Large gifts will help small congregations

One major gift will help small congregations in New Hampshire and Vermont; another secured the future of a Florida congregation.
By Staff Writer
Fall 2005 8.15.05

The Rev. Arthur Reublinger of Derry, New Hampshire, will bequeath $2.1 million, the single largest bequest the UUA has received for the purposes of supporting special programming for a specific region of the country. The funds will establish the Arthur H. Reublinger Small Church Ministries Endowment Fund, to help strengthen small congregations throughout the New Hampshire/Vermont District.

“This gift demonstrates how a single act of generosity can ripple out into the world, to benefit those of us here and now and yet to come,” the Rev. Beth Graham, associate vice president for stewardship and development said, as she presented Reublinger with a certificate of appreciation.

Reublinger serves as a hospice chaplain and as a part-time minister at the First Universalist Church of West Chesterfield and South Parish Unitarian Church in Charlestown, both in New Hampshire.

In a separate gift, an anonymous donor promised the Unitarian Universalist Church of St. Petersburg, Florida, a $75,000 matching grant for the 2005 fiscal year. Donations poured in exceeding $86,000. The gift is scheduled to increase to $250,000 over the next five years.

“Both of these cases really highlight a significant partnership for local or regional initiatives that couldn’t have happened without all the partners involved,” Graham said.