History of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Petoskey Michigan (UUCOP)

In 1993, an ad was placed in the Petoskey News Review asking if there were others in the surrounding community who were interested in starting a UU church. Several persons answered the ad in the affirmative. Some were new to the area and others were members of the Church of the Larger Fellowship of the UUA, an organization for UUs who have no physical church home available in their area.

The first UUCOP meeting was attended by about 20 people. Thus began our present congregation. A core group of 10 of those present began to meet in homes to worship and organize. Their focus was on developing a place where individuals and families could explore common questions of humanity without fear and guilt, where there is racial, cultural, and sexual diversity, and where people with diverse sexual orientations were welcomed.

In 1994 UUCOP elected its first president and “steering committee”.  The UU District organization paid to send two of our members to the UU Association headquarters in Boston for training in the development of a new fellowship. They also paid for a survey of our area to determine the feasibility of establishing a UU congregation here. The Traverse City UU congregation as well as the district gave us much advice and support.

Through the advice of the UU District Office, in 1995/6 we were able to hire our first part-time minister which we shared with the Ludington group for a period of one year.   In October 1996 we held our Charter Membership Service with 20 persons signing as members. Later, we hired ministerial interns from the UU theological seminary at Meadville, Illinois. They came two Sundays a month.  During their time with us, we wrote our vision/mission statement. From 1997-1999 we hired retired pastor, Rev. Jack Middaugh to help us with our services.

From 1999 to 2021 we did not have a regular minister. We held our own worship services by hiring visiting ministers and speakers and developing our own services. In 2021 we pursued a part time minister through the UUA minister search process and were successful in hiring Minister Amy Brooks for a year. We were also successful around that time in hiring Rev Alice Diebel as a part time minister. Rev Diebel continues to be our minister and has been a wonderful addition to our programming and to our congregation as a whole.

We have been wanderers looking for a home. In 1994 we moved from members’ homes to the Jewish Temple in Petoskey. We enjoyed our stay there but found that it was impossible to settle on a regular Sunday schedule. Consequently, we moved to the Concord Academy. There we were able to have a room for worship as well as a room for Sunday school and child care during services. Then, in 2000, the school was put up for sale and we moved to the Petoskey Club. While at the Petoskey Club we furnished Sunday dinner once a month for the clients. Eventually, the Petoskey Club board members objected to the use of their facility by a church and we were forced to move again. UUCOP members were kind enough to offer us their homes on an interim basis, and we were very grateful to them. Around this time, we purchased a beautiful piece of property on Wildwood Road and made several improvements, with hopes of establishing our church home there. Starting in 2002 we met in the lower level of the Petoskey Public Library. Since then, we’ve met in the Terrace Inn of Bay View, the Oden Community Hall, Red Sky Stage on Mitchell Street in Petoskey and The Chapel of Our Guardian Angels in Petoskey. Currently we are meeting via Zoom during the winter months and we hold a mixture of in-person/hybrid services in the summer months at the Carnegie Building in Petoskey.

The UUCOP was considered an “emerging congregation” for quite a while before pursuing membership in the Unitarian Universalists Association of Congregations (UUA). We officially joined the UUA in 2012. We continue to maintain around 24 official members in our congregation and many more friends.

We serve the local community by participating in and helping to host special events and by giving to various local charities. We are members of the local Common Ground organization. Our quarterly charity program has contributed to a variety of non-profits such as Habitat for Humanity, Harbor Hall, Southern Poverty Law Center, Ukraine, Worthy Now Prison Ministry, Michigan UU Social Justice Network, Big Brothers and Sisters, The Michigan Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, Anti- Defamation League, Planned Parenthood, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan to name a few.