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Highty Years The First Friends Church Indianapolis, Indiana
EIGHTIETH ANNIVERSARY THE FIRST FRIENDS CHURCH ALABAMA AT THIRTEENTH INDIANAPOLIS, IND. OCT. 20, 1935
(It is hoped that this little booklet may be a fitting sou- venir of this occasion. It has been impossible to make it complete or accurate in time for today's program. Space is left for important additions and corrections of inaccuracies.)
5
BIBLE SCHOOL
9:30 Donald R. Kellum, Superintendent
MORNING WORSHIP
10:45
O. Herschel Folger, Minister, Presiding
Prelude-"Processional March" Rogers Earl M. Wells, Organist
Silent Worship
Hymn No. 134-1, 2, 6-"Immortal Love" ..... Whittier
Congregational Reading: Responsive-P. 61: Beatitudes. In Unison-No. 239-"I Bow My Forehead" Whittier
Anthem-"Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates" (from "The Messiah") Handel E. Leona Wright, Director
Announcements Offertory-"Romance" Wagner Hymn No. 250-1, 2, 4-"Dear Lord and Father of Mankind" Whittier Sermon-"Our Crowned Lord"-Willard O. True- blood, Pastor, First Friends Church, Whittier, Cal- ifornia. Indianapolis Pastor 1912-1924.
Prayer Period Benediction Postlude-"March Celebre" Lachner
DINNER
12:45
Provided by the Ways and Means Committee, Mil- dred B. Pearson, Chairman. Informal Fellowship
AFTERNOON SESSION
2:30
Preludes-"Pastorale" Wely
"At Evening Buck
· Hymn No. 440-1, 2, 3-"Faith of Our Fathers" Faber
"The Church in Retrospect" Historical Sketch-Lillian G. Hoskins
Reminiscences by Older Members Messages from Absent Friends
Anthem-"Hallelujah Chorus" (from "The · Messiah") Handel
"The Church in Prospect"-David M. Edwards, Pres- ident, Friends University, Wichita, Kansas. In- dianapolis Pastor 1924-25, 32-34.
Hymn No. 448-1, 2, 3-"Blest Be the Tie That Binds" (Tune, Dennis, No. 226) Fawcett
Benediction Postlude-"Allegro" Calkin
VARIOUS APPOINTMENTS
ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE
Hannah W. Hadley, Clayton B. Johnson, Mary S. Moore, Mildred B. Pearson, Enos D. Pray, Adah E. Woodard, O. Herschel Folger, chairman.
PASTORS
1888-93-Levi Rees 1924-25-David M. Edwards
1893-97-Thomas C. Brown 1925-29-Elden H. Mills
1897-1903-Albert J. Brown 1929-32-Ira C. Dawes
1903-12-Morton C. Pearson 1932-34-David M. Edwards
1912-24-Willard O. Trueblood 1934- -O. Herschel Folger
MINISTERS RECENTLY RECORDED
Neal D. Newlin, 1920
W. Glenn Roberts, 1924
Alvin T. Coate, 1925 Paul M. Reid, 1929
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION DIRECTORS
1920-21-Lillian Hayes
1930-31-Robert Lewis
1924-27-Martha Bennett 1931-33-Ralph Odell
1927-29 -- Paul Reid
1933-34-Russell Carter
1929-30-David Day
1934-
BIBLE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS (Since the Last Anniversary)
Amos K. Hollowell Clayton B. Johnson William N. Wilson Lyman R. Pearson
William Sockwell Horace Carey
Charles R. Reeve
Murray H. Morris
Fermor Cannon Edmund T. Albertson
F. Verne Osborn Donald R. Kellum
PRESIDING CLERKS OF MONTHLY MEETING
George H. Evans Alvin T. Coate
C. Emmett Trueblood John J. Haramy
ORGANIZATION BEGINNINGS
1874-Girls' Aid Society.
1882-Literary Society.
1882-Women's Foreign Missionary Society.
1887-Young Ladies' Aid Society.
1889-Christian Endeavor Society.
1895-Women's Aid Society.
1900-Historical Society.
1903-Young People's Missionary Circle. Quaker Round Table. Friendly Guild. 1920 -Calendar Club.
Quaker Club.
1924 -Boy Scouts.
1927-Business Women's Club.
1931 -Junior Guild.
A FEW PRESENT DAY OFFICERS
Monthly Meeting Clerks-John J. Haramy, Hannah W. Hadley.
Meeting on Ministry and Oversight Clerks-Enos D. Pray, Lucy E. Osborn.
Women's Missionary Auxiliary-Adah E. Woodard, Pres.
Calendar Club-Alice C. Morris, Pres.
Friendly Guild-Ailsa C. Waggoner, Pres.
Junior Guild-Margaret F. Morris, Pres .; Minerva H. Col- lins, Sponsor.
Quaker Club-Fred Mushrush, Pres.
Boy Scouts-Wm. R. Evans, Scoutmaster.
Business Women's Club-Elma Jennings, Pres. -
Bible School-Donald R. Kellum, Supt .; Myrtle L. Bartley, Juniors; Helen Kellum, Primary; Geneve G. Pray, Begin- ners; Isadore R. Glass, First Nursery; Lorraine Brown, Sec- ond Nursery.
Treasurer-Orville A. Wilkinson.
Church Secretary-Ione C. Thomas.
(Others of equal importance in the church and in the city may be added in the extra space.)
GLIMPSES
(Here are some of the interesting incidents in a century of Friends in Indianapolis. It has been impossible to dis- cover inaccuracies or to make the list complete. Space is left for corrections and additions.)
1820-One of the first arrivals of Friends in Indianapolis: William Townsend and family. House in what is now Kentucky Avenue. Surrounded by "all woods."
1828-Five Friends families. Indianapolis, population 1,000.
1834-Town population 1,200. Arrival from New York of Jacob S. Willitts and Robert R. Underhill families. Carriage traded for the square on which Shortridge High School later stood.
School conducted by Sarah Smith at Alabama and Market.
1836-"Indulged" meeting granted by Fairfield Monthly Meet- ing. Met in a house at 240 N. Pennsylvania.
1839-Because of several moving away, meeting discontin- ued. A group of five or six met in the home of the Underhills.
1853-Arrival of William and Hannah Hadley.
1854-Meeting in the Hadley home. A school was also con- ducted in this home.
An Academy was conducted during this period by Thomas Charles and William Mendenhall.
Meetings held later in the English Lutheran Church, 426 N. Pennsylvania.
Hannah Pearson first resident minister.
1855-September. An "established" meeting granted. Purchase for $2,800 of triangle at Delaware, St. Clair and Fort Wayne.
1856-December. Dedication of new building at St. Clair and Delaware, Eleazer Bales speaking. Cost $3,000.
1857-"Preparative" meeting granted,
1858-Hannah Tatum, minister.
1859-Made a part of Bridgeport Monthly Meeting, with 57 members.
1862-Jane Trueblood, minister.
1863-Sabbath School established. Nathaniel Carpenter, first superintendent.
e
1864-Sarah Smith, minister.
1865-Established as a Monthly Meeting; 109 members.
1866-Enos G. Pray, minister.
1869-Barnabas C. Hobbs, minister.
1885-Membership, 385.
1886-Melodeon used in Sunday School.
1888-First pastor. Numerous resident ministers during pre- vious and ensuing years.
1892-Conference of American Friends held here.
1895-Dedication of new church, Alabama at Home Avenue, now Thirteenth Street. Benjamin Trueblood, speaking. Cost, $30,000.00. Membership, 600.
1897-General Conference of American Friends held here,
1900-Small organ installed.
1902-Five Years Meeting organized here,
1905-50th Anniversary. Morton C. Pearson, Albert J. Brown, and others speaking. Membership, 1,050.
1908-Parsonage built.
1910-Pipe organ installed,
1912-Five Years Meeting held here.
1924-Addition of gymnasium, dining room, kitchen, and Sun- day School rooms. Cost, $50,000.
1935-Eightieth Anniversary. Membership 1,060. Population of Indianapolis, 364,000.
TODAY AND YESTERDAY A TRIBUTE TO OUR FOUNDERS
Some hundred years ago, down rapid rivers, O'er Indian trails, by white man seldom trod, Came Quaker families led by common motive- To build a nation and to worship God. No blare of trumpets heralded their coming; No warming welcome met their weary bands; No hearths or homes stood ready for their shelter- Such were erected by their toil-worn hands.
Some eighty years ago these sturdy people, With others who had followed in their train, Banded together in one holy union-
Their purpose was to worship in the plain And Friendly fashion, in no great cathedral; A simple log-hewn meetinghouse they built. No mighty organ shouted paens of triumph; No altar crowned with tapestry and gilt;
No brazen bell rang out the call to worship To these good folk, but on the Lord's First Day An Inner Light led each one to the meeting To sit in silence, or to rise and pray. And that same Inner Light so surely guiding Those early worshippers thru joys or fears Has been the glorious Light of our salvation, Blessing our hearts adown the passing years.
'Today we pause in honor to those founders Whose pious vision saw our present need. We pledge ourselves anew to their high purpose; We pray to be like them in word and deed. As they found time to heed the Holy Spirit Amidst the wrack of war and civil stress, So may we not be deaf to God's still whisper, But find our hour of holy quietness.
This lofty meetinghouse, though dear we hold it, These windows, stained by artist's matchless skill, This deep-toned organ-these are not memorial To those who wrought with such a dauntless will. The good that we can do for those about us, Our hope of peace, our sincere charity- These are our tributes to their earnest efforts, And all we are, all we can hope to be. - Marian M. Wehner, Sept., 1935.
SOCIAL SERVICE PROJECTS
Home for Friendless Women, North Capitol Avenue. Freedman's Aid Society. School at Columbus, Mississippi. Aid in Women's Prison. White Orphan Asylum, 1855.
Colored Orphan Asylum, 1868.
Sunday Schools and libraries at Yandes and 13th, and on College Avenue. Meeting in West Indianapolis, now Second Friends.
Mission in Haughville, then Third Church.
Bertha Ballard Home, 1890.
THEN AND NOW
The Quaker of the olden time! How calm and firm and true, Unspotted by its wrong and crime, He walked the dark earth through.
O Spirit of that early day, So pure and strong and true, Be with us in the narrow way Our faithful fathers knew. Give strength the evil to forsake, The cross of Truth to bear, And love and reverent fear to make Our daily lives a prayer. -John Greenleaf Whittier.
NOTES
NOTES
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