weddings.

“Fellowship Hall accomplishes that. It’s a transition building and we still want a larger worship space. We plan to extend the Religious Education building so it is all one piece when it’s finished,” she said.

The CPC hopes the membership grows and is able to proceed to phase two in five years.

“Kim and I put years worth of work into it and feel honored we had the respect of the congregation to do this,” Mr Schmitt said. “It was a lot of fun doing it. We’re proud about how it turned out. We’re ready to go to the next phase and build a really beautiful building.”

“Leadership was a huge part,” Mr. Berg said. “Every step of the way, we had the right person to do it. People were behind us. It was a very affirming process.”

The congregation has 150 adult members and friends, and 50 children from infants to high schoolers, and offers the opportunity for many intergenerational interactions. Geographically diverse, it covers the greater Danbury area, east-west from Newtown to Putnam, N.Y., and north-south from New Milford to Fairfield.

Next weekend’s events will begin with a celebration dinner at Capellaro’s Three Oaks in Bethel. Members and friends of the church will gather to acknowledge and thank those who helped guide the project.

Dedication worship services will be celebrated on Sunday, March 26, at 9 and 11 am. The celebration of a dream and rededication to the purposes that brought UUCD back to Danbury will be officiated by the Rev Linda Hansen, Director of Religious Education Mary Collins, and Community Minister Peggy Block.

At 3 pm on Sunday, a formal dedication service will be held. Because the church expects a large turnout for this, the service itself will be conducted at Western Connecticut State University’s Ives Concert Hall on White Street, beginning at 3 pm. The Reverend Dr William Schulz, the executive district director of Amnesty International and past president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, will be a guest speaker.

A reception will then be held back at UUCD’s Fellowship Hall.

Regular worship services are Sundays at 9 and 11 am, followed by coffee hour. Education for pre-first through ninth grade students is available at the 9 am service, and child care for young children is available during both services. A Senior High Youth Group meets each Sunday at 4 pm.

For additional information about meetings, special events, etc, contact the church at 798-1994 or visit UUDanbury.org.