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This conference, although historically a mission territory and among the smallest in the denomination, shows great promise for growth, through an aggressive campaign to instigate new congregations and an increasing emphasis on peace and justice witness programs, something largely lacking (or altogether absent or actively opposed) in most Southern mainline Protestant congregations. It bears the strong heritages of several missionary efforts, dating back to the Reconstruction period of the late 19th-century, although one church was founded as early as 1681 . About 55 percent of the membership of the Conference's churches is African-American , reflecting the mission work of the American Missionary Association , as well as more recent church planting targeting that constituency. In addition to the Conference Minister, several associate ministers implement programming to provide educational, youth, and evangelistic ministries for the churches. The Conference holds its annual meeting every June , and is governed by a Board of Directors between those meetings. The Board consists of officers and at-large representatives elected by the annual meeting. For the 2004 - 2006 term, the Rev. Dr. Dorothy Gager of Nashville, Tenn. is moderator. HERITAGE AND PREDECESSORS Although the Southeast Conference as a legal entity dates back only to 1966 , it had several predecessors whose separate histories had to be reconciled in the new body. This work coincided almost precisely with the social ferment and upheavals of the Civil Rights Movement , which several clergy and churches fervently supported and/or played an active role in. The different heritages were these: 1) As mentioned above, the American Missionary Association planted numerous academies and colleges for those African-Americans freed from slavery by virtue of the South's defeat in the Civil War. In some cases, former Union officers returned to territories they had conquered to aid the emancipated new citizens. Among those institutions still existing today are Fisk University (Tennessee), Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University , Georgia), Talladega College (Alabama), and Tougaloo College (Mississippi). Alongside their activities in educating, many of the teachers, who were often Congregationalist pastors, founded churches for the freed people. Again, a large number of them were founded in the beginning, but only about 20 still remain in the Conference today. AMA congregations in the southeast and south-central states joined with "Afro-Christian" churches in North Carolina and Virginia to form the Convention of the South in 1950 ; that body was dismantled to distribute the congregations into their proper UCC geographical jurisdictions, ending segregation. Recently, the Conference undertook a program to commemorate the legacy of those congregations and the AMA, titled "Rekindle the Gift." The Rev. Joyce Hollyday, Associate Conference Minister and former associate editor of . The AMA also undertook educational and social work in the mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky during that period, operating several schools for Appalachian youngsters, with some churches alongside them as well. 2) An evangelist from the "Christian Connection" came from North Carolina to the Chattahoochee River valley of western Georgia and eastern Alabama in the mid-19th century and conducted revivals that began a number of congregations espousing the "five points" of Christian unity. This group later founded Southern Union College in Wadley, Ala. , now a part of the Alabama state junior/community college system. Most of their congregations were located in the open country and reflected the population's general preferences for Wesleyan theology and Revivalism , typical of the rural South generally. Two institutions related to the Christian tradition, Elon College (now University ) and Elon Homes for Children, both in North Carolina, received considerable financial support over the years from these churches. Although a number of the churches in this group initially supported the UCC and the Conference in the 1960s and 1970s, most later reconsidered those commitments, in large measure due to increasing theological and political disagreements (instigated in part by pastors who came to those churches from other traditions) with those congregations in the metropolitan areas, especially over the issue of Homosexuality . As of April 2006, only three congregations from this tradition are known to remain affiliated with the UCC, although one of them reaffirmed its affiliation by an overwhelming vote in a congregational meeting earlier in the year. 3) Among Euro-American residents of Alabama and Georgia in the late 19th-century, some members of the Methodist faith began opposing the rise in power of the superintendents who began calling themselves "bishops." They desired local control, particularly the ability to call their own pastors, rather than have them appointed, without their consent. When some of these individuals and churches left the main Methodist body, a few of them joined the Congregational fellowship in the 1890s , recruited by agents of the American Home Missionary Society seeking a presence for Congregationalism in the South . Pockets of strength for this movement included northwestern, central, and southeastern Alabama, and west central, south central, and northeastern Georgia. According to a book self-published by UCC pastor Richard Taylor, an amateur historian, the Congregational Methodist-heritage churches usually espoused extremely individualistic views, frequently opposing missionary societies and Sunday schools, very much akin to the Primitive Baptists and the Churches Of Christ . Therefore, they never developed close relations with Congregationalists in other parts of the U.S., since these stances were almost entirely opposite those honored in Congregational churches in most other regions, where education and mission work were held in very high regard. Those churches not participating in this affiliation move (including some who recanted their earlier decisions to join the Congregationalists) constituted the Congregational Methodist Church , now headquartered in Florence, Miss. As with the Christians, most of the Congregational Methodist-derived congregations eventually left the UCC over a period from the 1960s until the early 1990s , largely over the same theological and cultural disputes with denominational and Conference leadership. 4) Probably the most active of the several groups that formed the Southeast Conference were those Congregational churches founded, mostly in the early 20th century, as theologically liberal, socially tolerant alternatives to the dominant expressions of Southern Protestantism , namely the Baptists , Methodists , and Presbyterians . Migration of Northern Congregationalists to the South helped start several churches, often in conjunction with or close proximity to Euro-American colleges and universities. In a few cases, however, parts of established congregations withdrew to form Congregational churches in protest over doctrinal rigidity and/or lifestyle restrictions. These churches were located in cities such as Atlanta and Nashville; subsequent UCC new church starts in the Conference (e.g., Huntsville, Ala. and suburban Atlanta) have generally modeled themselves after this group. By the mid-20th century, these became among the first Euro-American churches in the region to protest racial segregation and deeply involve themselves with advocating on African-Americans' behalf. And, since the 1990s especially, several of these have become ardent supporters of gay rights and have endorsed a stance to refrain from denying membership to those professing alternative sexual orientations, a move against the dominant social attitudes in the region. Generally speaking, congregations in this group are the most aware of, and loyal to, the larger UCC, and are usually the most generous givers to Conference and national work. 5) After the Civil War, a group of settlers from Germany came, via Cincinnati and Louisville to northern Alabama and founded the town of Cullman , starting a church of the unionist Evangelical tradition; some members later moved to Birmingham and established one there also. Meanwhile, some farmers from Switzerland , facing grave land shortages, responded to an advertisement offering farmland in Tennessee. Despite the fact that it was a scheme to populate mountainous, infertile areas, the farmers (many of them dairymen) persevered, and some established Reformed parishes along the lines of the Swiss Protestant faith, several (only one survives) in southern middle Tennessee, and one in Nashville. As of today, only the Tennessee congregations remain affiliated with the UCC; the Alabama churches withdrew, led out by Fundamentalist pastors in the same manner as some Christian- and Congregational Methodist-heritage congregations have been. HISTORY, 1966-PRESENT The Conference was the product in large measure of the determination of national and regional leaders to comply with the mandate from the denomination's General Synod to align inter-church relationships according to geography instead of racial and ethnic groupings inherited from the past. Because of differences among the churches and pastors in the Euro-American Southeast Congregational Christian Convention regarding the denomination's involvement in the Civil Rights movement, the Southeast was one of the last regions in the country where all UCC congregations within its boundaries came together into one judicatory. Much of the immediate controversy was precipitated by a resolution from the Fourth General Synod, meeting in Denver, Colo. in July 1963 , that called for the termination of financial support for churches and institutions that practiced Racial Segregation , and encouraged other UCC entities to do likewise. Only the adjoining Southern Conference, consisting of churches in North Carolina and Virginia , experienced difficulty organizing because of this, other than the Southeast. After a failed attempt in 1964 , the Southeast Convention, by a vote of only 54 percent, agreed to receive churches from the Congregational Christian (UCC) Convention of the South (African-American) and the southernmost congregations of the South Indiana Evangelical and Reformed Synod (Indiana-Kentucky Conference, UCC). This occurred at the Convention's annual meeting on April 24 , 1965 at Central Congregational Church in Atlanta, Ga. The agreement brought the Conference officially into being on January 1 , 1966 . On April 23 of that year, meeting at First United Church (Evangelical and Reformed), Nashville, Tenn. , annual meeting delegates adopted a constitution, consummating the process. The first officers of the new Conference were the Rev. Frederick A. Meyer, pastor, Central Church, Atlanta, moderator; Mr. J. Hubert Richter, member, St. John's (Evangelical Protestant) UCC, Cullman, Ala. , vice-moderator; Miss Ellen Hull, member, Langdale Congregational Christian Church, Valley, Ala. , recording secretary; Leslie Beall, member, Central Church, Atlanta, treasurer. The board of directors consisted of association representatives and chairpeople of commissions elected at large; initially, the Conference consisted of nine associations, but that number dropped to six by the early 1970s due to several of them merging. Meanwhile, Conference staff and leaders, espousing the predominantly liberal outlook of the denomination, made extraordinary efforts to encourage churches to pursue aims such as advocating for peace in Vietnam , improved racial relations, and formulating a more articulate and relevant faith for the needs of the younger generation. This was particularly remarkable because Conference ministers, and associates, undertook these aims in addition to the daunting task of servicing the needs of churches spread over a seven-state region, which entailed much time and expense in travel and meetings distant from the Atlanta headquarters. Some churches were quite enthusiastic about all of these programs, engaging in experimental ministries and worship; others, mostly those outside the major metropolitan areas, resisted what they saw as an intrusion upon their traditions and autonomy, and these gradually began keeping to themselves, often only supporting their associations or customary benevolences. By the 1990s, many congregations simply decided to withdraw and form their own groupings or, just as often, become totally independent, a trait increasingly noticeable also among recently-established churches of fundamentalist or Charismatic persuasion in the region. Those moves reduced the six associations down to the present three. As with most UCC conferences, most of the Southeast Conference's current congregations antedate the 1957 union that formed the denomination. Until about the late 1990s , the Conference was either financially unable to support significant church expansion or experienced great frustration and lack of success on those projects it did enter into. Most of these have been centered in the metropolitan Atlanta area, where demographic experts have perceived the greatest patterns of growth. Even more problematic was the overweening fact that the Conference was dependent for many years on national subsidies simply to operate on a "maintenance" mode, let alone venture into expensive church building programs. Of course, the denomination was hindered by its lack of name recognition in the South (or, worse even, its confusion with the Churches Of Christ , an entirely different evangelical Protestant tradition). But, after years of decline and loss of disgruntled churches (which were mostly located in rural Alabama and Georgia), the Conference began to turn a corner in the 1990s, as it made an intentional effort to market its peculiar blend of evangelism and social service to both its existing congregations (through renewal programs) and especially individuals and churches disaffected from their historic traditions (e.g., Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and non-denominational predominently-gay groups). The Conference, and some of its churches, has recently made particularly effective use of the UCC "God Is Still Speaking," branding campaign. HOST OF 25TH GENERAL SYNOD On July 1-5, 2005 , the Conference played host to the historic 25th General Synod of the UCC, which was held in Atlanta's Georgia World Congress Center . A resolution passed by Synod delegates affirming the right of Homosexuals to marry instantly drew national media attention, as this made the UCC the first traditional Protestant denomination in the U.S. to publicly espouse such a stand. Aside from the generated publicity, two Conference members played noteworthy roles at that Synod: Dr. Annie Wynn Neal, an administrator at Meharry Medical College in Nashville (member, Howard Congregational Church) acted as one of two vice-moderators of Synod; and Milton Hurst, former Synod moderator, longtime Conference leader and pastor of First Congregational Church, Talladega, Ala. , gave a stirring speech recalling his grandfather, born into slavery in rural Alabama, telling stories about the racial discrimination and violence he witnessed and suffered. Mr. Hurst did this to recognize the culmination of the Conference's "Rekindle the Gift" project, on which he worked as a consultant. Sadly, one month after Synod, Mr. Hurst died at his Birmingham residence from injuries sustained in a fall. Atlanta is only the third city in the Southern U.S. that has ever hosted Synod; Norfolk, Va. and Fort Worth, Tex. are the others. CONFERENCE MINISTERS The Rev. Dr. Jesse H. Dollar (interim), 1966 The Rev. Dr. William J. Andes, 1966 - 1980 The Rev. Dr. Emmett O. Floyd, 1980 - 1987 The Rev. Horace S. Sills (interim), 1988 The Rev. Roger D. Knight, 1988 - 1995 The Rev. Edwin Melhaff (interim), 1995 - 1996 The Rev. Dr. Timothy C. Downs, 1996 -present ASSOCIATIONS As with most conferences in the UCC, the Southeast Conference is composed of several associations. The Alabama-Tennessee Association was established over a period from 1965 through 1969 ; it covers northern and central Alabama, eastern and central Tennessee, and Mississippi . Mrs. Virginia "Ginny" Nixon, Pleasant Hill, Tenn. , is moderator. The East Alabama-West Georgia Association derived from the former Alabama Christian Conference (pre- 1930s ) and consists of churches in east central Alabama and west central Georgia. The Rev. Roy Bain, pastor, Congregational Christian Church, Lanett, Ala. , is moderator. The Georgia-South Carolina Association represented a 1969 merger of the two previously racially-defined bodies bearing that name; self-evidently, it contains churches in both states (except for Georgia churches in the East Alabama-West Georgia territory). The Rev. Kimberleigh Buchanan, pastor, Pilgrimage UCC, Marietta, Ga. , is moderator. CURRENTLY AFFILIATED CHURCHES As of April 29 , 2006, 49 congregations held membership in one of the Southeast Conference's three associations. They are as follows: LEGEND: (AT)--Alabama-Tennessee Association (EW)--'''East Alabama-West Georgia''' Association (GS)--'''Georgia-South Carolina''' Association ALABAMA King's Chapel, Alpine (AT) Trinity Congregational, Athens (AT) Beloved Community, Birmingham (AT) First Congregational Christian, Birmingham (AT) Pilgrim Congregational, Birmingham (AT) Liberty Congregational Christian, Brantley (EW) New Hope Congregational Christian, Clio (EW) United, Huntsville (AT) Congregational Christian, Lanett (EW) First Congregational, Marion (AT) Community Congregational, Montgomery (AT) First Congregational Christian, Montgomery (AT) Unity Worship Center, Montgomery (AT) First Congregational, Talladega (AT) GEORGIA Central Congregational, Atlanta (GS) First Congregational, Atlanta (GS) God, Self, and Neighbor Ministries, Atlanta (GS) Open Community, Atlanta (GS) Rush Memorial Congregational, Atlanta (GS) Sankofa, Atlanta (GS) Virginia-Highland (UCC/ Alliance Of Baptists federated), Atlanta (GS) Evergreen Congregational, Beachton (GS) United Congregational Christian, Columbus (EW) Methodist-Congregational Federated (UCC/ United Methodist / NACCC ), Demorest (GS) Pilgrimage, Marietta (GS) Congregational, Midway (GS) Oak Grove Congregational Christian, Pine Mountain (EW) Church of the Savior, Roswell (GS) First Congregational, Savannah (GS) Victory, Stone Mountain (GS) Bethany Congregational, Thomasville (GS) Jones Chapel Congregational Christian, Woodbury (EW) MISSISSIPPI--all churches are members of the '''Alabama-Tennessee''' (AT) Association. Union, Tougaloo College SOUTH CAROLINA--all churches are members of the '''Georgia-South Carolina''' (GS) Association. Circular Congregational, Charleston --Conference's oldest church, founded in 1681 Plymouth Congregational, Charleston Garden of Grace United, Columbia TENNESSEE--all churches are members of the '''Alabama-Tennessee''' (AT) Association. First United (Evangelical and Reformed), Belvidere Pilgrim Congregational, Chattanooga United, Cookeville Grace, Crossville Congregational, Deer Lodge Community (UCC/ Presbyterian Church (USA) federated), Fairfield Glade Church of the Savior, Knoxville Brookmeade Congregational, Nashville First United (Evangelical and Reformed), Nashville Holy Trinity Community, Nashville Howard Congregational, Nashville Community, Pleasant Hill First, Sweetwater FORMERLY AFFILIATED CHURCHES Unfortunately, over the past 40 years since the Conference came into being in its present form, most of the original congregations that constituted it have withdrawn their affiliation or closed altogether, as have some congregations started during that period. The following is a list of them: Antioch Congregational Christian, Alexander City, Alabama First Congregational Christian, Alexander City, Alabama Antioch Congregational Christian, Andalusia, Alabama First Congregational Christian, Andalusia, Alabama First Congregational, Anniston, Alabama --merged with a nearby Presbyterian congregation in 1968 Robertson's Chapel/Congregational Christian, Arley, Alabama Bethel Congregational Christian, Ashland, Alabama St. John's Evangelical and Reformed, Birmingham, Alabama --reputedly the first E&R-heritage church nationally to leave the UCC Indian Creek Congregational Christian, Brantley, Alabama St. John's Evangelical Protestant, Cullman, Alabama Elder Congregational Christian, Dadeville, Alabama Congregational Christian, East Tallassee, Alabama Watson's Chapel, Eclectic, Alabama State Line Congregational Christian, Five Points, Alabama Congregational Christian, Garden City, Alabama Fairview Congregational Christian, Hackleburg, Alabama Union Grove Congregational Christian, Haleyville, Alabama Mountain Grove Congregational Christian, Hanceville, Alabama Blackwood Congregational Christian, Headland, Alabama Liberty Hill Congregational Christian, Houston, Alabama Pleasant Grove Congregational Christian, LaFayette, Alabama New Harmony Congregational Christian, Lineville, Alabama Union Congregational Christian, Marbury, Alabama --(now NACCC ) Christian Hill Congregational Christian, Midland City, Alabama United of South Montgomery, Montgomery, Alabama Jones' Chapel, Moulton, Alabama First Congregational Christian, Phenix City, Alabama --(now NACCC ) Russell Woods Congregational, Phenix City, Alabama Congregational Christian, Pisgah, Alabama Antioch Congregational Christian, Roanoke, Alabama Bethany Congregational Christian, Roanoke, Alabama First (later North Main) Congregational Christian, Roanoke, Alabama Forest Home Congregational Christian, Roanoke, Alabama Lowell Congregational Christian, Roanoke, Alabama Mount Zion Congregational Christian, Roanoke, Alabama New Hope Congregational Christian, Roanoke, Alabama --mother church of the Christian tradition in Alabama and Georgia Rock Springs Congregational Christian, Roanoke, Alabama Rock Stand Congregational Christian, Roanoke, Alabama --(now NACCC ) Sweet Home Christian, Roanoke, Alabama First Congregational, Selma, Alabama Community, Seman, Alabama Mount Lebanon Congregational Christian, Steele, Alabama Mount Olive Congregational Christian, Tallassee, Alabama Old Liberty Congregational Christian, Town Creek, Alabama Caddo Congregational Christian, Trinity, Alabama Langdale Congregational Christian, Valley, Alabama --(now NACCC ) Todd Congregational Christian (later Pine Forest), Valley, Alabama --(now NACCC ) Beulah Congregational Christian, Wadley, Alabama Christian, Wadley, Alabama Corinth Christian, Wadley, Alabama Caver's Grove Congregational Christian, Wedowee, Alabama Noon Day Congregational Christian, Wedowee, Alabama Balm of Gilead Congregational Christian, Wetumpka, Alabama Good Hope Congregational Christian, Baker, Florida Pyron's Chapel, Baker, Florida New Effort Congregational Christian, Bonifay, Florida Dorcas Congregational Christian, Crestview, Florida Christian, Ambrose, Georgia Amistad, Atlanta, Georgia Carroll Heights Congregational, Atlanta, Georgia Center Congregational, Atlanta, Georgia --(now NACCC ) Southwest Congregational, Atlanta, Georgia Fredonia Congregational Christian, Barnesville, Georgia --mother church of the Congregational Methodist tradition Friendship Congregational Christian, Baxley, Georgia Liberty Congregational, Dewy Rose, Georgia --(now NACCC ) Macedonia Congregational Christian, Braselton, Georgia Antioch Congregational Christian, Bristol, Georgia Duncans Creek Congregational, Buford, Georgia First Congregational Christian, Columbus, Georgia Hebron Congregational Christian, Crest, Georgia New Light Congregational Christian, Doerun, Georgia Poplar Arbor Congregational Christian, Doerun, Georgia First Congregational Christian, Douglas, Georgia Christian, Enigma, Georgia Pleasant Hill Congregational Christian, Gaillard, Georgia --(now NACCC ) County Line Congregational Christian, Hampton, Georgia --(now NACCC ) Trinity, Hampton, Georgia Community Congregational, LaGrange, Georgia Hillside Christian, LaGrange, Georgia United Congregational Christian, LaGrange, Georgia --(now NACCC ) Button Gwinnett (later Gwinnett Community), Lilburn, Georgia First Congregational, Macon, Georgia Heart of Georgia Fellowship, Macon, Georgia First Congregational Christian, Meansville, Georgia Union Hill Congregational Christian, Pearson, Georgia First Congregational Christian, Richland, Georgia Providence Chapel, Richland, Georgia First Congregational Christian, Tifton, Georgia Vanceville Congregational Christian, Tifton, Georgia New Life, Tucker, Georgia Williams Chapel, Waycross, Georgia Bethel Congregational Christian, West Point, Georgia First Congregational, Evarts, Kentucky --joined the United Methodist Church Community, Stearns, Kentucky --joined the United Methodist Church Ecumenical Fellowship, Jackson, Mississippi Covenant, Columbia, South Carolina Pilgrim, Columbia, South Carolina First Congregational, Chattanooga, Tennessee Sheares Memorial, Chattanooga, Tennessee First Congregational, Crossville, Tennessee --(now NACCC ) Good Shepherd (later United Christian), Crossville, Tennessee --federated congregation with Christian Church (Disciples Of Christ) Congregational Christian, Daisy, Tennessee (now Soddy-Daisy ) Congregational Christian, Glenmary, Tennessee Fisk Union, Nashville, Tennessee Barton Chapel, Robbins, Tennessee First Congregational, Soddy, Tennessee (now Soddy-Daisy ) United Community, Waverly, Tennessee NOTABLE CURRENT OR FORMER MEMBERS (SINCE 1966) U. S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), son of a former UCC minister in northwestern Alabama. Julian Bond , chairman, NAACP , and civil rights advocate. The Hon. Houston Brown , Jefferson County, Alabama Civil Circuit Court judge. The Rev. Dr. Walter Brueggemann , noted theologian, retired professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary , Decatur, Ga. The Rev. Dr. David Buttrick , retired professor of Homiletics at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, Nashville. Shirley Duer , former Tennessee state representative (Republican). John Egerton , noted author and photographer. The Hon. Hershel Franks , former Tennessee Court of Appeals judge. The Hon. Eugene H. Gadsden , first African-American justice (now retired) to serve on the Georgia Supreme Court. Gene Nobles , disc jockey. Joe Reed , associate executive secretary, Alabama Education Association , and former Montgomery city councilman. The Hon. Leah Ward Sears , Presiding Justice, Georgia Supreme Court; the first African-American woman to ever serve on that court. Arthur Shores , first African-American attorney in the state of Alabama and first African-American city councilman in Birmingham history. Cynthia Tucker , newspaper columnist, editorial page editor, Atlanta Journal-Constitution . The Rev. Andrew Young , former U.S. Representative (D-Ga.), Ambassador to the United Nations , and mayor of Atlanta. EXTERNAL LINKS
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