by Ed Busch, UU Lansing Church Archivist
Looking back 24 years at the October 22, 2002, issue of The Liberal Express
Twenty-four years ago this week, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing mailed a newsletter that was part party invitation, part ordination countdown, and part pledge-drive pitch. The October 22, 2002, issue of The Liberal Express—read alongside the October 7 issue that preceded it—shows a congregation carrying on with everyday church life while the world beyond Grove Street felt unsettled.
The church was preparing a Halloween party, children were getting ready to decorate pumpkins for UNICEF, and members were counting down to the ordination and installation of their minister, Kathryn A. Bert. The annual stewardship campaign was about to begin. Outside, the United States was edging toward war with Iraq, a terrorist attack had struck Bali, and Michigan voters were choosing a new governor.
Archivist’s note: The October 7 issue’s newsletter-policy box lists October 21 as the next publication date, and publication was meant to fall on a Monday. The issue in our archive is dated Tuesday, October 22.
The world in October 2002
On October 12, bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists. On October 16, President George W. Bush signed the congressional resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq; a Pew Research Center survey released October 10 was headlined “Americans Thinking About Iraq, But Focused on the Economy.” On October 23—one day after the date on our newsletter—Chechen gunmen seized a crowded Moscow theater. The siege ended on October 26, the same day as the UU Halloween party, with roughly 130 hostages dead.
In Michigan, Attorney General Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat, was running against Republican Lieutenant Governor Dick Posthumus to succeed the term-limited Governor John Engler. Election Day was November 5.
The newsletters themselves reflect more local rhythms: Riverwalk Theatre was staging Hedda Gabler, the East Lansing library thanked the church for the use of its parking lot, and the Board heard from Ralph Kron about the Peace Education Center’s lease.
A “merry-not-scary” Halloween
The October 7 issue announced the annual UU Halloween Party: “The merry-not-scary party happens on Saturday, October 26th, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The cost is $1 per person.” The calendar placed it in the Fireplace Room. Members were invited to decorate the church at 10:00 that morning and to come back in costume, “of course,” that night.
The announcement was specific about the fun: “It wouldn’t be autumn without an old-fashioned, fun filled Halloween Party! There will be Bobbing for Apples, Limbo, Putt Putt in the Graveyard, the Coffin Walk, a Mummy Wrap, a Costume Parade, and much more!” Questions went to Lisa Huberty or Kathy McWilliams.
The party took more than open doors. After Sunday services, members were invited to visit a “Halloween pumpkin patch” in the Fireplace Room, where paper pumpkins carried requests for supplies: “Please pick a pumpkin and take it with you as a reminder of what to bring back to church.” Outgrown costumes were collected for a costume shop—“you’ll see that your old costumes get new life!”—and adults were asked to sign up to supervise games and crafts. The October 22 issue repeated the party in a pumpkin-bordered box on the religious education page, alongside the calendar listing.
Halloween Party 2002: Deb Bennett (in back). ?, Stuart Campbell, Theo Cambert. ? (2008.0204)
Halloween party 2002: Theo Cambert, Sara Rowell-DeVaney (2008.0206)
Saturday, October 26, was a full day. The Campbells held an open house from 4 to 8 p.m. The singles group, Lamplighters, met at 6:00 at Coral Gables, with a note that “there is a home game that day, so some of you may want to meet at the church and share rides.” The party began at 6:30.
The seasonal activities continued. On Sunday, October 27, Director of Religious Education Teresa Putnam planned for children to decorate pumpkins for UNICEF in place of their usual classes. After the 10:30 service the pumpkins would be sold, “with all donations going to UNICEF.” She asked for 40 to 50 small-to-medium pumpkins. The date was also “UN Sunday,” with a service titled “What the United Nations Means to Us” led by Lynn Khadija and Anna Werner. On October 28, Earth Centered Traditions offered mask-making for Samhain/Halloween: “We will meditate what our masks should be, create them, then role play, dance or discuss our choices and what they mean to us.”
These notices show how much congregational life rested on small contributions: costumes no longer needed, a few pumpkins, a morning of decorating, and people willing to run games for children and adults.
Preparing for Kathryn Bert’s ordination and installation
In her October 7 column, “From the Irreverend Bert,” Kathryn Bert wrote: “I will gratefully accept the title ‘Reverend’ on November 3rd of this year when this congregation ordains and installs me as minister.” She introduced two of her teachers from Meadville/Lombard Theological School. The Rev. Dr. Thandeka would preach at both Sunday services on November 3 (the October 22 calendar lists it as “The Ordination Sermon”), and Bert credited her with “teaching me how to ‘think theologically.’” The Rev. David Bumbaugh would offer the prayer at the ordination.
The October 22 column opened with a joke on its own title: “This is the last week I get to use the title of ‘Irreverend.’” The service would be at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 3, at Edgewood United Church, 469 N. Hagadorn, East Lansing. It would not be at the church’s own building because, she explained, “we don’t fit at 855 Grove Street.” Edgewood was hosting “free of charge! What a great gesture of neighborliness.”
She introduced three more participants:
The Rev. Richard Henry, minister emeritus of the First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City, would give the charge to the minister. “Dick was the first minister to whom I confessed my desire to become a minister,” Bert wrote, “and, in many ways, he served as my inspiration.” He would fly in from Seattle.
The Rev. Dr. Barbara Edgecombe, “health permitting,” would give the charge to the congregation. “Just as the charge to the minister is given by someone who knows the minister well, the charge to the congregation is given by someone who knows the congregation well.” Edgecombe had served as the congregation’s minister from 1996 to 2000.
The Rev. Lisa Friedman, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Flint, was Bert’s official mentor “these first few years of ministry” and would give her the “hand of fellowship.”
Bert also contrasted the two big November events: the ordination and installation would be “grand and formal with lots of choir music,” while the November 9 pledge-drive kickoff would be “informal and fun with lots of music and skits.” The church’s youth and children’s choirs were rehearsing new music for the ordination. The Pretty Good Book Group even postponed its November 3 meeting, since it fell on “the evening of Kathryn Bert’s ordination.”
“Our Life Is Now!”
The Stewardship Committee introduced the 2003 canvass theme in the October 7 issue: “Our life is Now!” Members would see mail on blue paper, attend an information meeting on October 20, and be visited by a fellow member. The October 22 lead article, “Stewardship Campaign: Why Face-to-Face?”, anticipated skepticism: “For some, the notion of a face-to-face canvass conjures up images of sales pitches and the discomfort of delving into such taboo subjects as income and money. But this stewardship campaign is not primarily about money!”
Its most important goal was “to reflect upon and strengthen the Four Cs: Community, Connections, Commitment, and Caring.” The plan was a network of conversations in which “each person or family talks with four others about why this church is important to them,” with a pledge for 2003 as part of that conversation. The committee did not hide the ask—
“Yes, we will be asking people to support the church financially”—but argued that it must flow from the first goal: “We believe that people will give generously if they believe in and feel connected to what our church is and to what it can and will become.”
The kickoff was set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 9. The October 7 issue promised a dessert with homemade pie and a multimedia program “featuring some of our favorite personalities from past performances, and some new faces.” The October 22 issue invited members to “get your ‘piece of the pie,’” with childcare for “the youngest UUs.” The Circle Supper that night was cancelled in favor of the kickoff. Stewardship Sunday followed on November 10, with visits that afternoon and reports to the congregation on November 17 and 24.
Children, youth, and the wider world
The October 7 issue reported that eight 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-graders had attended the Heartland District Mystic Lake Retreat. The youth gave it “an enthusiastic ‘thumbs up’ on the fun scale,” and the group tried the high ropes course, climbing wall, archery, and “a night time game that involved flashlights and crawling around in the dirt.” Camille McCoy organized and led the event; Pat Conley and Anne Brereton drove.
The same page noted that Scott Rosenfeld and the 9th-grade class had written to the President of the Republic of Botswana “in response to the plight of the Kwhe Bushmen of Kalahari and their difficulty in maintaining their way of life.” The children “had some terrific thoughts on affirming the inherent worth and dignity of all human beings.” Putnam also thanked the volunteers behind a Taco Lunch that fed “about 100 people in our little, packed social hall.”
Congregational life: arrivals, departures, and practical work
The October 7 issue reported: “At the end of 2001 our church had 354 members. Today we have 390 members. Another 169 people are listed in our directory as friends.” A September 22 Committee Fair had drawn twenty-two committees, and 133 people had bought or renewed Riverwalk Theatre season tickets, producing a $2,600 check for the church. New members were welcomed at a wine-and-cheese gathering on October 19 and at a service on October 20. The issue also introduced a new “Pastoral Assistants” program, replacing the earlier Caring Connections Committee “now that we have a new minister.”
Not every item was about growth. The October 7 issue said farewell to Paula Campbell and her daughter, Tatiana, who were moving to Little Rock, Arkansas, “to be with Paula’s sister”; Paula had joined the church in 1999. The October 22 issue gave the details: an open house on October 26 and a leave-taking service in the Assembly Hall on October 27 at 2:00 p.m.
Practical needs filled the remaining pages. New usher co-coordinators and a new flower coordinator were welcomed. Volunteers were wanted for the sound system, a job requiring “only the ability to plug things in and slide bars up and down.” The Grove Street Book Store started a magazine-recycling service and asked for a carpenter to build a small coin box. Members and friends dealing with illness were remembered.
Facing the Future: “In the Case of War”—and “In the Case of Peace”
One of the most striking items appears near the end of the October 22 issue—and ran in the October 7 issue as well, so it was apparently a standing notice. Under the heading “In the Case of War,” Bert wrote:
“Should the United States enter into war with another country, there will be a prayer service at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing conducted by the minister… We would schedule such a service as soon as possible, taking into consideration the schedules of those who share our building with us.”
Beneath it, under “In the Case of Peace,” was a single sentence: “We will continue to work for justice.”
The notice does not name Iraq. Given the timing, it is reasonable to read it against the national debate, but that reading is our inference. What the text does show is a congregation planning how to respond if war came, and a minister making clear that the church’s commitment to justice did not depend on the outcome.
Looking back, 24 years later
The October 22, 2002, issue preserves a congregation in motion: preparing a Halloween party, raising money for UNICEF, planning a stewardship campaign, supporting one another through life’s changes, and getting ready to celebrate Kathryn Bert’s ordination and installation. The newsletter does not tell us how every member felt about the events of that autumn. What it does preserve is how the congregation chose to carry on: through community, connections, commitment, caring, and a stated intention to work for justice.
The details still speak to us—the paper pumpkins, the Coffin Walk, the homemade pie, the visiting clergy, and the call for volunteers. Church history is not made only at anniversaries and formal ceremonies. It is also made in the everyday work of gathering, helping, celebrating, and preparing for what comes next.
Seeking Your Input
Were you part of UU Lansing in the fall of 2002? We would like to hear from you, especially if you can help with any of the following:
Do you remember the UU Halloween Party—the Coffin Walk, “Putt Putt in the Graveyard,” the Mummy Wrap? Do you have photographs or a costume story?
Were you at Kathryn Bert’s ordination and installation at Edgewood United Church on November 3, 2002? We would welcome memories and photographs.
Did you take part in the “Our Life Is Now!” kickoff, with its multimedia program and skits, or in a face-to-face stewardship visit?
Reach out to the Archives at uucgl.archives@gmail.com.
Acknowledgment of AI assistance
This post was researched and written by Ed Busch. An initial draft was developed with ChatGPT, Claude (Anthropic), and Gemini (Google) were then used to review and revise it against the primary sources and suggest changes. The research, archival work and interpretive judgments are the author’s own.
About the author
Ed Busch is a retired Electronic Records Archivist from the Michigan State University Archives and a volunteer archivist for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing. He lives in Haslett, Michigan, serves on the church’s Stewardship Team, and assists with Building and Grounds projects.
Sources
The Liberal Express, Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing, October 7, 2002 (UU Lansing archives).
The Liberal Express, Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing, October 22, 2002 (UU Lansing archives).
Bali bombings: National Museum of Australia, “Bali bombings.” https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/bali-bombings
Moscow theater hostage crisis: Wikipedia, “Moscow theater hostage crisis.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_theater_hostage_crisis
Iraq resolution: George W. Bush, “Statement on Signing the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002,” October 16, 2002, The American Presidency Project. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-authorization-for-use-military-force-against-iraq-resolution-2002
National public opinion: Pew Research Center, “Americans Thinking About Iraq, But Focused on the Economy,” October 10, 2002. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2002/10/10/americans-thinking-about-iraq-but-focused-on-the-economy/
Michigan governor’s race: The Washington Post, “Final Lap for a Democratic Star,” October 18, 2002. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2002/10/18/final-lap-for-a-democratic-star/1524fd88-9bac-4ec9-ab2e-565899833ab5/
Halloween Party 2002: ?, Deb Bennett (background), ?, Stuart Campbell, Theo Cambert, ?. (2008.0204)