Universalist Herald is a publication of the Universalist Herald Publishing company. "Universalist Heritage and Spirit Today" and "The Oldest Continuously Published Liberal Religious Periodical in North America" are the subtitles of the modern edition.
Founded in 1847 as the Religious Reformer by C. F. R. Shehane of Wetumpka, Alabama. [1] Beginning January 1, 1850, it became The Universalist Herald and was edited by John Crenshaw Buruss. For many years it was strictly a regional publication, serving the Universalist Church of America in Southeastern United States.
In 1896, John M. Bowers purchased and moved the paper to Canon, Georgia, and remained as publishing editor to 1911. From 1911 to 1991, it continued to be published in Canon, Georgia, under an arrangement with the Georgia Universalist Convention, serving as a regional oriented periodical. There was a succession of local editors, notably Nellie Mann Opdale, Argyle E. Houser, and Haynie Summers. Then it began to shift its focus away from regional interests with editor William Balkan from 1985 to 1991, followed by Vernon Chandler and then Justin Lapoint. From 2004 to 2012, the editor was Rich Koster, a retired minister and former truck driver who still writes with the pen name Raven. The most recent editor is David Damico of LeRoy, New York, a member of First Universalist Church of Rochester, New York, and a college professor of graphic design. [2]
The Herald's main church connection was the Universalist Church of America, and then since 1961 with the Unitarian Universalist Association of Churches. It has a broader outlook and has subscribers from all over the U.S. and around the world. The corporate office is in Seven Springs, North Carolina, and the business office is in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
The Universalist Herald is published quarterly, is owned by the Universalist Herald Publishing Company, and is governed by a Board of Directors (as of 2023)
The table below lists the editors for the Universalist Herald. In some cases, information on editors and dates have not be sufficiently validated to be included in the table.
| Editor | Years | Comments | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rev. C.F.R. Shehane | 1847 - 1849 | Founder/editor of the Religious Reformer. | Wetumpka, Alabama |
| Rev. John C. Burruss | 1850 - 1896 | Purchased paper, changed name to Universalist Herald and moved publication location | Notasulga, Alabama Montgomery, Alabama |
| Rev. John Bowers | 1896 - 1910 | Purchased paper and moved publication location to Canon, Georgia | Canon, Georgia |
| Rev. Athalia Irwin | 1911 - 1913 | Moved to Riverside, CA to assume pastorate First Universalist Church | Canon, Georgia |
| Alexander S. Arnold | 1913 - 1914 | About the paper: “Its message is one of hope for mankind. It teaches the victory of good over evil in time and in eternity. It advocated a good destiny for all men and bases its doctrine upon the Bible, human reason and the nature of God.” | Canon, Georgia |
| Rev. Elton Wilson | 1914 - 1916 | Canon, Georgia | |
| A.J. Owens | 1916 - 1917 | Canon, Georgia | |
| Rev. John W Rowlett | 1917 - 1924 | Also, Superintendent of Georgia Universalist Churches | Canon, Georgia |
| Information Pending | 1925 - 1932 | Additional research required | |
| Rev. Nellie Mann Opdale | 1932 - 1941 | Past president of Georgia Conference of Universalist Churches. Died. | Canon, Georgia |
| Rev. Eva Warner | 1941 - ???? | Became editor upon death of Opdale, Research pending on dates | Canon, Georgia |
| Rev. W.R. Bennett | 1948 - 1954 | Superintendent of Universalist Churches in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida | Canon, Georgia |
| John M. Schofield | 195x - ???? | Research pending on dates | Canon, Georgia |
| Rev. Argyle E. Houser | 1961 - 1963 | Research pending to confirm dates | Canon, Georgia |
| Haynie Summers | 1965 - 1895 | Member of Harmony Universalist Church, Senoia, GA. Died. | Canon, Georgia |
| William H. (“Bill”) Balkan | 1985 - 1991 | Became editor upon death of Haynie Summers | Canon, Georgia |
| Vernon Chandler | 1991 - 1998 | Pending research | |
| Rev. Justin Lapoint | 1999 - 2001 | Pending research | |
| Rich Koster (Raven) | 2001 - 2012 | Pending research | |
| David Damico | 2013-present | LeRoy, New York | |
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