History

A yellowed newspaper article from 1961 titled "Many Got Start in First Church" that details the historical presence of Unitarians and Universalists locally.
A brown brick church with 1920s stained glass windows and a bright red door set in an arched entryway. The church sign and a progress pride rainbow flag are at the foot of the entry.

Roots

Early History of Unitarians and Universalists in Muskegon

While not affiliated with the current congregation, Unitarians and Universalists date back to the early days of the City of Muskegon. The original First Universalist Church was organized January 12th, 1862. They built a Gothic design wood building with seating capacity for 400 parishioners at the corner of Clay Avenue and Third Street. Their first minister was Rev. C. Nash and remained there for two years. This congregation was deeply tied to the religious life of the city, offering their space to other new congregations, including St. Paul’s Episcopal, who held their first services there in 1866 before they could build their own building. The Universalist congregation also shared space with the Unitarians. Neither congregation grew and the building was vacant by 1890. It was used by the school district to hold classes after the fire at Central School and after, other congregations used the space before they were able to build on their own. The church was torn down after it fell into disrepair, the site then used for the Occidental Hotel. The Baker College Culinary School is now on the site with a statue of Charles Hackley sitting on a bench where his parents once sat in the pews on Sunday morning.

A yellowed newspaper article titled "Many Got Start in First Church" that features a photograph of a wood Gothic style church.

Harbor UU’s Origin

The Unitarian Fellowship

Harbor Unitarian Universalist Congregation traces its local roots back to 1954, when a group of forward-thinking people saw a need for a spiritually liberal congregation in Muskegon. They began meeting at the Occidental Hotel in downtown Muskegon, coincidentally on the same ground that their predecessors had founded their church, and later at the YMCA, calling themselves the Unitarian Fellowship of Greater Muskegon.

A black and white newspaper clipping with an image of three people looking at a document, a woman in the middle and two men on either side of her.
Article text: “Win Recognition…In a letter from the board of directors of the American Unitarian Association, the local group approved in the United States and neighboring countries. When the letter was received, officers of the Muskegon Fellowship gathered to discuss future plans. Looking over the communication are W. K. Mason, chairman; Ben Marcus, treasurer; and Mrs. Fred Liechti, secretary. (Chronicle Staff Photo)” Saturday May 28, 1955

In 1961, the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America merged into the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. The Fellowship chose to associate with the Unitarian Universalist Association.

The Fellowship’s First Church Building

A yellowed scrapbook page featuring newspaper articles about the purchase of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship's first building.
Black and white photograph of a classically styled white clapboard church with a bell tower.

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship purchased their own building at 1052 Grand Avenue in 1962, the former home of the Free Methodist Church. The congregation had grown with the addition of their Sunday School in 1960, leading to the decision that the congregation needed its own building. At the time they acquired their new home, the Fellowship numbered twenty families.

Unfortunately, this building was destroyed by fire in March of 1967. The loss amounted to $25,000 in damage. The fire started with a paint can exploding in the basement which was powerful enough to blow the front doors off the church. They landed at the feet of a young neighbor, Larry Peters, who was on his way to pull the alarm box on the corner along with his friend, John Edlund. Larry’s sister, Pattie Peters, called the fire department at the same time. By the time the firefighters arrived, the building was fully involved. Three firefighters were injured during the blaze.

A yellowed newspaper article titled "Blaze Hits Old Church." The accompanying image shows smoke billowing from the building while firefighters climb ladders and parishioners gather in the snow outside.
A newspaper clipping showing the fire truck ladder and hose extended to reach the steeple of the church.
A black and white photograph of a classically styled white wooden church that has been badly burned.
A side view of a white classically styled church building that has had the main roof collapse due to fire.
An interior view of the badly burned church.

A New Congregational Home

The Fellowship was only homeless temporarily. Muskegon Fire Chief Donald E. Caswell was also senior deacon at McGraft Congregational Church which had, late in 1966, moved out of their brick building into a new space overlooking Ruddiman Lagoon. He offered their former church building after talking to his own congregational leadership, asking only for the Fellowship to pay for maintenance and utilities while they were recovering from the fire. The McGraft parish unanimously supported his proposal and the Fellowship was able to immediately resume services without missing a week.

A yellowed newspaper article from the Detroit Free Press titled "Fire Damages Old Church." The image in the article shows a fire truck with ladders extended to reach a smoke-engulfed structure.

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship continued to grow in its new home. They briefly supported a food co-op, expanded their social justice work in the community, and members shared their beliefs through advocacy both locally and nation-wide. The congregation changed their name to Harbor Unitarian Universalist Congregation in 2001.

70 years young!

In 2024, Harbor Unitarian Universalist Congregation celebrated its 70th year of serving spiritual and faith needs in West Michigan!

A black and white photograph of a piano and chair at the front of the sanctuary. The stained glass windows are shielded from view by a sun screen.
A man in a white shirt and ice-cream deliveryperson hat cooks pancakes in the church kitchen.
A young girl stands in front of both the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship sign and a large sign advertising a giant church rummage sale.
Three men in "Wise Man" costumes of white robes, two with plaid headscarves and one in a fez, carry containers during the Christmas pageant.
A newspaper clipping on a wood floor. The clipping features a black cat sitting on the church office desk.
A banner hangs at the front of the church sanctuary on the screen in front of the stained glass windows. It reads "Unitarian Universalists 1555-1980" and features the flaming chalice. There are plants on the left and a projector screen on the right.
A wide view from the back of the sanctuary looking towards the stained glass window and altar area.
An exterior view of the brick church building and the sign featuring a lighthouse and service information. The sign has a garden around the base and a small tree at its right.

Unitarian Universalist History

We appreciate our faith tradition’s rich history, including early opposition to slavery and support for Civil Rights and the trailblazing backing of women and LGBTQIA+ into the ministry. For more information on the rich history of this tradition, the UUA has a number of resources on their own History of Unitarian Universalism webpage.