The Universalist Herald

Universalist Herald is a publication of the Universalist Herald Publishing company. "Universalist Heritage and Spirit Today" and "The Oldest Continuously Published Liberal Religious Periodical in North America" are the subtitles of the modern edition.

Overview

Founded in 1847 as the Religious Reformer by C. F. R. Shehane of Wetumpka, Alabama.[1] Beginning January 1, 1850, it became The Universalist Herald and was edited by John Crenshaw Buruss. For many years it was strictly a regional publication, serving the Universalist Church of America in Southeastern United States.

In 1896, John M. Bowers purchased and moved the paper to Canon, Georgia, and remained as publishing editor to 1911. From 1911 to 1991, it continued to be published in Canon, Georgia, under an arrangement with the Georgia Universalist Convention, serving as a regional oriented periodical. There was a succession of local editors, notably Nellie Mann Opdale, Argyle E. Houser, and Haynie Summers. Then it began to shift its focus away from regional interests with editor William Balkan from 1985 to 1991, followed by Vernon Chandler and then Justin Lapoint. From 2004 to 2012, the editor was Rich Koster, a retired minister and former truck driver who still writes with the pen name Raven. The most recent editor is David Damico of LeRoy, New York, a member of First Universalist Church of Rochester, New York, and a college professor of graphic design.[2]

The Herald's main church connection was the Universalist Church of America, and then since 1961 with the Unitarian Universalist Association of Churches. It has a broader outlook and has subscribers from all over the U.S. and around the world. The corporate office is in Seven Springs, North Carolina, and the business office is in Dorchester, Massachusetts.

Board of Directors

The Universalist Herald is published quarterly, is owned by the Universalist Herald Publishing Company, and is governed by a Board of Directors (as of 2023)

  • David Damico - Editor (LeRoy, NY)
  • Rev. Michael Barnett (Beacon, NY)
  • Jennifer Gibson (Mansfield, Ohio)
  • Rich Koster (Kentucky) (former editor)
  • John Nichols (Santa Paula, CA)
  • Doug Shaheen - Business Manager (Milton, MA)

Editors

The table below lists the editors for the Universalist Herald. In some cases, information on editors and dates have not be sufficiently validated to be included in the table.

Editor Years Comments Location
Rev. C.F.R. Shehane 1847 - 1849 Founder/editor of the Religious Reformer. Wetumpka, Alabama
Rev. John C. Burruss 1850 - 1896 Purchased paper, changed name to Universalist Herald and moved publication location Notasulga, Alabama

Montgomery, Alabama

Rev. John Bowers 1896 - 1910 Purchased paper and moved publication location to Canon, Georgia Canon, Georgia
Rev. Athalia Irwin 1911 - 1913 Moved to Riverside, CA to assume pastorate First Universalist Church Canon, Georgia
Alexander S. Arnold 1913 - 1914 About the paper: “Its message is one of hope for mankind. It teaches the victory of good over evil in time and in eternity. It advocated a good destiny for all men and bases its doctrine upon the Bible, human reason and the nature of God.” Canon, Georgia
Rev. Elton Wilson 1914 - 1916 Canon, Georgia
A.J. Owens 1916 - 1917 Canon, Georgia
Rev. John W Rowlett 1917 - 1924 Also, Superintendent of Georgia Universalist Churches Canon, Georgia
Information Pending 1925 - 1932 Additional research required
Rev. Nellie Mann Opdale 1932 - 1941 Past president of Georgia Conference of Universalist Churches. Died. Canon, Georgia
Rev. Eva Warner 1941 - ???? Became editor upon death of Opdale, Research pending on dates Canon, Georgia
Rev. W.R. Bennett 1948 - 1954 Superintendent of Universalist Churches in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida Canon, Georgia
John M. Schofield 195x - ???? Research pending on dates Canon, Georgia
Rev. Argyle E. Houser 1961 - 1963 Research pending to confirm dates Canon, Georgia
Haynie Summers 1965 - 1895 Member of Harmony Universalist Church, Senoia, GA. Died. Canon, Georgia
William H. (“Bill”) Balkan 1985 - 1991 Became editor upon death of Haynie Summers Canon, Georgia
Vernon Chandler 1991 - 1998 Pending research
Rev. Justin Lapoint 1999 - 2001 Pending research
Rich Koster (Raven) 2001 - 2012 Pending research
David Damico 2013-present LeRoy, New York

References

  1. ^ The Larger Hope by Russell E. Miller, 1979, p319
  2. ^ "Welcome to the Universalist Herald Online".


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