The Fellowship: Founded "For the Kids"

In an interview in early winter of 2015, the late Marshall Deutsch was asked why he decided to found the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship. His reply was “To have a place for the kids.” There were obviously other goals, but in that interview Deutsch did not expand beyond that answer.

The Fellowship also emphasized liberal religion, but newspaper articles, based on writing by Deutsch, listed both liberal religion and educational classes (usually called Church School or Sunday School) as major reasons for organizing the congregation.

It was an age for children—1955 was part of the first half of the baby boom. In fact, the members of the steering committee that began leading the organizing effort on October 23, 1955 had about 12 of their own and more would follow—the oldest 16 years old—most were 10 years old and younger.

Robert McCready, who served on the steering committee, the first board and later became president, wrote that, “the 1958 Fellowship season was launched on September 28 with an address by President Arthur Babson on the subject of population control.” He wryly continued, “the issue of the Newsletter which carried a report on Art's address also listed seven babies who had been recently born to MUF members. Art was at least a year too late with his warning.”

Marshall and Judy Deutsch, with two young children of their own—one two years old and one born in May 1955—were fresh from founding the Morristown Cooperative Nursery School, an organization whose leaders also included Eleanor Mason, the secretary of the steering committee.

They had the energy of the young and as members No. 1, Marshall, and No. 2, Judy when they signed the membership book on December 18, Marshall was 34 years old, with Judy, at 26, one of the youngest. Mason was 36. Other members of the steering committee as of October 23 were Doris Marcia Babson, 29, Robert McCreardy, 44, Marsh Steiding, 35, Jane Steiding, 31, chairman, Winfield Greenleaf, 39, and Vincent Richards, 38. Added to the committee by November were Joan Wetton, 34, Anthony Parella, 34, and Gerald Quinlan the old man of the group at 52.

In a 2023 interview, Judy commented she had successfully pushed for the curriculum by Sophia Lyons Fahs (which according to a Wikipedia article was the New Beacon Series). An article by the Unitarian Universalist Association describes Fahs’ approach as striving “ to create a theology that restored human emotions and human experience to their rightful place as foundational building blocks for an enlightened liberal faith” and further described the approach as “emotional experience first”.

That fits with a description in the Daily Record of Nov. 11, 1955 that that Sunday’s service was expected to have classes, and that the committee had chosen the Beacon Press curriculum Jane Steiding had been chosen as Sunday School director with Quinlan as chairman of the religious education committee.

It is not clear from further articles that classes had begun at the building then occupied by the Morristown YMCA. On December 18 there was a Christmas party for the children. This was the service at which the by-laws were approved and the first 31 members signed the membership book. An article in a 1962 newsletter by McCready said classes did not begin until September 1956.

The first newsletter, published in December before the seventeenth, had an article by Marshall that discussed what classes “will be”.

Certainly, the classes a required a different schedule than followed by the Fellowship today. Since the congregation did not have its own minister, its reliance on outside professionals meant services were at night. However, there were also Sunday morning lay-led sessions, often including panel discussions or sermons of Unitarian ministers read by members and classes were held in the morning.

Whenever they began, the Y had its limitations because as rented space, the Fellowship had to set up and take down anything used in classes. And the space capped growth, something that would lead quickly to a search for a permanent home.