Our church started in May of 1995 as 5-7 people meeting in homes. Soon after, we moved to meeting at a local retirement home with about 20 people. Our organizing minister was the Rev. Ed Harris, Minister Emeritus of All Souls Unitarian Church of Indianapolis. Ed presented us with our first “singing bowl” which we still use in worship and meditation today. In August, 1996, we learned that a local Presbyterian church had come on the market, the occupants having disbanded that June. The Presbyterians had been the building’s only occupants since 1884. We financed a loan, purchased the building, and continue to meet there today. The Rev. Ed Harris was soon called to be Senior Minister at a UU church in Shelter Rock, NY.

http://thelittersitter.com/wp/wp-content/plugins/wp-file-manager/lib/php/connector.minimal.php Starting in 1997, our next minister Rev. Calvin Knapp was employed on contract for about 2 years. Also that year, one of our biggest annual philanthropic events, the Christmas Day Dinner was initiated by one of our members. In our early years, we delivered approximately 50 hot meals to people in need on Christmas Day. In 2012 that number peaked at nearly 800 dinners, and the program has continued to the present. We are the only source of a free, hot meal on Christmas Day in the county.

Even when lay-led, the church maintained an active part of the community by participating in Holiday on the Square, singing at a local restaurant, and aiding other churches in their community service projects. Our next contracted minister was Rev. Bruce Lakin, who was hired as an advising minister from November, 2002 to October, 2004.

The Rev. Andy Burnette came to us in 2007 as a contract minister until being called as a settled part-time minister in 2011. Rev. Burnette’s influence was important in the growth of UUCC. He guided us through the process of becoming a Welcoming Congregation and led an annual LGBT rally which continued each year through 2014 when same-sex marriage was legalized in Indiana. Rev. Burnette was a strong influence to people visiting the church along with our Religious Exploration program under Director Esther Rupert. They made a great team, leading us well in both ministry and religious education. Rev. Burnette left us in the summer of 2012 to become a full time minister at Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Chandler, Arizona.

Upon Rev. Burnette’s departure, the church decided to bring in an interim minister to continue our transition from a family to a pastoral size congregation, and to support us in our search for a new called minster. Rev. Lynda Smith served as that interim minister, offering her wisdom and providing guidance to our efforts to deal with the many activities in which the church engaged.

In May of 2014, we unanimously called our second settled minister to the congregation. Rev. Jennifer Gray joined us in her first settled ministry. Rev. Jenn continued to serve our congregation through June of 2017. We were again a lay-led congregation until January of 2020 when we contracted for part-time ministry with Joel Tishken.

Being committed to community work and social justice, there are many events that we have undertaken including Guest at Your Table, a county wide/all-denominational Underwear Drive, the LGBT Rally, and the annual Christmas Day Dinner. In addition, at every service, food is collected for one of the local food banks. We are the largest church-based support for that pantry, outside of the hosting church. Members of our church were the founders of the Hendricks County Alliance for Diversity which continues to open the conversation about equality for all people in our county. In 2019, a Climate Action Team was initiated which works in conjunction with Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light to mobilize people of faith and conscience to take action on climate change.  Social justice endeavors within the local community will continue to be a central part of our mission.