The Smallsreed Years

We have historically supported a wide variety of social justice issues, which have formed part of the “personality” of the church.  Our pastoral leadership was supportive of the Civil Rights struggles of the 1960s. As part of a group of UCC clergymen who helped with voter registration in the South, our first minister, the Rev. Lee J. Smallsreed, took a part of his vacation in 1964 to work with a group of students engaged in the Mississippi Summer Project to register black voters.

Later, when the surrounding community in Scottsdale sought to exclude a black family from settling in our local neighborhood, our congregation took a stand in support of the family’s right to seek housing in the area. They later joined the church.

The same Rev. Smallsreed, when seeking membership on the Scottsdale School Board, outwardly campaigned for participation in federal programs which would assist our public schools, a view which at the time was frowned upon by many citizens of the community. Although unsuccessful in the election, Rev. Smallsreed’s actions caused this community to explore new approaches in the funding of our public schools.