Anti-Hate Sign Theft, Damage Won’t Deter Morristown Fellowship

MORRISTOWN, NJ — It brought Rev. Alison Miller to tears when the Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship met Sunday for in-person worship for the first time in 18 months. She often begins services with the same message: "It is good to be. It is good to be here. It is good to be here together."

"‘It is good to be here together’ has a special meaning when you can actually reach out and touch somebody in a physical space," Miller told Patch.

But in that time, they've had some unannounced visitors. The fellowship put up a "Hate has no home here" sign, which has been stolen, ripped, crumpled, stomped on and shoved in their mailbox with dog feces. Their banner stating "ALL LIVES CAN'T MATTER UNTIL BLACK LIVES MATTER" was stolen last week.

They'll keep hanging them up. And soon the 21 Normandy Heights Rd. building will also carry the "Progress" variation of the pride flag — a modification of the pride flag with stripes that represent marginalized people of color, trans individuals and those living with HIV/AIDS and those lost to the virus.

The congregation values its place in a diverse Morristown community and takes stances on inequality and social-justice issues. But the fellowship has a history of facing backlash from some, according to Miller.

"At times, there are close-minded people who respond either with words or with deeds that are violent and filled with misunderstanding and polarization," Miller said.

In 1972, the fellowship found disapproving community members when it opened its doors to the Gay Activist Alliance of Morris County. From 2014-16, the fellowship went to the Zoning Board to do some work on their property, but several members of the public brought criticisms.

"Some people in the community stood up and said things against us reaching out to support the lives of immigrants," Miller said. "Some of them said, ‘If they do improvements on their property, will that mean more gay weddings?’ We actually had to pay for an expert to prove that religions can do things besides worship together."

The congregation took action on racial justice in the Morris County area for decades, Miller says. When Morristown's Black Lives Matter chapter looked for a place to meet, the fellowship offered their building.

The fellowship hung up the "Black Lives Matter" sign to make their stance definitive. Although they'll keep rehanging signs, the action won't end there.

The organization also hosts social-justice programs and has partnered with Unitarian Universalist Faith Action New Jersey — an organization committed to ending systemic racism — and Morris Area Together, which partners religious congregations and nonprofits to organize across lines of difference.

"The people of Morristown cannot surrender the conversation to people who would tear down flags that have positive statements," Miller said. "We have to be willing to stand behind those words, to put them back up and to engage in deeds that make those words real."

Find out more about the Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

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