Riverside's Past; 2; Where The New Began

it's been you know i've been asked to invite anyone would like you to come down further forward i think you won't have any difficulty hearing tonight but if you find that you are having any difficulty were you just move forward there are plenty of seats down front last week we talked about the foundation stones of the

building and the people who made possible are being here tonight in this very comfortable theater and in the type of program that we have an ongoing program and we handed at the challenge of the church in its early beginnings of this strict tonight's panel accept the challenge and reminiscences of where the new begins are that revenue began if you know that is significant gaps in the exhibit out in the south the lobby i know that it is not from lack of greasy aging of the women of the church and their role in the new beginnings perhaps the lack of pictures is because the women were so busy doing that they didn't have time to stop and have their pictures taken i think that is not quite the explanation however the committee has had some difficulty in getting pictures that date back to the early days

and this is a continuing exhibit and pictures will be added to it some images will be taken down as the days pass this is one advantage over preliminary look at our past in preparation for our hundred and twenty fifth anniversary which will be celebrated next year it lets us know what is missing and what we have that it's a cap captivates who chairs the panel this evening needs no introduction but as i listened to the rehearsal last week i had to chuckle because i recall and evening that perhaps the activities has forgotten but that was a meeting of the business and professional women's club inducted cadets were seated on the gayest next to me and as he looked out over a crowd at assembly hall he said to me you're suppose out mr know all of the people out there and i don't know whether he ever

got to know every single one of us but i certainly know that he got to know the church and that he was a wonderful source of written by wonderful resource for our reminiscences throughout this whole series the contents will introduce the other people who are resources and where authorities in where the new began fact that i don't remember that incident but i know that these movies are many many of the people on this to us to make that possible looking back over the years i think one of the most delightful experiences of them all in that year by year circle of friendship and acquaintances extended we will try to find i was leaving i feel

oh often last night three of the last five years in the event of this think of service and the church in many ways as a member of the poisonous found a very simple verb from its next to him as mr james bopp we're also has been a member of the board of the tunes on repeat of occasions and has been chairman of the board and chairman of the committees in the next victim as mrs james palmer who is currently chairman of the arson crimes committed online petition

i don't know why this is true our business is laced with a us congressman is just beyond a long been in the church and in oral arguments like those lasers and simple identify sunni arab mr whalen you our transatlantic liner are two important location is one reason the bow of the ship which is

point your ticket and destination and the other is in the stern which is in line with a porta potty tonight we shall be concerned both of the future and with the past of the riverside church remembering about the flaws because said that everyone should have the past tense and remembering also the letters from india and accepted foreigners who work was once new album rio rancho ok from its earliest days the riverside church made known the conviction it's a problem that people are important this was constantly reflected in his preaching and in the way in which the church is seven daily program about the question was what do people mean and as the community required the program dr shea so let the riverside church has been here in this great city as one who serves one small man be my i began to hear about this

process of important beginning by learning something about riverside church knew how the church school is the living representation of the christian conviction that christian education is important mr lei is you know how important christian education is an accountant because you and assist ladies have been here with your children over the years that was something about the early days of the church school open the un human before her name was completed and ready ms lei lei said in the open now in fact i

became familiar with the church still a little sooner than perfect and big has said no we came here first child entered the church school about nineteen thirty seven and i got time though things were pretty well along and i would say that sen that's synonymous with the un history at the church school was the name that to oust him and it was about seven years after this school opened that i first made my queens the thing that i found to be farai and the unique about this church school was that they had such a well trained staff in the nursery kindergarten department where our chat first child entered at the age of two the program lasted for three hours and then

it was quite an experience not only for the child but for the parents because we seemed to be drowning in almost as completely as the children and dead dead it seemed that parents were considered just as important now it was quite surprised at how well prepared and how well trained the stat lines but says it wasn't long before i discovered that this statue is so well trained because they are employed in the weekday nursery school and go on later an inquiry i learned that the week bangers who's going had been the brainchild of mrs plastic very early on before at a church goal here was really started in this building this is fast they had found that many missionaries and their families came to

new york for every periods and the winds of these missionaries felt that they're a year was a great disappointment because so much of the year was spent in looking after their small children and the cultural advantages that they might have a game where to a great extent lost and get it was through this experience and the need for the people that attend the church at that time that they're weak day nurseries goal was and it was very soon lawyers believe the hamp program of the chariots there was different from what i had known are i ever heard we always have pamphlets distributed each sunday and this was what was taught but david there were

and there was no such thing in the church school that factory hallstrom let her be a program there was built an experiment atlantic to fit the needs of the people that came here and it was a completely wrapped up in the idea that the people who attended that as the years went on when you have a very well rounded idea of the main and that was the night he says and i mean i always remember that when our children came along as far as a grape each one of them had to take an examination on the life of jesus dr galston considered this very important it is he ate he had sought to it that the people who did not pass it got very special help an instruction in this area

it got acquainted with me nursery kindergarten very closely after my children had after all our children are first three children get into the nineties go and i was able to spend two years working in the nursery kindergarten as an assistant and this was a very thrilling experience through this i am getting in on a wonderful staff meetings which are held up in west are every september this was a thrilling experience to meet all the staff members of the church school and as something that and it will always be remembered by everybody who experienced it was the wonderful head at ease that the house has held and there are several times a year and yet the programs that they had activists he plays

soccer it was a thrilling experience and soviet people whose names i want to mention that were very active at this time the early church school where us military who was director of the un the nursery kindergarten when i first day i got acquainted with at that later i had apparently they're spending one year india primary department and internet day where's that there was an intermediate department which had been lent madness as far as but says she left the year i got into that department and i spent three years in the intermediate department to do

ian high school the pipeline that in that time it led by and this is sad house gym and yet by the time i got acquainted in that area mrs likens had to have taken over in their high school department and these are some of the names that i particularly wanted to mention two mothers i might mention that seem to have a very great an important part in the church hall and many of you maybe members send these people one of them was alice of vinyl who spent quite time quite a long time in the nursery kindergarten and then another one was sen elizabeth austin we're in the primary and later succeeded mrs brown when she retired i think that that's about all i'll say about that but after all this time that i spent in

the church still i was not able to participate in the programs the parents fellowship which i missed very much more experienced hands of well educated them we always thought that the parent organization were writing for a part and the church school i mean we're one of the families that never live near the church we're always came from long island it's a we're really close to the church now when we were because of rose's improve it took and i have to get in here we start to come undone if it had not been for such a magnificent church who as fine as the church was in the preaching was i don't think that we would have continued all were all these years coming to riverside and these have

organizations or something new roommate i had gone up a hundred dishes where top sent the kids to school or sunday school and the navy went to church later with them what here for the first time as an organization set up where parents didn't send their children to sunday school a white with them i was struck by the fact that in every grade level there were packed groups and we start in the plant roots in the nursery kindergarten through and work through the senior high and jim farmer i think used to get me i are used to ever graduate so the purpose of this pattern of the past not said just to

learn what they're doing and nice sunday school what the teachers were doing but it was says attempts to help parents to build a christian home one of the most inspiring things that i like that happened in those groups was to go on the ninth floor around the end of september and joining in the litany of the home the dedication of paris we call on and then as they usually read this litany of the home woodstock if i think i believe had written and their two lives in that seems to be an expressive purpose of the plants groups at least it seems so that lee oh god who set us the solitary and families we lived before the the deer incitement interests of our home make our

families radiant center is a joy and schools of character and this seems to maybe what that has moved were trying to do and what the sunday school was trying to do in that leake a nursery school to help build a christian home without talking to retire say about religion remember one night he was a sort of getting a generic brown about some experiments he was telling about it as he said it and what is all of this have to do with the t z religion he said if she said if i may quote an element of a largely abandoned and dr helfand he once said that's tiki of religion sometimes

is done without ever mentioning religion or god and this seemed to me to be what the church school and what the parents who tried to do you're trying to get to the spirit of religion without merely talking about well i think you've got a beautiful illustration of christian education program here in ninety eight the lives of thousands and the lives of their children and this is a basic element in the life of a church somalia want to listen to something else things have been happening here because then he says rhinoceros horn asked her mrs obama tell something about the arts and crafts program where people find opportunity for self fulfillment and expression in the life of this big city well you know dr that the irs impress program actually started back in nineteen thirty in the church school to

august when dr house jane was the head of the religious education department and i actually started an interest group about thirty boys making hand puppets and marianne that's and they met on friday nights and put on shows and had a wonderful time well some of the other organizations in the church for some years asians in the church got interested in the beating he's decided that they wanted to have a class or an interest true in every basket weaving and the women's society wanted something and interior decorating and home furnishings and the man's class and video had an interest group on thursday nights and that mrs calef brown teaches for these groups and she and as dylan did some teaching themselves in fact the whole program was on a

volunteer basis it's the depression here we are they need deeper and also along and these groups that started out as interest groups became regular classes with a more serious purpose of the time people needed something to do and many people are i didn't have the money to spend on leisure activities and that actually many people had no jobs at all so that this is you know a real need the program as it is now was open to non members of the

church as well as church members and people came from the area and began coming from around the city and dual this very unique program instead it's being something within the organization's it began to be an organization and it's now it was no about a nave for so many years and this group of people working together five days every morning's afternoons and evenings in the atmosphere happy happy bedlam but that also has this bird during this period they offered many new courses and crafts that had our word document a dying out were were introduced it is we know their book binding was particularly appealing to some of the man who enjoyed doing and i think this is a time when many

musicians were out were at one time there were a number of unemployed musicians who were taking their horses and then they were binding out what they say they were doing was binding music stores are unsure of you everybody here will remember dr lefever now are carrying it could carry america so many years that they became quite an expert answer here are some of the people here we had they're out doing making jewelry making was the number one august fourth step back and test his painting is today and the number of symbolism matter unemployed stands at that time became so that's pertinent that they went on and the

professional way and so their products out several disputes when i become teachers in the program and into your charity or during the cold period only of the program we have two teachers right now as a matter fact that started as as students in the program some years ago that however to the chronological part of this about nineteen forty eight and then she proceeded to shake this big homework this programmed into us something much more resembles the programs it is today mary nelson became executive secretary and these two people are created order out of this happy chaos on the ninth floor through their efforts achieve additional our breadth as well as death and down speaking to coming up our

company resource for of the cherokee on the beach succeeded nasser in nineteen fifty seven as executive secretary and her esteemed are with the building of the year the new south weighing the arson task program will get into the towering of beautiful ruins which they occupy now an inherently program really came of age as part of a church family that we now are her forty different courses and about twenty two subjects are we have a tiny tiny one teachers and three hundred and fifty students are working on fridays we it's a adele program now and have been for many many years and our teachers instead of being down tears are all professionals are freelance craftsman an hour ok we

have an exhibit twice a year in a thong and in the wintertime at the start of each semester and have twelve hundred fifteen hundred visitors and twice a year guest night programs which are on some aspect of the arts which are attended by friends and neighbors on the hill as well as members of the church it's given to rob farley on a pick something up and said that they use there used to be wrong is now peaches update and supplied to labor day our top our own homeland that is we don't do that we don't get money from the church but determining the action packed programme hiatus so he to get paid by students and very modest fees they are two i

would like to get there or not you won't find anything this as reasonable as this i love it since those early day when mrs gail it's at all in motion that they see gains are still saying we have an opportunity i think everyone has an enemy for self expression and to be creative in some area anyone can do it but you people feel they can without some help we are always things that we see that come out of our classrooms but people are primary concern and now as always is our campuses is nominated individual in the program also

going to hear more about the church's airport to meet the needs of the persons as individuals or optima group but we have had in this church from years back a social service committee about which is not very much to say but it's finally important americans is going to tell us something about that aspect of the church's she was on social service committee for a number of years and she speaks out of their personal experience as well as to be able to assess hazards information as mrs has is minute with that for many years so with the executive the minister of the suspension we actually the city they said i killed cannot be here at riverside church is set on the hill and he's like such a seventy and up a five day preaching in the riverside pulpit was a magnet for people many will be just stared mentally and emotionally came to him with their problems and so we found it had problems of his own to some of the troubles that were brought to him or

economic the region as well as a mental and emotional and it wasn't long before he saw that they will be on his ability and his problems i mean let's remember that this time we must remember that background was the depression dr faust i felt that it was important to get something set up an organized to cope with this this fast stream of people who were now many of them are very deeply disturbed and he summoned to his aid marion downs who had been working with a charity organization says that it highly skilled and social worker she came to riverside to the head of the social service committee and it has certain women of the church carefully chosen and always a lot of one of the ministers wiser wiser when the ministers i should say wasn't always at

some of the earliest members of this committee where women's rights and this is called a racist ballot that causes foster naturally this is a highly confidential committee at the emphasis is always on reaching the person need each study is an individual well the most important projects institute it was the emergency where euro businesses selling products and meeting women privately that privately financed and it was run by volunteers at this time organized public welfare as we have it now did not exist is new world this emergency where you're going to an enormous size during the depression and then he said to be the father a lot of the fathers of such projects as the wpa law came in the refugee committee and quickly organize individual members of the church sponsored the coming of family from abroad taking responsibility not only for finding a job for the breadwinner and a place for them to live until they could be

on their own this man firm financial backing in a certain amount of daring members of the committee met families that the peers the trains and put them on trains took them off as they were leaving the city also many was remembered mean children coming in collusion canada and going home to england at all times the social service committee met problems of the church membership itself many of our own children were sent to camp are other cases where range doctor's bills were plainclothes supply gray needed money for this came from the benevolence committee hughes' close to pardon was started as a byproduct and has been highly successful as in the past this committee with people to prepare them a possible roof are a lot of public agencies tighten over emotionally and often financially today as it is in charge of the social service which she has been for years

and dr jessie lyons is the liaison minister in charge of channeling needs to the other misses or appropriate crops in the chair my wife says that story that revives all to reach for what this department has meant in the lives of people in this church in the city and was one of the ministers who is most closely associated with that and the period of my ministry here i can tell you many an astonishing story of what that bottom of done but it's confidential and it cannot be repeated i wish we had more time for all these things but we have to move along and this time i'm going to move into the area of christian fellowship and brotherhood as a background for events that took place here in the riverside church within the last ten years or so and then discuss i just wanna tell us about that because he was at the heart of this movement which expanded the ecumenical relationships of the church and

thick first though long stride in the direction of an interdenominational is in riverside church it took place just forty years ago mr anderson fossett became a minister of the park avenue baptist church and the violent at times the park avenue baptist church continued to have its relationship only to the non baptist convention and then become a church of the open membership so the ten men women coming from all the nominations are often the membership in riverside church first the park avenue church gershman riverside and as they left the congregation and went to other parts of the country that took their church letter to the nominations of every type and the second longer a step in the direction of becoming interdenominational as well known as the first non baptist minister who was brought into the collegiate that was a dumb when you heard much about

already this evening and i perceive our health care rod and just at the time the park avenue baptist church and you begin a huge movie or two of mourning site heights i can probably say that the ideal environment because of the life and i knew him when he was in and over in new jersey used on new jersey on the staff of them an avenue presbyterian church himself was a congregation list but those and making an outstanding record there in a presbyterian church and it was you were contacted us through the predator and barton ranger are going up to china as missionaries and a layman avenue presbyterian church i remember very distinctly how unimpressed my wife was by this a handsome wooden dicey at that time a bachelor minister and how she come out in the mail holly young famine party listened to flutter when every party wrong so that was a

second step and that for about twenty years after we came up here and riverside continued to have only a denominational time with the baptists although we really coming marmara interdenominational olson our membership and our spirit in our program and they are each through our benevolent committed all parts of the world then in nineteen forty eight francis firemen who should have been the leader in many of the find ideas that progress in this church that the idea that we should make a serious study of riverside might officially on retaining its baptist membership the sabbath also a formal connection was at least one other protestant denomination and the soviets took the lead in appointing a committee an ecumenical relations and is made up of representatives of the deacons trustees and the congregation and large and what that permitted it were

now some of the leaders in that and that the committee if there are these the region's rural brandenburg young manager bob for john martin said that several others and the first to go though the three and ministers but mccracken dr tidbits about the health and the goal of the chairman of the board begins the first joseph francis chairman and then as we proceeded young farmers chairman of the board and for the next three years as committee an ecumenical relations conferred or the methodist parents accommodations a number of other nominations to go the leaders of the community churches some of which had the nomination a tire the other is not we laymen on the committee learned a lot of things we didn't know before about the legal an ecclesiastical complexities involved in any formal association with the nomination controlling the church's properly appointment or ministers agreed to a truly be expected to subscribe financial contributions would be expected to make to the

nominations local nice solution are activities the nomination are gatherings all levels with her research representative be expected ten on first in my very simple stepan of the nomination of cooperation summit began as a very much more complicated and more adventures of course emily's be politically yes to the law and we were led constantly by our ministers and abduct mccracken dr post remember the part of it then eventually committing decided after conferring not only were the collegian of the deacons in the trustee of also a law committee of the church at the most desirable at least complicated the nomination of time we might assume would be or relationship with a congregation christian churches we leave our house for living in our conference negotiating with the congregation listener lawrence tibbett <unk> our strength and keeping ireland basis of friendship and understanding of the baptists while often add

inertia checked on every possible point of unintentional comedy winner involvement specific plan to proceed or were formulated and eventually after an extended period of informing all members the congregation's walk over being considered they didn't trust is a lot to manage on an assessment of the falling resolution for action by the current issue of the church of the special meeting how long may fourteen nineteen fifty canvases resolution resolve the riverside church about runaway offering its present relationship to the american baptist convention also seek membership in the new york times said a congregational church association and that the proper all future to be a nearby are authorized to take the steps necessary to consummate such a relationship and during the summer nineteen fifty two the necessary formalities were carried out by riverside by lee and the new york city congregational association and then the deacons and

the trustees an automatic cooperated and finally i think it is on november six this is on november six nineteen fifty two we had a meeting at the broadway tabernacle now broadway and fifty six street and there we were officially welcome in the membership and the current issue of christian church and then you remember that a few years later the congregational christian church own words with a number of other denominations to form the united church of christ and again they carry a server side but officially that would join in that even wider membership and so we've now continue as a an interdenominational church in actuality as well as inspire the program there's one point that i want to make that we sometimes forget and some people think of riverside as being on the nomination all that is not true we are thoroughly interdenominational and everyone in this room is a baptist i'm sure they're on in

this room is a good number of the united church of christ in all denominations of that involved at the same time many of us have our backgrounds of those presbyterian methodist episcopalian zero sum even with juicier catholic background whatever we have we still retain an untimely lever riverside if we want to go back to the nomination of that this a month and faith we go back to work but where here we are thirty and had the nomination and we have to be responsible for all of the obligations that any baptist churches have actually responsible for all allegations and a congregational united george preston have we have our representatives attended all our meetings we contribute dollar financial support and that so that maurice is a quick her away we had to come in to the nomination hurricane to just want you to know i really think i'll have made the statements alone the endless understand the baptists not too conservative for your bee

baptists the nominations as paula standing rim of the resolution and i wrote an article saying was a standing resolution a lot of coal out that you would agree with me i didn't know what i had to make a correction from for the record because i've gone on the road to be surprised if they go to the american baptist convention the memos that way he said all of that

richard's communities within the walls of this just this has been an exciting and starring communication of the christian gospel from the openness and the classrooms and alexa says about this is communicating over the air and jim palmer was a thomas about pop radio or fundamentally i think the reason we have an fm station in riverside is because of our our experience and long identification with radio for nearly five years before riverside moved up here dr foster it was the minister for the national press for every sunday afternoon and i think that none of us ever miss that hour and after he came up here he continued with it continued with that until nineteen forty six is the most listened to our on the air

dr mccracken game and he again was well known on the air and we had the experience of knowing that this project the voice of riverside the spirit of riverside far beyond our farm for walls and into the homes of millions of the people and i think this is basically widely survey of nineteen fifty six contained a recommendation that we look into a spanish name a radio station here at riverside and a special committee has an appointed under france's harman for the purpose of looking into the possibility of that that worked for eight months and really worked then came out with a recommendation that we proceed with establishing a station here and this is no small task what is involved in establishing a radio station first most

difficult you must get the frequency from the federal communications commission this is no easy matter next you must have offices studios expensive elaborate but again no easy mac finally you must have an experience qualified staff we undertook all of these steps first how do you get a frequency well there were no am frequencies available in new york one would have to be purchased at a price which just as our question but there was still available one fm frequency we made application for that in nineteen fifty seven we were not alone in trying to get that frequency a commercial station wanted it isn't a commercial spat from and the character that right to the court said was until may nineteen sixty was in may

nineteen sixty eight the fcc go that we should have three points now why we were applying for this treatment say the south wing was being planned in under construction and that space was left so that it could be the whole of radio station if we got to the uk we were successful in their application to the fcc and when we were successful plans were carried out immediately to convert a space that is now all the debit fee on the fm stations office and studios and by the generosity as drug felon not only was this space converted into an ideal our station but we were given the very best equipment so the technique you have here but the rv are one of the best

radio stations in the country if you haven't seen the facilities you should see and this was due to the very great generosity of of the door of the south going next is the problem of staff and there we were particularly fortune we were able to obtain as the manager of the station jack summerfield a man with it a real expert with ten years experience in the educational radio feel it put together a staff and we were on the air at the beginning of nineteen sixty one we have been there ever since they're from ten minutes to nine in the morning till half past midnight with a quality control program now that's a lot of hours and you might wonder how do you ever feel all of those protesting hours but we told the fcc we're reading this

frequency that this station would be the voice of riverside and it is that our stations are our sermons are on the air are lectures on the air or music programs and other programs of outstanding narrative arc on the air we also said that this would be the voice of the hill here and our next largest contributor of program says the jewish theological seminary and then union columbia honor up juilliard others all contribute now when a program is put on the air here that is not the end of our programs are made available to other educational cultural stations across the country at the present time there are about four thousand five hundred rebroadcast of programs year produced at the station a hundred and twenty five stations use our tapes

without charge except for the cost of day in addition to that the programs we originate here of course there is music and other things you can't have just constant serious matter on are at the station as i said is a quality station it has won nine major national awards the the honors that have been given jack summerfield he says the president and the chairman of the board directors of the national education radio which comprises a nationwide network of twenty three educational stations he's the vice chairman of the board directors of the national association of educational broadcasters and he's the chairman of the advisory committee to the acacia communications system created by the united states office of education we are very proud of but the rv er and what that has done and means

no portion of the support of dub your beer comes really every member can because it has come from and almonds largely given up for a purpose such as this and special guests and we as i say we believe this is the projection of the spirit and voice of riverside church into very far place farther than this country many of our programs get into foreign countries i've been excited and i'm sure you have been to see when three of come from the new beginnings in christian education and they fulfill one of lives through arts and crafts and service to persons individual a in the social service department and the growth of brotherhood and the christian community and in the world and in communication that has taken what this church has to all the fathers corners of the world

but the beginning is the new growth has been phenomenal the future lies before us for one house next week sleeping it will be a hero in this ruling on with being this small town church in the big city and this is how strong will chair that meeting and you will hear some more about this church and another aspect of its life i thank the members of this group i wish we have another hour so that york about a spate of questions you've been a wonderful group to gather on this snowy evening we thank you intellectual began about blood not allow box like she will begin in about ten minutes

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as beacons bit the particles right before we began our worship services evening i would like to have like a couple remarks for those of you who are starting with us for the first time and firefly few things that have been said to those of you were here before the year i understand that a lot of you have already been harassing

in one way or another and the last temptation of christ and i have had a number of youth say to me why in the world did you ever suggest that book and i would like i think to make to make a statement about i'm talking about the the novel for those who are starting a new tonight talking about a novel a pocket book by nicholas thompson cyclists called the last temptation of christ and i chose it mostly because it presents a portrait of christ that is so different from anything that we are accustomed to seeing that is intimate would make most of us stop and at least for a little bit try to reconcile what this man sees and the man jesus christ with this week the pure the holy the lovely image which we as a church so often have tried to hold up as our image of the master and i think it might