Introduction

Beacon, previously known as The Unitarian Church in Summit, was founded in 1908 by area residents who wanted a church that would be less doctrinaire than other religious institutions. Today, we continue to be a congregation that welcomes people of varied beliefs and backgrounds — who come together to worship, to wonder, to share the joys and sorrows of life, and to try to better the world around us. We are a regional congregation of about 500 adult members and 250 children who live in Summit and some 50 other area communities.

Beacon has valued the role of ministers who challenge us morally, intellectually and spiritually. Inspiring music and strong programs for children and youth have also been part of our tradition for decades. Our building combines an elegant and intimate sanctuary that dates back to 1913 with modern classroom and meeting spaces completed in 2002.

A chance meeting and a congregation is born

At the dawn of the 20th century, Summit, New Jersey, was an affluent suburban community with a population of some 7,000. The town had churches of most major Protestant denominations and a Roman Catholic church. Still, a number of men and women in Summit wanted a religious community that would emphasize ethics and love as the core of religion, that would support freedom of conscience and liberal interpretations of faith. They wanted a congregation that would not prescribe a particular system of beliefs and principles, but rather that would encourage all people to freely search for their own religious truths.

While on the Long Island Railroad in the summer of 1906, Parker D. King, a successful Summit businessman and one of those interested in a liberal church, chanced to meet a childhood friend, The Reverend Frederic Curtis Brown, who was the minister of the Unitarian Church of Buffalo, New York. At that time, Unitarians and Universalists were two different denominations. Unitarians, like Universalists, epitomized the liberal orientation in American religion. King took the opportunity to discuss with Brown what it would take to establish a liberal religious community in Summit.

That fall, King and a small committee made plans for a series of “Unitarian Meetings” in Summit. The first was held in January 1907, and regular Sunday meetings took place all that year with the help of ministers from Unitarian churches in Orange and Montclair.

The next year, on January 14, 1908, this small group met to consider establishing a formal Unitarian congregation. The group’s indecision and hesitation dismayed Russell Hinman, a keen supporter of liberal religion. To spur the participants to action, Hinman proposed a resolution that they not organize a Unitarian church in Summit. Upon rejecting that option, seventeen charter members formed The Unitarian Church in Summit, with Hinman as the first president. They called Reverend Brown, who had left Buffalo, to serve as the first full-time minister. Parker King went on to chair the Board of Trustees for many years.

Building the sanctuary

By 1911 members began to raise money for a permanent sanctuary. After purchasing our current property on the corner of Waldron and Springfield Avenues, Mr. Joy Wheeler Dow, a local architect and a member of the congregation was commissioned to design the sanctuary. Dow took inspiration from Colonial New England meeting houses, with their simplicity of form and color, and also from the churches of 16th and 17th century England. He incorporated elements of St. Paul’s Chapel in New York City and King’s Chapel in Boston (the first Unitarian church in America). Dow’s plan drew praise in architectural circles. The finished sanctuary was judged a notable contribution to the architecture of Summit.

Construction began in the fall of 1912, using local craftsmen and was completed early the following year. The sanctuary was formally dedicated on October 21, 1913, with the participation of prominent Unitarian and Universalist ministers from around the region.

Expanding our Footprint

In the “baby boom” era, many new parents of various backgrounds sought a religious home for themselves and their children, and our religious education enrollment burgeoned. Even the tiny rooms in the sanctuary balcony held classes. In 1959 we purchased a substantial old house at the corner of Summit Avenue and Whittredge Road, one long block from the sanctuary. Classrooms and a large meeting room were added two years later, and children’s classes and many church functions were henceforth held in that “Unitarian House.”

Under One Roof

For years our congregation was divided by our three buildings: our sanctuary, our offices and our children’s classrooms. Moreover, each of those buildings was deteriorating. In September 1998, the congregation threw its weight behind a plan to improve the historic sanctuary and connect it with a large new structure to house offices, classrooms and meeting facilities. The overriding goal: to unite the entire congregation under one roof. It required lifting the current sanctuary so that we could build an open, light-filled hall underneath! During the construction, our worship services were held in a rented school gymnasium in New Providence with our minister, Rev Vanessa Southern, preaching under a basketball hoop.

Magnifying our Light

After ten years under one roof, our congregation was running out of space! Our historic sanctuary only had room for 118 full visibility seats for a 450 - 500 adult member and 150 children/youth congregation. How could we expand without dividing the congregation again? For over 40 years, we had been dreaming about purchasing an adjoining property to our current sanctuary. In 2012, our dreams came true. We purchased the property next door on Springfield Avenue and began working with ikon.5 architects to add a new 400-seat sanctuary for the 21st century. Our current historical sanctuary will remain standing as a testament to our history and a boutique chapel for occasional services, celebrations of life and weddings. Our expanded plant will reflect who we are becoming.

Defending a liberal faith

In January 1914 our church welcomed a new minister, Dr. Frank C. Doan who held strong views and a passionate belief that a church must educate as well as inspire. Doan organized a series of forums featuring eminent speakers from a broad spectrum of religious and political viewpoints. Over the next few years, as war raged in Europe, Doan spoke often about the need for peace.

On the Sunday following the United States’ entry into World War I on April 6, 1917, Doan spoke out against the war and made known his own personal stance as a pacifist. Doan’s sermon did not fit the tenor of the times. Indeed, the declaration of war had brought forth an outburst of patriotic fever and a surge of intolerance toward opposing views. In several churches across the country, ministers were forced to resign for speaking against the war.

Local New Jersey newspapers were sharply critical of Doan’s position. To avoid further controversy, Doan offered to resign as minister, but our Board of Trustees refused to accept his resignation. Even though many in the church disagreed with the minister’s pacifism, the Board publicly declared its strong support for Doan and the principles of free speech and tolerance of diverse opinions. Individual choice in matters of conscience and religious belief is part of the core of the Unitarian and Universalist traditions. Though Doan later did step aside for a time, the congregation’s unhesitating support for his unpopular personal view nobly upheld this heritage.

You can read the historic resolution, written by the Board of Trustees, that supported Dr. Doan in the lobby of our building.

Charismatic Ministers

Beacon has been known for its charismatic ministers regarded highly both locally and farther afield.

Dr. A. Powell Davies, was minister from 1933 through 1944. He has been called one of the greatest preachers of the 20th century. Reverend Davies’s delivery was direct and to the point. His eloquence, vision, and affirmations of faith—in democracy, in America, and in the prophetic role of the Unitarian church in a society scarred by depression, repression, and war—earned Davies a prominent place in 20th century liberal theology. He was known for social and political activism in the community and nationwide. The conservative community of Summit was often at odds with this young, liberal minister, who was outspoken in his support of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Davies declared: “Religion is not something separate and apart from ordinary life. It is life—life of every kind viewed from the standpoint of meaning and purpose; life lived in the fuller awareness of its human quality and spiritual significance.” After he was called in 1944 to All Souls Church in Washington, D.C., Davies gained greater national notice. At his death in 1957, he was eulogized for placing himself, and the denomination, “militantly in the forefront of every assault upon intolerance and racial discrimination and injustice.”

Jacob Trapp became such a well-loved figure in Summit that many in the congregation referred to themselves as “Trappists.” Coming from a staunch Dutch Reformed home where Bible passages were read each day, Reverend Trapp evolved into a free spirit, close to nature, who gained inspiration from diverse religions and philosophies. The spirit of his ministry, which ran from 1945 through 1970, is captured in his words, “sharing is love and being shared with is love,” and in lines from his poetry: “Love is the soul’s looking/Beauty is the soul’s listening and looking.” As minister, Trapp led the racial integration of the local YMCA and cinema, and gave voice to liberal causes in a city not accustomed to his sort of maverick viewpoint.

In 1988 David Bumbaugh was called as minister. Raised in an evangelical Christian family, Reverend Bumbaugh increasingly drew spiritual inspiration more from what he termed a “blend of paganism and earth worship.” Many of his sermons were small masterpieces of fine detail and subtlety, crafted with an ear for the rhythm and power of language. He also welcomed female ministers onto our staff. Rev Carol Haag joined us in 1990 to direct our religious education program and was called as our first formal Minister of Religious Education in 1996. Then, his wife, Beverly Bumbaugh, also a Unitarian Universalist minister joined him as co-minister. Upon their retirement, David and Beverly Bumbaugh and Carol Haag are recognized as Beacon’s ministers emeriti.

Rev Vanessa Southern began her ministry at Beacon at a historic moment for our country. Her first Sunday preaching was held after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. A native New Yorker, Reverend Southern held our congregation and Summit (a commuter city of New York) through a traumatic time. She also commemorated our 100th anniversary in 2008, declaring that our first hundred years heralded our charismatic ministers and our second hundred years would herald our charismatic leaders and members. In honor of our centennial, Beacon raised and gave away $100,000 to educational organizations locally, nationally and internationally.

Collaborative Leadership for a New Era

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Beacon moved a leadership team model with two co-ministers and an executive director. After serving as our Director of Religious Education for eleven years, Dr. Tuli Patel became our Executive Director, streamlining the administration of our burgeoning congregation. Rev. Emilie Boggis, who served Beacon for ten years, was called as our minister in 2015, and Rev. Dr. Robin Tanner was called in 2016 after a nationwide search. Their joint installation service was held on Sunday, April 2nd, 2017. Revs Boggis and Tanner served Beacon as co-ministers, in partnership with Dr. Patel.

emilie boggis resigned in November 2023, after 18 years of service and a ritual of release was held in December 2023.