Spacious Simplicity Unitarian Church Celebrates New Building, Replacing Outgrown Church

The normally laid-back Unitarian congregation sat stiffly in its plastic chairs Sunday morning, while a host of dignitaries dedicated the new church building.

The ceremony featured a brass band, choir members wore their robes and the president of the Unitarian Universalist Association was on hand to give the sermon to a packed house.

The new church on Fort Wright Drive near Government Way has been finished since November.

The congregation began planning for a new building more than five years ago. It was then church members realized they were outgrowing their South Hill chapel and the nearby Glover Mansion, a property they had owned since 1943.

Describing the building process as a “whiteknuckled flight,” architect and member Moritz Kundig said he was proud of the spacious new building.

Kundig stretched the $1.4 million the congregation raised as far as he could.

“Budget was a major constraint,” he said. “We tried to make a virtue out of this necessity.”

The Unitarian Universalist Church has roots in Spokane dating back to the 1880s.

Originally developed from Judeo-Christian values, the church now embraces all religions, encouraging its members to accept and promote their differences.

Leaders preach tolerance, justice and intellectual development. It is the only Spokane Church to openly accept homosexuals into its congregation.

From the concrete floor and barren walls, to the plastic chairs, the new building has a “Shaker-like simplicity.” There is nothing extra, no extravagance, Kundig said.

“Clarity and simplicity were two major goals for me,” he said.

The sanctuary is as far away from the noise and the street as possible. Enormous clear windows are meant to connect the congregation to the outside world.

The one luxury of the building is the front doors, adorned with work of artist and member Harold Balazs.

“The doors suggest activity, excitement, even mystery,” Kundig said. “Something is happening in here.”

Kundig took pains to design a building consistent with the surrounding architecture in the Fort Wright historic district.

President of the Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute, Hiroshi Takaoka, said he was excited to have the Unitarians in the neighborhood.

“The Fort Wright grounds, a former symbol of military power, have made a significant transformation,” he said. “We appreciate your assistance in building a beautiful neighborhood of cross-cultural understanding.”

The Rev. John Buehrens, president of the church’s national association, used his sermon to talk about money, an unusual topic for the typically low-key congregation.

He urged the crowd of 500 people to tithe, or donate 10 percent of their income to the church or to charity.

“We could say, look what we’ve done,” he said, pointing to the surrounding building. “More yet is required of us.”

Buehrens pointed out that Unitarians have the highest average income of any religious group in the United States. Thus, they should give, “not what’s left, but what’s right,” he said.

Buehrens, who has dedicated more than 40 new Unitarian churches in the past two years, said the Spokane congregation should be proud. “At the heart of our religion is more than a vision,” he said. “There is a dedicated community.”