"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!!