History

In 1980, a group of visionary church members, including Diane and Paul Niemann and the Rev. Donald M. Meisel, recognized a need in the greater community for an expanded understanding of the complex issues confronting our society and world. They developed the concept of a free, noontime forum where leading thinkers, authors, innovators, and activists could provide ethical reflection on pressing contemporary issues.

A guiding theme for the Forum was established — voices of conscience: key issues in ethical perspective. To ensure that the Forum included a broad range of ideas and opinions, the founders determined that forums would be nonpartisan, nonsectarian, and free and open to the public. Those basis tenets remain essential components of the Forum today.