Look Back: UU Lansing in January 1999

By Ed Busch

This week, let's take a nostalgic journey back 26 years to January 1999, when Lansing faced a winter to remember. A powerful snowstorm blanketed the city, disrupting daily life but also showcasing the strength and resilience of our community. Neighbors lent helping hands, city workers braved the cold to restore normalcy, and shared challenges brought us closer together.

At the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing (UUCGL), Rev. Barbara Edgecombe was leading our congregation (1996-2000), with Jody Valley serving as president and Teresa Putnam as Director of Religious Education (R.E.). Our Liberal Express newsletter highlighted upcoming services:

·       January 17: "Teaching Tolerance"

·       January 24: "Singing with Sistrum"

·       January 31: "Sexuality – The Spectrum"

Church life was vibrant with activities—Women’s Investment, Member/Friend Potluck, World Religions classes, Yoga, Men’s Support Group, Tai Chi, Peace Team Potluck, Board meetings, Choir, and various committee gatherings.

In the newsletter, Rev. Edgecombe shared that she would soon begin her winter leave, splitting it to remain more available during the summer. She fondly recalled her days as an interim minister and her habit of misplacing keys, joking that the call of the “Barbara bird” was, “Whurra-ma-keys, whurra-ma-keys, whurra-ma-keys!”

Religious Education Highlights:

·       The Coming of Age Retreat was announced, led by Connie Detjen, Carol Ohlrogge, Lynn Scott, and Teresa Putnam.

·       Due to the snowstorm, the Friday night Potluck and Discussion was rescheduled to February.

·       Grades 4-6 learned about Augusta Chapin, the only woman speaker at the 1893 Columbia Exposition, and mapped the origins of world religions.

·       Middle schoolers planned to serve dinner at the Lansing Rescue Mission on February 7.

Adult R.E. continued with a potluck and discussion of Joseph Campbell's The Masks of God at Gene and Ann Mellen's home.

Community Engagement:

·       "Calling All Farm Hands" encouraged contributions to the upcoming UU Service Drive and "Cattle" Auction. A planning meeting was set for late January.

·       A Congregational Meeting on January 31 was announced to vote on the budget and elect UUA and UUDOM representatives.

Youth Wisdom:
The UUCGL High School Class shared insightful “Rules for Raising Teenagers by Teenagers,” reminding parents to respect privacy, encourage independence, and engage openly with their teens.

Women’s Fellowship:
The UU Women’s Fellowship was set to meet on January 21 at Mary Voelker’s home, co-hosted by Barbara Ataman. Attendees were invited to bring a brown bag lunch, with coffee, tea, and desserts provided.

Lamplighters and Music:
The Lamplighters planned to gather on January 23 at Signatures on Park Lake Road. Meanwhile, the Ten Pound Fiddle Coffeehouse was set to feature Mustard’s Retreat, Mark Dvorak, and Celtic Offspring in concerts held at UUCGL.

Rev. Edgecombe’s Installation

I couldn’t find any relevant images for my look back so here are some photographs from Rev. Edgecombe’s Installation at UU Lansing back in 1997.

Jim Davis, ?, Jody Valley, Betty Ambrose at Rev. Edgecombe’s Installation in 1997. (2008.0703)

Rev. Edgecombe, Jim Davis, Jody Valley at Installation in 1997. (2009.0060)

?, ?, ?, Rev. Edgecombe at her Installation at UU Lansing in 1997. (2009.0068)

Bruce Ambrose, Jim Davis, Bill Bennalack, Bob Lovell at Rev. Edgecombe Installation in 1997. (2009.0071)

Thank you for joining me in this reflection on our congregation’s past. Have ideas for future blog topics, questions, corrections, or stories to share? Email me at uucgl.archives@gmail.com. If you have photographs to contribute to the archives, please let me know—we’d love to preserve those memories!

About the Author

For those wondering who’s behind these blog posts: I’m Ed Busch, and I’m excited to share the history of UU Lansing with you. I retired in 2023 after 15 years as an Electronic Records Archivist at Michigan State University’s Archives & Historical Collections. My background is in archival administration and information science, with an undergraduate degree in Fisheries and coursework in Computer Science. Prior to a career shift, I also worked in fisheries, aerospace, and Information Technology. My wife, Leigh White, and I began attending UU Lansing in the early 2000s and became members in 2006. I’ve been involved with the church archives since 2007, and both of our daughters went through UU Lansing’s RE program.