The Unitarian Fellowship of Marshalltown, a Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregation, was active from 2011-2025. As the last official act of the fellowship, it recently donated $1,612.27 to the United Way of Marshalltown.

“We had gotten some donations that allowed for speaker fees, rental space at the Y, but we had enough that we needed to decide where to disperse those funds, without it going back to the organization,” said fellowship member Linda Moore. “So we chose local agencies with the biggest chunk going to United Way.”

United Way Events & Marketing Manager Rachel Norton said the donation was applied to the 2025-2026 Marshalltown Area United Way campaign, which concluded at 95% of its overall fundraising goal.

“As one of the final contributions to the campaign, this gift played a meaningful role in helping us close the gap and strengthen the overall success of the effort,” they said. “Through this investment, the fellowship’s final act of giving will continue to have a lasting impact by strengthening local services, supporting collaborative solutions and improving outcomes across our community.”

The idea to establish a fellowship took root in 2010 after a roundtable discussion at Marshalltown Community College. A committee formed in the winter of 2010-11 to determine how such a group could come to fruition.

“The roundtable discussions have been operating for a few years (at the college) and continue to do so,” said fellowship member Robert Moore.

The fellowship held its first meeting April 3, 2011 in the boardroom of the YMCA-YWCA, a location it used until its dissolution. Around 14 people attended the early meetings. Fred Wyngarden (a former Presbyterian minister), Vivian LeVier, Pat Lynott, Mary McBee and John Dresser were some founding members.

“Quite a few of us followed shortly thereafter,” Robert added of himself and wife Linda. “It was not unusual to see married couples coming to the fellowship.”

Attendees came from a mix of religious backgrounds (or lack thereof), including Christian and non-Christian faiths. Some even continued to attend church services while going to UU fellowship gatherings.

At first, the group was known as Iowa Valley Fellowship, but that was short-lived. Eventually, the fellowship became affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Members initially gathered twice a month at the Y, then less often.

“The emphasis was on discussions. We wanted to discuss religion, particularly UU and learn more about it, trying to allow a place for people to express themselves freely about their religious beliefs,” Robert said.

Linda said the fellowship was always “lay led,” meaning it did not have an ordained minister to oversee the ceremonies.

“Responsibilities were shared,” she said.

Unlike a traditional church service where rituals would be performed, these UU gatherings were more informal but often included candle lighting. Guest speakers would be brought in while other sessions were more conversation focused.

UU worship can take place in churches, fellowships, congregations and societies. The present-day Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) was formed in 1961 through the consolidation of the American Unitarian Association, formed in 1825, and the Universalist Church of America, started in 1793. Local interest in these faiths can be traced back to a notice in the Evening Times-Republican dated Oct. 6, 1911. It reported that joint sermons of Universalists and Unitarians were held in Boone. “This was one of the most profitable conventions for both denominations ever held. The program was interesting thruout [sic] and each session drew a crowd of attentive listeners.”

Today, the faith is informed by seven tenets:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person

• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations

• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations

• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning

• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large

• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all

• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part

The aim is to incorporate at least one of the tenets into each service.

The Moores said they attend UU services whenever they’re traveling, interested in comparing and contrasting what is presented.

“We’ve visited UU fellowships in Des Moines and in Ames, Orlando, Jacksonville, Charleston,” he said.

To supplement fellowship time at the Y, members would hold potlucks at Riverview Park.

“We’d sit in a circle and share experiences,” Robert added. “UU is like a Friends (Quakers) meeting. You share joys and concerns. Light a candle, but not always.”

The UU fellowship in Marshalltown had its final formal meeting on March 30, 2025.

“We were faced with the challenge a lot of groups, both religious and non, have: it’s hard to get new young people involved,” Robert said. “We were declining in members. We lost some people due to moving and death.”

He noted that after John Dresser died in 2024, the fellowship decided to plant a memoriam tree at the college and also a tree at the YMCA-YWCA, due to his involvement with both entities.

The plan to dissolve the Unitarian Fellowship of Marshalltown was a year in the works.

“It just came to the point where we would have three to four of the same persons attending the meetings, and it just wasn’t sustainable as an organization,” Linda said.

The Moores said they’re hopeful that Marshalltown will once again have an active UU fellowship sometime in the future.