Between 1948 and 1967, small, autonomous, lay-led congregations were encouraged by both the Unitarian and Universalist Associations to spring up in almost any place a small group could be brought together. Following that tradition, 6 couples, all members of the then-overcrowded Palo Alto Unitarian Church, came to together in early 1962 to form a Fellowship that would serve the Sunnyvale/Cupertino area.

We met for the first time with 30 charter members in March in the meeting room above a Sunnyvale Co-op store. By the time the Fellowship recorded its bylaws on April 1, 1962,  we had 135.

Through various moves and challenges, our Fellowship held together, and the community thrived and grew strong. And although today we have a full-time minister and meet in a beautiful church sanctuary, we still depend on lay participation in both our Sunday morning worship service and in the day-to-day activities of our congregation.

For more information on the fellowship movement, read The Fellowship Movement: A Growth Strategy and Its Legacy, by Holley Ulbrich or see it excerpted here in UU World Magazine.