From left to right: Keynote speaker Dan McKanan, Discussant Chris Walton.

From the very beginnings of American Unitarianism and Universalism, lay leaders have played an important role in shaping the religious landscape of our country. In honor of our Sesquicentennial in 2021, respected UU scholars Dan McKanan and Chris Walton will lead a discussion about such key leaders in our long history here. Senior Minister the Rev. Dr. Kelly Murphy Mason will moderate this discussion and Sesquicentennial Chair Singu Srinivas will host the audience Question & Answers portion of this multi-platform evening program broadcast from our Sanctuary in Wellesley, MA. A livestream of the event will be also be available on our website.

A downloadable and printable flier for this event can be found online. You can also download a history booklet drafted by UU Wellesley Hills member Marc Shechtman in honor of our 150th anniversary.

Lay Leaders at UU Wellesley Hills: Local Roots of Religious Change

Wednesday, November 10th at 7:30pm at UU Wellesley Hills

The Unitarian Universalist Society of Wellesley Hills has thrived for 150 years because of the deep commitment of its lay leaders. Nineteenth-century founders Rebecca Eaton and John Shaw anchored the young congregation to their extended families and to the town, setting a course for steady growth. In the twentieth-century, Kenneth McDougall and Natalie Gulbrandsen linked the congregation to the two most prominent national organizations for Unitarian laypeople: the Laymen’s League and the Women’s Alliance. The legacy of these four individuals, representative of so many others, can point us to a future of creative and active lay leadership.

Keynote speaker Dan McKanan is the Emerson Senior Lecturer at Harvard Divinity School, where he has taught since 2008. His position was created to uphold the historic ties between Harvard and Unitarian Universalism; to this end Dan mentors Harvard students preparing for UU ministry and emerging UU scholars around the country. He also serves on the UUA Panel on Theological Education and is the founding secretary of the UU Studies Network. Dan is the author of six books and the lead editor of the two-volume Documentary History of Unitarian Universalism. He lives in Somerville and is a proud member of the UU Church of Medford.

Discussant Chris Walton served for 20 years on the staff of UU World magazine, including 14 years as the magazine’s editor. A graduate of Harvard Divinity School, he has taken a particular interest in the history of ideas and worship practices within American liberal religious communities.