USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > One hundred years of Mount Vernon Church, 1842-1942 > Part 15
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May God richly bless you as individuals and as a Church as you go out into the second hundred years of service and witness for Christ. And particularly do many of us thank God for a Church like Mount Vernon which during our student days made the Christian religion a joyous, and inspiring, and a very challenging experience in our lives.
Cordially and gratefully yours,
JOHN C. WILEY
est a meeting of the New Congregational Church holden Saturday evening June 4th. 1842, the following persona were chosen at the Prudential matter of said Church :
Prudential Committee, chosen Sume 4, 1842.
Juangeri. brackett. Roland bucher.
William W. Stone .
Johnna blade jx. Jama W. Kimball.
Charles W. Scwitcher. John madon. Samuel D. Warren.
Upon motion, voted, that the Clerk of the Church Serge F. Homer be added to the Poruchential Committee.
FIRST PAGE OF THE RECORDS OF THE PRUDENTIAL COMMITTEE
WATERMAN'S PATENT.
Patent Shower Bath.
Patent Lamp Tea Kettle.
Patent Broiler.
House Lantern, Register'd 1848.
Ventilated Refrigerator,
Coffee Filter, Register'd 1848.
Improved Bathing Pan.
Manufactured and for sale at WATERMAN'S KITCHEN FURNISHING ROOMS, 83 & 85 ConNHILL, 6 & 8 BRATTLE STREET, and 73 COURT STREET, Boston. Where all on the eve of Housekeeping, and those already established, by sending their addresa, by mail or otherwise, will receive a Catalogue containing cuts and descriptions of the above, and a list of all articlos required in a perfect KITCHEN OUTFIT, for either the City, Suburban, or Sea side residence, of a quality and at prices to insure satisfaction to the purchaser.
17 Hotels, Packet Ships, Steam Boats and Eating Houses, furnished at short notice.
Boston,
184 €
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DR. KIRK'S BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Dr. Kirk was graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1820. Nassau Hall, re- ferred to above, was a large building erected in Princeton after the college removed there in 1757. It was named in honor of William III of the House of Nassau
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GEORGE H. BRADFORD Chairman of the Music Committee, 1887-1911
JOHN G. HOSMER Clerk and treasurer, 1907-1909 Treasurer 1909-1910
MISS SERENA FRANCES PERRY (1846-1940)
MRS. GEORGE WASHBURN (née Henrietta Lorraine Hamlin )
ALICE M. HAWES
MARION A. HAWES
EDWARD SOUTHWORTH HAWES
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APPENDIX H
LETTER OF GREETING FROM THE REVEREND HAROLD G. JONES
PLYMOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT December 1, 1941
DEAR FRIENDS OF THE MOUNT VERNON CHURCH:
It is with genuine joy that I send hearty greetings to you on the occasion of the One Hundredth Anniversary of Mount Vernon Church. It is hard for me to put into words what Mount Vernon Church and its devoted members have meant to me. I came to know the church first in 1922, when as a senior in college, I became Director of Religious Education. The year which followed was one of the happiest in my whole life. To be an Assistant to Sidney Lovett was in itself a great privilege and I will never forget his kindness and friend- ship and the many ways in which he set before me the example of a "good min- ister of Jesus Christ." In addition to my duties in the church school, I had the opportunity of taking part in the morning services ... and of sharing in the Young People's Society which was under the genial leadership of Sam Hocking and Isabel Meldrum and a host of others. . . . What fun we had together with Uncle Sid and Aunt Esther and Uncle Albert Murdoch giving the society a delightful flavor and spirit all its own. . . .
And what glorious doors of friendship were opened to me as I came to know Madame Washburn and Dr. George H. Washburn, the Misses Hawes, Miss Herrick, Mr. and Mrs. Mehaffey, Mr. and Mrs. Chipman, Mr. James W. Craig, and a host of others.
It was naturally, therefore, with deep regret that I came to the end of my year of service and left for the Divinity School of Yale University. In 1925, when I received my degree there, I was ordained at my home church in Roslin- dale and Sidney Lovett was good enough to take part in my ordination. Then in October, when I married one of my Boston University classmates, we both agreed that Mount Vernon Church was the place for our wedding, and so the ceremony was performed there by Mr. Lovett, with Mr. Usher at the organ and with the reception at Herrick House.
Three happy years followed in the pastorate of the Plymouth Church in Fargo, North Dakota, with fleeting visits to the church we had both come to love so dearly, and then in the spring of 1928, a letter came to me, . . . stating that Mr. Lovett had been granted a year's leave of absence, and asking if I would consider being Acting Pastor. ... We arrived in July, and I say "We" advisedly and with a capital letter, for we had our seven-months' old son with us, and soon after our arrival he was baptised by Mr. Lovett. . . .
The memories of our experiences during the winter of 1928-1929 are of course many. They centered naturally in the first place around the worship of the Sanctuary. One cannot worship in Mount Vernon Church without being aware of a certain atmosphere which tends to make all impressions rich in spiritual meaning and even luminous with the Divine Presence. The services under the succession of a series of devout leaders in the art of worship had
130 ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF MOUNT VERNON CHURCH
become very meaningful, and when I sought to lead I often had a feeling of being led and upheld. The music was no small element in this experience. Kenneth Shaw Usher is one of the most amazingly versatile organists and choir directors I have ever known, and the choir was always a joy to hear and to work with in the conduct of the worship. .
Almost before we realized it, spring came and our ministry drew to a close. In June we were called to Plymouth Congregational Church in New Haven, and as this letter is being written, are well on the way to our thirteenth year here. Much to our delight several years after we came here, Mr. Lovett was called to the Chaplaincy of Yale University, and it has been a great joy to have him here and see Christian work for students go forward under his far- sighted leadership.
Last spring I had the privilege of visiting Mount Vernon once more and of thus knowing beyond doubt, that under the gifted and inspiring, and always delightful and friendly leadership of Carl Heath Kopf the church continues to serve with rare fidelity and tremendous influence the people of Boston, and the thousands of students, who throng this ancient seat of learning. Indeed I do not know when I have seen a more inspiring congregation than the one that greeted me on that May Sunday last spring.
And so on this significant occasion, Mrs. Jones joins me in wishing for the church we love so dearly, a continuance in all its fullness of the glorious min- istry of the past, and an even greater witness to the unsearchable riches of Christ.
Cordially yours,
HAROLD G. JONES
LETTER OF GREETING FROM THE REVEREND HAROLD B. HUNTING
GREENFIELD, NEW HAMPSHIRE February 23, 1942
DEAR FRIENDS OF THE MOUNT VERNON CHURCH:
I was on the staff of Mount Vernon Church for two years, beginning in the autumn of 1924, and had charge of the Sunday School, in cooperation with Mr. Lovett and the Religious Education Committee. My work was interrupted by a severe attack of typhoid fever, which kept me in bed from January to June of 1925. During much of this time I was delirious, and, (so they told me afterwards) several times at the point of death or even given up for dead. During those months Mr. Lovett was my wife's chief tower of strength. I am sure that I would not be alive today, if he had not kept up her courage. Day after day he drove out to Sharon, where we were then living. I myself recall vividly the night when he came into my sick-room about midnight and read to me, (relieving my wife). Afterward I was told that the doctor did not ex-
131
APPENDIX H
pect me to live till morning, on account of the danger of heart failure, and that the only chance was to keep me from panic in case I did not sleep.
Kindness like that is not forgotten. I shall always think of Mount Vernon as the most truly Christian church I have ever known-as a church which had the wisdom and insight to choose a man like Mr. Lovett as its pastor, and to stand loyally behind him through all the years of his leadership. I am sure that it is still the same kind of a church, even though conditions may not be the same, and the onrushing years have brought new leaders, and (probably) in considerable measure new followers. May it always be, in the future as today and in the past, a truly Christian church.
HAROLD B. HUNTING
LETTER OF GREETING FROM THE REVEREND EVERETT M. BAKER
AMERICAN UNITARIAN ASSOCIATION 25 BEACON STREET, BOSTON December 26, 1941
DEAR FRIENDS :
Memories are always associated with a song, a person or a place. It is good to have the same happy cherished memories quickened by all three. So it is with us. We remember the choir with whom Helen sang every Sunday while I helped Sidney Lovett with the conduct of the worship service, Marjorie Holmes Gillette's nod which controlled their uprising and their down-sitting, and Kenneth Shaw Usher's rousing enthusiasm.
But there were other songs: Juanita, O Sole Mio, America the Beautiful, sung by the Y.P.S. members in Herrick House on Sunday nights after the meetings and discussions. And we remember Bob Bullard leading the Christ- mas carols, and Christmas Eves on Beacon Hill when in the snow there was an air of quiet loveliness at that time and place.
We remember the living-room at Herrick House and that great window looking out over the Charles.
We remember the church, the missionary suppers, auctioning the Ford for Mr. Neipp in Africa, decorating for Christmas, and the redecoration of the chancel. (I've always wanted to look behind the panels to see the "saints" again. Some day they will be discovered. They, like other saints who are no longer seen by those who worship in the church, are still there in my memory. Isaac Williams is only one I shall not forget.) It was in the vestibule Helen and I met, and in that chancel we were married.
It is friendship that always prompts the happiest of memories. Again we were richly blessed. Only a few weeks ago we heard indirectly from General Lee and Bill Shao in China after several years of silence-good friends they will always be. The privilege that was ours to meet some of the greatest men of our time as they came week after week to speak to the Y.P.S. and stayed the night in Herrick House will never be forgotten.
132 ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF MOUNT VERNON CHURCH
But greatest of all was our friendship with Sidney and Esther Lovett. That for us both gave life a new purpose and a grander view.
Out of our brief experience in Mount Vernon's long history we draw long, long happy thoughts. May the future bring to others, ministers and people, old and young, as great good. We could wish no more.
Faithfully,
EVERETT M. BAKER
LETTER OF GREETING FROM THE REVEREND ANDREW BURNS CHALMERS
DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION AND BIBLICAL LITERATURE SMITH COLLEGE NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS December 19, 1941
DEAR FRIENDS :
It is a great pleasure to add my word of salutation and best wishes to the many you are receiving on the occasion of your One Hundredth Anniversary. Among the innumerable people who have gained much from association with Mount Vernon Church I am one who feels especially indebted to it.
Outstanding in my memory of the years 1929-31, when I was associate minister, is the resourceful and dedicated ministry of Sidney Lovett. I had the unforgettable opportunity of seeing the influence and blessing of his many- sided work-his mastery of the living elements in liturgical worship, his leader- ship in prayer and thought, his endless capacity for friendship with all people, his rare and special gifts with students. The early morning communion serv- ices, the student choir and Mr. Usher's beautiful playing and leadership at the organ, the invaluable contribution of Herrick House to young people of all nationalities, the missionary institutes-how clearly these definite and precious gifts of the Church stand out. Back of all and making all possible were the devotion, hard work, and vision of the Deacons, the Standing Committee and other responsible groups in the Church. Those whose span of participation in the life of the Church extended back so far, bearing the problems and shaping the direction of the whole enterprise, displayed so much Christian charity and belief toward any effort which sought to extend the effectiveness of the Church. Dr. Washburn, the Misses Hawes, Mrs. Craig, Miss Herrick and many others gave wise perspective as well as encouragement to the work of the moment.
As I knew Mount Vernon Church, one of its problems was that of ful- filling its opportunity of ministering to individuals in an increasingly im- personal, urban setting. This it did do. Families recently come and perhaps liv- ing only temporarily in the neighborhood found welcome and inspiration at Mount Vernon. So this fundamental ministry to individuals was always there, supplemented by significant social work and liberal leadership in civic and
133
APPENDIX H
world problems. The Church stands as "a champion of personality in a seem- ingly impersonal world."
It was my good fortune to be ordained at Mount Vernon Church, in a way and in a fellowship for which I will always be grateful. Mrs. Chalmers and I were fortunate, too, in representing Mount Vernon Church at Chilesso in Portuguese West Africa (Angola) in May and June of 1930. There we saw at first hand the inspiring work of Mr. and Mrs. Neipp, and enjoyed their gracious hospitality. There we took part in the dedication of Mount Vernon Church in Africa and brought home to Mount Vernon Church in Boston a key to the front door. The outreach of this Church in the varied and effective missionary work in Africa was impressive indeed and serves in these days to make vivid for us the prayer of Christ for mankind "that they all may be one."
We send best wishes and thoughts of gratitude to Mount Vernon Church at this time. With the inspiration and wisdom of Mr. Kopf's leadership, with full strength you enter your second century where your Christian witness and service will be needed as never before.
Faithfully yours,
ANDREW BURNS CHALMERS
LETTER OF GREETING FROM THE REVEREND EDWIN E. AIKEN, JR.
BETHANY CHRISTIAN CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS May 30, 1941
DEAR FRIENDS:
I am very glad to send a word of greeting to Mount Vernon Church upon the completion of its hundred years of vigorous life and history. No one who has ever felt its warmth and known its friendship can ever forget the joy that came from association with it. The years go by and the faces change but the memories remain. Neither time nor space can extinguish them.
My first real association with the church began in the fall of 1930 when I came to live in Herrick House. At that time I had no official connection with it, I was simply one of those residing at 490 Beacon Street. During that year I entered into the life of the church chiefly through the Young People's Society. That organization was finely led and ably advised. Its program was rich. It offered the young people a variety of religious thought and activity that stamped it at once as one of the best societies conceivable. Such a group with such leadership and such a plan of procedure was bound to make a deep im- pression on anyone who was in any way familiar with the needs and problems of youth projected against the background of the world's life.
So great was this impression that when the invitation to become one of the ministers of Mount Vernon Church came from Sidney Lovett, there was no hesitation in accepting it. During that year the program of the Young People's Society achieved even greater heights, due to the calibre of speakers
134 ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF MOUNT VERNON CHURCH
secured largely through the vision and action of Burns Chalmers, to whose position I now succeeded. But more than any other single thing the year was enriched by the association with Sidney Lovett. Those who have had that privi- lege in Mount Vernon Church were better ever after.
In September of 1932 Sidney Lovett ended his ministry at this church, be- coming Chaplain of Yale University. It fell to me, at the invitation of the church, to assume the responsibilities of Acting Minister. During the year the parish program continued much as before with some diminution in tempo. The search for a new minister was an absorbing activity for many months, happily culminating in the choice of Carl Heath Kopf whose leadership has been superb. In September of 1933 he assumed the direction of this historic church. . .
To mention all the names of the Mount Vernon Church people who made those years in many ways so delightful would be impossible. To give some and omit others would be invidious. But there is one which can be written here and who would say us, Nay? That is the name of "Cap" Halstead, our kind- hearted and irrepressible sexton of those and other years. He has crossed the shining river ; we see him no more, but in memory he is still with us. We still hear his hearty laugh, we still see his jovial expression, we still feel his strong hand-shake. He was as efficient a sexton as any church ever had, but he was more than this, he was a great and true-hearted friend.
I am grateful that I could have had some share in the life of Mount Vernon Church in its first century. I hope that its second may be even better and happier.
Yours sincerely,
EDWIN E. AIKEN, JR.
LETTER OF GREETING FROM THE REVEREND CARL J. WEBB
26 TEMPLE PLACE BOSTON, MASS. January 9, 1942
MY DEAR FRIENDS :
It is a real pleasure to greet the many friends and to salute the noble achieve- ments of Mount Vernon Church.
Many know her history better than I, but few could love her more. Two of the happiest years of my life were spent within her sacred walls. When I came to be Carl's assistant, to serve in the capacity of "Clinical Minister," he told me: "Human need is your field. The sky is the limit, and we are back of you one hundred per cent." This, I believe, bespeaks the true spirit of Mount Vernon Church.
Mount Vernon Church was one of the pioneers in the field of personal counseling. Its ministers have been noted for their sympathetic understanding of human problems and their willingness to make themselves available for individual conferences. The need and value of counseling was especially em-
135
APPENDIX H
phasized during 1936 to 1938 while I was privileged to serve the church ex- clusively as the "Clinical Minister."
Certainly, one of the great needs of the church today is a ministry trained to deal effectively with those individuals who find the adjustments to life dif- ficult. Because I consider the confidence of those individuals who confided their problems to me as a sacred trust, I can only hope and pray that our confer- ences were helpful. Many of a minister's most valuable contributions to his people cannot be included in his "annual report."
I have seen many changes and improvements in the church and have been delighted to see it constantly expanding in members and in its scope of use- fulness.
And now, as Mount Vernon closes her first 100 years of service in the dark- est days in the history of civilization, may she begin the first year of her sec- ond century of service with invincible courage. The dawn of a new day is breaking and I am sure Mount Vernon Church will do her part to make this new day, "the day of the Lord" wherein truth and justice shall reign under the banner of love and goodwill toward all men.
Sincerely, CARL J. WEBB
LETTER OF GREETING FROM THE REVEREND ARLAN A. BAILLIE
MOUNT VERNON CHURCH BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS February 14, 1942
DEAR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF MOUNT VERNON CHURCH:
It is a privilege to extend greetings and congratulations to the Church on her one hundredth birthday. To one who has so recently come among you, the vigorous life and character of the Church are especially apparent. To be a part of that life would be an honor at any time, but seems more so at this Centenary and at a time when our world is so much in need of Christ's Church.
The story of Mount Vernon's past is so well told in these pages that it needs no commentary beyond the witness of its own words. The significance of what Mount Vernon means to the present generation is well shown in the lives of her own faithful people. May the future hold even more for us and for those who will follow after, that coming generations may look back upon a Church as great in the next century as it has been in the one past.
The high task of bringing the Gospel to a troubled and needy world is one that cannot be lost. So may God bless to us this work of our hands and hearts, that the Cross of Christ may be lifted high over our Church and ever draw men to Him.
Faithfully yours,
ARLAN A. BAILLIE
I MEMOIR OF A LIFE IN AFRICA by THE REVEREND HENRI A. NEIPP
A STRONG missionary spirit prevailed from the beginning of Mount Vernon Church, resulting in the adoption and support of Miss Gertrude Hance, who was commissioned by the American Board in 1870 as a missionary to the Zulu Mission, East Africa.
Miss Hance was given the name, "A Princess of the People," by the warlike Zulu tribe, while the missionaries, called her "a real man." Her tremendous zeal as school teacher, matron of boarding school, her work among women and children, also her direct church work, brought her to the place of head of a Mission Station. In her book she mentions a great revival brought about through the preaching of Mr. Weaver, a lay preacher from England, who had been converted during Dwight L. Moody's meetings.
Zululand is now a civilized country, with roads, railroads, churches, schools, and hospitals. The beautiful coastal city of Durban is a healthful place, with modern institutions. Although the native Zulus are out- numbered by the white population, the English Government has neverthe- less provided for their maintenance and welfare.
After twenty-nine years of strenuous missionary work, Miss Hance- this dear servant of God-was cruelly gored by an infuriated bull. The injuries received at this time compelled her to return to America in 1899. She spent some years at the Clifton Spring Sanitorium, New York, pass- ing to her reward in 1920.
After the worthy missionary contribution of Miss Hance toward es- tablishing the Church of God in East Africa, in 1910 Mount Vernon Church began an even more extensive work at Chilesso, Angola, in West Africa, where the American Board had, in 1882, established one of its most interesting mission stations. Having had such a joyful experience in the support of Miss Hance, the Mount Vernon Church wished again to have missionary representatives on the foreign field. At that time a great missionary exhibition, called "The World in Boston," was held in Mechanics Hall, attended by missionaries from all parts of the world. Native towns and houses were built, natural in size and appearance; a profuse collection of curios was on display; and interesting pageants were presented. During this month over 30,000 people visited the exhibition, and all received new missionary interest and vision. The African Conti-
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MOUNT VERNON CHURCH IN CHILESSO, ANGOLA, AFRICA
137
APPENDIX I
nent was well represented. In that section, Mr. and Mrs. Henri A. Neipp, two missionaries just returned from twelve years' service in Africa, were met by members of Mount Vernon Church, who, as they said, were going to "Africa in Boston" to listen to and select the missionaries they wished to adopt. It was little known that such acquaintance and adoption would bring such helpful and delightful experiences for both parties, nor that their joint efforts would be blessed in the establishment of a Mount Vernon Church at Chilesso, Africa. For thirty years Mr. and Mrs. Neipp were wholly supported by the generous contributions of Mount Vernon Church, given through the American Board.
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