• Home
  • rainbow flagA Welcoming Congregation
  • Safe Congregation SealKeeping Safe
  • Capital Campaign
    • Contact: Capital Campaign
  • DONATE/REALM
  • TUCWomen
    • About TUCWomen
    • Join Us
    • Events
    • Contact
  • Contact
  • Instagram

The Unitarian Church in Westport

10 Lyons Plains Rd., Westport, CT 06880 - Ph: (203)227-7205 Sunday Services: 10:00 AM

uua-logo-2
  • Calendar
    • Calendar
    • SOUNDINGS
    • Communications Guidelines
    • ZOOM Instructions
    • Tips For Making Videos
    • Event & Space Reservations
    • TUCWSocial Email List Ground Rules
  • Welcome Visitors
    • UU Orientation
    • Directions & Services
    • Special Ceremonies & Dedications
    • Our Congregational History
    • Our Faith
    • What is a Unitarian Universalist?
    • We are Unitarian Universalists
    • How did you become a Unitarian Universalist?
    • History of the Flaming Chalice
    • UU History in 8 Minutes
  • About Us
    • Our Mission Statement
    • Our Vision Statement
    • About Our Ministers
    • Our Staff
    • Getting Involved
    • Board of Trustees
    • Governance
    • Congregant Celebration
    • Pastoral Care Chaplains
    • Our Welcoming Congregation
    • Photo & Video Galleries
    • Links – Beyond Our Walls
    • SOUNDINGS
    • Communications Guidelines
    • Events & Space Reservations
    • Pledging
  • FAITH FORMATION
    • Faith Formation 2021-22
    • Welcome to Family Faith Formation
    • This Week in Family Faith Formation
    • What to Expect on Sundays
    • Faith Formation for Children Pre-K through 7th Grade
    • OWL Information at a Glance
    • Considering 8th-9th grade OWL
    • Youth Ministry
    • Adult Faith Formation
    • Soul Matters
    • Keeping Safe
    • Faith Formation Registration
  • Social Justice
    • Welcome to Social Justice
    • Social Justice e-mail
    • Advocates for Prevention of Gun Violence
    • Beardsley School Committee
    • Environmental Action Group
    • Immigration and Refugee Committee
    • KIVA Microfinance Committee
    • Mercy Learning Center Committee
    • Racial Justice Committee
    • Rainbow Task Force
    • Westbridge Coalition
    • UU United Nations Office
    • Additional Programs
    • Racial Justice Resources
  • Music Program
    • Music Choir Schedules
    • Evensong
    • Our Minister of Music
    • The Music Committee
    • The Bell Choir
    • The Choir (Women and Men)
    • Special Projects Choir
    • Once & Again Singers
    • Children’s Choir
    • Teen Choir
    • The Chamber Choir
    • Sight-singing Classes
    • Cabaret
    • Voice Classes
    • Love Is the Spirit
    • Tune My Heart To Sing
    • Support Our Music Program
  • Sermons & Poetry
    • Minister’s Messages
    • Sermons – Audio
    • Sermons – Video
    • Rev. John T. Morehouse’s sermons
    • From Your Senior Minister: Facing Grace
    • Facing Grace – Rev. John’s blog
    • Rev. Frank Hall, Minister Emeritus – sermons
    • Rev. Frank Hall, Minister Emeritus – Dear Friends
    • Intern Minister’s sermons
    • Guest Minister’s sermons
    • Poetry & Readings
    • Communications from Your Ministers

Dear Friends – January 2, 2006

April 22, 2011 by Rev. Frank Hall - Minister Emeritus

Dear Friends,

I got a wonderful, affirming message on the answering machine from our congregation’s first called minister, Arnold Westwood.  He said, “I just got two issues of Soundings and I read them from cover to cover, and I can’t tell you how proud I feel about what’s happening there.  It warms my heart…” His affirmation was an end-of-the year gift.

I returned the call and told him how much his ongoing support, encouragement and frequent affirmations mean to me.  The call prompted some shared reminiscence.

Arnold talked about Carl Charowsky, who was hired by the Board in 1952 to help move the church from the Fellowship organized in 1949, toward becoming a full-fledged church.

Dr. Carl, as he was affectionately known, was semi-retired at the time, but he devoted his full energies and well-honed ministerial skills to building the congregation to a size where it was necessary to move from meeting at the Women’s Club in Westport to rented space in the  Saugatuck school.

Arnold recalled Dr. Carl’s fascinating story:  his maternal and paternal grandfathers were rabbis in Russia; his father traveled to Germany to work on his rabbinical training and was converted to Lutheranism.  His father never told him about his rabbi grandfathers, and Dr. Carl followed his father into the Lutheran ministry.

One day, the story goes, Dr. Carl got a knock on the door – it was his paternal grandfather, who told him about his Jewish ancestry.  Eventually Dr. Carl left the Lutheran church and became a Unitarian minister, served congregations in New York, entered retirement and was asked to come to Westport on a part-time basis.

In 1958 Arnold was called by a vote of the congregation, then named First Unitarian Church of Fairfield County, and he proceeded to grow the church to the point where a decision was made to build the sanctuary we occupy on Lyons Plains Road.  The building project began with construction of a parsonage to house Arnold and his young family.  That parsonage, which I occupied during my first year here, is now our Meeting House.

It was appropriate that my conversation with Arnold was on New Year’s Eve, looking back, as it were, and thinking ahead to a brand new year.

Last year’s transitions included Barbara Fast’s decision to leave her position as Associate Minister to look for her own congregation, and Manish coming on as our interim Associate. A committee is working to find the right person to fill the position when Manish leaves in June.

Bob Perry’s decision to leave his position as Youth Group Advisor prompted another change—a committee has been working to decide how we can best serve our high school youth, continuing the youth group, of course, but expanding to a youth programming model that will allow us to offer more ways for youth to be involved.

Thanks for your holiday card and the warm note.  I appreciate the support very much.

Take care,
Frank

Filed Under: Dear Friends

  • Minister’s Messages
  • Sermons – Audio
  • Sermons – Video
  • Rev. John T. Morehouse’s sermons
  • From Your Senior Minister: Facing Grace
  • Facing Grace – Rev. John’s blog
  • Rev. Frank Hall, Minister Emeritus – sermons
  • Rev. Frank Hall, Minister Emeritus – Dear Friends
  • Intern Minister’s sermons
  • Guest Minister’s sermons
  • Readings & Poetry
  • Communications from Your Ministers

     The Unitarian Church in Westport
     is a member congregation of the
     Unitarian Universalist Association

      CLICK HERE if you have any questions      about The Unitarian Church in Westport

Church Hours: Tuesday - Friday
9:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Summer Hours:
July & August until after Labor Day:
Tuesday - Friday 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM

CLICK HERE to contact the web master

CLICK HERE to opt in to receive
the Weekly Congregational Email Blast

Copyright © 2022 · Visit us at The Unitarian Church in Westport - 10 Lyons Plains Rd., Westport, CT 06880 - All rights reserved.