UCF History: Our Own Home

THE NEW CHURCH BUILDING
[photo taken Sept 2002]

FELLOWSHIP PRESIDENTS
AND MINISTERS

Laurel McGuire, Pres. 1993—Rev. Til Evans [interim]
Susan Fetzer, Pres. 1994/95—Rev. Heather Collins [interim]
Phyllis Geringer , Pres. 1996—Reverend Bob Murphy
Mark Hooper, Pres. 1997—Reverend Bob Murphy
Mary Vann Eslinger, Pres. 1998 Reverend Bob Murphy
Sandy Kunkle, Pres. 1999/00—Reverend Eileen Epperson [interim]
Martha Bourne, Pres. 2001—Brian Clougherty
Dwight Rettie, Pres. 2002—Reverend Rudi Gelsey [interim]
Claire Doyle, Pres. 2003—Reverend Sally White

Mark Hooper, Pres. 2004 - Reverend Sally White

Susan Fetzer, Pres. 2005 - Reverend Sally White

Brad Rich, Pres. 2006 - Reverend Sally White

The Reverend Robert Murphy

The following is excepted from an open letter to the Fellowship dated 10/1/00 from Rev. Bob on the occasion of our 20th anniversary. Reverend Murphy is currently pastor at the UU Fellowship of Falmouth in East Falmouth, MA.

"For a minister, the first pulpit [first settled ministry] is sometimes like 'the first child.' There's a special relationship between a member of the clergy and the first settlement. As you know, the UCF was my first church after I graduated from Harvard Divinity School in 1995. You took some risks when you called a brand new minister with very little parish ministry experience and no past experience in Southern living. I'm very glad you were willing to try something new...

"The UCF is a remarkable institution. And all of the people involved in the UCF have good reaon to be pleased with what the congregation represents and what it has accomplished during the past twenty years. In many ways, the Unitarian Coastal Fellowship IS liberal religion in Carteret Count, and it's probably the best representative for other areas also. Consider: The UCF is probably the only religious organization in Carteret County willing to accept Jews, Buddhists, religious Humanists, atheists and agnostics, and others who have been pushed aside in other places. The UCF is probably the only religious organization in Carteret County willing to accept people who are openly homosexual. And the UCF is one of only a handful of groups outaide of the African-American community willing to celebrate Human Rights Day and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [I should mention that the UCF is also one of the few religious groups that demonstrates a continuing appreciation of local environmentalists and Earth Day.]

"Keep doing what you're doing! You're part of the new North Carolina and your kindness and tolerance is needed. May all go well for all of you in the years ahead...With Love, Robert Francis Murphy [Rev.]"

History 1993 to March 2002

During this period of time the Unitarian Coastal Fellowship changed from a part time to full time church. We had a succession of ministers serving us part time:

Interim Minister, Reverend Til Evans, winter of 1993-1994; Reverend Heather Collins one Sunday a month in the spring of 1994; Reverend Robert Murphy whom we shared with the UU Fellowship of Greenville, 1996-2000; Reverend Eileen Epperson, quarter time interim, September 2000-April 2001; Brian Clougherty, half time September 2001 -March 2002.

The Reverend Eileen Epperson
Quarter-time Interim Minister

Activities of note during this time period include serving on the work crews for Shevan's Park, assisting children "fish paint" at the Seafood Festival, participating in the Big Sweep, Habitat for Humanity, Martin Luther King Day Celebration, and Human Rights Day, and serving on work crews in rebuilding African American Churches burned by arsonists.

Brian Clougherty
Half-time Ministerial Candidate