Oral History Interview with Anne Fox Miller

Partial Transcript: Yes, when--when Gene got out of the Coast Guard in 1953, we moved to Louisville . . .

Segment Synopsis: Miller and her husband moved to Louisville in 1953 after he was discharged from the Coast Guard. Miller and her husband chose to live in Louisville so they could be closer to family in Wisconsin. During this time, the couple were attending the University of Louisville. The couple worked as teachers at schools in New Albany, Indiana upon graduating from UofL. Miller says that some of her friends were Unitarians but Miller and her husband went to a Methodist church in Shively, since Miller was raised Methodist. Miller decided to stop going to the Methodist church when the minister gave an impassioned sermon about refusing to integrate, which Miller found to be morally objectionable. Miller saw several ads in newspapers about the First Unitarian Church of Louisville and was intrigued with their sermon topics.

Keywords: First Unitarian Church of Louisville; Husband; Dixie Highway (Louisville, Ky.); Integration; Ministers

Subjects: United States. Coast Guard; Louisville (Ky.); Unitarian churches; Unitarian churches--History; Wisconsin; Education--Higher; University of Louisville; Church; Religion; Spirituality; Teachers; Teaching; New Albany (Ind.); Methodists; Blacks; African Americans; Racism; Shively (Ky.); Newspapers

Partial Transcript: And I think the point at which we really became involved was in 1963 . . .

Segment Synopsis: After leaving the Methodist church in Shively, Miller continued teaching at a school in New Albany, Indiana and Miller and her husband did not belong to a church during this time. After working as a teacher for five years, Miller found out that she was pregnant in the fall of 1963. Miller then decided that she needed to find a church home for her family, especially since all of her relatives lived in Wisconsin. Miller recalls attending a church service at First Unitarian for the first time. She vividly remembers the bright red doors at the church's entrance and feeling very comfortable with Minister David Brown and the overall atmosphere of the church. Miller was looking forward to a sermon about Thanksgiving and its relationship to Unitarianism when the assassination of John F. Kennedy the previous week altered the church's sermon topic plans. Miller explains that the assassination of JFK did feel as impactful to her, in part because she was raised in a Republican stronghold of Wisconsin.

Keywords: Family; Husband; First Unitarian Church of Louisville; David Brown; Ministers; Comfortable; JFK assassination; Republicans; Churches

Subjects: Louisville (Ky.); Unitarian; Unitarians; Teachers; Teaching; New Albany (Ind.); Sermons; Pregnancy; Newspapers; Thanksgiving; Nineteen sixty-three, A.D.; Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963; Assassination--United States; Politics

Partial Transcript: So we--we were going to--uh--the couples club and to all the other related things, had become very, very involved.

Segment Synopsis: Miller and her husband began to get more involved with after church activities at First Unitarian because it provided them with a sense of community. Once her daughter was born, Miller started her decades-long involvement with the religious education ministry at First Unitarian. Following the death of Minister David Brown and the departure of the religious education director and the president of the church board, the church decided to have religious education be managed by a group of volunteers. Miller says that using a committee of volunteers led to less engagement with church youth and decreasing attendance levels at church services. The problems with church youth came to a head when several middle school-aged members decided to drop water balloons on an prominent church member as she was entering the church.

Keywords: First Unitarian Church of Louisville; Community; Women's alliance; Ministers; David Brown; Couples club

Subjects: Louisville (Ky.); Unitarians; Unitarian; Religion; Spirituality; Pregnancy; Babies; Knitting--Patterns; General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches; Death; Religious education; Sunday schools; Volunteers; Teachers; Teaching; Children; Middle school education

Partial Transcript: And so, they hired me as the religious education coordinator, for fifteen hours a week.

Segment Synopsis: Miller was initially hired part-time as the religious education director. Miller created lesson plans and curriculums for children in different age groups. Miller's husband assisted her with recruiting church members to be Sunday School teachers. Following the sudden death of Minister David Brown soon after she was hired, Miller was chosen as the representative for First Unitarian at the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches in Denver. Miller says that she put pressure on herself to attend the General Assembly so that she could bring back new ideas for the religious education department. Miller was the only representative from a Kentucky Unitarian church and she ended up enjoying the networking opportunities offered at the General Assembly and the ability to connect with friends of Minister Brown following his sudden passing.

Keywords: First Unitarian Church of Louisville; Lesson plans; Husband; David Brown; Ministers

Subjects: Religious education; Sunday schools; Unitarians; Unitarianism; Louisville (Ky.); General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches; Teachers; Teaching; Educators; Curriculum planning--United States; Recruiting; Stroke; Death; Denver (Colo.); Publishing; Friendship; Sunday schools

Partial Transcript: After David's death--uh--they offered me . . . they wanted me to go from fifteen hours to thirty hours a week.

Segment Synopsis: Following the death of Minister David Brown, Miller's hours as religious education director were increased from fifteen to thirty hours per week. Miller says that this increase in hours did not affect her workflow since she was already putting in extra time towards the job because she was so passionate about providing children with a religious foundation. After this increased role in the church, Miller began to learn more about Unitarian Church doctrines and started fielding calls about the church's beliefs after Minister Brown had died. Miller describes Interim Minister Robert Hogan as learned and very knowledgeable of ancient biblical texts and languages. During the search for a new permanent minister, Miller's office was moved to a more secluded area of the church. Miller believes that the church hiring committee did not want ministerial candidates to see that the religious education department was being managed by one part-time, female worker. Miller says that she clicked instantly with the new minister, Robert Reed. Miller and Minister Reed worked together to create new and innovative methods of teaching religious education.

Keywords: First Unitarian Church of Louisville; Ministers; David Brown; Robert Hogan; Interim minister; Religious education department; Collegiality; Ministerial candidates; Office; Family; Collaboration; Advice; Robert Reed

Subjects: Religious education; Louisville (Ky.); Unitarian; Unitarians; Work; Teachers; Teaching; Sunday schools; Secretaries; Doctrines; Beliefs and cultures; Biblical languages--Greek; Biblical languages--Hebrew; Translations; Sermons

Partial Transcript: Gradually, we developed some interesting things . . .

Segment Synopsis: Miller says that she created a group in the church for families and their children to socialize together. The group had potlucks once a month and Miller also incorporated biblical story time into Sunday School classes for youth. Miller developed an open classroom concept for Sunday School classes, which was so successful that the national branch of the (Unitarian Church Unitarian Universalist Association) church requested a formal description of the idea to share with other congregations. Miller collaborated successfully with Minister Brown and Minister Reed. Miller worked so well with Minister Robert Reed that she was a bit surprised when he left. Miller briefly mentions that the issue of his successor, Richard Beal and his smoking habit, which was considered controversial in the church.

Keywords: First Unitarian Church of Louisville; Couples club; Potlucks; Fellowship; Open classroom; Ministers; Robert Reed; David Brown; Richard Beal

Subjects: Religious education; Sunday schools; Louisville (Ky.); Unitarian; Unitarians; Families; Children; Teachers; Teaching; Adults; Unitarian Universalist Association. Department of Education; Unitarian Universalist Association; Smoking

Partial Transcript: . . . The fire in the middle.

Segment Synopsis: Miller recalls when she got a phone call in the middle of the night saying that the church was on fire. Miller says that the fire occurred a few weeks before Christmas. The church was able to hold services the following Sunday at an auditorium on the campus of Spalding University. Miller remembers that many congregants of all ages wanted to express the grief they felt over losing their church building. Fortunately, the church had recently purchased a former boarding house adjacent to the church, which was referred to as Haywood House. Miller recalls that an architect was brought in to determine the best way to convert the space into a preschool classroom. The church then found a temporary home at a church on the West End of Louisville. Miller describes the temporary church as similar to First Unitarian, except for the fact that it had large biblical paintings on the walls. Miller says that many church members stopped coming since the temporary church was so far away from where most congregants lived. Miller acknowledges that some congregants stopped coming to church because they were concerned about the elevated crime rate and drug use in the area. Miller says that the temporary location did attract new people to the church who otherwise might not have joined.

Keywords: First Unitarian Church of Louisville; West End (Louisville, Ky.); Ministers; Robert Reed; Church board; Christmas programs; Boarding houses; Open classrooms; Preschools; Paintings

Subjects: Fire; Unitarian; Unitarians; Louisville (Ky.); Christmas; Spalding University; Children; Memories; Grief; Offices; Design; Architects; Sunday schools; Religious education; Classrooms; Drug use; Crime; Theft; Blacks; African Americans; Fear; Nineteen eighties

Partial Transcript: . . . So, the church--what about the new church opening?

Segment Synopsis: The new church building was ready four years after the original one had burned down. The first service in the new church was on Easter Sunday. Miller recalls that the first activity in the new church was a senior sleep-in. The minister's son accidentally caused a small flood when he tried to use the new showers in the choir room during the senior sleep-in. Miller remembers the opening church service as a joyous occasion, with nearby churches sending flowers and items that were not damaged in the fire were shared with the congregation. The Sunday school was located on the second floor and especially designed to accommodate Miller's open classroom concept. Miller briefly mentions that the prevailing philosophy amongst church members at the time was that they wanted their children to feel like a part of the church through Sunday School classes but not necessarily in favor of having young kids present at the regular Sunday services.

Keywords: First Unitarian Church of Louisville; Pancake breakfast; Choir room; Showers; Open classrooms

Subjects: Unitarian; Unitarians; Louisville (Ky.); Religious education; Sunday schools; Easter; High school students; Joy; Art; Design; Church services

Partial Transcript: . . . How did Richard work with you to create those family events--worship?

Segment Synopsis: Miller enjoyed working with Minister Richard Beal on developing religious education programs despite the challenges of catering to the needs of children ranging in age from birth to high school. Miller says that Minister Beal was like an actor and provided a dramatic voice for biblical story time. Miller observes that parents today want their children with them at the regular church service. During Miller's time as religious education director, the prevailing preference was to put children in Sunday school classes during the main church service, unless the sermon topic for that week was appropriate for a younger audience. Miller says that she was not as involved with the church's response to the Vietnam War since her primary focus was on youth. Miller says the church was able to get good press coverage throughout the Vietnam War years since the managing editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal was a congregant (Carol Sutton). The only issue that Miller disagreed with the church on was choosing to support a sanctuary statement. The Sanctuary Movement began in American churches during the late 1980s in response to a large wave of immigrants from Central and South America seeking asylum in the U.S. The movement favored sheltering and protecting undocumented immigrants from authorities as they waited for their asylum claims to be processed. Miller explains that supporting a sanctuary statement could endanger her husband's teaching job (see the interview with Beverly Moore for additional information). Miller feels that many church members resented her opposition to the sanctuary statement.

Keywords: Ministers; Richard Beal; First Unitarian Church of Louisville; Sermon topics; Carol Sutton; Husband; Louisville Courier-Journal; Sanctuary statement; Undocumented immigrants; Unauthorized migrants

Subjects: Religious education; Unitarian; Unitarians; Sermons; Drama; Children; Parents; Adults; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Conscientious objectors; Continuing education; Press; Newspapers; Sutton, Carol; Sunday schools; Daughters; Sanctuary movement; New Albany (Ind.); Teachers; Teaching; Resentment; Asylum Aid; Immigrants

Partial Transcript: So, what about Welcoming Congregation when the church--in--in Richard Beal's time, to be more welcoming?

Segment Synopsis: Miller says that she did not take into consideration the sexual identity/orientation of Sunday school teachers when recruiting. Miller agreed with the concept of Welcoming Congregation except for how the church handled the concept of polyamory. Miller is proud of the impact she has had on families in the church but does not attend church services regularly anymore, in part because of hearing issues. Miller does not like the new music at church but acknowledges that it might be necessary to have a variety of music in order to entice young church members to be engaged with the service. Miller likes that the church has incorporated technology into services through displaying hymns up front but does not want to watch the livestreams of the service online. Miller also expresses skepticism over whether changing the main church service to a 10:00 start time has actually helped increase church attendance. Miller does not believe that new recruiting methods for religious education teachers have been successful. Miller wishes the church would bring back more Wednesday evening fellowship activities, since she thought they were engaging and enjoyable. Miller says the church tradition of camping at Otter Creek every June is not the same since Unitarian churches decided to eliminate the pause on religious services during the summer. Miller would also like to see church auctions return.

Keywords: Richard Beal; Ministers; First Unitarian Church of Louisville; LGBTQ+ people; Welcoming congregation; Polyamory; Webcasts; Recruiting; Fellowship; Church auctions; Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area (Kentucky)

Subjects: Louisville (Ky.); Religious education; Beliefs; Doctrines; Social issues in global perspective; Unitarian; Unitarians; Sunday schools; Sunday school teachers; Sexual orientation; Views; Children; Families; Aging; Church music; Technology; Hymns; Camping; Summer; Meade County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Our presence in the community, 'Standing on the Side of Love.'

Segment Synopsis: Miller says that First Unitarian is a force in the community because of its stances on social issues. Miller provides her views on the Black Lives Matter Movement and same sex marriage. Miller is proud of the fact that First Unitarian has continued to officiate same sex marriages. Miller also says that several congregants are very active in the local community and are well-known in the area for their views on certain social issues. Miller adds that she has volunteered to help run the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights booth at the Kentucky State Fair. Miller also likes that the church allows for free and open discussions about social issues. Miller says that sometimes there are protestors picketing in front of the church but has hope that progress will be made on issues that feel like a longshot to achieve, citing legalizing gay marriage as an example. Miller adds that having the Unitarian General Assembly in Louisville has helped elevate the church's presence nationally.

Keywords: Black Lives Matter movement; First Unitarian Church of Louisville; Community; Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights; Kentucky State Fair; Integration; Ministers

Subjects: Banners; Louisville (Ky.); Unitarian; Unitarians; Same-sex marriage; Gay marriage; Social issues in global perspective; Vigils (Liturgy); Leadership; Local government; Civics; Politics and government; Culture; Protests (Negotiable instruments); General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches