The First Unitarian Congregational Society of Brooklyn began in 1833 and was incorporated in 1835 as a place for Brooklyn Unitarians to gather and worship without having to travel to Manhattan or attend services at a church in Brooklyn that might refuse them communion. Since then the congregants of the First Unitarian Church have had an active involvement in community work, youth work, and support for progressive and liberal causes locally, nationally and globally.
The Women's Alliance of the First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn began as the Female Samaritan Society in 1838 with the purpose of assisting the congregation and the community. The group helped in raising money for pulpit furnishings for the church, yet women were not allowed to attend annual meetings of the congregation until 1848. Members of the group also took responsibility for all the physical housekeeping of the church, ran the church's annual fundraising fair, and helped with parish duties such as visiting the sick and cooking for the congregation. In 1897, church women formed a second organization called the Women's Alliance, and shortly after, the Female Samaritan Society united with the Women's Alliance to form the Samaritan Alliance. The united group continued with fundraising efforts and relief work.
The Samaritan Alliance underwent periods of relative inactivity during the twentieth century. In 1973, Katherine Lazarus resurrected the group as the Women's Alliance. Female congregants increasingly held full-time jobs outside of the household and felt the effects of gender disparity in society. The organization emerged in new form under Lazarus as a primarily issue-oriented group concerned with social action and women's rights matters such as reproductive freedom and comparable worth. The group also advocated within the church to establish and maintain female ministerial presence, with members sponsoring female theological students as assistant ministers and supporting the employment of Reverend Orlanda Brugnola. A newsletter, Women's Work, is published by the group and sent to members and to organizations with similar missions. Other activities included holding educational programs on women's history, workshops for young mothers, donation drives, and encouraging use of the Women's Alliance library collection. Members additionally organized events for the entire church, such as the trip to the "March for Women's Equality/Women's Lives" event in Washington, D.C. in 1989.
The Women's Alliance observed its 150th anniversary in 1988 with a celebration that involved a proclamation from Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden. In 2003, members celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the landmark Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision with a commemorative sermon. The Alliance remains active today, and members continue to represent a broad spectrum of views that reflect the liberal beliefs and practices of Unitarian Universalism. The group continues to participate in the exploration of feminist theology while providing support for men and women alike.
From the guide to the Women's Alliance of the First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn records, Bulk, 1980-2003, 1922-2004, (Brooklyn Historical Society)
