About UUCB
Historical Snapshot
We are a community with a long-standing tradition of freedom of thought, speech and religion. The First Unitarian Church of Berkeley was founded on July 12, 1891. In 1997, the congregation voted to change the name to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley.
In 1898, we moved into our first building, a beautiful redwood structure at the corner of Dana and Bancroft in Berkeley. The early years were a period of growth and enthusiasm, characterized by a close relationship with UC Berkeley and the Starr King School for Religious Leadership. During the McCarthy era in the 1950's, we were one of several UU congregations that refused to sign the California Loyalty Oath, an action successfully upheld by the Supreme Court.
In 1961, we moved to our present eight-acre site on Squirrel Hill looking out to the San Francisco Bay. The church building offers an extraordinary setting for worship and celebrations marking our community's life together. Today, there are approximately 500 UUCB Members.
The Rev. Richard Boeke completed a twenty-two year ministry in 1995. The Revs. Barbara and Bill Hamiltion-Holway were called to serve the church as co-ministers in 1996. In 2005, they were joined by the Rev. Christopher Holton Jablonski, the first Minister of Religious Education in the history of the congregation.
