Eddie Raynord Hadden has been an active member of the UUCP since joining in 1991. He and his wife Kay first attended the UUCP in 1990. Finding a spiritual community that was compatible with their beliefs, influenced their decision to join. Eddie says, "I wanted fellow travelers on my spiritual journey."

Eddie and Kay were primary advocates for the UUCP to acquire its own building. They shared a long time passion for finding an appropriate home for our congregation. "Our search for a home has been a decade long odyssey. Kay and I have put blood, sweat, tears, time and money into the effort." In the early years when it became necessary to move from our original meeting place, at Flat Rock Brook Nature Center, an attempt was made to purchase The Women's' Club of Teaneck. When the building went to a Korean congregation, the congregation was fortunate to rent space at St. John's Lutheran Church. Eddie recalls, "We had arranged financing and signed a contract to purchase a house across the street from St. Johns to supplement RE needs with the expectation of a lengthy tenancy.

The Board established a Site Search Committee; we hired a realtor and all of us desperately searched for a meeting place. Eddie recalls, "The Community Church offered, then rescinded an offer to sell us their old building. We came within a breath of purchasing the large property at 180 Tenafly Road. Elaine Nissen found a workable property for sale in Leonia, and later, a rental at a Catholic Church in Ft. Lee. We all looked at scores of properties."

Kay suggested the Liberty School in Englewood. We moved there in the fall of 1999. The Liberty School was a welcome temporary space, however it never met the needs for accommodating the handicapped or having suitable rooms for Religious Education. Eddie noted "With the move to Liberty School I could no longer bring my mother to services."

The formation of the Congregational Space Team (The Space Cadets) began in 2000. Eddie was soon drafted to become the teams' Chairperson. There were several leads that came close to securing a new UUCP home, but nothing concrete occurred until last Summer when Jodie Burrows told the team that one of the tenants at First United Methodist (FUM) might be moving. Although initially this rumor turned out not to be true, it led to a relationship with Rev. Cherry where Eddie provided pro bono legal services in certain matters of importance to FUM. Shortly after the matters were resolved, Rev. Cherry offered to approach her congregation about advancing their hour of worship in order to accommodate UUCP on Sunday mornings.

Eddie commented "I have always viewed the acquisition of appropriate worship and RE space as our most important growth initiative. It will be great to have our permanent sign out on the front lawn. Our resident artists, Cassandra Jennings-Hall together with Eileen and Richard Karp have been at work for several weeks designing our first permanent sign. Joe Scott has been an invaluable asset in securing space at FUM. Jon King is working to arrange insurance. Rev. Dawn Sangrey, Julio Perez and Tom Gundling have participated in discussions. The Team Leaders have surveyed the space to facilitate the move. The Board has been prompt and decisive in its support, and the Space Cadets have done yeoman duty."

In addition to the time and energy Eddie has dedicated towards finding a new home for the congregation, he has served as Vice Chair of the UUCP Board of Trustees and RE teacher. He is a member of the Growth and Justice Teams and is a trustee of the New York Metro District Board. Eddie stated, "I greatly appreciate that this congregation gives me ongoing opportunities for meaningful service. That's all from Space."