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The Foundations We Did Not Lay --a service to mark the kick off of our general capital campaign— Rev. Mark Stringer First
Unitarian Church of Des Moines “First Unitarian
Church is a growing institution. Its
influence in Des Moines is expanding.
These are not just idle statements; they are
facts obvious to even the casual observer.
The opportunity is here, the time is now for us
in Des Moines to take a giant step in furthering
Unitarian ideals.”
Call to Gather (Ken Patton) This house is for the ingathering of nature and human-nature. It is a house of friendships, a haven in trouble, an open room for the encouragement of our struggle. It is a house of freedom, guarding the dignity and worth of every person. It offers a platform for the free voice, for declaring, both in times of security and danger, the full and undivided conflict of opinion. It is a house of truth-seeking, where scientists can encourage devotion to their quest, where mystics can abide in a community of searchers. It is a house of art, adorning its celebrations with melodies and handiworks. It is a house of prophecy, outrunning times past and times present in visions of growth and progress. This house is a cradle for our dreams, the workshop of our common endeavor.
Meditation for 10/8&9/05 We begin our meditation time with a quote, the author of which I do not know. But the wisdom of it belongs to all of us.
We build on foundations we did not lay. We warm ourselves at fires we did not light. We sit in the shade of trees we did not plant. We drink from wells we did not dig. We profit from persons we did not know. We are ever bound in relationship.
Let us pause together this day to reflect on this church. Feel your body against the chair. Can you imagine the people who chose this chair for this space? How about the person whose generous pledge to the building fund helped pay for it? As you look out the window wall, can you imagine our majestic oaks that bring us so much joy, when they were 50 years younger, standing tall before this church building, waiting for people to enter its doors for the first time? Can you feel your feet against the floor, a floor that was thoughtfully raked so as to allow for a good view of the stage by all? Can you imagine the pride that the membership must have felt upon singing the first hymn in their light-filled new space? Can you feel the joy of those who had given generously to the building fund, offering more than a token pledge, once they saw the outcome of their sacrifice? Their joy is ours, too. And our joy will be the joy of those who will follow us.
For we are ever bound in relationship to those who came before and to those who will come after. We are ever bound in relationship.
In the shared silence that follows, I invite you to listen for the sounds of those who have come before us. The voices filling this room with poetry and song, the actors and musicians of all ages who have graced the stage, the child dedications, union ceremonies, and memorial services that still hang in the air of this place. Let us be silent as we breathe together our common breath…the breath of life.
(silence)
Amen.
Reading Letter from the Rev. Charles W. Phillips, minister of this church, in the brochure for the 1955 capital campaign that led to the construction of our current building:
“Our church…needs a Home.
That is exactly what we are planning now to give it, a Home. A Home worthy of what we think of it in terms of all the precious memories it brings to mind: of deep and pleasant associations with friends; of the offices of dedication, marriage, and death; of the stimulation and inspiration by, and education in the historic faith of Liberal Religion—the faith of a Free and Generous Humanity.
The world needs what we stand for. In all humility about our failures and shortcomings, I know we profoundly believe that. This means, therefore, that Des Moines, Iowa, here in the heartland of America, needs a Unitarian Church, needs our church.
Each one of us is being asked to do all he can within the limits of his ability and the urgency of his feeling and conscience about his Church. In this all of us can, and shall be, equal.
Since that first small band of pioneer religious liberals in Des Moines, formed in 1877, this Church, and pledged that its enduring influence would shine henceforth in this place, some generations have sustained them in that faith and pledge. Many, many more generations we believe will come.
Now is a special, a unique point in time, to renew the faith of those first few men and women, to be worthy of it, to extend it in a deeper, richer channel. If we would be creditors of the future as we are debtors to the past, we will do no less.
I know that w shall neither bury our talents in the earth, nor be measured and found wanting.”
Sermon
January 24, 1955 was a cold Monday night in Des Moines…9 degrees to be exact, with a trace of snow. Nevertheless at 8pm, around 100 members and friends of First Unitarian gathered in their church at 11th and High Street for a special meeting to consider whether or not they should sell their building.
I imagine this was not an easy discussion for those present that evening. Nearly fifty years had passed since their building had been dedicated. For most, it was the only church building that they had ever associated with First Unitarian. It was their church. It was their home. And now an offer had been made by the Iowa Farm Bureau to purchase their building…a generous offer in the ball park of $135,000…an offer that not only exceeded the value of the property, but that could give the membership a considerable down payment on a new building.
Despite the predictable attachment that many must have had to the church on High Street, the members and friends who gathered on that cold January night knew that their beloved building was not meeting the needs of their growing community. If they turned down the offer, they would still need to raise 30,000 dollars or more just to keep the building maintained to an adequate standard. The church school was overcrowded. There were not enough bathrooms. They needed more space.
They knew what they had to do, and by the end of the meeting, they voted to accept the offer.
Though the Iowa Farm Bureau had agreed to allow the church to stay in the building for 18 months, the membership knew they needed to move quickly to secure a new location for their church…and they wasted no time.
Immediately a committee was appointed to determine a new site for the church. Chaired by member Florence Byerly, this committee considered 19 different sites over the next month. Many of these sites were easily eliminated from consideration, due to space limitations or a price that exceeded what the committee determined the church could afford, which had been set at 9,000. People later commented on how absurd it was to believe that the church could obtain a piece of land worthy of their expectations for such a little sum. And, in fact, the budgeted amount did seem unrealistic, as the asking price of each of the sites being considered easily exceeded what the church could afford, with prices ranging from 28,000 to over 100,000.
Each of the sites, that is, except for one—a 4 ½ acre triangle-shaped plot of land at the corner of Bell Avenue and Casady Drive which had the most economically sound price of all: Beyond some predicted investments in a septic system, a gas line and paving, it was free. The land was offered as a gift from member Amos Emery, a Des Moines architect, in memory of his father R.D. Emery, who had been a member of First Unitarian from the time Amos was five years old, back when the church was still meeting in a wooden building at Fifteenth and Linden streets, a building that had served the church from 1882 until 1904.
This generous offer of land was no doubt much appreciated by many on the committee, particularly those who were beginning to understand how much it would cost to secure a comparable piece of land elsewhere. However, the committee also knew that Amos Emery had placed a condition on his generous offer--he would only give the land to the church if the decision to accept it were unanimous. Committed to doing their job as thoroughly as possible, even as they were forced by necessity to work quickly, the committee members considered all options, visiting many sites despite the reportedly frigid, often-times near 0 degree weather Des Moines was enduring that winter.
While most of the sites being considered were too far out of town or too small, two sites other than the Bell Ave. site were of particular interest. One of these was at 35th and Kingman, an attractive possibility because, as one realtor wrote, all that would need to happen to the land before construction could begin was the razing of a farm house. The committee also seriously considered a site at 900 Polk Boulevard. However, as both of these locations would have cost the church over $40,000, they really had little choice but to focus their attention on the Bell Ave. location.
Despite the relative value of this south side location, the committee members were not in agreement over its selection. There were many potential problems to consider.
One sticking point was the proposed “Thomas Beck Highway” still yet to be built. Would it infringe on the property?
Mr. Blaine Davis questioned the noise from jet planes. Emery pointed out that the airport runway headed northwest away from the proposed site, and added that a fellow named Harold Goldman was building an expensive home much closer to the airport, implying that what was good enough for Mr. Goldman was probably good enough for the church. Mr. Davis also reportedly felt that the site was so isolated that “women might fear to go there at night.” This concern was determined to be of minimal significance as reportedly “anything would have been superior to the … dark alley” at the High Street location. Besides, it was acknowledged that the “new site should be adequately lighted.”
Some people were concerned that the Bell Ave. locale was not in an area of population growth, rather it was in an industrial neighborhood where the employees of the neighboring companies Solar Aircraft and Meredith publishing might infringe on the church parking or not keep up their properties. At least one committee member was troubled that the site was too covered with vegetation.
The committee acknowledged that the lack of pubic transportation available to the church could be an issue and took the step of investigating how much it would cost to hire taxis to carry people from the High Street location to Bell Ave. I got the impression that the public transportation issue might have mushroomed into a deal breaker had it not been for a few rational-minded church members named Knox and Frances Craig, who sent a hand written note to then-board president Oval Quist stating that none of the proposed sites would be any easier to get to via public transportation than the Bell Ave. site and that they, as a family which did not own an automobile, would be happy to find a ride each week.
Incidentally, I chatted with John Swanson this week, who along with his wife Wissie, began attending First Unitarian just before the move to Bell Ave., and he said that catching rides to the south side location never created a problem for the church members. People just made sure everyone could get to the new church by offering rides.
The committee looked into everything, it seemed: --the likelihood of the creek flooding was determined to be minimal --the status of the Van Ginkel mine, which reportedly had workings 500 feet south of Bell on the Casady Drive side of the creek, was thought by the state mine inspector to be of little danger to a future building on the premises --and the cost of the future septic system was estimated (which later turned out to be irrelevant as residential development in the area led the city to put in a sewer line…a gas line, too).
Meanwhile, the site was determined to have some distinct advantages other than price. Board president, Oval Quist, “speaking of churches he had visited from coast to coast, reported that the greatest growth problems…” seemed to be “increased parking space and increased room for Sunday School.” He pointed out “the proposed site has both.”
Professor Charles Ritchey “spoke of the aesthetic value of the site” and “urged the study of the trees…so valuable oaks could be saved while building.” Professor Ritchey, no doubt, would have chaired the Green Team, had there been one.
Ultimately, it was determined by the majority of the committee that the Bell Ave. site had “unusual advantages…for the Sunday School program, possibilities of outdoor activities, (an) inspiring view of the city, and space for separate classrooms” (which was particularly attractive as the High Street locale had limited space, leaving the members to hold classes in the kitchen and in other easily disrupted rooms in the church). And so, the committee determined that the Bell Ave. site “as a gift plus the cost of improvements” was indeed “a far better value than anything yet offered.”
Still, two committee members voted “no” on the proposed site, believing that the church had not adequately investigated the other locales. Fortunately, by this time Amos Emery had removed the condition that the vote be unanimous. At the time of their dissent, the two members were asked if they wished to create a minority report. They declined at first, acknowledging that they would be fighting a losing battle. However, some time later, no doubt at the urging of others who shared their concerns, they each explained their positions with separate, but similar, four-page letters.
Nevertheless, the site had been chosen and accepted by the committee and on February 28th, 1955, barely a month after the decision to sell the High Street building, the board accepted the gift of our current location. Then on March 20th, the membership echoed that decision with its own approval at another special meeting.
Now the challenge was to raise the money needed to fund the new building. Again the church leadership worked quickly and efficiently.
The initial goal of the building campaign was set at $45,000. A lengthy document was put together called “workers’ instructions” that was given to church members who did the job of canvassing their peers. Here’s a series of excerpts that I culled from this document. They still speak to us today, despite the gender exclusive language:
“There is nothing magical or mystical about church fund raising. It is primarily a case of careful analysis and planning, sincere faith in the work to be done, old-fashioned common sense, a sincere unbiased knowledge of the purpose of the campaign, a willingness to work and a resolute determination to succeed. It is not an “easy” assignment, but your participation in this campaign, may well prove to be the most gratifying experience of your lives.”
“In order to raise our goal…we must raise our sights. We know we can achieve the goal we have set because other church groups in similar circumstances and of like economic means have done so. We must realize that the opportunity to engage in this type program comes to few of us more than once in a lifetime. Therefore, we must make the most of the opportunity when it presents itself.”
“Sacrificial and realistic pledging is absolutely essential if we are to reach our goal….Remember the importance of the pledge to he who makes it. You will alter the course of the lives of those from whom you secure generous better-than-token gifts. The giver’s investment goes with his gift; the larger the gift, the greater the interest. Many a church member traces the beginning of a REAL personal concern in his spiritual life to the time when he first made a sacrificial gift to his Church.”
The entire drive was conducted in 3½ weeks. Working with a membership of around 250, the drive ended up with pledges totaling just over $65,000 from 126 pledging units. The pledges fell into categories of giving, not all that unlike what is suggested on the gift chart that was included in your order of service. The top pledge of 12,000 (nearly 100,0000 in today’s dollars) was offered by Margaret Casady. 3 units pledged in the 4-5000 range, 2 in the 2000 range, 7 in the 1000 range and over one hundred pledges came from the remaining membership, pledges that while smaller in monetary value, may have represented even greater stretches than the leadership gifts.
In the end, it seems, most everyone did his or her part, and the campaign was an unqualified success.
Once the campaign was over, the time had come to finalize the building design. An architecture committee was formed to administer an extensive survey of the church population to determine what they wanted in a building, the results of which were turned over to the architect, Amos Emery. The resulting design called for 19,000 square feet of space...almost 4000 more square feet than what was finally built. A coordinating committee worked with Emery to reduce the “dream plan” to something more financially manageable. Guiding them in their decision-making process was the goal of creating “adequate, functional space for a church of approximately 500 members,” essentially double the size of the membership at the time. They created an auditorium that could seat nearly 200 people in the regular seating, along with a room in the back for overflow, which also served as the Mary Safford Room, a room many women in the church had requested, as there had been on in the church on High Street. They wanted to allow for a church school that could accommodate between 120-150 children at a time. Is it any wonder, then, that as we continue to grow our membership and the church school (for both children and adults) that we are running out of space? Initially they wanted to have the entire building air-conditioned, but, due to financial limitations, they had to settle only for the duct work.
Never far from the focus of Emery was that the building was also to accommodate the Drama Workshop, a community theater which had many Unitarian participants and which had its beginnings in the basement of the High Street church. That’s why the auditorium was built on a rake, with a stage, and a greenroom below. The theatrical elements of the design and implementation, in fact, may have had a higher priority than some other elements, as the church school space, the Mary Safford Room, and the kitchen were reportedly not fully completed until a few years after the building was dedicated.
I’m sure many other changes were made as well from the dream plan to the reality, though these were more difficult to discern from the records I saw. I know after talking with Frances Craig this week, a member of First Unitarian since 1946, that in the years that followed the move to Bell Ave., further improvements and refurbishing were funded and completed by groups in the church…especially Unity Circle, the devoted group of church women who did a great deal to support programming and the goals of the church through rummage sales and elbow grease.
Clear to even the casual observer of the church records from this time, however, were the challenges the church faced as it sought to finalize the project and complete it on time. There were many hurdles to jump, not the least of which was the financial hardship the church endured as it tried to maintain and grow its operating fund during a time of transition.
Despite the best intentions of all involved, construction on the Bell Ave. building did not begin until June of 1956 and was not completed and ready for services until the fall of 1957, a full year later than what had been expected. In the meantime, the church had to vacate its High Street premises. From what looks like a place of panic, the minister at the time Chuck Phillips took it upon himself to investigate the YWCA, which agreed to let the church rent space for 50 dollars a week. For an entire year, the church met at the Women’s Y, in a room with noisy radiators that was always too hot or too cold…but they did so without their minister, for Rev. Phillips, who had served the church for seven years resigned from First Unitarian in June of 1956, a week before construction on the new church was to begin, to take a job in Omaha. The records suggest it was an amicable split, but it no doubt was a blow to the leadership, just another thing with which to deal. Nevertheless, the church soldiered on, weathering the challenges, and finally began meeting in the Bell Ave. building on Sunday, September 8th, 1957. The first sermon, preached by new minister Harold Dodge Buck, was entitled “Billy Graham Isn’t All Wrong.” Just over a month later, on October 17th, the building was officially dedicated at a ceremony featuring the president of the American Unitarian Association Frederick May Elliot. Former minister, Rev. Phillips also spoke.
In the end, the new building cost approximately $223,000, around $50,000 more than the membership first anticipated, which led the church to take on a mortgage of $58,000, more than double what they had expected to borrow. Before they ever set foot in the new building, they said goodbye to a minister and parted ways with several devoted, active members who were either unhappy about the Bell Ave. location, disaffected by the design decisions, or who could simply not endure the year at the YWCA. And yet, the church survived. And it still survives. In fact, today it thrives…which, after all, is why we are having this “room to bloom” campaign and asking each of us n to consider the importance of this church in our lives, both real and potential, n to remember the debt we owe to those who came before us, those who also walked these halls and sat in these seats, who made the sacrifice to leave for us this beautiful building, n and to be inspired to make our own sacrifices so that the generations that will follow us may one Sunday morning listen to some future minister review the commitments that we made way back in 2005, the challenges we faced, and say “Thank you for all you did to keep liberal religion alive in Des Moines. Thank you for leaving us a church home where we can practice creative interchange, where we can walk together through the joys and sorrows of life, where we can make commitments to each other and to ourselves that we will do all we can to leave this world better than we have found it, where we can be challenged to freely and fully inhabit this life and to seek justice, equity and compassion.
As Robert Harper, chairman of the 1955 building campaign wrote to his fellow members, “The money we realized from the sale of the old church and which will go into the new one is really a donation to us by the people who built and paid for the present building some 50 years ago. In this drive we are given the opportunity to join with them in providing a church that we will really be a part of, because we will actually own a part of it. Nothing is so sacred as something in which one has invested cold cash.”
Nothing is so sacred, I would add, expect perhaps acknowledging, respecting, and acting on the fact that we are bound in relationship. Each of us is bound. We are always bound in relationship to the past, the present, and the future.
When you are canvassed for this campaign, I invite you to remember those who came before…for we all build on foundations we did not lay…and remember those who will follow…for they will need strong foundations, too.
Extinguishing the Flame Please join me for a responsive reading, found in your order of service
I extinguish now the visible flame of this community so that we may carry its light into the world. Let us go from this place open to life, expecting to love and prepared to serve.
Closing in Song Hymn of Valor
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