The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Statesboro celebrated their new home Sunday with an emotional dedication service amid hopes of spreading “more love, justice and peace.”

The Rev. Jane A. Page, minister for the Fellowship, called the event “interfaith and multicultural” as the local congregation was joined by Unitarian Universalist clergy from other parts of the country, various religious leaders from Statesboro,  members of the Magnolia Missionary Baptist Church Choir and other community guests.

Located at the intersection of Cypress Lake and the Veterans Memorial Parkway bypass, the Unitarian Fellowship’s new home is a green, freshly-painted, former body shop.

The keynote speaker for the dedication, Jim Key, moderator for the national Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, shared two specific key phrases that are some of the words of the Unitarian movement’s vision: “A healthy Unitarian Universalist community that is alive with transforming power, moving our communities and the world toward more love, justice and peace. And, congregations and communities engage in partnerships to counter systems of power, privilege and oppression.”

Key added his own words to the Unitarian vision: “Now you have a bigger platform, a more visible place from which to amplify your collective voices. Now you can be bolder, braver and a bit bodacious here at the corner of Cypress Lake Road and Route 25.

“Imagine who will come now that they can more easily see you and find you. Imagine what gifts and revelations these new folks will bring to you. Imagine how you can move ‘the world toward more love, justice and peace.’”

The current Fellowship began meeting in 1985 and in April 1990, the Statesboro Fellowship became an official congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association. The Fellowship met in various rented spaces on the GSU Campus and then in their first home on East Grady Street.

Rev. Page was ordained and installed as the congregation’s first minister in 2006 and attained status as a Unitarian Universalist minister in 2009. The Fellowship is active in social justice activities in the Bulloch County and Statesboro area and partners with other groups in community service, like joining forces with the Magnolia Missionary Baptist Church to serve meals regularly to the needy at Rebecca’s Café.

Recognizing the need for a larger meeting space, the congregation voted in 2012 to accept a gift of property that included the 3,000-square-foot metal building and began renovating the area.

 The congregation moved into the new building towards the end of the summer of 2015 and welcomed guests over the weekend for the building dedication.

Local congregation member Laura Milner wrote a poem entitled “Raft and Shore” for the dedication. Excerpts from the poem read during the dedication include these words: “Now that we’re here – nails driven, paint dried – what are we building? What will we, together, make of this gift, this remade body shop, now a stop for minds and hearts?

“May we discover no gulf between ‘us’ and ‘them’ as we share this raft and shore, this home at the crossing of Bypass and Cypress Lake.

“May this church serve as ship and safe harbor, for all who seek shelter from persecution or pain, for all who seek expression of ideas, music, dance.

“Here, we bow in gratitude to all. We wear no halos or horns only eyes and ears attuned to the frequencies of love, the voices of reason. We row to the beat of justice and dignity for all.”

Entertaining the attendees during the service were the children of the local Fellowship, as well as talented, singers from the Magnolia Missionary Baptist Church. Magnolia singers and Unitarian Fellowship singers joined together to sing a rousing rendition of “Lean on Me.”

The Rev. Francys Johnson, minister for Magnolia Missionary Baptist Church, a local attorney and president of the Georgia NAACP, concluded the event with a prayer from Howard Thurman, author, philosopher, Baptist and Unitarian theologian, educator and civil rights leader.

Johnson prayed, “Lord, open unto me …. light for my darkness; courage for my fear; hope for my despair; peace for my turmoil; joy for my sorrow; strength for my weakness; wisdom for my confusion; forgiveness for my sins; love for my hates. Open unto me – thy Self for myself. Lord, Lord, open unto me.”

Johnson said, “May the (Unitarian) Congregation of Statesboro be a place where people gather with open hearts, open minds and open hands to build the beloved community.”