University Church: the First One Hundred Years
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The First One Hundred Years Chicago, Illinois 1994 UNIVERSITY UDIJRCH S FIRST ONE The Story of The Wonderful Strands That Make Up This Congregation Authors and Compilers Editors Charles Harvey Arnold Carol LeFevre Eleanor A. Campbell John Modschiedler William D. Carpe Diane L. Herrmann Production and Layout May Sweet Lord Jay Wilcoxen Irvin E. Lunger John H. Sherman Chicago, Illinois 1994 CopjTight 1994 by University Church (Disciples of Christ and United Church of Christ), 5655 South University A^•enue. Chicago, Illinois 60637 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA First Edition CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF SHARING IN GOD’S LOVE AND WONDER, SEEKING TO LIVE OUT GOD'S PLAN FOR OUR LIVES, CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER, AND WORKING FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE from the masthead of the Messenger, 1994 This book is dedicated to all the thousands of men, women, and children who have walked the halls, worshipped and played within the walls, and added much to the enrichment of the history of this congregation. Ill "In days o f rapid cfianges tfie present, it is a notaSCe tfiing tfiat a cHurch s/iouCd6e ce(e6rating its ... anniversary. In earRer times tfie cHurcfi was part o f td efb^d order. (But w ith the amazing social modifications o f recent times, the churches have tended to share in the modifications through which communities pass w ith such swiftness. So that it is something o f an achievement to 6e aSCe to pass a milestone o f this order, and with so fin e a re co rd ” —Herbert Lochjvood ‘HhOett October 7, 1919 TABLE OF COIVTENTS CHAPTER PAGE ACKNOWLEMENENl'S VI INI'RODUtTION VII 1 THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH CONES TO CHICAGO 1 2 THE FOUNDING OF THE HYDE PARK CHURCH AND ITS nRST MINISTER, HERBERT UICKWOOD WILLETT, 1894-1897 7 3 ERRETT GATES, 1897-1900 10 4 EDWARD SCRIBNER ANES, 1900-1940 22 5 IRVIN EUGENE LUNGER, 1 940-1955 72 6 JOSEPH J. VAN BOSKIRK, INTERIM,1955-1956; DAVID N. BRYAN, 1956-1900 94 7 JOHN HIGGINS SHERMAN, 1901-1905 103 8 CLARK N. WILLIAMSON, INTERIM,1 9 0 5 -1 9 0 0 ; BRIAN W. GRANT, INTERIM,1900-1907 123 9 TURNING AROUND: CHARLES H. BAYER, 1907-1973 137 10 CHARLES HARVEY LORD, 1970-1989 100 11 GEORGE P . POLK, INTERN, 1989-1991 2 2 4 ANN MARIE AND ARTHUR DONALD COLEMAN, 1991- 2 3 7 AHEKWORD 2 5 0 BIBLIOGRAPHY 2 5 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS hen this project began in 1988 it was expected to progress smoothly wito final copy ready early in 1994. This did not W happen due to unforseen events, but with the support of members and former members of this congregation the book was completed for the centennial celebration. The History Task Force wishes to thank all toose who have contributed time, expertise, writing skills, and knowledge so that the history of University Church could be finished on time. The Task Force is especially indebted to all the writers and compilers, the editors who painstakingly read copy and made helpful suggestions, and Jay Wilcoxen for his gift of final layout and production skills. The committee wishes to thank members and former ministers who were helpful by contributing their reminiscences of the period they were with University Church. The committee is greatly in debt to Don Coleman, our present senior co-minister, who helped with interviews of some of the older members of the church, and for his wise and comforting counsel during the past three years. The committee is also grateful to Ann Marie Coleman, senior co-minister, for her help in organizing the final chapter and for her additions. And finally, the task force wishes to thank the congregation whose continual encouragement made this project worthwhile. Eleanor A. Campbell Co-chair, History Task Force . Chicago, Dlinois September 1,1994 INTRODUCTION e are delighted to be able to write the introduction to the many strands of the history of University Church. It is clear that this W congregation has chosen to become more as other congregations have joined their histories and understandings with University Church. While this book celebrates the centennial founding of the church which was originally called "The Hyde Park Church of Christ,” the strands of the histories of Memorial Church, a merged congregation of Disciples and Baptists, which joined with University Church in 1927 and the South Congregational Church, Community Christian Church, South Community Church which joined with University Church in 1980 to create a "new” University Church are an important and rich part of the tapestry that University Church has become. We are grateful to all the people who have participated in writing this intriguing history. They are named on the title page. All of us are indebted to Eleanor Campbell for her vision of this history and her willingness to keep the project going and on time. The story of University Church is an incredible record of people who have continually sought to be open to God's movement They have been rarely satisfied with the status quo and believe that God calls them to witness to the world with a religion of heart and mind. A Strategic Plan has been adopted which will lead us into the year 2000. A Second Century Fund has been established to help provide the resources for the future. Funding will be sought for: • making the church completely accessible, • keeping the building up, • renewing the organ, • growing the leadership of the church, and • enlarging the social justice fund. There are many challenges which face us as a congregation as we dance into the future. We begin this fall using the new United Church of Christ lectionary- based church school curriculum for all ages called ”The Word for Us.” We are excited about the possibilities that this multi-racial, arts based curriculum offers to us as we seek to grow in faithfulness as a congregation. vu We know ourselves to be 'surrounded by the cloud of witnesses' who have gone before—living, growing, struggling, seeking to be responsive to God's movement in tiieir day and time. We dance confidently into the future rooted in their witness, challenged by their faithfulness and open to God's movement in our midst Ann Marie Coleman A, Donald Coleman Chicago, Illinois September 15,1994 vm University Church: The First One Hundred Years THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH CONES TO CHICAGO chapel was constructed at West Monroe he Christian Church and Rucker Streets (about 1200 west). /Disciples of Christ was Cooley eventually returned to Cleve T widely known as a land where he accumulated a small "frontier" people, emerging in the first fortune and before his death estab decade of the nineteenth century and lished missions at several places moving along the widening frontier. around the world. It was reported that Mainly ensconced in the Midwest and he preached regularly until he was past South, especially in Ohio, Indiana, eighty years of age. Kentucky, Tennessee, Iowa, Missouri, and Oklahoma, they eventually Ongoing Struggles In Chicago reached all the way to Texas and For the next twenty years the Dis southern California. When the de ciples struggled to have ongoing con nomination first came to Chicago in gregations in Chicago. During that time 1849, the city was populated with rooms were rented in the Crosby Opera about 50,000 people. In 1890 the Dis House and at St. James Episcopal ciples were still predominantly rural Church. In 1868 they purchased an old and small town folk, far from "the church from the Episcopalians at the madding crowd's ignoble strife." By corner of Wabash and 16th Street. But 1900 they would rise to a million in 1869 the church divided with about members and become the fifth largest forty members forming a new congre denomination in the nation, but they gation and meeting temporarily in the were always uneasy away from the chapel of the Orphan Asylum at Michi farms and small towns of America. gan Avenue and 22nd Street. "A com The first Christian Church in Chi modious, well-appointed, frame cago met in a rented upper room of a church, with high basement and attrac building at the intersection of Lake and tive auditorium above, was shortly Clark Streets vmder the leadership of erected, comer Indiana Avenue and Lathrop Cooley. He arrived in the 25th Street"^ This building, like the autumn of 1849 from Cleveland, Ohio. one at West Monroe and Rucker The membership list of that first con Streets, was never cleared of debt and gregation shows a number of people was eventually sold. who later became prominent in the life of the city. About 1853 or 1854, while * W P. Keeler, The Christian Messenger, Cooley was still their pastor, a frame July 1907. In 1874, shortly after the Great come to be known as higher Chicago Fire of October 1871, the two criticism.^ congregations reunited, occupying the 25th and Indiana building, under the A Setback for Progressivism name of the First Christian Church. Both of the ministers resigned, and the Unfortunately, when Errett died, church continued for six to eight years TIk Standard was taken over by reac with a series of short pastorates includ tionary forces, some in Errett's own ing a six-month period under Isaac Er- family. The Standard fought progressiv rett, a progressive among the Disciples. ism among the Disciples for fifty, al During this time probably the most fa most sixty, years of "Attack and Con mous members were the Henry troversy" (the late Stephen Corey's title Honores, whose daughter, Bertha, later of his book on this subject). 77ie Stan married Potter Palmer.