Early History of All Souls Waccamaw

On Easter Sunday, April 19, 1987, All Souls Waccamaw held its first service. It was held at a Myrtle Beach hotel and conducted by the Rev. George Exoo. His sermon title was "Life is Hard, That's Why There's Easter".

Quite a while before that Sunday, Ken G. had placed an ad in the Myrtle Beach Sun News seeking other Unitarian Universalists. The ad drew no response, so he wrote to the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) in Boston seeking information on how to start a church. Rev. Exoo had left the Charleston, South Carolina church and wanted to start a new congregation on the Grand Strand. From his contacts and names from CLF, including Ken's, a group of interested people formed, and over lunches and pot-luck dinners a sense of community began to build, which culminatred in that Easter Sunday service.

A name for this fledgling congregation was needed. After much discussion, All Souls Waccamaw was agreed upon. "All Souls" is a revered name claimed by many UU churches, and "Waccamaw" defines our region, as well as being the name of one of the loveliest rivers in the country.