The dedication of our new Gateways Center brought a weekend of celebration and community to the Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Rightly so, for we were culminating fourteen years of effort in improving, restoring, and modernizing our six-acre campus at 21 Normandy Heights Road in Morris Township. The weekend brought expressions of amazement, elation, and pride. It prompted entries in diaries, calls to friends and relatives, hugs in our hallways, and greetings from our wider world. I paint here some images of the thanks, service, caring, tribute, and community that flowed through the weekend at our Service Auction “Imagine” and wonderful Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Capped with beautiful fall weather, the weekend of November 16th and 17th, 2024 was a historic one for our Fellowship.
Fourteen years ago, our Sacred Spaces Taskforce (later taking on the name Gateways to honor our historic mansion) worked closely with architect James Chai to develop a vision for a beautiful, accessible, sustainable and welcoming space, where we could all meet for events, services, and ceremonies. The vison was ambitious as it also included caring for our beautiful historic mansion and grounds. The ceremony on November 17th is now the fifth and largest of five “Ribbon Cutting” Celebrations which we have held. We marked the opening of our East Parking with bioretention and landscaping in 2019, our new Oval and Front Entrance in 2020, our playground in 2021, and our new Thorne Oaks Mansion roof and dormers in 2022. Now, in 2024, we are marking the completion of our new addition, called the Gateways Center, which has features we have so long desired. There is a hall with seating for 300 in rows or for 200 at tables. A new catering kitchen, large and well-designed classrooms, and adjoining all-gender bathrooms. In addition, the building is seamlessly attached to our historic mansion and includes new water, electric and gas service, accessible parking, new landscaping and fencing, and will soon have roof-top solar electricity.
I share below in words and photos, my personal account of our weekend of celebration, which included a small “soiree” on Friday, the Service Auction “Imagine” on Saturday, the Service “Over the Rainbow” on Sunday morning, and culminated with the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the new Gateways Center.
After weeks of preparations for the events of the weekend, Friday night started off with a kindness extended to our Staff, Gateways and DRWW teams. We were treated to the legendary Chu family hospitality including delicious food and conversation. With old and new friends and surrounded by Minda Chu’s family, we were able to simply relax and enjoy each other’s company before the busy weekend to come.
On Saturday, our event teams had recommended that we combine the opening of the new addition together with our Service Auction. Giving us a view of the Gateways Center in the evening, this was a perfect way to showcase how our new building could open up entirely new ways for us to be together. “Imagine” was the name so appropriately given to this year’s Service Auction.
Members were amazed on entering the Welcome Gallery and marveled at the beautiful construction of our new addition. They were further swept away upon entering the Al and Minda Chu Family Hall, where they were greeted by food, starry decorations, and blue and green “wall wash” lighting behind a 5-piece jazz band. The elegant event was topped off by dapper bar tenders and smiling servers.
We so enjoyed each other’s company. I was amazed that I could hear the jazz music and also the person across the table from me. I saw that everyone else was in conversation as well. Wow, the acoustics are amazing! The evening progressed with bidding, music, dancing, and good vibes throughout!
With such a successful night in our new addition, I went to bed excited for the big day ahead, but confident about how well prepared our volunteers, staff, and indeed the new Gateways Center itself, were to put on an amazing day of Worship, Ribbon Cutting, Dedication, and Celebration.
Sunday morning, I arrived early for the service to set up gifts in Chu Hall. Rev. Sasha entitled her service “Over the Rainbow” to both honor our past and the founding of our Fellowship and to look forward to our bright future ahead. Rev. Sasha struck a chime to a full sanctuary and DRE Nick presented a time-for-all-ages.
When Franklin Heller announced the Offertory, it was my time to stand up and deliver a surprise! I had rewritten the lyrics to an old Betsy Burr, golden-era song about our mansion. The new lyrics imagine the love and good cheer of our members in our new Fellowship Hall. (Photo Rainbow 3). The verses of the song praise our Deep Roots with “a plan in our head”, our Wide Wings “helping friends by their voice”, our Resilience Rising “right here in our hall to answer our call”, and end with a charge of Moving Forward “our chalice is bright so let’s shine it”. The chorus of the song pokes fun at our no-longer-quixotic dreams of being able “park safely near the door”, “walk by restrooms on the first floor too!”, “watch our children down in their playground”, and to “sip our coffee and join them too!”. Michael Rosin created just the right golden-era mood on the piano to help me pull off my “ski doo, ski daddle daddle do’s”. What fun!
The Ribbon Cutting started promptly at 11:30 AM as planned. Alex West, our A/V Technician, worked masterfully to have three A/V centers fully operational that day in our Sanctuary, in the Uhrhane Wilson Family Welcome Gallery, and in the Al and Minda Chu Hall. When he turned my mic on and gave me the thumbs up, my voice rang clearly throughout the spaces filing the air with great sound and giving me confidence that I would be clearly heard by all. Rev. Sasha had prepared a minute-by-minute agenda, where we planned to let the anticipation build so that all could experience, one more time, just how crowded our events have been for these past 60 years!
Thus, happy and crowded together, around two hundred people were assembled in the Welcome Gallery, Terrace Room, and extended into our Mansion’s Great Hall. Rev. Sasha assembled our building team, Township officials, and the Chu family just under the doors to the Al and Minda Chu Family Hall. It was with great joy that two ceremonial rainbow ribbons were cut. The first ribbon was cut by our Gateways leaders together with our architect and contractor. The second ribbon was cut by Minda Chu and her family. Rev. Sasha, myself, and our township officials were all looking on.
Without further ado, everyone was invited to sit around the tables and serve themselves from four serving stations! It was amazing to see two hundred people help themselves to food and drink and find a place to sit in just 15-20 minutes. With everyone comfortably seated, Rev. Sasha started the formal ceremony. Rev. Sasha lit our chalice for the first time in the Gateways Center, while I read our mission statement to all assembled.
I was touched to see this quoted in the Morristowngreen.com article describing our event. “May the light of this Chalice shine in each of us to fulfill our mission: To nurture a spiritual home where all are welcome and encouraged to participate in a universal search for truth and meaning while working together to build a fair and peaceful world.”
In the opening remarks, I was so very honored to welcome the entire congregation, friends, alumni, and invited guests and building professionals. What a wonderful and memorable gathering! In many long-time member’s memory, this ceremony was unique in that we had 6 officials from Morris Township and Morristown invited. These officials were so touched by our hospitality. Beth Wilson shared that the mayor, whom she had not met before, loved the entire event and gave her a big hug of joy, thanks, and congratulations when departing. Four families were then invited to speak. These families generously offered significant financial contributions to ensure that the Gateways Center addition could be completed fully as envisioned.
Describing the Uhrhane Wilson Family Welcome Gallery, Joe and Beth spoke of the importance of Welcoming. Beth closed by noting that she “can’t think of a more fitting place for the name Uhrhane to be than above the word Welcome”.
Describing the Loe Family Courtyard of Compassion, Adrienne Lee Benson shared the life lessons she learned about compassion and helping others from her grandparents, Lee and Hardy Loe, and Aunt Claire.
Describing the Morgenthaler Ferm Our Whole Lives OWL Classroom, Helene Ferm spoke of the thanks our family has for our parents and for the Religious Education program at the Fellowship, especially the OWL class. Helene, a professional engineer specializing in energy conservation engineering, also noted how much she appreciated our commitment to the environment in all aspects of the building design.
Finally, describing the Al and Minda Chu Family Hall, Jehan Chu was passionate in recalling the importance of learning his values within the walls of the Fellowship with his parents. He expressed his desire that many more families will grow, learn, and share their values in our Fellowship in the future.
Further special guests included rev. mandi huizenga, Dr. Elias Ortega-Huizenga, Rev. Joel Miller, and Rev. Alison Miller. The love and contributions each of these religious professionals in leadership and success of our Fellowship is significant. It was special to have them share their congratulations with us in their video greetings. Rev. Joel’s paid tribute to us as he reflected how we “save lives”. Rev. Alison reflected on our steady and dedicated effort to improve our facility and prepare for our future. With heartfelt congratulations, she “never had a doubt” that we would complete the project.
In the Presentation of Gifts, I recognized the solid “tripod” of our project team: our Gateways Team Leaders, our Architect James Chai, and our Contractor Jim Visbeen. This was very special for me, for I have seen up close, how Helene Ferm, Steve Parker, and Sandra Persichetti and the Gateways team spent thousands of hours over fourteen years on this project. They were then joined on the podium by seventeen other volunteers and staff. We truly could not have completed the project with this amazing team of building project supporters and fundraisers. They were touched by the standing ovation of all the members and guests present. Each received a plaque showing the modern Gateways Center in the foreground and our restored Thorne Oaks Mansion behind, under a glorious New Jersey sky and in the final days of construction. The plaque inscription reads: “In appreciation of your talent and efforts in transforming our vision to reality.”
Throughout the ceremony, I had a stunning view from the podium of the overflowing Chu Family Hall, the good cheer, the folks outside on the courtyard, and children in the playground. To all the members and friends who trusted this team and gave your support over the years, thank you for celebrating this wonderful day with us. We now can look forward to living into our space, to envisioning and acting on our dreams for the future.
Thank you all for your support, talent, and efforts in transforming our vision to reality.
Sincerely,
Paul Ferm
President of the Board of Trustees