Roots of Peoples United Methodist Church
Part 46 1980’s Dark Clouds and Silver Linings in the Life of the World
Many events took place in American and World Affairs as well as here at Peoples in the 1980’s that would alter our countries culture and our own local culture as well. To begin with, it wasn’t unusual especially at Men’s activities sponsored by Peoples to find ashtrays on the tables at meals. That was true at least until Ellis Hall was opened. The presiding fathers of the church, even though they may have smoked cigarettes, declared that smoking would not be tolerated within the hall by any group. In 1980 cigarette sales had reached $600 billion and interestingly the fastest growing group of smokers were teenage girls. In 1982, Surgeon General Everett Koop denounced cigarette smoking and Congress passed a law that a warning about the hazards of smoking needed to be placed on every pack of cigarettes sold. Since that time increasingly public buildings and places have been placed off limits to cigarette smoking and the use of tobacco has been in decline. So much so that even the major tobacco growers and cigarette manufacturers have had to diversify their interests in order to survive. It is rather strange today to see a company like Philip Morris actually advertising anti-smoking pursuits especially to teens. For many years Winston Cigarette products sponsored the top stock car races, but NASCAR and Winston in the last two years have dropped their affiliation. At Peoples we are many miles and thoughts from even considering open smoking of tobacco products within the confines of the church property.
Unfortunately it seems that young people in particular had found other substances to abuse. Marijuana at first seemed harmless to many, but in time stronger forms of illegal drugs became available. Crack cocaine was moving from city streets to more rural areas along with heroin and other man made abusive drugs. The highways and byways of Maine were not immune from this influx. Alcohol, which had long preceded many of the aforementioned drugs, remained the social drug of choice. Again in the hands especially of young people alcohol could and was abused increasingly in the 1980’s.
Another devastating phenomenon presented to American Culture and the rest of the world was the spread of the lethal AIDS epidemic. Sexually transmittled, AIDS has been responsible for killing millions of people worldwide. Families have been wrought asunder on every continent of the Earth. Cities and towns across America have not been spared this deadly, debilitating and death causing illness. Most of us have been touched by someone we know having passed away after suffering in excruciating pain from this illness. Not as much publicity seems to surround AIDS today even though it still lurks heavily in some areas of the world even now. Medical science has found causes and has developed medicines to soothe the anguish of the illness, but it is still a worldwide illness still looking for a cure.
Viciousness and attacks on important people seemed to have increased in the 1980’s. President Ronald Reagan for example was shot in an attempted assassination and that was soon followed in Rome by an attempt at killing Pope John Paul II. Both survived
but who would have believed that someone could get close enough to both of these significant people in the same time frame to fire shots at them. As a result the Vatican on the one hand and the U.S. Government on the other felt a need to increase security. This of course was only the beginning of a trend of violence and terrorism that would continue to be more severe as the years between then and now passed.
Tensions in the early 1980’s still ran high between nations, including the United States and the Soviet Union. Tensions were so high that the United States boycotted the Olympic Games that were held in Moscow in 1980 and the Soviets reciprocated four years later by not attending the games in Los Angeles. It was in 1987, however, that the winds that would blow out of Russia and into neighboring countries carried the radiation of the world’s worst domestic nuclear disaster. A meltdown of a nuclear plant outside of Kiev, Ukraine in a town called Chernobyl took place. Numbers of people killed and or effected were not widely published, but the assumption is that the effects to those living at the time and since have had wide spread medical repercussions. The other wind that seemed to be blowing came as a result of Michel Gorbachev’s succession to leadership. Glasnost, his program to help the economy of his country began the ultimate thaw of the Cold War and the warming of relations with especially western countries. His lead would within a very short time bring an end to the Soviet Union and the restoration of government to those peoples that had been brought under the Soviet umbrella of control that had begun in the 1920’s. The division between an Eastern and Western Germany came to an end in part because of the changes in the Soviet Union. It was a glorious time when the Berlin Wall, the real symbol of oppression since the early 1960’s in Europe was taken down sometimes in large chunks and other times in slivers chipped away by those that could get to the wall and take away a souvenir. The official date of opening the Wall was on November 9, 1989. Germany was officially reunited on October 3, 1990.
This was also the decade of tensions of a racial nature in South Africa. Killing and torture were frequently reported in the world press. Black leaders were often thrown into jails and never heard from again. The world through press, economic sanctions and demonstration eventually would prove effective in throwing over the existing government and attitudes and an unbelievable change in government took place later in the early 1990’s. In February 1990, the Prime Minister of South Africa, Frederick William deKlerk effectively began the movement to bring an end of Apartheid by declaring himself in favor of a democratic government. This did not make him particularly popular with his own political party and two or three more years of bloodshed continued until the elections of 1994 when the ANC party was victorious and Nelson Mandela, a moderate spokesman from the Black populations became the Prime Minister. What was thought might be a reign of bloodshed in reverse never came about and the institution of Apartheid has not reappeared.
It was the era when famine killed thousands of people in Ethiopia and Somalia. Tons of food and medicine were sent to the region by worldwide help organizations too late to save many lives but in time for others. Even 20 years later the specter of famine and need still exists in those countries.
In Latin American, Nicaragua for a time grabbed the limelight when Daniel Ortega and his political party known as the Sandanistas took control of the country. His direction of leadership was socialistic even though there were times when he made overtures of peace to the United States. It seems the USA continued to support a political group called the Contra. While Ortega eventually left office later in the 1990’s, the elections in Nicaragua in 2006 have returned Ortega to a position of leadership, with little publicity outside of that country. We do mention such events and countries since they ultimately have an effect on the missions programs of the United Methodist church operating inside and outside of the countries mentioned. In neighboring Panama the leader of that country, Manuel Noriega, appeared to be a threat to US policy in Latin America also. The United States implicated him in the Drug Traffic that flowed into the United States. Noriega was captured, tried in the United States and placed in prison in sunny Florida where he is still serving time today.
In 1983 tensions in the Middle East were intensified when the US Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon was bombed and 63 people of many backgrounds were killed. A short time later the barracks housing United States Marines was truck bombed and 248 marines were killed and many others wounded.
In 1986 tragedy struck the United States space program when the Challenger in late January lifted off and exploded before it achieved orbit. Other space ventures had had scary moments and tragedy, but this one resounded across America and the world like no other. Feeling very secure in what some thought was the routine of rocket flight, NASA had carried out a contest to seek an additional traveler on the Challenger foray into space. The recipient of that opportunity was a New Hampshire science teacher, Christa McAuliffe. Knowing that a teacher was on this flight, coverage of the event was more than had been given live coverage for many years. The flight was timed to coincide with school being in session so millions of children could watch this flight. Shortly after lift off something went tragically wrong and all members of the flight crew including Ms. McAuliffe plunged into the Atlantic Ocean. No one survived. Young folks and adults were traumatized by this event. Certainly the tragedy of this event would intensify the need for security on future flights of space shuttles. The irony was that it wasn’t the last tragedy to befall the program.
As has been shown in this episode the world continued to experience tragedy, but life for those that survive continues on. In a relatively small town church like Peoples some of these things that have taken place in the world seems distant at best, but with the TV News cameras found nearly everywhere and the connections that we have with so many people we are not immune and living in a vacuum. The people of Peoples have responded with care through mission, through prayer, and through concern for others both near and far. In our next few episodes we will take a look at Peoples connections at home and away during the turbulence of the 1980’s.
e had previously served at Newport
Part 46 1980’s Dark Clouds and Silver Linings in the Life of the World
Many events took place in American and World Affairs as well as here at Peoples in the 1980’s that would alter our countries culture and our own local culture as well. To begin with, it wasn’t unusual especially at Men’s activities sponsored by Peoples to find ashtrays on the tables at meals. That was true at least until Ellis Hall was opened. The presiding fathers of the church, even though they may have smoked cigarettes, declared that smoking would not be tolerated within the hall by any group. In 1980 cigarette sales had reached $600 billion and interestingly the fastest growing group of smokers were teenage girls. In 1982, Surgeon General Everett Koop denounced cigarette smoking and Congress passed a law that a warning about the hazards of smoking needed to be placed on every pack of cigarettes sold. Since that time increasingly public buildings and places have been placed off limits to cigarette smoking and the use of tobacco has been in decline. So much so that even the major tobacco growers and cigarette manufacturers have had to diversify their interests in order to survive. It is rather strange today to see a company like Philip Morris actually advertising anti-smoking pursuits especially to teens. For many years Winston Cigarette products sponsored the top stock car races, but NASCAR and Winston in the last two years have dropped their affiliation. At Peoples we are many miles and thoughts from even considering open smoking of tobacco products within the confines of the church property.
Unfortunately it seems that young people in particular had found other substances to abuse. Marijuana at first seemed harmless to many, but in time stronger forms of illegal drugs became available. Crack cocaine was moving from city streets to more rural areas along with heroin and other man made abusive drugs. The highways and byways of Maine were not immune from this influx. Alcohol, which had long preceded many of the aforementioned drugs, remained the social drug of choice. Again in the hands especially of young people alcohol could and was abused increasingly in the 1980’s.
Another devastating phenomenon presented to American Culture and the rest of the world was the spread of the lethal AIDS epidemic. Sexually transmittled, AIDS has been responsible for killing millions of people worldwide. Families have been wrought asunder on every continent of the Earth. Cities and towns across America have not been spared this deadly, debilitating and death causing illness. Most of us have been touched by someone we know having passed away after suffering in excruciating pain from this illness. Not as much publicity seems to surround AIDS today even though it still lurks heavily in some areas of the world even now. Medical science has found causes and has developed medicines to soothe the anguish of the illness, but it is still a worldwide illness still looking for a cure.
Viciousness and attacks on important people seemed to have increased in the 1980’s. President Ronald Reagan for example was shot in an attempted assassination and that was soon followed in Rome by an attempt at killing Pope John Paul II. Both survived
but who would have believed that someone could get close enough to both of these significant people in the same time frame to fire shots at them. As a result the Vatican on the one hand and the U.S. Government on the other felt a need to increase security. This of course was only the beginning of a trend of violence and terrorism that would continue to be more severe as the years between then and now passed.
Tensions in the early 1980’s still ran high between nations, including the United States and the Soviet Union. Tensions were so high that the United States boycotted the Olympic Games that were held in Moscow in 1980 and the Soviets reciprocated four years later by not attending the games in Los Angeles. It was in 1987, however, that the winds that would blow out of Russia and into neighboring countries carried the radiation of the world’s worst domestic nuclear disaster. A meltdown of a nuclear plant outside of Kiev, Ukraine in a town called Chernobyl took place. Numbers of people killed and or effected were not widely published, but the assumption is that the effects to those living at the time and since have had wide spread medical repercussions. The other wind that seemed to be blowing came as a result of Michel Gorbachev’s succession to leadership. Glasnost, his program to help the economy of his country began the ultimate thaw of the Cold War and the warming of relations with especially western countries. His lead would within a very short time bring an end to the Soviet Union and the restoration of government to those peoples that had been brought under the Soviet umbrella of control that had begun in the 1920’s. The division between an Eastern and Western Germany came to an end in part because of the changes in the Soviet Union. It was a glorious time when the Berlin Wall, the real symbol of oppression since the early 1960’s in Europe was taken down sometimes in large chunks and other times in slivers chipped away by those that could get to the wall and take away a souvenir. The official date of opening the Wall was on November 9, 1989. Germany was officially reunited on October 3, 1990.
This was also the decade of tensions of a racial nature in South Africa. Killing and torture were frequently reported in the world press. Black leaders were often thrown into jails and never heard from again. The world through press, economic sanctions and demonstration eventually would prove effective in throwing over the existing government and attitudes and an unbelievable change in government took place later in the early 1990’s. In February 1990, the Prime Minister of South Africa, Frederick William deKlerk effectively began the movement to bring an end of Apartheid by declaring himself in favor of a democratic government. This did not make him particularly popular with his own political party and two or three more years of bloodshed continued until the elections of 1994 when the ANC party was victorious and Nelson Mandela, a moderate spokesman from the Black populations became the Prime Minister. What was thought might be a reign of bloodshed in reverse never came about and the institution of Apartheid has not reappeared.
It was the era when famine killed thousands of people in Ethiopia and Somalia. Tons of food and medicine were sent to the region by worldwide help organizations too late to save many lives but in time for others. Even 20 years later the specter of famine and need still exists in those countries.
In Latin American, Nicaragua for a time grabbed the limelight when Daniel Ortega and his political party known as the Sandanistas took control of the country. His direction of leadership was socialistic even though there were times when he made overtures of peace to the United States. It seems the USA continued to support a political group called the Contra. While Ortega eventually left office later in the 1990’s, the elections in Nicaragua in 2006 have returned Ortega to a position of leadership, with little publicity outside of that country. We do mention such events and countries since they ultimately have an effect on the missions programs of the United Methodist church operating inside and outside of the countries mentioned. In neighboring Panama the leader of that country, Manuel Noriega, appeared to be a threat to US policy in Latin America also. The United States implicated him in the Drug Traffic that flowed into the United States. Noriega was captured, tried in the United States and placed in prison in sunny Florida where he is still serving time today.
In 1983 tensions in the Middle East were intensified when the US Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon was bombed and 63 people of many backgrounds were killed. A short time later the barracks housing United States Marines was truck bombed and 248 marines were killed and many others wounded.
In 1986 tragedy struck the United States space program when the Challenger in late January lifted off and exploded before it achieved orbit. Other space ventures had had scary moments and tragedy, but this one resounded across America and the world like no other. Feeling very secure in what some thought was the routine of rocket flight, NASA had carried out a contest to seek an additional traveler on the Challenger foray into space. The recipient of that opportunity was a New Hampshire science teacher, Christa McAuliffe. Knowing that a teacher was on this flight, coverage of the event was more than had been given live coverage for many years. The flight was timed to coincide with school being in session so millions of children could watch this flight. Shortly after lift off something went tragically wrong and all members of the flight crew including Ms. McAuliffe plunged into the Atlantic Ocean. No one survived. Young folks and adults were traumatized by this event. Certainly the tragedy of this event would intensify the need for security on future flights of space shuttles. The irony was that it wasn’t the last tragedy to befall the program.
As has been shown in this episode the world continued to experience tragedy, but life for those that survive continues on. In a relatively small town church like Peoples some of these things that have taken place in the world seems distant at best, but with the TV News cameras found nearly everywhere and the connections that we have with so many people we are not immune and living in a vacuum. The people of Peoples have responded with care through mission, through prayer, and through concern for others both near and far. In our next few episodes we will take a look at Peoples connections at home and away during the turbulence of the 1980’s.
e had previously served at Newport
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