Pat Malarkey had a phone conversation with Martha during the evening of October 23, 2017

Martha Walsh was BRUU’s Unsung UU in 2009

The events around BRUU that stand out most in Martha’s mind have to do with meeting BRUU members through Helen Elkin and her travel group and, subsequently, her very first visit to a BRUU service with her husband, Ed.

This was just after BRUU bought its current building at Church and Main.  Martha and Ed attended a service because they knew others there already through the travel group.  Rev. Kathleen Allen did a service that day titled, “The Bible as Fatted Calf.”

Martha says that the service, itself, was OK but not memorable; what was memorable was what happened during polylogue!

The Walsh’s sat in the middle of the church, towards the back.  There was a man in the front row who wore a T-Shirt that said, “Jesus is the Answer,” and he had a Bible in his hand.

During polylogue, the fellow with the T-Shirt said that Rev. Allen and all the other heretics in BRUU were going to hell.  Martha recalls that he seemed genuinely sorry about all of this but, when he stopped for breath, Rev. Kathleen reclaimed the mike from him and thanked him for speaking from the heart but it was time now to let other people speak.

Martha added that several congregants invited the fellow with the T-Shirt to join them for coffee afterwards, but he left.

Sometime later, Martha told Rev. Kathleen how impressed she was that day of her first service!  Rev. Kathleen confided in Martha that she was afraid the fellow with the T-Shirt might have had a gun and ill intent.  The Rev. was relieved the incident ended peacefully.

Martha says, “Why would you go anywhere else?”