A Brief History of the Unitarian Universalists of Coastal Georgia
The history of the Unitarian Universalists of Coastal Georgia (UUCG) spans over three decades. 1993 to the present (2026). Initially, nine folks seeking a liberal religious experience met sporadically in each other’s homes on St. Simons Island. Georgia. By mid-1997, 30 folks had signed the UUCG membership book (photo shows most signees), and the group became affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). For the first several years, the Fellowship met without a minister in homes and in various halls or restaurants on St. Simons. Guest speakers and members of the congregation provided the Sunday services.
A Brief History
In 2003, the Reverend William R. Phillips, a retired Methodist minister and psychotherapist, was hired part-time as our first minister. Bill and his spouse Nan had become visitors to UUCG after their move to Jekyll Island in 1998. We were especially interested in Bill because of his experiences during the Alabama civil rights movement. As the congregation grew, he was elevated to half-time status, and he continued to lead the Fellowship on that basis until his retirement as Pastor Emeritus in 2010.
In 2004, the congregation decided that if it was going to grow, we needed to move from St Simons to the mainland, where access would be easier for people living in three southeast Georgia counties. Without our own building, we first met in a restaurant in downtown Brunswick resturant and then at the historic Ritz Theatre.
In 2006, we felt we were ready for our own building and purchased property near the Glynn County Courthouse. We hired an architect and started plans for our new sanctuary. However, before a single shovel of dirt was dug, an existing building, a lawyer’s office, became available and was purchased. A contractor was hired, and the building was modified to make it more churchlike. The congregation moved into this conveniently located building in November of 2008. It was dedicated on January 25, 2009, and has flourished there since then. We met two Sundays a month for the first several years and added a third service put together by our Social Justice Team in 2009. Once we moved into our new building, we started a Religious Education program and hired a part-time person to lead it. Currently, we have just one class for children.
Upon Reverend Phillips’ retirement, Reverend Lynne Garner served as half-time minister from September 2011 to July 2014. Beginning in September 2014, Reverend Dr. Jane Page became UUCG’s practicing half-time minister, also serving half-time at the Unitarian Universalists Fellowship of Statesboro, Ga. On Sunday, September 18, 2016, an installation service was held to officially call Reverend Page to be the residing half-time minister for UUCG.
In June of 2024, we celebrated Reverend Jane’s tenth anniversary, and in June of 2026, she retired and is now enjoying life with her husband, Greg. All of our half-time ministers provided pastoral care to the membership and represented UUCG in the community. They also provided guidance to the congregation.
Other individuals leading recurring services at UUCG have included a hired guest minister, a student in UU-ministry training, and two of our UUCG members. Clint Tawes, a former Pentecostal preacher, has presented second Sunday services since 2023, and currently continues as UUCG’s guest minister. Randy Blasch, a ministerial intern mentored by Rev. Page, served as intern minister from 2023 to 2025. Finally, long-time UUCG members Diane Knight and Beth Sutton must be recognized for their voluntary service as worship leaders over the years. Diane organized and presided at monthly Social Justice Sundays from 2009 until 2020, when the pandemic changed UUCG’s in-person services. Since 2014, Beth Sutton has been speaking on fourth Sundays and continues to do so.
Our Congregation
Our congregation has experienced steady growth since its founding. Any person may become a voting member of our congregation who is in sympathy with its purposes and programs and signs the congregation’s Membership Book. It is generally understood that all members should have some familiarity with the Unitarian Universalist movement, and it is specifically understood that membership is open to all persons regardless of race, ethnic group, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ethnicity or physical limitation.
Our congregation is a community of faith that encourages and supports the individual spiritual quests of its members. We share a respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person and a commitment to social justice. We do not have a creed or dogma that everyone must accept to become a member. The members of our congregation come from diverse backgrounds and religious experiences. Our goal is to continue and grow this diversity.
Our Purpose and Vision
Our congregation has experienced steady growth since its founding. Any person may become a voting member of our congregation who is in sympathy with its purposes and programs and signs the congregation’s Membership Book. It is generally understood that all members should have some familiarity with the Unitarian Universalist movement, and it is specifically understood that membership is open to all persons regardless of race, ethnic group, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ethnicity, or physical limitation.
Our congregation is a community of faith that encourages and supports the individual spiritual quests of its members. We share a respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person and a commitment to social justice. We do not have a creed or dogma that everyone must accept to become a member. The members of our congregation come from diverse backgrounds and religious experiences. Our goal is to continue and grow this diversity.
Although we affirm no religious creed, we are grounded in the shared values of Unitarian Universalism, centered on love. Love calls us to honor the dignity of every person, nurture spiritual growth, seek truth with humility and openness, work for justice and equity, embrace the richness of our diversity, and recognize our interdependence with one another and with the living world. These shared values inspire our worship, learning, fellowship, and service to the wider community.
Since our beginning as a small group of pioneers on St. Simons Island, our vision has expanded to make our congregation a beacon of liberal religion in Southeast Coastal Georgia. We continue to embrace the image of a beacon because we strive to let the light of love, compassion, justice, and hope shine brightly for all who are seeking a welcoming spiritual home.
We welcome people of every age, race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ability, family structure, economic circumstance, and religious or nonreligious background. We believe every person has the right to flourish with dignity and to pursue their own spiritual journey within a caring community.
Our commitment extends beyond our walls. Guided by love, we seek to build a more just and compassionate world through community engagement, service, and advocacy. We recognize our responsibility to care for one another and for the interconnected web of life of which we are a part.
Whether you have long identified as a Unitarian Universalist, are exploring your beliefs for the first time, or are simply seeking an open-minded community, we invite you to join us in a shared journey of spiritual growth, compassionate action, and joyful connection.
Our Governance
Responsibilities for governance are broadly distributed. We are governed locally by a Board of Trustees elected through the democratic process at our annual December congregational meeting. The Board comprises a President, Treasurer, Secretary, and two at-large members. Operating under our bylaws, the Board focuses on policy issues. Two ex officio members, non-voting members, our minister and secretary, also serve on the board. Our board meets monthly, and UUCG members are welcome to attend.
Our congregation is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and of the Thomas Jefferson District of the UUA. We have a voice, along with all other congregations, in the governance of both the national and district organizations. Our denomination is congregation- based as we select our own minister and determine local policies, guidelines, and goals.
The home office of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations is in Boston, MA. The UUA was founded in 1963 with the joining of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalists Association of America. These two groups officially united and formed an association of over 1,000 congregations. Each congregation is independently governed by a board of trustees. The UUA is consultative rather than hierarchical; there are no bishops or archbishops. The UUA website is www.uua.org.
We at UUCG are also a part of the Thomas Jefferson District of the UUA. This is a voluntary association of congregations within the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Coastal Georgia. The website for the T.J. District is: www.tjd.uua.org.
“Love is the Spirit of this Church”
Unitarian Universalists of Coastal Georgia P. O. Box 1056 • 1710 Gloucester Street
Brunswick, Georgia 31520 • 912-265-9424