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Minister unites members toward goal
By JOSH ZIMMER, Times Staff Writer
ODESSA -- In the early days following their break from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Clearwater, they functioned on a shoestring: 30 renegade former members, among them many families, gathering first at Philippe Park and then, for a year, at Oldsmar Elementary School. But throughout their long journey the group never lost sight of its goals, Spirit of Life Unitarian Universalist Church president Mark Dahm said. The new congregation quickly laid out an ambitious five-year plan for a permanent church site and an active spiritual education program serving all ages. Another key point was to find a permanent minister. As of Sunday afternoon, with the formal installation of longtime Spirit of Life minister, the Rev. Carole Yorke, what is now a much larger congregation of 70 people will have checks next to all three. Yorke, 54, is the only religious leader Spirit of Life has ever known. "Carole has grown up with our church," Dahm said. "I believe that the vast majority of our congregants believe she gives excellent sermons, she does a great job in ministering to us, she interacts well with our children." Unitarian Universalism hardly measures as a blip on the religious radar. It is a humanistic, open-ended religion that acknowledges no single God. Even members say it can be hard for the public at large to accept. Yet Yorke's induction is taking place amid a minor boom for the movement, which claims at least 220,000 official members and as many as 620,000 devotees, said Janet Hayes, spokeswoman for the Unitarian Universalist Association. As membership in Catholic churches and some mainstream Protestant denominations drops, the Unitarian Universalists are growing by 2 percent a year, largely in the South and West, she said. The association is mature enough to finance fledgling churches through its New Congregation Ministry program, which has invested about $50,000 into Spirit of Life over the past five years. Much of it went toward Yorke's salary. "It's absolutely considered a success story," Hayes said. "They're placed strategically to serve that growing community." For Yorke, a soft-spoken New Jersey native with an easy smile, the days of nagging doubt are gone. Though she may still struggle over her words, she realized a long time ago that people were listening to her message of love and hope. "I'd sit there before a sermon and think, 'What is there to say?"' she recalled recently in her church office with a large-windowed view of the surrounding woods. Now, "I know if I keep reminding them of the blessings they bring to each other then I'm on the right track." Spirit of Life members consider her an inspiration and a unifying force. With Yorke at the helm, they are in the early stages of planning a public outreach program that seeks greater visibility for the hard-to-find congregation off Burrell Road. Members, who used to pray under a stand of oak trees, now meet in an outdoor pavilion and have their sights set on building a sanctuary. Those efforts are even more crucial now as funding from the Unitarian Universalist Association, an umbrella group representing more than 1,000 congregations, draws to a close. Yorke will preach Sunday morning but will have little to say during the installation, she said. That will be handled by members and visiting Unitarian Universalist ministers. Organizers expect about 150 to attend. "We had a vision and pretty much most of it has come through," past congregation president Debbie Pitcairn said. "We want to be a voice for liberal religion in the area." -- Josh Zimmer covers Keystone/Odessa, Citrus Park and the environment. He can be reached at 269-5314 or zimmer@sptimes.com
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