USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Fairfield > The First Church of Fairfield : being a brief account of three hundred and twenty three years in the First Church, Congregational, of Fairfield, Connecticut > Part 5
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Occasionally groups of young people came to the service just for the fun of it. One evening several of them managed to get into the choir and created a disturbance. On that evening, John Deyo preached at the choir, so to speak, until the uninvited guests quieted down. Mr. Deyo recalls that in those days the Hope Chapel area had poor roads and was quite isolated, being in a farming district. Horses and buggies were the normal means of transportation.
Among those serving as Sunday School Superintendents at Hope Chapel were William O. Burr and Arthur Deyo. Mr. Burr gave many years of service to Hope Chapel. Quite a few of the young people of the First Church helped out as Sunday School teachers.
When Hope Chapel was built in 1871, on land deeded to the Trustees of the First Church, the stipulation was that the property was to be used for religious purposes only. As time passed however and the roads were improved, with the coming of new families, there was a decreasing need for maintaining a separate Sunday School at the Chapel.
Hence the Committee in charge of the Chapel program recom- mended that the Hope Chapel building and lot be sold. At a meeting of the Ecclesiastical Society on April 29th, 1936 it was voted to sell Hope Chapel and its parcel of land to Mr. and Mrs. John Klein. At a church meeting on June 3rd, 1936 a resolution of appreciation was passed thanking Deacon William O. Burr for his eighteen years of service at Hope Chapel, both as teacher and as Sunday School Superintendent.
Another example of the outreach of the First Church was the
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Christian program carried on at Faith Chapel in the district now bordering King's Highway. Faith Chapel was built in 1914 on land deeded to the Trustees of the First Church. It was a one story build- ing with basement room, chapel, recreation room and kitchen, fin- ished in clapboards and stucco. Faith Chapel was a flourishing en- terprise during the later years of Dr. Child's pastorate. It was carried on with the help of students from Yale Divinity School and with the cooperation of members of the First Church.
For example, in the year 1913 there were one hundred children in the Faith Chapel Sunday School. Mr. W. Eben Burr gave many years of Christian service to Faith Chapel as a lay leader. For that purpose he was given a certificate of "lay minister" by the Committee on Ministerial Standing of the Fairfield County Association of Churches.
Mr. E. D. Akers was one of the Yale Divinity School students who helped with the religious services at Faith Chapel. A new bell was dedicated there on December 9th, 1915. In 1916 a new wing was added to the building at a cost of $1100.
Other improvements were made in the basement where there was a kitchen, a class room and a club room for youth activities. Mrs. James O. Wright presented Faith Chapel with a pulpit Bible bound in morocco. During the First World War there was a Red Cross Auxiliary in active work at the Chapel.
The following nine names constituted the Honor Roll at Faith Chapel: Ralph Lockwood, Thomas Thomson, Clyde Renneson, John Scully, Genario Parnhoffe, Nicholas Krynick, James Gorm, Lewis Bailey and William Carlson. Mr. Akers resigned from his work at Faith Chapel on November 23rd, 1921.
In 1935 it was proposed to carry out fairly substantial repairs at Faith Chapel. The roof needed new shingles and there was con- siderable carpentry work needing to be done, in addition to painting the building. These repairs were completed in due course.
At a meeting of the Ecclesiastical Society on April 13th, 1937, a committee was appointed to arrange for the sale of Faith Chapel inasmuch as the State Highway Department was preparing to widen King's Highway. Mr. William O. Burr and Mr. E. S. Overbaugh were appointed as members of that committee. Their assignment was successfully carried out.
Another unique project in the outreach of the church was the
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Fresh Air Home. Dr. Child came to have an interest in the poor children of New York City through his friendship with Rev. Willard Parsons of the New York Tribune. Dr. Child suggested to the Chris- tian Endeavor Society of the church that the members might like to collect furniture and thus raise funds in order to give summer vacations to needy children living in New York City.
The old Bulkley house owned by Mrs. Green was secured for that purpose and twelve children came for a vacation in 1892. Later on an appeal for a building fund was made and an adequate house was constructed to meet that need, with a valuation of around $8000. It was given the name of Elm Cottage and was constructed in 1906. Among those giving generously for the new building were Miss Annie Jennings, Mrs. Oliver Jennings and Mr. Frederick Sturges.
After beginning operation the work was largely financed by volun- tary gifts from friends. Each summer around a hundred and twenty- five girls enjoyed a happy vacation as guests of the Fresh Air Home. During a period of eighteen years over twenty-two hundred children from New York City enjoyed a two weeks' vacation. It is quite possible that this pioneer project of the First Church set the pattern for the present large-scale Fresh Air Program carried on each summer by the Herald-Tribune of New York City.
Elm Cottage was admirably suited for its purpose with its sunlit dining room and spacious halls. It was located on a quiet street lead- ing to the shore. Children arriving for a vacation with less wearing apparel than needed were given an extra supply. In the bath house on the beach there was a bathing suit hung on a peg awaiting each child's arrival. On the grounds outside Elm Cottage there were swings and sce-saws. In the playroom there were dolls and books. Extra activities included picnics, lawn parties and boat rides. It is not surprising that nearly every child asked, on leaving at the end of the two weeks' vacation, "Can I come again next summer?"
Many of the children were sponsored by Social Settlement Houses in New York such as the Union Settlement on 104th Street or the Wilson Industrial School at St. Mark's Place. The non-sectarian character of the Fresh Air Home can be inferred from the guests who came. They included Jews, Gentiles, Protestants, Roman Cath- olics, Armenians, Italians, Irish, Scotch, Hungarians, Germans and many others of various nationalities, admitted without favoritism or distinction. This led to certain difficulties, especially at mealtime,
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because of diet prohibitions. But on the whole the children sur- mounted the difficulties and had a wonderful time.
During the Spanish-American War the Fresh Air Home was offered to the American military authorities, to be used during the winter for the care of soldiers who were ill. This offer was gratefully accepted and seventeen soldiers were hospitalized during that winter in the Fresh Air Home. The church took the responsibility for supplying nursing services and the upkeep of the establishment, receiving donations for that purpose.
Following the close of Dr. Child's pastorate the pressing need for the Fresh Air Home decreased in view of the fact that the Herald Tribune later took up a similar project on a large scale. The Direc- tors of the Fresh Air Home decided to deed Elm Cottage to the Visiting Nurse Association of Fairfield. It was in January 1946 that the Visiting Nurse Association took possession of Elm Cottage and it has continued to be their headquarters up to the present time.
Still another illustration of the outreach of the First Church is the close relationship that has existed between the church and the Bridgeport Council of Churches from the early days of that organ- ization. It was on February 5th, 1919 that the First Church joined the Council of Churches of greater Bridgeport.
It was in the Bridgeport area in 1925 that the first released school time for religious instruction was started in New England. This step was largely brought about by the united efforts of the Protestant churches. In 1945 the Council for Inter-church Cooperation was organized, with the First Church included in its membership.
The financing of the Bridgeport Council of Churches was largely maintained by appeals to individual donors during the early years of the Council. Later, in 1956, this responsibility was transferred to the member churches of the organization. It was in that same year that a special financial appeal was made, resulting in the securing of a residence and office for the Executive Secretary at 30 Elmwood Place. At the present time the First Church contributes fifteen hun- dred dollars a year to the work of the Bridgeport Council of Churches. Thus our church shares in the Council's school program, radio pro- grams, Juvenile Court counselling, Union Services and Hospital visitation.
In a similar manner the First Church has actively cooperated with the Connecticut Conference of Congregational Churches, the Gen-
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eral Council of Congregational Churches in the U.S.A., the Na- tional Council of Churches with its inter-denominational member- ship, and with the World Council of Churches. The First Church has taken seriously its obligations to help fulfill the Christian Im- perative in obedience to the words of Christ. It has had a sense of commitment to the worldwide outreach of the Christian evangel.
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Chapter Six THE COMING OF MR. SILCOX
At the conclusion of a lengthy pastorate it becomes necessary for a Congregational Church to seek a suitable replacement. With the resignation of Dr. Child this task was now facing the members of the First Church. At a joint meeting of the Standing Committee and the Ecclesiastical Society's Committee, held at Dr. Donaldson's home, a special committee was appointed to carry through the arrangements concerning Dr. Child's resignation. The committee was composed of Dr. Donaldson, Judge Wakeman and William O. Burr.
The search for a new pastor began. The following were appointed to serve on the committee seeking a new minister: William O. Burr, Francis H. Brewer, Benjamin S. Bulkley, Edward Osborn, Frederick Sturges Jr., Bacon Wakeman, Louis A. Beecher, William H. Don- aldson, Annie B. Jennings, Annie O. Morehouse and Florence C. Bullard.
The choice finally fell upon Rev. Clarice Edwin Silcox, minister of the Congregational Church in Newport, Rhode Island. A call was sent to Mr. Silcox and his acceptance was received. At a meeting of the Standing Committee, following the morning service on Nov. 28th, 1920, the church clerk read the letters from Mr. and Mrs. Silcox, severing their relationship with the Newport Church and recommending them for membership into the First Church of Christ in Fairfield, Conn. The committee voted to recommend Mr. and . Mrs. Silcox for membership in the First Church.
The Installation Service for Mr. Silcox took place on Tuesday evening, November 30th, 1920 at 7:30 P.M. Dr. Child read the scripture lesson, the sermon being given by Rev. Asbury E. Krom, pastor of the Beneficent Congregational Church in Providence, R.I. Rev. Benjamin Winchester of the Greenfield Hill Church made the installing prayer and Dr. Arthur Bradford gave the charge to the new pastor. Rev. John M. Deyo of the Danbury Church gave the words of counsel to the church members. The service concluded with the right hand of fellowship, given by Dr. William Horace Day of the United Church in Bridgeport.
Following a lengthy pastorate like that of Dr. Child was not an easy task. Inevitably it involved making certain changes of emphasis and procedure. Dr. Child did what he could to simplify the transi-
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tion period, helping with some of the pastoral visitaton as he was able. Mr. Silcox had a number of plans in mind as to how the church might develop into a stronger organization. One desirable objective was to prepare and publish a new church manual. This decision was taken at a Standing Committee meeting on January 12th, 1921, and a committee assigned to take the work in hand.
During the sessions of the National Council of Congregational Churches, held in Kansas City in 1913, a creed had been adopted and recommended for the use of the Congregational Churches across the country, not as mandatory but rather as suggestive. It reads as follows:
"We believe in God the father, infinite in wisdom, goodness and love; and in Jesus Christ his son, our Lord and Saviour, Who for us and our salvation lived and died and rose again and liveth ever- more; and in the Holy Spirit, who taketh of the things of Christ and revealeth them to us, renewing, comforting and inspiring the souls of men.
We are united in striving to know the will of God as taught in Holy Scripture and in our purpose to walk in the ways of the Lord made known or to be made known to us.
We hold it to be the mission of the Church of Christ to proclaim the gospel to all mankind, exalting the worship of the one true God and laboring for the progress of knowledge, the promotion of justice, the reign of peace, and the realization of human brotherhood.
Depending, as did our fathers, upon the continued guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth, we work and pray for the transformation of the world into the Kingdom of God; and we look with faith for the triumph of righteousness and the life everlasting."
After a certain amount of thought and discussion, this creed was adopted by the First Church of Fairfield in 1921, not as a require- ment for membership but rather as a guide for its own members in developing their Christian convictions.
One great need facing the First Church was to provide more ample facilities for the work of the Sunday School. The members of the church were increasingly aware of the need for an enlarged church building or the construction of a new parish house. This need will be more fully discussed in the following chapter.
However, at a meeting of the Standing Committee held on Feb. 3rd, 1921, the Parish House problem was discussed in some detail.
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Mr. Ziroli and Mr. H. C. Bullard showed sketches of the present church facilities and possible additions. This was done with the idea of setting in motion a plan for church extension such as the building of a parish house.
Mr. and Mrs. Silcox found that the Sherman Parsonage was some- what of a burden in its size and upkeep. They brought the matter to the attention of the appropriate committees from time to time. For example, at a meeting of the Society's Committee on June 27th, 1922, it was voted to devise some method of care for the parsonage prop- erty that would relieve the minister of the responsibility. A later meeting on July 15th discussed a communication from the pastor stating that his salary was not adequate to meet the annual expenses of the parsonage property. No doubt it was in response to this situa- tion that led the church to increase the pastor's salary to $3000 and later to $3500.
In connection with this general situation, Miss Jennings asked the permission of the Society's Committtee to secure an architect at her expense and explore the possibility of making alterations in the parsonage to make it more convenient and livable for the minister's family. The permission was given, with the request that the architect explore the possibility of two possible plans. One plan was to elimi- nate that part of the house that was not needed by the pastor. The other was to provide an apartment that might be rented to another family.
At a meeting of the Society's Committee on August 12th three sketches were presented by the arcitect. The sketch for a two family arrangement was voted to be undesirable. No decisions were reached at that meeting in regard to alternative plans.
It was during the pastorate of Mr. Silcox that the matter of assign- ing church sittings came up for consideration. Various details were discussed by the appropriate committees. As new families came into the church fellowship they naturally wanted some guidance as to where they should sit during the Sunday morning service. Many church members were accustomed to occupying the same pew each Sunday. Newcomers naturally did not want to displace them. It was generally agreed that the new families should be assigned pews that would meet their needs as well as possible.
The tragic death of Mr. J. Sanford Saltus in London, England in June 1922, deprived the First Church of one of its most loyal
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friends. He had always retained his interest in the village of his youthful days. He had been a generous benefactor to the work of the parish, especially the gift of the beautiful stained glass windows, presented in memory of the six Colonial ministers who had served the "Prime Ancient Society." He also had made a large contribution to the Church Endowment Fund.
It was during the ministry of Mr. Silcox that Frederick Sturges Jr. gave the church a set of Westminster Chimes in memory of his father, together with an electrified Seth Thomas Clock for the Church Tower. Mr. Frederick Sturges Sr. had long been a faithful friend and benefactor to the parish. The chimes were similar to the chimes at Princeton University and were installed by a firm located at Troy, N.Y. Mr. Frederick Sturges Sr. passed away on December 22nd, 1917. The dedication of the chimes took place in the church sanctuary on December 31st, 1922.
A sad event, recorded in the previous chapter, was the death of Dr. Child on May 4th, 1922. Following his death a beautiful tribute was published and distributed to the members of the church.
It must have come somewhat as a shock to the church members to receive the resignation of Mr. Silcox as pastor on January 18th, 1923, a little over two years after his installation on November 30th, 1920. A part of his letter of resignation is presented herewith, as follows:
"To the Members of the First Church:
"The Church in the Gardens of Forest Hills, Long Island, has extended to me a unanimous call to become its minister, and I am responding favorably to the call. I therefore tender my resignation as minister of this church to take effect on March Ist, 1923, subject to the concurrence of a Dismissing Council.
"My decision has been reached only after the most earnest con- sideration and consultation with those who know the conditions and possibilities both in Fairfield and Forest Hills. They have made me feel that I have been offered a most challenging and unique oppor- tunity which it is my duty to accept, in spite of the fact that I have been in Fairfield for less than three years and that some of the things which I had hoped to do both for the church and the community remain undonc.
"In the last few days I have been reading through once again the letter which I addressed to you on August 4th, 1920, and in which I
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accepted your invitation to be your pastor. Some of you may perhaps remember something of that letter. It will help you to estimate today just what your minister hoped when he came to Fairfield, what he expected and judged by these standards, and how far he may have failed or succeeded. Referring to the traditions of Fairfield and the church I said:
""'I trust that these great traditions may not be forgotten but that the First Church will grow, intensively and extensively, all the more because it is deeply rooted and embedded in some of the great epochs of American history. Yet I am more concerned with the future of Fairfield than with its past, for sometimes a 'past' is for the institution as well as for the individual a burden and not a blessing. In Fairfield the past will neither paralyze the present nor cast a shadow on the future. Yours is a growing community and you are not only con- scious of the changes which are going on but you have already shown the spirit of adaptation to new conditions.'
"I realized that there would be many changes in method under my pastorate and because of your cooperation and support many of these fruitful changes have been effected, although because of the dual system of church government prevailing here, the Minister was de- nied the benefit of some of the counsel which he sought and desired. He bespeaks for his successor the most complete co-operation of both church and society, in the actual work of the church and in the taking of counsel therefor.
"Referring again to the task of the ministry, I said: 'The task of a minister is becoming more complicated. He is expected to be not only prophet and priest, pastor and administrator, but too often to do by himself everything connected with the parish. It is not thus that living churches are built. It is as much the obligation of the members to call upon one another and especially upon strangers as it is the obligation of the minister to call upon his parishioners. It is as much the solemn duty of the individual Christian to win others for Christ as it is the duty of the ambassadors for Christ. I should not have accepted the call to the Fairfield parish did I not have reason to believe and expect that every member would give to the building of the church not only his presence at the solemn services, not only his gifts, his time and his interests, but also that most precious gift which he alone can contribute,-himself.'
"My honored predecessor, who did everything in his power to
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make the way of his successor easy, once told me that the greatest disappointment of his pastorate here was his failure to secure a parish house. I think I know how he felt but I am reminded that it was Solomon who built the temple although David longed in his heart to do so. I trust that my successor may find, because of the preliminary work which has been done, that it is more possible to secure for this church and community the building for the social, recreational and spiritual needs of the people of Fairfield which is so urgently needed.
"I leave with deep regret and with the trying sense of the imper- fections and incompletions of life. It is not what man does which exalts him but what man would do, and the things which he tried to do and even failed to do. Without our successors our work must remain incomplete."
This letter speaks for itself and gives us a clue as to the reasons that led Mr. Silcox to feel that he should accept the call to the church at Forest Hills, after such a brief stay at Fairfield.
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The Parish House
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Chapter Seven THE PARISH HOUSE.
As stated in Chapter Five, Dr. Child had been disappointed in the fact that the way had not opened for the building of a parish house during the late years of his pastorate. During his ministry in Fairfield the church sanctuary had been used for Sunday School classes, in addition to the social room and the Eunoia room. As the Sunday School grew in numbers, this arrangement was increasingly unsatis- factory. And of course the Sunday School sessions could not be held at the same time as the Sunday morning church service.
The mention of the parish house in the letter of resignation of Mr. Silcox indicates that he too felt the urgent need for enlarged facilities for the program of religious education. The lack of such facilities may well have been a factor in the decision of Mr. Silcox to accept the call to the Forest Hills Church after such a brief stay in Fairfield.
In short the lack of a suitable building for the program of religious education became an issue during the pastorate of Mr. Silcox and the early years of Mr. Grant's pastorate. It was widely recognized among the church members that the social rooms in the church building were simply not adequate for the work of the Sunday School.
Before his resignation Mr. Silcox preached a sermon stressing the need of a parish house. Following the sermon a committee was appointed by the Ecclesiastical Society, including the following members: A. E. Lavery, H. E. Riker and M. Warren Cowles.
When the committee brought in a report on January 23rd, 1924, it raised the following questions: 1. Does the church need a parish house? 2. Is the church in a position to raise the funds necessary for such a building? 3. Will the church be able to operate the building, in a financial sense, after it is built? The committee an- swered the first question in the affirmative. The meeting thereupon passed a resolution in favor of building a parish house. It was voted to send a copy of the report of the parish house committee to each member of the church and Ecclesiastical Society. It was also voted that the Parish House Committee make a report of progress at a future meeting.
The Parish House Committee did so at a meeting of the Eccle-
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siastical Society on March 24th, 1924. They told of visits to fifteen other parish houses within a forty mile radius of Fairfield. The com- mittee felt that the need of the First Church was not only for more class rooms but also that there were social and recreational needs that should be met.
The Committee suggested taking a careful inventory of all church facilities and equipment before making final decisions either about the location or the plan for a new parish house. The Committee suggested further that negotiations might well be started with the Mills heirs in the hope of securing a strip of land about fifty feet wide along the Post Road and about a hundred feet along Center Street. The need of more land near the church was self-evident if an additional building was to be erected.
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