The year 2008 is a major milestone in the history of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Savannah - the fiftieth anniversary of its September 1958 charter. The church and its building on Troup Square have a much longer history in Savannah, going back to pre-Civil war. As the first liberal religious denomination in Savannah at that time, the Unitarian church was a local voice against enslavement. One of its ministers was John Pierpont, Jr., son of the famous northern abolitionist, John Pierpont. After the Civil War, the local church was forced to dissolve as a result of the strains of its anti-slavery stand.

Since its re-charter in 1958 as a church of the Unitarian Universalist denomiation, the UU Church of Savannah has played a not insignificant role in Savannah's ongoing evolution, in part as a local leader in civil rights activities. Members stood shoulder to shoulder with other civil rights leaders in Savannah during the civil rights movement. Each year the church honors the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a Requiem concert and participates in the King Week celebration.

This special anniversary will be celebrated on Nov. 9 with a live concert of pop and rock songs, highlighting the five decades from the fifties through the nineties.

The concert begins at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and children may attend at no charge. Tickets will be sold at the door. For more information, call 234-0980.