USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Cambridge > The biography of a church; a brief history of Christ Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts > Part 9
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At no point in the parish was the war manpower short- age felt more seriously than in the choir. It became so difficult to secure men's voices that the proportion of women in the choir had to be greatly increased. The parish was fortunate, however, after the resignation of William Judson Rand as organist and choir director in 1943, to secure as his successor Alfred Nash Patterson. Particularly talented as a choral director, with the ad- ditional gift of maintaining a high esprit de corps in his choir, Mr. Patterson attracted servicemen stationed in Cambridge because they enjoyed singing under his di- rection. He was thus able to maintain even during the war the Polyphonic Choir which after the war he was to develop so successfully until he resigned to become or- ganist at the Church of the Advent in Boston in Septem- ber, 1949. Again the parish was more than fortunate in
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CHURCH, CHOIR AND CONGREGATION TAKEN AT THE CLOSE OF A SUNDAY SERVICE
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securing as his successor Miss Marion Boron, an organist and choir director of outstanding ability who in the winter of 1944 had served with special distinction as the organist for the student choir. Within a year Miss Boron had a choir of boys that was larger in size than any the parish had seen for more than a decade.
The other important field of Christ Church's war min- istry was that of keeping in touch with the 305 members as well as with the many friends of the parish who were serving in the armed forces in various parts of the world.
The weekly parish leaflet, which was mailed to all servicemen, took on a new and more important ministry than ever before. The leaflet contained both news of the parish and excerpts from sermons in which. the rector dealt with some of the problems raised by the war both in the realm of personal faith and in that of the Church and the international scene. In addition to writing peri- odic letters to those in the service, the rector encouraged members of the parish to write in order that every mem- ber of the parish in the armed forces would realize how deeply his service was appreciated at home. Similarly, Mr. Kellogg kept in touch with hundreds of students who had been associated with his work while studying in Cambridge.
It is appropriate that we should here record the names of the members of the parish who gave their lives in the service of their country.
James Thomas Aitchison George Leverett Barker John Jarvis Cape John Gifford Crowley Gordon Curtis Ermand Richard Enos
Robert Satterlee Hurlbut Francis Gibson Munroe, Jr.
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Alfred White Paine
William Huston Sanders James Balfour Sleigh Gordon Taylor Melville Wakefield Whipple
Frederick Wilder White
Robert Alan White Charles Currie Wicker, Jr.
As during the war the rector tried to interpret the task of the Church in wartime, similarly as the war drew to a close, the rector endeavored to prepare the congregation for the difficult problems that would inevitably arise in the postwar period along the lines of readjustment and rehabilitation of returning veterans; the establishment of peace based on Christian principles; the amelioration of the race tension which had greatly increased both at home and abroad during the war; and the work of recon- struction and relief which would have to be extended not only to friendly nations but to people in countries which were formerly our enemies. He was convinced that some form of an association of nations was absolutely essential for the peace of the world and that such associations could only be established on the basis of greater mutual under- standing and trust among men and nations. The rector continually affirmed the obligation of American Christians to do everything in their power to have the United States take the lead in the formation of such an association.
Mr. Day was fortunate in being aided by an exception- ally able group of assistant ministers: the Rev. Messrs. Samuel Tyler, senior assistant until his retirement in 1942 and a valued friend and counselor until his death four years later; Francis B. Sayre, Jr., 1939 to 1942; Michael Martin, 1942 to 1944; Angus Dun, Jr., 1943 to 1945; A. Royston Cochran, 1944 to 1945; John Porter, 1945 to 1947; Shunji Nishi, 1945 to 1946; John W. Ellison,
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THE BIOGRAPHY OF A CHURCH
1946; Jack Leather, 1947 to 1949; Harold E. Taylor, 1949 to 1951; Edmund Knox Sherrill, 1951 -; and the Rev. Pitt S. Willand of the faculty of the Episcopal Theological School, 1948 to 1951.
I wish that there were space to mention the several theological students who each year have worked in the parish and in many instances made a signal contribution to the life of the parish.
The New Parish House
Each year it had become more evident that no enlarge- ment of the parish house or combination with No. 19 Farwell Place would provide a building adequate for the needs of the continually growing parish and student work. Therefore, in 1945 the vestry asked Mr. Charles Collens, the parish's consulting architect, to draw up plans for a parish house. Suggestions were collected from individuals and organizations. The result was a plan for a three- story building, 310,000 cubic feet in size, which it was estimated at the current rate of 50g per cubic foot would cost $155,000.
The raising of such an amount without decreasing its parish and missionary budget was a far greater project than the parish had ever before undertaken. Indeed, there were those who said it could not be done. The rector and vestry, realizing it was an essential tool for the ministry of Christ Church, decided the parish must raise the necessary money. The Rt. Rev. Henry Knox Sherrill, Presiding Bishop, then Bishop of the Diocese of Massachusetts, at the Annual Parish Meeting in 1945 gave his whole-hearted encouragement saying, "No church in as strategie a location as Christ Church has as poor physical equipment with which to carry on its min- istry. I urge you to raise the money just as soon as pos- sible so as to be ready to build as soon as the Government will allow it, after the end of the war."
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Realizing the magnitude of the task, the vestry se- cured the firm of Ward, Wells and Dreshman to assist in the raising of the money. With Mr. James Garfield, the senior warden, in charge of the special gifts solicitation and the Honorable Calvert Magruder, junior warden,
THE NEW PARISH HOUSE VIEWED FROM FARWELL PLACE
and Professor Erwin H. Schell, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as co-chairmen of the general canvass, the campaign was launched and during the first ten days in June $100,000 was raised in gifts and pledges. A remarkable fact was that the largest individual gift was only $7000. The $100,000 actually represented hundreds of small gifts from members and former mem- bers and friends of the parish. The entire parish sup-
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ported the drive so enthusiastically that it resulted in a stronger spirit of fellowship throughout the parish.
It proved impossible to build immediately, however, both because of the shortage of good material and the postwar inflation which caused building costs to double in a very short time. Month by month the possibility of building an adequate parish house grew steadily more remote. At this point, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Musgrave, who had given the first $2000 in 1938, came to the rescue and gave the parish the two-story house No. 17 Farwell Place, now appropriately called Musgrave House. This dwelling adjoining the parish house property provided living quarters for two members of the staff, the assistant minister, and the organist and choir director, and thus made possible the elimination of two apartments in the proposed plans for the new parish house. At the request of the vestry, Mr. Collens completely revised the plans, eliminating one floor and further cutting the building from the original 310,000 cubic feet to 165,000. Even with this drastic reduction, in view of the rising costs, the parish faced the need for raising another $100,000.
At a special meeting held on June 7, 1948, the parish after considerable discussion accepted the recommenda- tion of the vestry and voted to proceed on faith that the additional money would be given. The parish offices were moved into the rectory, Harvard University graciously allowed the use of Phillips Brooks House, free of charge, for the church school and other organizational meetings, the two nearest parish churches, the First Church Unita- rian and the First Church in Cambridge, Congregational cordially invited the parish to make use of their buildings, and on July 10th the demolition of the old parish house and 19 Farwell Place began. On Easter, 1949, the play- room in the partially completed new building was used for the overflow congregation, and on August 14th, the
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new parish house was ready for use although it was still unfurnished save for the relatively small amount of avail- able furniture which had been saved from the old parish house. Six thousand dollars was added to the four thou- sand which had been given for equipment by holding in the new parish house in December a mammoth two day auction of articles given by members of the parish.
As we write at the end of the second year in the new building, it is no exaggeration to state that it has more than surpassed our expectations. With space enough to do more effective work, not only did the church school enrollment jump from 215 to over 300 pupils, but the parish organizations as well as the student work increased both in numbers and in enthusiasm. Under the inspira- tion of a committee headed by Mrs. Henry L. Sigourney, a weekly work day, to which all members of the parish were invited, was instituted and proved signally success- ful.
The cost of the building and its equipment amounted to $236,000, while other expenses, including various nec- essary alterations and additions to the church property, valuable improvements to the organ chamber, and the replacement of the garage, brought the total cost to $270,000. The faith of the vestry was indeed justified; $245,000 was raised, necessitating a mortgage of only $25,000. The beauty and usefulness of the building bore unexpected fruit, for when Miss Mary Deane Dexter, the last surviving member of a family which had been associated with the parish for three generations, died in June, 1950, she left an unrestricted legacy of $200,000, part of which she indicated to the rector she wanted used to complete the new building. This enabled the parish to add a number of improvements originally omitted in order to keep down the cost, including the landscaping of the grounds.
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THE BIOGRAPHY OF A CHURCH
No account of the building would be complete which failed to pay tribute to the conscientious and laborious work of the building committee and particularly of Messrs. James V. Eppes and J. Edmund Vincent, who worked closely with the architects on the revision of the plans and carefully watched every detail of the construc- tion. They gave of their time without reserve. Because of their constant care, many "on the spot" changes were made, and we have a considerably better parish house as a result.
A number of memorial rooms were given in the parish house. The parish library was given by the Rev. George Lyman Paine in memory of his wife, Clara May Paine. The chapel was given by Miss Mary Batchelder in mem- ory of her father, Samuel Batchelder, Jr., who was junior warden of the parish from 1861 to 1864, and senior warden from 1865 until the day of his death in 1888 (with the exception of six months in 1879). The audi- torium was designated by the vestry as a memorial to Mary Deane Dexter. The entrance hall was given by Mr. Thomas A. Jaggar, Jr., junior warden 1901 to 1906, in memory of his father, Bishop Thomas Augustus Jaggar. The rector's office was given by Mr. Joseph Carson, Jr., in memory of his mother, Elizabeth J. Carson. The church school office was given by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Sanders in memory of their son, William H. Sanders, who was killed in World War II. The choir room was given by Mrs. Forbes in memory of her late husband, Allyn Bailey Forbes, clerk of the vestry and chairman of the music committee from 1934 until his death in 1947. The nursery room was given by Mrs. George H. May, Mrs. Clarence H. Poor, Mrs. Clarence H. Poor, Jr., and Peter T. Poor in memory of Clarence Henry Poor. The kindergarten room was given by Mrs. Gring in memory of her late husband, Mr. Paul Gring, parish treasurer
THE CHURCH AND PARISH HOUSE FROM GARDEN STREET
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from 1932 to 1935. A classroom was given by the Hon- orable and Mrs. Calvert Magruder and Mr. and Mrs. Henry DeC. Ward, Robert S. Ward, Miss Marian DeC. Ward and Mrs. Walter Haigh in memory of Mr. Robert
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THE BATCHELDER MEMORIAL CHILDREN'S CHAPEL IN THIE PARISII HOUSE
DeC. Ward and Mrs. Emma Lane Ward. A classroom was given by Miss Alice Jenekes in memory of her mother, Alice Goddard Child Jenckes. The rector's secretary's office was given in memory of the Rev. Samuel Tyler, senior assistant from 1938 to 1942 and acting rector from September, 1940 to June, 1941, by his friends in the parish. The sexton's room was designated by the vestry as a memorial to Mr. Christian Hansen, sexton from 1930
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to 1944. The altar in the auditorium of the parish house was given by Mr. and Mrs. Naboth Hedin, in memory of their daughter, Edith, who was an active member of the parish while a student at Radcliffe College from 1939 to 1943.
THE MARY DEANE DEXTER AUDITORIUM
In addition to the $10,000 raised to equip and furnish the new building, many gifts of furniture were received. Among these three deserve particular mention: a large Bokhara rug for the library, given by Miss Mary Batchelder; a 13 foot mahogany dining room table, given by Mr. Stoughton Bell, which stands in a useful place in the rear of the auditorium; and a walnut desk, table, and five chairs used by Dr. Harry A. Garfield while President
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THE BIOGRAPHY OF A CHURCH
of Williams College were given by Mr. James Garfield for the rector's office.
Before turning from our summary of the material de- velopment of the parish, a few changes in the church building deserve mention. The old brass eagle lectern, appropriate to the Victorian decoration of the church, was replaced by a wooden lectern suitable in a Colonial building, given in memory of Alice Manton Morgan by the Women's Social Club and other friends.
New sanctuary stalls were given in memory of Sydney McKenna by her parents. Narrow shelves in the rear of the church replaced the movable tables and afforded much needed aisle space. Seasonal dossal curtains, two of which were made by Mrs. Henry Ware Eliot, a mem- ber of the Altar Guild, were given to replace the old rose curtain which had covered the stained glass window for a decade. A green curtain was given by the Altar Guild in memory of Josephine F. Bumstead in 1950 and a white curtain in memory of Mary Deane Dexter in 1951.
Ecumenical Concern
Amazing as was the raising of the $270,000 for the new parish house without a decrease in the regular parish giving, even more amazing is the fact that this project did not lessen the concern nor the generosity of the parish in helping to meet the severe problems of relief and re- habilitation that faced the Church at home and abroad at the close of the war. Mr. Day had been at pains to keep the parish informed of the spirit of co-operation and spiritual unity which had been steadily increasing among the Churches throughout the world. He continually stressed the obligation which rested upon Christians in America, who had suffered so slightly in the war, to bring succor to their Christian brethren in the devastated
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countries of Europe and Asia. Every year found dis- tinguished clergymen from churches in many different parts of the world speaking from the pulpit of Christ Church, and thus increasing the congregation's knowledge of the Church Universal and deepening its consciousness of fellowship with other Christians.
Even before the end of the war the parish began sending clothes and food through the World Council of Churches Committee on Reconstruction and Relief to people in those countries which had been liberated from the Nazi tyranny. This was the beginning of a steady stream of clothes which after the war was to flow not only to our allies but to people in former enemy countries in both Europe and Asia. Much food and money also were sent. In 1946, when the parish was wondering whether in the face of rising building costs it could ever raise enough money to build a parish house, its gift of over $21,000 to the National Church's "Reconstruction and Advance Fund" was only exceeded in the Diocese by Trinity Church, Boston. In addition, during the years when the parish was bending every effort to raise the money for the new building, it gave over $18,000 to the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief. The Honorable Calvert Magruder headed a parish committee which was instru- mental in finding places for a number of Displaced Per- sons in the parish. In the fall of 1950, in response to urgent appeals on behalf of the Evangelical churches in Germany struggling for survival in the face of extreme poverty and communist tyranny, the parish "adopted" the Central Deaconess House of the Evangelical Church in Berlin. This "adoption" was in accordance with a plan that had been used successfully by fifty parishes in the Diocese of Western Massachusetts whereby people not only sent food, clothes, and other necessities to people in a parish in Germany, but also by personal contact and
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THE BIOGRAPHY OF A CHURCH
prayer brought to at least some suffering Christians encouragement and new hope.
The ecumenical concern of the parish was further ex- pressed by the inclusion in the regular budget starting in 1943 of an annual contribution to the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America, and in 1947 of an equal amount to the World Council of Churches. More than $800 was contributed by the parish in 1948 to the Church of South India to help it meet the serious financial situa- tion caused by the withdrawal of the funds by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.
In 1945, at the request of the Roman Catholic Church, a released-time program of religious education was in- augurated in Cambridge for the children of five public school grades. Christ Church joined with the other Protestant churches in establishing the Protestant Week- day Religious Education Council. As half of the children attending the school were found to have no church af- filiation, this was virtually a home missionary project for which Christ Church added $700 to its annual budget.
A parish like Christ Church goes forward only because of the active participation of a large number of faithful and loyal members. A few of those who made particu- larly notable contributions to the life of the parish and have entered into eternal life were: the Rev. Samuel Tyler, beloved senior associate and acting rector; Professor Joseph H. Beale, for nearly thirty years a vestryman and fourteen years a warden; Frank H. Golding, vestryman and junior warden; Susan Sedgwick Child Scoggin, dynamic head of the Tuesday Sewing Group for many years; Clarence H. Poor, vestryman and warden, and at the time of his death treasurer of the Diocese; Allyn Bailey Forbes, for fourteen years clerk of the vestry and chairman of the music committee; Hunting- ton P. Faxon and Paul Gring, both of whom had served
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as treasurers of the parish; Josephine Bumstead, presi- dent of the Altar Guild for almost half a century; Mary Deane Dexter, enthusiastic and active supporter of every phase of the work of the parish.
Personal Note
I have tried to write this account of the thirteenth rectorship as objectively as I could, considering my in- timate association with the rector, but I cannot close this chapter without the joy of paying tribute to and ex- pressing my deep appreciation of some at least of those without whose help my ministry would have been both ineffective and unhappy. Mrs. Day has been an en- thusiastic companion in all my work, and her mind and imagination has been a never ending source of ideas and inspiration relative to all phases of the life and work of the parish. No one could hope for finer support and en- couragement or more congenial co-operation from an associate than that which I have been given by Mr. Kellogg, the chaplain of the Bishop Rhinelander Founda- tion, whose work is a bright star in the Christ Church parish crown. Similarly, I cannot conceive of a wiser, more conscientious, and consistently helpful senior war- den than I and the parish have been fortunate enough to enjoy in James Garfield. The new parish house is due in a very large measure to his vision and effort.
The parish, and I as its rector, have been fortunate in having the same officers of the vestry with two exceptions serve throughout the decade. These officers are: James Garfield, senior warden; the Honorable Calvert Ma- gruder, junior warden; Mr. Walcott Thompson, than whom there is no more careful parish treasurer; Mr. Norman Dill, assistant treasurer; and the clerk of the vestry, the late Allyn Forbes, whose office was assumed
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THE BIOGRAPHY OF A CHURCH
in 1948 by Professor Erwin H. Schell. In 1950 Mr. Dill resigned after thirteen years of service and Mr. Manning A. Williams, Jr., was elected his successor. The Church Service League of the parish has been fortunate in having extremely able leadership during this period in its presi- dents, who were: Mrs. Thatcher Luquer; Mrs. Richard Evarts; Mrs. Erwin H. Schell; Mrs. Chapin Bosson; Mrs. William A. Jackson; Mrs. S. Park Harman; and Mrs. Huntington P. Faxon. Of inestimable importance for all the organizations of a parish is the "ministry" of the kitchen. For many years Mrs. William Hodges, as chair- man of the hospitality committee of the Church Service League, by her capable direction enabled the kitchen in the old parish house to render such service that the parish almost forgot how tiny and inconvenient it was. On entering the new parish house, the large kitchen and the two kitchenettes were placed under the able direction of a committee of which Miss Helen Hastings was chair- man.
No account of the work of the parish during the past twenty years would be complete which failed to pay high tribute to the remarkable, arduous and devoted work of Miss Alice Beale as assistant director of the Altar Guild in charge of the vesting of our choirs, of which there are usually five; two parish choirs, morning, adults and boys; evening, polyphonic; two church school choirs, primary and intermediate; and the student choir.
Would that I could pay tribute by name to the vestry- men, officers of organizations, and the many devoted and relatively inconspicuous members, who have made vital contributions to the life and work of the parish, and in particular have made my ministry these last ten years at Christ Church so rich in spiritual reward and so full, even in moments of discouragement and sorrow, of that deep joy and peace that comes only through the knowledge of
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our oneness in Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
In closing, I want to affirm my conviction that any man is more than fortunate to have the privilege and joy of ministering in Christ Church. It is a great parish, chal- lenging in its possibilities and rich in its rewards, and both its location and the quality of its membership assure it of an even greater future.
A Word from the Vestry March 24, 1951
Ten years ago today a special committee, which had spent seven months searching for just the right man to fill what was recognized as a post of unique opportunity and challenge, presented Mr. Day's name to a meeting of the parish. His unanimous election reflected the com- mittee's enthusiasm. His devoted and outstanding lead- ership since assuming the rectorship two months later has more than justified the enthusiasm.
Mr. Day has notably carried on the tradition estab- lished by his predecessors of service in the name of Christ Church to the community, the Diocese and the National Church. In the community he has served on the Cam- bridge Community Council, the Cambridge Weekday Church School Council, the Board of the Cambridge Tuberculosis and Health Association and the Civic Unity Committee. In the Diocese he has been a member of the Diocesan Council, the Departments of Social Relations and Christian Education and the editorial board of the diocesan paper, The Church Militant. He is now in his second term on the Standing Committee, of which he was elected president in 1950. He was a deputy to General Convention in 1946 and 1949 and is a member of the Joint Commission on Ecumenical Relations. He has
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