Part 36 So many issues
During the late 1950’s and into the 1960’s a tumultuous era of change was introduced to the American people. It was also a time when the innocence of a previous time came to a crashing end. It was a time of losing trust in others and it seems that while the “good times” seemed to continue it was also the worst of times. It seemed that American people could have almost anything they wanted. What was the use of taking years to save for something that could now be paid for on time. It might have been this alone that caused people to lose faith in the sense that what we should be allowed to possess was not as a result of our own ability to acquire what we wanted and desired, but that it was the will of God to provide what we needed and could share with others. While people became, in a sense, greedier for possessions it was also a period of unprecedented sharing with those in the world that had less than we. It was a period of growth in mission for churches, but also the American government became the most giving government that had ever existed on the face of the earth. The Job Corps at home and the Peace Corps overseas for the most part brought American ingenuity to some of the most poverty stricken areas of both our own country and the third world countries scattered around the world.
This was an era that spawned the most difficult police action that the United States ever became engaged in. The War in Viet Nam went on and on. Corruption in the government of South Viet Nam did not make American support of that country very popular. The zeal of North Viet Nam to win on their territory eventually caused many of the American troops and the American people to become disillusioned as the casualties mounted. Draft Riots at home and displays in other countries that were anti-American became more the rule. The turmoil over involvement in this war was not the only difficulty that had an effect on American people. People who were members of churches including Peoples were divided over which side was the right side for America and the world, if it is possible at all to say there is a right side in any war.
A number of social changes played a major role in changing the fabric of American culture. The ease with which a divorce could be achieved played and continues to be a major factor in family change and structure. The creation of the birth control pill also played a role in developing new mores in relationships or as many would say, helped American mores to decline. Adding to the difficulties presented by an increase in alcohol consumption was the introduction to many of the drug culture. At one time, it was thought that drugs were a problem only in the seamy locations of the largest cities. Not so as the ‘60’s progressed. By the middle of the ‘60’s marijuana was the new drug of choice. Many who thought this new drug to be less harmful did not have the opportunity to know what long-term effects might result. Other more powerful drugs such as cocaine and heroin would in time grow in use and several chemical drugs came into the abuse picture. Ironically the drug of choice for many before this was nicotine found in chewing tobacco, cigarettes and pipe tobacco. The consumption of these products has generally declined over the years although the percentage of women using tobacco increased while male consumption took a dramatic downward turn. It was not unusual for ash trays to be found on the tables at church functions or at the least seeing many men lined up on the sidewalk after a church function socializing and smoking.
As a teacher in the local high school one of our teacherly duties was to check the boy’s rooms to prevent students from smoking cigarettes. In the late 1960’s and beyond we found that the duty became more than simply “catching smokers.” We found that some of the darker corners of the school might be the gathering place for the young who were smoking something other than tobacco and perhaps even making exchanges of money for a bag of weed.
As the use of drugs and alcohol increased it seems that other related crimes also increased. There was an increase in break-ins and robberies. One of the actions that churches including Peoples took for the first time was to consider locking the premises. In 1959 the church official board ordered the doors of the education building to be locked. It would still be a few years before the whole of the church property would be locked, but that happened also. There were eventually some cases where the choir room was pilfered and personal items stolen even during church services while the choir and congregation were in the sanctuary.
In 1960, the trustees with the approval of the official board began to set rental fees for the use of the property. While natural to gain some remuneration for the use of the facilities it was also increasingly necessary to replace chairs and tables, repaint walls, and generally be more deliberate in maintenance of the property in part because more folks took less pains to take care of property.
In the early 1960’s the parsonage on Broadway as mentioned became the education building. This building was a driveway away from the church. On the other side of the education building was a garage and driveway and on the other side of that an open, but well manicured lot. The local boys often found that a convenient place to play ball given the fact that there were few open lots left in the neighborhood. Unfortunately or not , the trustees with the official board concurring decided to post No Trespassing signs on the property to prevent the destruction of this grassy area. Little did anyone know at this point that no more than five years later a campaign to move or raze the old parsonage/education building and build a new education/community facility would be under way. Certainly looking back to this period with 20/20 hindsight this action looks different than perhaps it did to the decision-makers of the church at that time. As I look back to the period I do recall that Peoples hosted the Maine Annual Conference in 1962 and that beautiful lot became an off-road parking facility for the many who came to Peoples for this once in the lifetime event for Peoples Church.
Periodically the front stairs of the church have been a gathering place also for local young folk. In 1961 the church fathers petitioned the city to place a streetlight in front of the church. Whether any damage had been caused to the property as a gathering place or not the effect of the new streetlight contributed to a reduction in the number of young people who gathered in that location. This episode is reminiscent of one reported earlier in this series of historical accounts. The front stairs of the old church in the village also had been a gathering place for the young men of the village on hot summer nights. Lights were erected in the 1920’s to also light the front of the church at that time. Ironically it was reported at that time the lights erected simply gave more light for more young men to come and “hang out”. Interestingly if one recalls those young men were avid listeners through the open windows of the sanctuary when local and travelling evangelists would speak from the pulpit.
We need remind the reader, however, that the 1960’s had their blessings as well. Membership at Peoples held strong at least on the books. The record keepers then claimed membership at over 600. Regular attendance at Sunday services was in the range of 200. The numbers in the Sunday school were still in the range of 200 also. The church received a number of gifts in this era. A set of offering plates was given in memory of Etta Robinson in November of 1959. A set of communion plates was received in memory of Blanche Pitts in 1962. Mrs. Leona Woodbury gave the grillwork that covers the organ pipes in 1962 with no expense left to the church. Later the Woodbury family added a set of chimes to the organ in Leona’s memory. The first sound system installed in the church including microphones and amplifiers and was given by the Larue family.
In 1961 a campaign to purchase the new Methodist hymnal was undertaken with many of the retiring hymnals being given to Camp Mechuana. The WSCS (Women’s Society of Christian Service) found the funds to purchase new tables for use in the Sunday school and for events held in the Vestry. The tables that were being replaced were six feet long with heavy-duty screw-in legs. The new ones were a big improvement over the old ones.
Some of the chairs purchased at that time were the green metal ones that are still being used in 2003. Larry Philips was responsible for installing in 1967 the spotlights that light the stained glass windows that face Broadway. At that time an outdoor spot was trained on the Rose window. When a new roof was built on Ellis Hall that spot was taken down and not replaced. Albert Hodgkins over the years did a number of electrical projects. One that he did in 1967 was to set up the signal between the organist and the ushers in the form of a warning light system.
Editorial Afterthoughts: Throughout this series of episodes in the life of Peoples, the writer has periodically included a look at what was happening beyond the walls of Peoples and its community of members. The purpose of looking beyond is to give a broader perspective of the times and the influence of regional and national and worldwide events on the local church community. A historian, by the nature of the position he/she holds, is responsible for reporting facts that would include people, places and events. It is also true that a historian is an interpreter of history and therefore is expected to place a personal perspective on what is written and reported. As the writing of this history continues there will be more people among the readers who will have lived the historical story that is presented and not see that story through the same eyes as the writer. This writer, therefore, encourages anyone who reads these articles with a different perspective on the content to submit their view. Again, as a research historian, I encourage additional perspectives to be submitted and published. This would certainly make the final product, The Roots of Peoples when completed a more definitive record of our churches history.
Art Tordoff
During the late 1950’s and into the 1960’s a tumultuous era of change was introduced to the American people. It was also a time when the innocence of a previous time came to a crashing end. It was a time of losing trust in others and it seems that while the “good times” seemed to continue it was also the worst of times. It seemed that American people could have almost anything they wanted. What was the use of taking years to save for something that could now be paid for on time. It might have been this alone that caused people to lose faith in the sense that what we should be allowed to possess was not as a result of our own ability to acquire what we wanted and desired, but that it was the will of God to provide what we needed and could share with others. While people became, in a sense, greedier for possessions it was also a period of unprecedented sharing with those in the world that had less than we. It was a period of growth in mission for churches, but also the American government became the most giving government that had ever existed on the face of the earth. The Job Corps at home and the Peace Corps overseas for the most part brought American ingenuity to some of the most poverty stricken areas of both our own country and the third world countries scattered around the world.
This was an era that spawned the most difficult police action that the United States ever became engaged in. The War in Viet Nam went on and on. Corruption in the government of South Viet Nam did not make American support of that country very popular. The zeal of North Viet Nam to win on their territory eventually caused many of the American troops and the American people to become disillusioned as the casualties mounted. Draft Riots at home and displays in other countries that were anti-American became more the rule. The turmoil over involvement in this war was not the only difficulty that had an effect on American people. People who were members of churches including Peoples were divided over which side was the right side for America and the world, if it is possible at all to say there is a right side in any war.
A number of social changes played a major role in changing the fabric of American culture. The ease with which a divorce could be achieved played and continues to be a major factor in family change and structure. The creation of the birth control pill also played a role in developing new mores in relationships or as many would say, helped American mores to decline. Adding to the difficulties presented by an increase in alcohol consumption was the introduction to many of the drug culture. At one time, it was thought that drugs were a problem only in the seamy locations of the largest cities. Not so as the ‘60’s progressed. By the middle of the ‘60’s marijuana was the new drug of choice. Many who thought this new drug to be less harmful did not have the opportunity to know what long-term effects might result. Other more powerful drugs such as cocaine and heroin would in time grow in use and several chemical drugs came into the abuse picture. Ironically the drug of choice for many before this was nicotine found in chewing tobacco, cigarettes and pipe tobacco. The consumption of these products has generally declined over the years although the percentage of women using tobacco increased while male consumption took a dramatic downward turn. It was not unusual for ash trays to be found on the tables at church functions or at the least seeing many men lined up on the sidewalk after a church function socializing and smoking.
As a teacher in the local high school one of our teacherly duties was to check the boy’s rooms to prevent students from smoking cigarettes. In the late 1960’s and beyond we found that the duty became more than simply “catching smokers.” We found that some of the darker corners of the school might be the gathering place for the young who were smoking something other than tobacco and perhaps even making exchanges of money for a bag of weed.
As the use of drugs and alcohol increased it seems that other related crimes also increased. There was an increase in break-ins and robberies. One of the actions that churches including Peoples took for the first time was to consider locking the premises. In 1959 the church official board ordered the doors of the education building to be locked. It would still be a few years before the whole of the church property would be locked, but that happened also. There were eventually some cases where the choir room was pilfered and personal items stolen even during church services while the choir and congregation were in the sanctuary.
In 1960, the trustees with the approval of the official board began to set rental fees for the use of the property. While natural to gain some remuneration for the use of the facilities it was also increasingly necessary to replace chairs and tables, repaint walls, and generally be more deliberate in maintenance of the property in part because more folks took less pains to take care of property.
In the early 1960’s the parsonage on Broadway as mentioned became the education building. This building was a driveway away from the church. On the other side of the education building was a garage and driveway and on the other side of that an open, but well manicured lot. The local boys often found that a convenient place to play ball given the fact that there were few open lots left in the neighborhood. Unfortunately or not , the trustees with the official board concurring decided to post No Trespassing signs on the property to prevent the destruction of this grassy area. Little did anyone know at this point that no more than five years later a campaign to move or raze the old parsonage/education building and build a new education/community facility would be under way. Certainly looking back to this period with 20/20 hindsight this action looks different than perhaps it did to the decision-makers of the church at that time. As I look back to the period I do recall that Peoples hosted the Maine Annual Conference in 1962 and that beautiful lot became an off-road parking facility for the many who came to Peoples for this once in the lifetime event for Peoples Church.
Periodically the front stairs of the church have been a gathering place also for local young folk. In 1961 the church fathers petitioned the city to place a streetlight in front of the church. Whether any damage had been caused to the property as a gathering place or not the effect of the new streetlight contributed to a reduction in the number of young people who gathered in that location. This episode is reminiscent of one reported earlier in this series of historical accounts. The front stairs of the old church in the village also had been a gathering place for the young men of the village on hot summer nights. Lights were erected in the 1920’s to also light the front of the church at that time. Ironically it was reported at that time the lights erected simply gave more light for more young men to come and “hang out”. Interestingly if one recalls those young men were avid listeners through the open windows of the sanctuary when local and travelling evangelists would speak from the pulpit.
We need remind the reader, however, that the 1960’s had their blessings as well. Membership at Peoples held strong at least on the books. The record keepers then claimed membership at over 600. Regular attendance at Sunday services was in the range of 200. The numbers in the Sunday school were still in the range of 200 also. The church received a number of gifts in this era. A set of offering plates was given in memory of Etta Robinson in November of 1959. A set of communion plates was received in memory of Blanche Pitts in 1962. Mrs. Leona Woodbury gave the grillwork that covers the organ pipes in 1962 with no expense left to the church. Later the Woodbury family added a set of chimes to the organ in Leona’s memory. The first sound system installed in the church including microphones and amplifiers and was given by the Larue family.
In 1961 a campaign to purchase the new Methodist hymnal was undertaken with many of the retiring hymnals being given to Camp Mechuana. The WSCS (Women’s Society of Christian Service) found the funds to purchase new tables for use in the Sunday school and for events held in the Vestry. The tables that were being replaced were six feet long with heavy-duty screw-in legs. The new ones were a big improvement over the old ones.
Some of the chairs purchased at that time were the green metal ones that are still being used in 2003. Larry Philips was responsible for installing in 1967 the spotlights that light the stained glass windows that face Broadway. At that time an outdoor spot was trained on the Rose window. When a new roof was built on Ellis Hall that spot was taken down and not replaced. Albert Hodgkins over the years did a number of electrical projects. One that he did in 1967 was to set up the signal between the organist and the ushers in the form of a warning light system.
Editorial Afterthoughts: Throughout this series of episodes in the life of Peoples, the writer has periodically included a look at what was happening beyond the walls of Peoples and its community of members. The purpose of looking beyond is to give a broader perspective of the times and the influence of regional and national and worldwide events on the local church community. A historian, by the nature of the position he/she holds, is responsible for reporting facts that would include people, places and events. It is also true that a historian is an interpreter of history and therefore is expected to place a personal perspective on what is written and reported. As the writing of this history continues there will be more people among the readers who will have lived the historical story that is presented and not see that story through the same eyes as the writer. This writer, therefore, encourages anyone who reads these articles with a different perspective on the content to submit their view. Again, as a research historian, I encourage additional perspectives to be submitted and published. This would certainly make the final product, The Roots of Peoples when completed a more definitive record of our churches history.
Art Tordoff
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