Roots of Peoples United Methodist Church
Part 53 World Wide Events at the end of the 20th Century
As has been the practice of this author and editor I find it significant to set the stage for events in the local church by taking a quick, broad look at important events that have influenced us locally from a global perspective. The Lord has created a magnificent world that we live in and it is our responsibility, as Christians, to at least share in the caretaking of this planet called Earth and to be concerned for all peoples who reside therein.
Christians world-wide in the 1990’s could look at a number of instances where the walls of evil that separated people from each other were breaking down. There could be a great sense of optimism for what was yet to come as a result of change, a sense that good was in fact triumphing over evil. At least this might be so from the perspective of an American looking at that change.
In Part 46 of this series we mentioned that in Europe the world witnessed a dramatic change in political differences. The Wall that had been erected between East and West Germany was brought down and the two Germanys were reunited in 1990. We also mentioned that through the efforts of Michael Gorbachev and his successor Boris Yeltsen
the Soviet system was abandoned and several countries that had been under Soviet rule were now free to form their own countries. I remember that a group of students from South Portland under the leadership of Social Studies Department Chairman Lorne Goodell took an exciting trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia as study groups were encouraged to see the changes and openness of the new Russian system. One of my students who went on this trip, Angel Swiger, came home and brought me a significant little chunk of cement. On the way home the group had stopped over in Berlin on the way home to the United States. The students had gone to "The Wall" and were able to take chips from the wall that was then being dismantled. What a symbol of freedom! A symbol that was just as valued as the American flag, which all to many of us take for granted. Rarely in the course of World History had something so dramatic as the dismantling of the Berlin Wall been seen or felt by folks living on American soil. The writer, however, does not discount those instances that have taken place on American soil that were so significant for generations of people experiencing past events personally.
One of the first major changes that was seen beyond the Iron Curtain were the changes that were taking place in Poland, a land that had rarely seen its own independence as it had long been an area that would be occupied by eastern rulers as well as the west. Lech Walensa became the President of post-Communist Poland. He had been a labor union leader that led protest marches that eventually was a factor in restoring home-rule to the people of Poland. As a result of this successful freedom movement many of the other eastern European countries that had either been controlled under Hitlerian Germany or later under the Soviet domination again were free to control their own destinies. The Czech Republic and Slovakia which had once been "a put together) settlement of the First World War were now separated. Bulgaria, Rumania and Hungary again were free to do their own bidding. Some historians and political scientists felt threatened by all of the independence especially in Southeastern Europe. Stronger countries had taken advantage of all the small independent states of the area leading up to the First World War and here they were again. Countries such as Bosnia, Serbia, Herzegovinia, Croatia and Macedonia have all been carved out what had formerly been Yugoslavia. As recent history has recorded much fighting has occurred in the area making the political and religious climate in the area shaky at best.
The independence in the area has certainly opened up new fields for missionaries from the Catholic and Protestant worlds of religious thought. Some conflict has arisen because the dominant religion in some nations, however, has been Muslim. From the Christian perspective though all of the independence achieved by these nations is another sign of light in what had been a dark area of the world.
Venturing to the South again the light of freedom has been a very significant part of changes that have taken place throughout the continent of Africa. Primary to this change in the time of the 1990’s was the work of Bishop Desmond Tutu and political leader Nelson Mandella. Jailed for over 25 years, Mandella was released in 1990 as a world outcry finally reached the ears of South African leadership. Once released free elections were soon held and Nelson Mandella was overwhelmingly voted to lead the new South Africa. The bloodshed and slaughter that many whites in particular thought might take place because of atrocities whites had brought to blacks throughout "white rule" never took place and the transition to shared rule went remarkably well from an outside perspective.
In North America the North American Trade Agreement was signed between the United States, Mexico and Canada. Some businesses did not welcome the relationship because profits might not be as great or companies as favored in the buying and selling of goods at home. The long-term effect has been to bring the value of dollars and pesos more closely in line. Some long-term effects for Maine have been to see more visitors in the state from Canada in particular. On the other hand it may have been the cause of some businesses especially in manufacturing to go elsewhere. Some folks even those who have lived locally may have moved elsewhere and effected the number of individuals going to church or seeking membership. To some degree the number of folks that are on the welfare roles may also have increased. Certainly this would not be the single cause of unemployment but could be a contributing factor.
American businesses were not totally concerned with where they could expand in the United States. Companies such as Disney opened sizable amusement parks in both Europe and Japan during this period of time. MacDonalds and its hamburgers even found their way to Beijing, China. Many American corporate logos dot the landscape of foreign countries. Locals do not always like to see those images over and above those of local vendors. Often the image projected by America seems to be one of corporate greed. The same image has sometimes bee laid on the church and missionaries as well. It is not that huge amounts of assistance haven’t been shared with foreign countries around the world as well. As a nation the United States has been unequaled in the amount of sharing that has gone to other countries from the government as well as churches and other charitable organizations. The United Methodist Church as one example through United Methodist Committee on Relief has distributed millions of dollars worth of aid in areas hard hit by devastation. Methodism is heavily involved in mission work in many countries of the world as well as at home. It depends on which image is projected by people on the ground all over the world which image becomes "the record" for all the others. Again the light of the Lord does shine in the human care shared between most Americans especially those sponsored by churches, and those that we need to support on a daily basis elsewhere.
The launching of the Hubble Space Telescope by NASA in 1990 was not without difficulty and for some not without trepidation. A number of flaws in design led the Telescope to be less than effective when it was first placed in orbit. God has given men great wisdom and through computers and wireless communication with the telescope many of those errors were correctable. On later space flights men were able to make those final adjustments and because of that we have a much more accurate view of the heavens beyond us. By studying what is beyond we know more about ourselves as well. We know that God is much greater than we could ever imagine. He is the creator of all the universes that the Hubble has been able to locate. We also have reason to than the Lord more for what we do have on this Earth. Knowing that I hearken back to the first paragraph of this edition of Roots to again emphasize the need for preserving what we do have, taking responsibility for making the most of what the Lord has provided and not just take advantage. We have a legacy to preserve for future generations what God has already revealed to us and see that confirmation is given through his allowing us to study our history and past and to use our minds to create a better life for those that follow.
Another rapid expansion of the 1990’s that has brought both its good and bad elements to us is in the area of communication. With the invention of the computer and its linkage to fiber optics today we can communicate vocally and on-line with little regard to where we are on the globe. AOL was the first of the Internet e-mailing systems that introduced us in the early 1990’s to a whole new way of communication. It is easy, with the addition of other electronics devices to communicate in writing and orally to almost any location you can think of on the face of this earth---and beyond. Getting humanitarian aid and developing understandings between disparate peoples has resulted from that initial introduction to intern-continental communication. Certainly the means of sharing these pages through a Blogspot was not even thought about when AOL was introduced in 1992 and by 1994 had over a million subscribers. We do know, however, that Internet communication has to continuously be "on guard" for illegal use of the systems. As subscribers we need to have Anti-virus protections on our computers so we are not taken advantage of. Terrorists in recent years as well as abusers of people have taken advantage of computerization and communication to place in effect their insidious plots. As Christians we to need to be protected in what is often the unfriendly world even of communication. We need to be able to use that communication to promote the good.
While we find many instances in the life of the world that have brought change for the good, worldwide folks still struggle with thoughts and ideas of how we all should look and work with each other. It seems to be the focus of discontent among some nations especially involving the United States centering on differences of opinion that involve politics, economics and religion with various nations in the Middle East. This is an area of the world where even within religious thinking of the same religion there are violent confrontations, often fatal for some, between its believers. The threats of exporting the violent aspects of some groups linking religion with politics have led to several years of struggle among neighbors and with distant outsiders. Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm have kept the United States and other countries as police forces especially in Iraq.
When Iraq invaded Kuwait, an ally of the United States, in 1991 it signaled the United States that swift action needed to take place. That action was short-lived, but the ramifications of that involvement simply led to the deeper involvement of Desert Storm.
Religion is a piece of that continuing difficulty which should have led Christians to spend time looking at the religion of the majority in the area to understand differences as well as similarities in the beliefs of Islam.
One bright spot again that took place in the 1990’s in the Middle East was the awarding of Nobel Prizes jointly to Itshak Rabin and Shimon Peres of Israel and Yassar Arafat of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. Formerly these folks were at war against each other. Over a long period of time served as a mediator led these men to come to a respectable agreement over the division of territory and a joint attempt to restore peace to the area. During the same period of time the long-standing conflict between the Irish and Protestants in Northern Ireland came to an end after Mainer, George Mitchell brokered a settlement between warring forces.
We may look more optimistically to the future because some of what we have seen, heard and witnessed in the 1990’s . We need, however, to be continuously reminded that the past is littered with instances where the armor of the Lord had to be worn by Christians in order that right might be restored with or without might. In 1993, a film of major impact on any one who saw it was released. "Schindler’s List" produced by Steven Spielberg portrayed important elements of the Holocaust of the 1930’s and 1940’s. What Oscar Schindler did to try and save friends who were Jewish was symbolic of the sacrifice people, Christians included have needed to take against evil in the past. My wife and I saw the film on a snowy night in either January or February. What was so dramatic to me with the timing of having seen the film was that the snow when we came out of the theater reminded me of the ashes that floated over the countryside at Aushwitz. A reminder of the ashes of thousands of folks who had been sacrificed simply because of the religion they professed. The Holocaust of that era was certainly not the only one in the course of human history nor the only one that occurred in this century. People of Armenian background or Cambodian upbringing have been a part of our heritage or are own recollections. Even the 1990’s saw genocide occurring in Africa in Rwanda. We are not so far from the past afterall. Even American religious cults have seen their end in horror. Jim Jones and his followers in Guinea and the Branch Davidian sect in Waco, Texas are reminders of how religious groups have sometimes misinterpreted words from the Bible and have not encouraged others of the love that emanates from the living God, Christ Jesus.
Terrorism, however, in 1993 raised its ugly fangs on American territory. Some of this terror was instigated from beyond the shores of the United States and other incidents were bred at home. In 1993, the World Trade Center was bombed for the first time. This attack was an omen of things to come. In 1995 the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed with the loss of lives being 168. It was an American by the name of Timothy McVeigh that was tried and convicted of instigating this shock to America’s heartland. In 1999, Columbine High School in Colorado was the scene of slaughter of students and teachers as a result of two dissatisfied students who disapproved of school policies and the beliefs of some students. They in turn killed themselves, but again part of a community that was thought safe was no longer so. Tragedy and shock have continued to part of American life in spite of the fact that so many merciful acts had taken place at times in the 1990’s.
This is certainly not the whole story of the 1990’s but what we have reported does give the reader a picture of joy and sadness all rolled into the period of ten years.

Roots of Peoples United Methodist Church
Part 52 New Ventures

For generations the women’s organizations of the church and the men’s groups had operated separately. In 1987 with dwindling numbers and the offer of a monthly meal from the United Methodist Women the United Methodist Men decided to meet on the same nights as the women, being fed by the women and then separating for their meetings. Bean Suppers also became a shared experience with men offering their services to cook and to help set up the hall. Christmas Fairs while still thought to be the women’s activity saw the men setting up a table with home made wooden goods for sale.
The first pictorial directory was commissioned, produced and made available to parishioners simply for having their pictures taken in 1981. Olin Mills, the first photographic company commissioned by Peoples for this project would make its money by selling pictures to parishioners. Photographers from Majestic Marketing of Cleveland, Tennessee in 1984 produced the second directory. The church returned to a contract with Olin Mills two years later followed by another contract with Majestic in 1990. Over the course of the next decade, Peoples would return to Olin Mills twice more. The Pictorial Directory is a collection of member families and individuals with pictures showing staff members who had served the church and activities that had taken place in church life. In looking at such collections it is rather amazing to see how quickly the life of the church and its members change.
One of the most popular seasonal publications that Peoples has produced is the Advent Meditation book. Produced for the Advent season the booklet is a collection of meditations produced by members of the parish. Contributors use the design of writing and organization found in Upper Room meditations. From the records it appears the first publication of this seasonal reading was 1987. People, both members and friends of Peoples have looked forward to these booklets annual publication. The variety of themes and the quality of the writing never seems to get old and remains as meaningful years later as when first produced and read.
Under John LaPointe’s direction and leadership, Peoples became involved in the operation of the Wayside Soup Kitchen. Several members of the church would be responsible for preparing the meal, setting tables and cleaning up whenever there was a fifth Wednesday in a given month. Sally Newell, Dave Hodgkins and Tom Nelson have all taken their turn as coordinator of our efforts with Wayside. Originally the Wayside Soup Kitchen was operated out of the Emanuel Baptist Church on High Street in Portland. Several years later a number of social services including the Wayside were merged into a facility known as the Preble Street Resource Center. While the numbers of volunteers from Peoples has shrunk considerably over the last 20 years, an active group of 10 to 12 still appear on the appointed date.
When Sunday School opened in 1988 staff members were all wearing the new Peoples United Methodist Church red and white sweatshirts. Andrea Harvey had made the suggestion along with Judy Arnold. Any church members found that they wanted to buy a sweatshirt also. Certainly wearing the sweatshirts beyond the doors of the church was good advertising and a way of showing your connection to the church. Rally Day that fall was set up like a Palestinian Market Place. The children had the opportunity to involve themselves in bead stringing, ty-dying of tee-shirts, weaving and eating of near-eastern foods. Young folks were enthused with the activity and the membership stayed strong. In order to continue affording children’s celebrations CeCe Laberge, a member of the Sunday school staff had the idea of coming up with a "crafty auction". The Sunday school staff and students as well as other donators contributed crafts for the October auction. The very first "Crafty Auction" raised $800 for the operation of the Sunday school. The "Crafty Auction" would continue to held in the fall each year for several years to benefit the operation of the Sunday school. In time reluctance on the part of some folks to continue to set this project up for the Sunday school led to the auction being taken over by the Trustees to raise general funds for the operation of the church.
Over times thousands of dollars have been raised and the church is especially grateful to Doreen Gay for the continuation of that activity.
Other activities of the Sunday school that year included to annual cookie bake. Youngsters would gather in the Ellis Hall kitchen and with the help of Sunday school staff bake many cookies that would be distributed on a pre-Christmas Sunday morning to the elderly housing on Broadway. More cookies than could be distributed at that location were taken by John LaPointe to homeless shelters for distribution. In December of 1988 the total number of cookies distributed totaled 1879. That figure set an increasing standard for the years to follow.
Another new venture that was begun was inspired by Meg Braley. Having young children, Meg, thought it might be appropriate to start a program called Junior Church.
This would not be a program for infants, but children, generally 4 to 7 years of age that might not sit well during the whole of a regular church service. Children would be excused from church service about the time of the offering or after a children’s sermon to go downstairs or to Ellis Hall. There the intent was that these children, separated from infants, might develop a positive and rewarding church experience. Children would learn to share ideas and prayers. They would also learn to minister to each other. There were 4, 3 person groups of adults that would rotate in administering the Junior Church. Volunteers usually included parents of the children who would be in that age group and any other parishioners that were willing to volunteer.

Some of the activities started earlier in the decade of the 1980’s continued under the astute leadership of Belle Graney. While mentioned in an earlier episode in the life of Peoples Church, support of the local Cambodian refugee population continued with housing, employment, food, and medical services still being coordinated. Support of the Heifer Project was a part of the routine mission activities of church and Sunday school. Meg Quieor served as the coordinator for those efforts in the late 1980’s. Several members of the congregation took part in the annual CROP Walk in the spring of 1989.
Young and old alike took part in this joint mission project with other area churches. The route for the CROP Walk began and ended at St. Albans in Cape Elizabeth. The route travelled along Shore and Cottage Roads to Highland Avenue in South Portland. The route crossed to Stillman Street over to Sawyer to Cottage and back to St. Albans where a prayer service was held and goodies served after the walk.
Peoples, through the leadership of the Sunday school and UMW, also found 1988 as the first year of a continuing relationship with the Red Bird Mission in Kentucky. Each year good and new toys are collected and are gathered at the Hanging of the Greens night in the church sanctuary. Children bring the collected toys to the Chancel area and place them under the Peace Tree. UMW takes the responsibility of boxing the toys and sending them to the mission.
Having changed the frontal look of the church in the earlier 1980’s the old sign which had served the church since moving to Broadway and which had been donated by Ken Webber was no longer easily visable. Permission was granted to remove it and the Men’s Club commissioned Scarborough Sign Company to carve and install a new one in front of Ellis Hall. Jim Darling was one of the principal advocates for the sign which has now graced the lawn in front of Ellis Hall for nearly 20 years. From the record it appears that the design of the sign was created by Dan Doughty. John Robinson, John Campbell and Clyde Ward were instrumental in seeing this project to completion.
1988 was also the year that Pastor Lin led a contingent of 10 parishioners on a trip to the Holy Lands. Many folks from other churches were on that trip. Those who took the trip and those who continued to be inspired by their stories for years thereafter felt the inspiration gained by being in the presence of those Holy places. Each time that Pastor Lin would baptized a child or an adult after his return he would anoint them with water from the Jordan River.
Some exciting changes took place through the Worship Committee headed by Marlene Tordoff. There were 12 folks that were on the committee which included representatives from the music programs, ushers, tract supervisor, junior church and nursery and the altar and communion stewards. For Mother’s Day orders were taken for carnations that would be placed on the altar for mother’s living and deceased as well as sisters, sisters-in-law and friends. Carnations would be taken after the service and given to the person in whose honor they had been dedicated. For Father’s Day several fruit and vegetable baskets were filled with vegetables and fruits in honor of fathers of the present as well as the past. These baskets were then taken to group homes such as Youth Alternatives for their use. The names of the women on Mother’s Day and the men on Father’s Day were listed in the church bulletin. The last time the United Methodist Church published a full-size hymnal was in 1989. The worship committee led the way at raising funds for the number of hymnals we would need. Enough was raised through dedications that nearly 200 were purchased as well as special editions for the organist and large print editions for sight impaired folks. Enough money was raised that a continuing fund was available for several years in case any needed replacement.
As one can see many activities were instituted and brought life in many forms to the inner and outer being of Peoples Church. This series of episodes in the life of Peoples has been primarily through the research of one person with the help of those that have primarily held the positions of historian or leadership in the church before. I encourage anyone and everyone to submit their recollections for publication. We have been working on this endeavor since 2003, the sesquicentennial year, and hope to complete the work within another year.