Remembering Our History
Theologian, Preacher, Social Activist and CCMA President
1926 - 2018
Reverend Dr. Gabriel J. Fackre
Theologian, Preacher, Social Activist and CCMA President
Gabriel Fackre was called to the presidency of the CCMA in 1982, when Don Overlock accepted a staff position with the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ, which at the time leased the Craigville Conference Center. He later recalled that Bill Lloyd, the chair of the nominating committee, assured him “there weren’t any unusual problems anticipated.”
Marion Vuilleumier reports that soon after his election, the Barnstable Board of Health an announced that the Inn and adjacent properties might be closed because of pollution, the resulting installation of a large septic system necessitating the sale of as building; a nearby real estate development threatened the environment and integrity of the village; a major capital fund drive for facility renewal with the resultant unanticipated expense for extensive beach rebuilding; signing a $300,000 mortgage for the work; the departure of Center director Hobbs and a restudy of the Massachusetts Conference relationship; the loss of leadership with the deaths of Pierre Vuilleumier, James Buffington, William Peck, and Myron Fowell, followed by the resignation of Herbert Johnson, treasurer for 14 years; and he departure from the area of Vice President Seth Newton. To add to the litany of “no unusual problems, Bill Lloyd retired to Florida.
President Fackre presided with good humor over these momentous matters. During his term, eleven new members were added to the board, representing the growing diversity of the community. They were clergy and laity, members of varied religious traditions, professions, and businesses.
Professor Fackre was a well-known figure in the United Church of Christ as he worked to root the denomination in the “generous orthodoxy” he proclaimed and taught. In 1984 he helped found the annual Craigville Theological Colloquy and the UCC’s Confessing Christ movement. His work on the Lutheran-Reformed dialogue team led to the full communion agreement between denominations in 1998. He was proud to be a “theologian of the Church.”
Dr. Fackre was Samuel Abbot Professor of Christian Theology, Emeritus at Andover Newton Theological School in Newton, Massachusetts. He was on the school's faculty for 25 years before retiring to Craigville in 1996. In addition to his five volumes on Christian doctrine and Christian Basics, co-authored with Dorothy Fackre, his scholarship in the fields of theology and ethics, appears in over three hundred articles and book reviews.
Gabe believed in the intersection of word and deed. He preached God’s word in the Tabernacle and around the country while simultaneously supporting protests, demonstrations, and strikes, some national, some in his Cape Cod backyard. The local Register reported on his key role ensuring union representation at the Pavilion Nursing Home in Hyannis.
Craigville knew him best as an annual tabernacle preacher, a devoted husband who, with Dot, would walk the streets of Craigville in the evening, stopping for a while at the Bluff’s gazebo which is now dedicated to their memory. With Craigville’s founders, he believed fervently the Christian Story was greater than ours alone.