A group of students and other community members receive the first Fellowship Charter in the country, and form the Unitarian Fellowship of Boulder.
Nationally, Unitarians and Universalists merge to become Unitarian Universalists. A new church building is erected at 5001 Pennsylvania Avenue, and the congregation renames itself the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder.
When a conflict over spiritual differences and ministerial misconduct could not be resolved, 49 members signed the membership book and formed a new congregation – Boulder Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
Without a permanent building, the congregation met twice a month in a series of rental spaces. For several years, they met at the Center for United Ministries on Euclid Ave. on the Hill in Boulder. Later, they rented space from Mountain View United Methodist.
Rev. Rudy Gilbert came out of retirement to serve as a guide and minister in the Fellowship's early days
Nan Hobart began serving as part time minister in 1984 and was ordained by the congregation in 1989.
Now meeting weekly, the Fellowship alternated formats between discussion forums and services. Discussion forums proved popular with UUs and nonUUs, alike, and many reflected the intellectual, Humanist perspective of the Fellowship's founders.
Before there were children attending on Sunday mornings, the congregation invested in religious education staff and the program grew
The Gilbert Fund was established to support local social services programs, and the congregation supported and sheltered an El Salvadoran family.
Now meeting weekly, the Fellowship alternated formats between discussion forums and services. Discussion forums proved popular with UUs and nonUUs, alike, and many reflected the intellectual, Humanist perspective of the Fellowship's founders.
Rev. Robert Eddy served as interim minister from 1991-1993
The Fellowship called the Rev. Catharine Harris as a settled minister in September 1993, and she served in that role until 2006. Our current chalice was created for this occasion.
During this time, BUUF had 86 members and 15 children and services were held every Sunday. Several traditions were developed at that time that endure today: the annual auction, the choir, covenant groups. Rev. Harris introduced Flower Communion and Merging of the Waters services.
The Fellowship earned the official UUA designation as a Welcoming Congregation to the LGBTQ community, after a two year process. And the congregation chose as its vision, “Bringing Love and Reason to Life.”
Along with our first office staff, Katie Covey was hired as the Director of Religious Education, a position she held for 15 years. Children and youth programs grew as she transformed the religious education program into the “School of the Spirit,” featuring holistic multi-generational programming, including a summer camp which ran from 2006-2018.
After searching for many years for a new home, the congregation made the bold decision to relocate out of Boulder and purchased and moved into its current home on Ceres Drive in Lafayette.
Rev. Harris retired in 2006, and the congregation was served by Interim Minister Art Severance.
In the spring of 2007, members voted to change the name to the Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship to reflect the new location in East Boulder County. A few months later, the congregation called the Rev. Lydia Ferrante-Roseberry as our settled minister.
To reflect the congregation's expanding social justice focus, the vision statement was expanded to include "Building a Just and Compassionate World."
BVUUF joins Together Colorado, a statewide coalition of faith communities, to work for needed change. We have organized for children's access to healthcare, better mental health services, and affordable housing.
A growing congregation needs capable professional staff and we were lucky to hire Carol Pranschke in 2010 to serve as our full time congregational administrator. She is now the longest serving member of our staff, and is responsible for much of the successful management we've enjoyed over the years.
Volunteers from BVUUF raised money and traveled to Guatemala to help a community build a school.
The first set of stained glass windows are installed in what was then the sanctuary. Designed by member Loyce Jones, the piece reflected the desire to "draw the circle wide." Two more sets would be installed over the next two years, to complete the artwork.
In a joint collaborative effort, the Fellowship and the UU Church of Boulder formed the Longmont UU Presence (affectionately known as LUUP). The LUUP is exploring a new model of church beyond bricks and mortar, using a multicultural ministry model, and grounded in strong lay and ministerial leadership. With care, we have nurtured relationships between Longmont members of our two root congregations, tending to the joys and challenges of our shared histories. Members gather around poetry, meditation, books, and meals. We deepen our connections at monthly community gatherings which are soulfully moving and meaningful. Social media is helping us reach new people familiar with Unitarian Universalism but unaffiliated with a congregation.
Also in 2016, the congregation clarified and embraced its strategic direction as one of “Inner Depth and Outer Focus,” and set a goal to create a center for spiritual exploration and justice making.
At this time, we expanded our inspiring music program by hiring Music Director Tad Koriath, at first part-time, and eventually grew that into a full-time position. A talented pianist and choral conductor, he also coordinates our concert series featuring a wide variety of remarkable artists.
Our congregation had grown to 289 members, and 123 children and youth, and was bursting at the seams in the existing building, so a decision was made to extensively remodel and expand our space. An anonymous donation of $1,000,000 kick-started the capital campaign, which eventually raised over $4,000,000.
Ground was broken in February of 2019, and our congregation moved our services to a neighboring Methodist church during that time. Committees met in coffee shops and online, while construction continued for over a year.
As a part of the racial justice uprising following the murder of George Floyd, UUs on the front range created Colorado UU for Racial Justice and a BIPOC UU space called The Mountain Top. BVUUF is proud to be a generous covenanting congregation with the Mountain Top.
Just as we were about to take occupancy of our long-awaited new space, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented us from doing so. Services and other gatherings were held virtually over Zoom, and we set our singular goal to stay connected and keep our members safe during this historic event. In November of 2021, nearly 3 years after we started construction, we held our first in-person services in the new sanctuary and gradually moved into the rest of the space as public health guidelines allowed.
The harsh reality of our changing climate struck too close to home when the Marshall Fire ravaged neighborhoods close to the Fellowship, and several congregants lost their homes. Our congregation supported these families financially, as well as spiritually and emotionally during these difficult times.
In the fall of 2022, we dedicated our newly expanded building with a special weekend of festivities. A beautiful mosaic was installed at the Ceres Drive entrance, designed by Robin Rathweg and gifted to the congregation by Rev. Lydia.
In January of 2024, Rev. Lydia Ferrante-Roseberry resigned as our minister, after 16 beautiful years with us. Rev. Teri Schwartz supported our lay leadership part time for several months until Rev. Barbara Coeyman, our new Interim Minister, came on board in August of 2024. She will serve two years, after which we expect to call a new settled minister.
Enjoy this 20 minute video slideshow that highlights the ways we have grown and changed over our 40 year history.
