The Unitarian Memorial Church and the Universalist Society of Fairhaven is facing a bright future
In the January 3, 2019 edition of this paper, Mike and Juliet Merolla, expressed concerns about our Unitarian Memorial Church.
While our church is in need of repairs, the roof is not falling down and a comparison with St. Anne’s in Fall River is not on par with the challenges we are addressing. There are several initiatives underway to address our shared concern for the Unitarian Universalist Society of Fairhaven (UUSF) cathedral. As President of the UUSF Board of Governors, I am pleased to provide more detail on our initiatives.
We have hired an expert architectural and engineering firm to conduct a full assessment of the causes for any of the structural problems in the cathedral. The study will result in a report that includes prioritized guidelines for repair and renovation. The firm selected has extensive experience working with historical structures, including churches. In addition, they have done fantastic work on Fairhaven High School, another of the Rogers buildings. The study begins this month.
In the meantime, this past year we have implemented several repairs to the roof and other areas that have had significant impact on the issues referred to in the letter. Several committees composed of our Church membership continue to work effectively to address the structural and repair needs of our cathedral.
Historic preservation is costly. The planning process is already underway for our capital campaign which we will launch in 2020. We welcome the financial support from the community. It really is an exciting time in our church as the membership moves forward with solutions to our challenges.
Speaking of our membership, I am very pleased to report that the membership at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Fairhaven is thriving and growing. In fact, our membership has grown by more than 20% over the past three years. Please feel free to visit us. Our Sunday Service is at 10:30 a.m.
Barbara L. Grota, President of the Board of Governors, Unitarian Universalist Society of Fairhaven.
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