About Us

Westminster Unitarian Church is a Welcoming Congregation member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. We care about our members, our neighbors and the world around us. We are a member congregation of the Ballou Channing District of the UUA.

If you visit us for a Sunday service, you can find members who will talk with you and welcome you. We have coffee hour between services and have special mugs newcomers may use, if they choose, letting us know you are new to the church. If we see someone using one of these newcomer mugs, we can introduce ourselves and try to answer any of your questions.

Some people have asked if they have to be a member to attend Westminster. The answer is that anyone may attend. We encourage you to get to know our congregation before you decide to become a member.

As a UUA Welcoming Congregation, we welcome all individuals without regard to race, color, physical challenge, sexual orientation, age or national origin.

Westminster Unitarian Church began on January 5, 1828, at a private home in Providence, Rhode Island. For 120 years, our church occupied several locations in the same Providence neighbor. In 1958, with many members living in “South County,” the church relocated to East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Our beautiful sanctuary sits atop “Sunset Ridge” on the corner of Kenyon and First Avenues. We also have a memorial garden, which you are welcome to visit.

The following sections describe our church history, our certification as a Welcoming Congregation, and our memorial garden.

Our Church History

 "On the night of January 5, 1828, twelve gentlemen met at the home of Mr. Nathan Hastings in the town of Providence to discuss the formation of a new religious society according to the principles of the Unitarian faith."  So marks the beginning of Westminster Unitarian Church.

 The new congregation called themselves the Westminster Unitarian Society, and the first services were held in an empty building that once housed a brewery.  In May of 1828, land was purchased on Mathewson Street in Providence, between Westminster and Washington Streets.  Plans for a new church building project began.  Frederick A. Farley, Westminster's first minister, was ordained during that year by William Ellery Channing.

 The first few years were rough, with the congregation beset by debt from their new church building.  But the church overcame its money woes, and the Unitarian congregation grew.  Over the years, the church was used for a variety of activities, from a growing church school to anti-slavery meetings.  In 1849, Rev. Frederick Henry Hedge became pastor of Westminster.  Rev. Hedge became one of the best-known Unitarian theologians of his time.  Along with Emerson, he was one of the founders of the Transcendental Club.

 Dr. Augustus Woodbury succeeded Rev. Hedge in 1857.  His ministry is often referred to as the "Golden Age of Westminster Church."   The membership flourished and the church was a leader in Providence public affairs.

 In the late 19th century, the Mathewson Street neighborhood had changed from residential to business, and membership in Westminster declined.  The society moved from Mathewson Street to a chapel on Adelaide Avenue in Providence.  The congregation called themselves the Woodbury Memorial Unitarian Church, and its first service was held on January 5, 1902.  After 5 years the society outgrew the chapel, and a new church building was erected on Adelaide Avenue.  It was dedicated on September 27, 1909.  The name Westminster Congregational Society was readopted.

 The first 20 years at the new location were successful.  In the 1940s, under the ministry of its pastor, Rev. Richard W. F. Seebold, the church also regained its prominence in Providence civic affairs, with various Westminster groups helping out with the war effort on the home front.

 In the 1950s, the church again faced financial troubles.  In January of 1954, a proposal to unite with the First Church of Providence was put before the congregation.  The merger did not happen; instead, a massive drive to attract new members began.  Attendance at services increased and new members joined the congregation.

 Later in the decade, a new Unitarian fellowship was proposed for southern Rhode Island.  Many of Westminster's members now had homes south of Providence and had an interest in attending a church closer to their homes.  In 1958, the congregation voted to relocate to the Madeline Standish estate in East Greenwich, Rhode Island.  The first service was held on the lawn in September of 1958.

 In the early 1960s, William Warner designed a new church building.  Groundbreaking took place in March of 1963.  Warner won an award from the "National Conference of Religious Architects" for his design of the Westminster Church.  In July of 1965, the matching parsonage was completed.  In 1969, the addition of Fellowship Hall and improvements to the Church House were completed.

 The 1970s were filled with events such as potluck dinners, ski and skate sales, Earth Day activities, and the Christmas Fair.  There were gains in membership and an increase in attendance at services and the church school.  In 1977, Rev. Frederick Gillis became the minister at Westminster.  During  Rev. Gillis's tenure, the membership and school attendance continued to grow.

 The 1980s were a time of growth and renewal.  New chairs for the Church were bought in 1983. The mortgage was retired in 1984. Church building projects were undertaken to maintain and improve the Church properties.  A major capital fund drive produced extensive maintenance and repair, a new pipe organ, and an endowment fund.  More new programs were started, such as the Passover Seder, a Study Group for Unitarian Universalist history, Dinners for Eight, and the clothing sale.  It was also during these years that the RE Coordinator became a paid part-time position rather than a volunteer position.

 In the 1990s, the Church began having two Sunday morning Worship Services rather than a single one. And in 1990, the Welcoming Congregation Committee was started, when a proposal was brought before the board for their approval. At the May 1995 Congregation Meeting, the congregation unanimously voted to request the Welcoming Congregation Status from the UUA, which was later granted. (Please see the Welcoming Congregation section for the full story).  The RE Program continued to flourish. Many new curriculums, including the OWL (Our Whole Lives) were introduced.

 The turn of the century saw more changes for Westminster. In early 2003 Rev. Frederick Gillis (“Fred” to all of us) announced his retirement, after more than 25 years as Westminster’s minister. Before he retired, the board of directors voted unanimously to name Fred “Pastor Emeritus.”

 In August, 2003, Rev. Deborah Mero joined us as our interim minister. At the annual meeting in 2004, the congregation elected a committee to search for our next settled minister. This was an exciting and challenging time for Westminster, as we looked forward to our next phase.

At the end of two years, we were still looking for a settled minister, not unusual for a congregation that has had a long-term settled minister. Because of UUA restrictions on the length of time an interim minister can serve a congregation, Rev. Judith Downing joined us in August, 2005, as interim minister. We continued the excitement and challenge of searching for a settled minister.

Rev. Barbara Fast first came to Westminster for the weekend of February 10-12, 2006. On Saturday February 11 weather forecasters predicted a heavy snow storm/blizzard and churches in Southern New England - including Westminster - began to cancel services for Sunday Feb 12. While the Search Committee interviewed Rev. Barbara on Saturday, we learned that the church we were going to use for pre-candidating was not going to hold services on Sunday.

What to do? We could have Rev. Barbara come back or we could hold services that night. It was agreed that we would have our church service for the Search Committee in our own sanctuary at 6 PM on Saturday. Jonathan Fast, Rev. Barbara’s husband, played the piano for hymns and interludes, and the Search Committee took parts as worship associates - lighting the chalice, sharing joys and concerns.  As the snow began to fall outside, our candles were lighted in our beautiful space and we shared worship with Rev. Barbara.

After the service we had dinner and sent them on their way home to Connecticut, before the weather was impassable. The Search committee realized that it was a special moment - only enhanced by being in our sanctuary. The committee agreed it was special because of the minister and the service, not just the location. 

After meeting all our candidates, the Search Committee met, talked,
meditated, shared, analyzed, sat, and thoughtfully considered our work of two years. The decision to recommend Rev. Barbara to the congregation was unanimous. 

The date of the call was Sunday, April 30 so candidating week was April 22 to 30. After hearing Rev. Barbara conduct services on two Sundays and meeting her with many church committees, the congregation voted unanimously to call Rev. Barbara Fast as our settled minister.

The installation was held on Sunday, November 5. The installation committee realized that this was to be a very special day in the life of the congregation and in the minister's life - Westminster had not had an installation in 26 years and this would be Barbara's first installation as the minister in her own church. Who says Unitarian Universalists don't have ritual and ceremony? With a procession of 20 ministers in full splendor, the installation service was held in our very full sanctuary at 4 PM on Sunday, November 5, and was followed by a reception in Fellowship Hall for our members and guests. Ministers from the Ballou Channing District, from Westport, Connecticut, from the UUA, and from East Greenwich, as well as former ministers Fred Gillis and Judith Downing, led the congregation through a meaningful service. The highlight of the service was when we, the congregation, installed Barbara as our minister and she accepted the call.

Truly a day to remember!!


Welcoming Congregation

 In 1990 Westminster Unitarian Church began a journey towards greater understanding, support, and affirmation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender persons when we started investigating the newly published Welcoming Congregation Program. Two of our members attended a Ballou Channing District workshop and came away inspired. With the support of other church members and our minister, they asked the Board of Directors for approval to start the program. They not only received approval, they also came away with several new committee members.

 At their earliest meetings, the committee set several goals, including adding a non-discrimination clause to our by-laws and adding non-discrimination statements to the Sunday order of worship, the Chimes newsletter, other church pamphlets, and our weekly newspaper announcements. Other goals included setting up an information table at coffee hour and scheduling a ten-week Welcoming Congregation workshop series, beginning with a “kick-off” sermon by our minister.

 The committee also participated in several community programs such as the annual Rhode Island Project AIDS Walk for Life fundraiser and letter-writing campaigns to Rhode Island state legislators encouraging passage of the Civil Rights bill to protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

 The ten-week workshop series was a great success, with 15 to 20 participants. At the last session, the group brainstormed 19 suggested actions for the following year.

 The church year 1991-1992 saw many successful activities, such as Sunday services dealing with growing up gay, a Men's Group workshop on homophobia, and potluck suppers with “Pink Triangles” video showings and discussion. That year saw a meeting with the 4th grade church school class and a four-week workshop series for the Religious Education personnel. The committee set up a permanent Welcoming Congregation bulletin board and organized church-wide participation in the Rhode Island Project AIDS Walk for Life fundraiser.

 In 1992-1993 many of these activities continued, with the addition of our Youth Group participating in the Walk for Life fundraiser in a big way. Another ten-week Welcoming Congregation workshop was held, and on Get-together Sunday, the Welcoming committee members wore pink triangle signboards to highlight activities and accomplishments. The committee sponsored an In The Pink gender-free dance night at the church.

 By the 1993-1994 year, the committee was collecting useful items for Sunrise House, the local AIDS hospice, along with continuing all of the previous activities. In addition the committee sold Welcoming Congregation T-shirts, affirming the Inherent Worth and Dignity of Every Person. Four members of the committee attended the March on Washington.

 Continuation of the committee’s work in the 1994-1995 year culminated in the committee recognizing that Westminster Unitarian Church had amply fulfilled the commitments and actions outlined in the Welcoming Congregation Guidelines. It was time for congregational action! At the May, 1995, annual congregational meeting, the congregation voted unanimously to request official designation as a Welcoming Congregation. Our request was made to and granted by the UUA office of UUs for Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Concerns.

 In 2004, reacting to the ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Westminster Unitarian Church took two important actions. The first was hosting a press conference attended by clergy of several denominations, affirming that marriage should be open to all people. This press conference received national attention as well as postings on the Worldwide Web.

 Also in 2004, the Social Responsibility Committee and Westminster’s Interweave chapter circulated a petition among church members requesting passage of a statement supporting same-gender marriage. Once again our congregation acted unanimously at our annual meeting, passing a resolution sent to the State of Rhode Island supporting the right of marriage for all individuals, including same-gender couples.

Memorial Garden

 In the fall of 2000, a group of members and friends started the effort to establish a memorial garden on Westminster’s grounds. After several brainstorming meetings, the group chose a site by an ivy path behind our parish house and made a proposal to the Westminster Board of Directors. As a result, a formal committee was established in January of 2002. In May of 2002 the congregation approved the proposal at the annual meeting.

 During 2003 work continued on designing the garden and getting bids from landscapers, and a separate bank account was established for memorial garden funds. By October of 2004, the garden was landscaped and dedicated.

 Two large boulders in the garden provide the bases for plaques, one for persons whose ashes are in the garden and the other for persons whose ashes are elsewhere. The garden is open to all, and the Policies and Regulations are available from the Westminster church office.

 The memorial garden was formally dedicated in October, 2004.



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