2. Congregation Histories : Minnesota

Rochester

First Unitarian Universalist Church

Our church was founded in 1860 with the preaching of a Universalist sermon by Rev. I.M. Westfall. This was only four years after Rochester was first settled. Meetings were non-existent between 1863 and 1866 due to the impact of the War Between the States. On January 6, 1866 the Universalist Conference met in the city under the leadership of Rev. H. Bisbee and Rev. S. Barnes. On March 3, l866 the first meeting of the Rochester Universalist Church was held.

Since that time our church has been served by 25 ministers. From 1870–1873 we were served by the Rev. Miss Eliza M. Tupper.

We have had four buildings over the years. Twice there have been fires, which damaged our buildings.

Our membership has fluctuated over the years, reaching a high of 250. It is now 192. Over the years there have been periods of financial hard times, which threatened closing our church, but each time we have managed to pull through.

The history of Rochester is dominated by the growth of the Mayo Clinic over the last 100 years, beginning with one-doctor, then two brothers, and now 800 physicians with a major research program. The other major employer in Rochester is IBM Corporation. Our church seeks to meet the religious needs of individuals and families these two corporations draw to our area. We seek to define and enable the practice or religion in the lives of scientific and technological people. Currently our minister is Rev. Fred F. Campbell. We have a strong RE Program capably led by Elizabeth Katzmann. Our music program is directed by Kevin R. Dobbe. We are delighted with the quality of our organ, piano, and harpsichord.

(Author not noted)