Twenty-Five Years Ago: The 2001 Canvass

by Ed Busch, UU Lansing Church Archivist

A kickoff dinner, an imaginary element, and a look 20 years ahead

As UU Lansing begins its 2026 annual pledge drive, it seems like a good time to look back 25 years at another fall campaign.

In 2001, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing, then meeting at 855 Grove Street in East Lansing, called its annual pledge campaign a canvass. The campaign for the 2002 church year kicked off with an evening of food, fellowship, and entertainment: the UU-2002 Canvass Dinner.

"An Evening of Food and Entertainment for the Whole Family"

The October 8, 2001 Liberal Express announced the dinner for Saturday, October 20, at 6:00 PM. It invited "members and friends" to the "annual canvass kick-off dinner" and promised "21st century entertainment by talented UUs." Child care was provided, and the RSVP deadline was October 10.

What is unitarium-22?

The notice also included this line: "Discover the newest element in the periodic table: unitarium-22!"

The archives hold an undated planning sheet for the canvass, and its draft invitation text supplies the theme. It invites members to "phase" themselves "ahead 20 years to see what we will be doing in 2022!" and promises "out of this world" entertainment. That wording appears to be what went out with the invitations. Read alongside it, unitarium-22 looks like an imaginary element that "phases" you 20 years into the future, with the "22" pointing to the year 2022. The pun on "phase" fits the periodic-table joke, since phase is what solids, liquids and gases go through.

From where we sit in 2026, 2022 is already four years behind us.

Behind the scenes

The planning sheet shows how much went into a canvass. Invitations were to go out by September 26 and be included in the September 30 and October 7 orders of service. New "Estimate/Pledge" cards would be printed the week of September 30, and "Team Captains" organized "ASAP." Captain meetings were penciled in for October 6 and 13, with a question mark. "Prepare tubes" was set for October 13 (perhaps mailing or poster tubes for distributing rolled pledge charts or invitations to Team Captains?). We don't know for certain, but the sheet also notes that the Bronze, Silver and Gold canvass goals still needed to be determined, and we haven't found the final numbers.

The sheet labels the evening "Dinner and Play." That suggests the entertainment was a skit or a play, though the sheet doesn't say. Assignments were:

• Meal preparation: Ann Mellen

• Sign-up roster: Regina Fry

• Entertainment: "Putnam, Vander Venter, & Rutledge"

• Child care coordinator: Krista Zielinski

The sheet also lists a Heritage Lunch on October 10, with "Kimi, Ed & Ken — catered." That is presumably Rev. Kimi Riegel, Ed Loomis (then board president) and Ken Zielinski. The October 8 calendar puts it at noon in the Fireplace Room. The congregation's books file the Heritage Luncheon under the pledge drive, and the Archives Committee's 2001–02 report says it compiled a display for the event.

"A really big thank you"

The November 19 Liberal Express (page 6) ran a note headlined "A REALLY BIG THANK YOU!!" by Ken Zielinski. It began by saying thanks were "long overdue" for help with the Canvass Dinner. More than 40 people are named. They include a set-up crew, separate morning, afternoon and evening kitchen shifts, and 16 people credited with entertainment. Marcy Christoff and the Children's Choir were thanked too. Ken also thanked those who stayed to "get the church ready for Sunday's service." Ann Mellen got special thanks for preparing the food, Kathy McWilliams for decoration, and Ralph Putnam and Brad Rutledge for "a wonderful program."

The surnames on the planning sheet match performers on that list: Ralph Putnam, Jackie VanDeventer and Brad Rutledge. Ralph Putnam was also chair of the congregation's new ad hoc Stewardship Committee. Ken closed by saying that without all that help the church couldn't have "pulled it off and had the great time that we did."

2001 Pledge Drive Dinner at our church in East Lansing.

Brad Rutledge and Ralph Putnam in the 2001 show.

2001 show: is this one of the mentioned “tubes”?

The financial picture

The canvass was about more than a dinner. In April 2001, members had voted to authorize a $50,000 mortgage, repaid over 84 monthly payments, for building renovations. The Finance Committee called the 2002 budget "extremely tight." It cited prior commitments: a larger minister's compensation package, the start of mortgage repayment, and higher Fair Share contributions to the UUA and Heartland District. The church had also lost rental income from the Peace Education Center. Pledge income for 2001 finished about 5 percent under budget, and the committee warned that a repeat in 2002 could make "our tight budget may be even tighter."

The books show $207,470 in current-year pledges against a $218,000 budget. Adding $1,180 in prior-year pledges gives the $208,650 listed as 2001 "actual" giving on the 2002 budget worksheet. That worksheet lists 2002 "Current Year Giving Estimate" at $216,627, nearly 4 percent higher. The word "Estimate" echoes the "Estimate/Pledge" cards, so the canvass likely fed that number. But we don't have a record of how much was pledged in October 2001, so we can't say for sure.

The canvass itself cost money. The pledge drive expense lines total $1,813.65 against a $1,500 budget, about 21 percent over. The 2002 "Stewardship/canvass" budget line was cut to $750.

A congregation between chapters

The dinner fell in an interim year. Rev. Wayne Robinson's interim ministry ended in July 2001, and Rev. Kimi Riegel served as interim minister for 2001–02 while a search committee worked. On April 21, 2002, the congregation voted 253–0 to call Rev. Kathryn Bert. [LINK: my Sept. 11, 2000 post and February 2001 post on the Robinson interim era]. [LINK: my January 2002 post on the Riegel era.] Rev. Riegel's annual report noted that "the financial challenges this year have overshadowed most issues" [sic], and that the new Stewardship committee "should address many of these issues in the coming years."

The congregation was also looking ahead. An ad hoc long-range planning committee reported to the board in August 2001, asking the congregation to consider "what do we want to look like in 5 or 10 years." A UUA consultant's timeline projected an annual stewardship campaign in August–November 2002 and a capital campaign in 2003–04, noting that "a successful stewardship canvass is an essential precursor to a successful capital campaign." So an invitation to "phase" 20 years ahead came just as the congregation was asking that question in earnest.

It was also a somber season. The dinner was not quite six weeks after September 11, and the same October 8 issue carried a notice from Citizens for a Peaceful Response. The following morning's sermon was titled "Is Peace Possible."

From 2001 to 2026

Some things are obviously different. The building is different, the congregation has changed, and the language around annual giving has changed. But the purpose of the canvass sounds familiar. In 2001, members were asked to make financial commitments while the congregation dealt with operating costs, building costs, programs and its obligations to the wider UU movement. In 2026, we are again asking members and friends what they can contribute, while facing higher operating costs, the solar-panel project, the encampment clean-up, and other staffing and property needs.

The underlying question is much the same: What do we want our congregation to be able to do, and how will we support it? The 2001 records also remind us that pledging was never just a number on a card. It meant sharing a meal, putting on a show, washing dishes, and starting another year together.

Seeking Your Input

Our archives preserve pieces of the 2001 canvass, but there are gaps. If you were there, or have anything from that fall, we'd love to hear from you:

• What was the "Dinner and Play"? Who wrote it, and what was it about?

• Do you remember "unitarium-22"? Was the 2022 "phase ahead" theme carried into the dinner itself, in the decorations, skits or costumes?

• What were the "tubes"? Were these cardboard poster/mailing tubes used by Team Captains to carry rolled pledge charts, campaign posters, or scroll invitations?

• What were the Bronze, Silver and Gold goals, and how did the campaign turn out?

• Who organized the canvass? Do you remember what it was like to take part?

• Do you have photographs, the invitation, pledge cards, or other canvass materials?

• What did you imagine UU Lansing would be like in 2022?

Even a small recollection helps. Contact: uucgl.archives@gmail.com.

About the author

Ed is a retired Electronic Records Archivist from the Michigan State University Archives, with a background in digital preservation. He volunteers as archivist for UU Lansing, maintains this archives blog, serves on the Stewardship Team, and helps with Building and Grounds projects.

Acknowledgment

This post was researched and written by Ed Busch. AI writing assistants were used to help organize and refine the presentation of archival content. The research, archival work, and interpretive judgments are the author’s own.

Sources

• The Liberal Express, Oct. 8, 2001 (front page and Calendar of Events)

• The Liberal Express, Nov. 19, 2001, p. 6, "A Really Big Thank You!!"

• "Annual Canvass" planning sheet, undated, typed page headed "U. U. G. L."

• Annual Report 2001–2002, UUCGL, including:

o Board of Trustees report and Appendices A–C

o Interim Minister's report

o Finance Committee report

o Balance Sheet

o Income & Expenses Budget vs. Actual, Jan.–Dec. 2001

o Archives Committee report

o Minutes of the April 8, 2001 congregational meeting

o Minutes of the April 21, 2002 congregational meeting

• 2002 Operating Budget, UUCGL (worksheet dated 02/27/2002)