Fairlawn-West history

I have begun posting an outline of the Fairlawn-West UCC history to our web site. This began as a project to help our confirmation class, but it is having a broader purpose as well.

The last written history of the church was in 1982. There is a lot of stuff in it that I think make the church look more like a neighborhood club than a church on a mission to reach out to the world, but there is a candor especially in the former Fairlawn portion of the church that is refreshing and helpful. For a long time I have ridiculed this history (a large black notebook which was given to every new member...with the expectation they would read it and be "indoctrinated" into the particular culture of our church. five years ago I suggested we do a burial in the front yard of our church bldg of the history notebook, the constitution and the budget since those were the three major stumbling blocks for us and they were of higher "authority" for us than scripture. its obvious now that we have "buried" them as the identity of our congregation has shifted over the years.)

This time as I am reading the history to post it, I am noticing things that reflect what many of us have learned from the late Rabbi Ed Friedman in his book "Generation to Generation" about how churches, like families, pass on behavior and act out over and over things that are contrary to their purpose and mission. For instance, in a humorous, frank style (the main writer of this history is a woman who is still alive, is in her 90's and recently left her home to move to Texas to be with her family...after 60+ years in the house) it is commented that in 1947 when Fairlawn was just starting there were financial struggles and control fights. The "major giver" to the church left because as they talked about building a building it was said that teens could have dances. He was opposed to that and left the church. The building wasn't built for 10 more years. I remember from previous reads of this history even more conflict in later years over money and property.

Visit the history page periodically to catch up on the new postings which reflect more the emotional and missional view of the congregation than "who is the pastor" and "additions to the building" history. http://www.fairlawnwest.org/fwhistory.htm