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250th Anniversary

Love with No Exceptions

250 years of Universalism

September 30, 1770 – the moment when Love caught Fire

Universalist Sestercentennial is Taking Wing

No matter what you call it – sestercentennial, semiquincentennial, bicenquinquagenary, or just plain 250th – 2020 is a big year for Universalism.  It will be the 250th anniversary of John Murray’s famous 1770 sermon in Thomas Potter’s chapel in  Good Luck, New Jersey.  We celebrate 2 and ½ centuries of Universalist contributions.

The full array of Sestercentennial Universalist Celebrations will be in 2020.

But the magic is already beginning. 

Love Notes Performance

An endearing performance based on the reading of love letters written by Judith Sargent Murray to her husband Rev. John Murray has been commissioned.  The performance provides a touching insight into the lives of Rev. Murray and his wife Judith, as well as tell tells the larger story of the birth of Universalism in America.

 

Universalist Convocation 2019 

The Universalist Convocation will begin the celebration with a kick-off event at Murray Grove (May 17 – 19, 2019).  Dynamic speakers, including Rev. John Buehrens, former UUA President,  will provide the background on the arrival of Universalism in America.  And . . . there will be a performance of Love Notes.

 

UU History Convocation

The Unitarian Universalist History Convocation (October 17 – 20, 2019) to be held in Baltimore will celebrate TWO significant events in UU history. The first celebration is the 200th anniversary of Rev. William Ellery Channing’s delivery of his “Unitarian Christianity” sermon that is better known as the Baltimore Sermon.  The next celebration is the 205th anniversary of Rev. John Murray preaching his first Universalist sermon in Murray Grove in 1770.   Murray Grove is a sponsor of this History Convocation.

 

Other Plans for Celebration

Rev. John Murray

Plans are evolving to celebrate the 250th anniversary of John Murray’s epic sermon in Thomas Potter’s chapel in Good Luck, New Jersey September 30, 1770. This was the beginning of the thread of Universalist History in “the new world.” And the place where it happened is our oldest historic site. The full array of Sestercentennial Universalist Celebrations will be in 2020.

  • Visioning in 2014 – February 27 through March 1, 2014.  A visioning meeting was held at Murray Grove to conceive the 250th Anniversary Celebration in 2020 of John Murray’s epic preaching of Universalism in Thomas Potter’s chapel in Good Luck, New Jersey in 1770 and the resulting 250 years of Universalism on this continent. The group was composed of 21 individuals who traveled from Portland, Oregon, Yarmouth, Maine, Chicago, Gloucester, Delaware, Virginia and many points in between, including two local non-Unitarian Universalist historians. Laurel Amabile facilitated the gathering.
  • Next steps 2015-16.  Joyce and Richard Gilbert agreed to be honorary co-chairs. Liz Strong and Carol Haag agreed to be working chairs. Extensive outreach to discover who would be involved in design and planning.
  • Working group 2017-2018.  Developed a working group that held monthly phone conference calls, clarified several projects, and developed connections with several other organizations
  • Sestercentennial Group 2019-2020. Fifteen individuals with specific responsibilities are developing projects to celebrate Universalism for this century based on the rich heritage of the past.

Interested?

If you would like to contribute to the planning of the celebration, please use our Contact Us page to express your interest and talents.