Presentation made by the Memorial Committee Sunday, October 31, 2010 - - PDF document

Presentation made by the Memorial Committee

Sunday, October 31, 2010

In 1872, 15 people joined to form the Presbyterian Church of Riverside, now the Riverside Presbyterian Church. If you read its Centennial history penned by Robert Lindquist , which was then reworked by his grandson Bob Daily into the 1997 edition celebrating its 125 years, you may be struck by the vibrancy of this congregation. Over the years it has promoted worship in various ways; celebrated men, women, youth, and children by fostering their religious education and general well-being; and forged ties with the community and beyond. Undergirding many of these efforts are memorials. On this eve of All Saints’ Day, let us recall some of our very own RPC saints, and what has been made possible for our congregation by gifts in their memory. In our presentation, we would like to highlight some of them, and if at the end you’ve enjoyed this tour, please pick up a flyer following the service to revisit some of these destinations on your own self-guided tour. Due to time constraints, we are able to touch on only a few of the many wonderful memorials here at RPC. If there are others you’d like to bring to the forefront, please contact the Memorial Committee and we’ll see that they get mentioned in the Vision or in a future presentation. 1. Our journey begins outside on the grounds of RPC, where we arrive at the Prayer

• Garden. Here stands a beautiful Dogwood Tree given in memory of Liberty Dvorak in 2009. A

Red Bud Tree was planted last month, in memory of Carl Martin, through the Cheerful Givers

• program. Two benches have been purchased through memorials in Henrietta Cady’s name.

2. In the parkway along Barrypoint Road stands a Triumph Elm Tree, in memory of Elmer Kweton. Elmer was dedicated to helping fight Dutch Elm disease in Riverside. He walked house-to-house and administered a special medicine to the elms to help them withstand the threat of the disease. 3. Looking up, we see two beautiful windows in the bell tower, which were restored and illuminated in memory of Bill Jansky. These windows date back to the 1880s, when a new chapel was built after a fire had destroyed the original Stone Chapel in 1879. 4. As we enter the Community House and go up the stairs to the third floor, we arrive at the Gymnasium, which was painted in 2009 in memory of Bill Barrett. Though Bill was not a member of this church at the time of his death, he was a faithful member of the Men’s Forum and met with them for many years. As you can see, the gym gets good use from our church youth and community groups. 5. Going back down to the second floor and past the children’s Sunday School rooms, note the plaques on the doors in memory of earlier members of our church when these Sunday school rooms were first established. We come to the newly appointed Computer Lab in the Living Waters room, which is in memory of John C. Lewe as well as in honor of Lynda Nadkarni and the work she has done for the children’s program. The plaque reads, “…where

limitless learning takes flight,” a take-off on the fact that John C. Lewe was a pilot instructor for fighter pilots during World War II. 6. As we head downstairs toward the sanctuary via the Preschool, note the Pulpit in the hallway at the base of the stairs. Parents of preschoolers pass by it daily as they drop off or pick up their children, and read whatever special messages the staff has left there. The pulpit was given in memory of Rev. Turner, the 7th pastor of our church, who served from 1937 to 1950. By the way, did you know that it was during Rev. Turner’s tenure that the Deacons began hosting the strawberry social? It had originally always been run by the Riverside Branch of Infant Welfare. But after three consecutive years of being rained out, the Infant Welfare no longer planned to run the event. The RPC Deacons then took it over, and now the Fellowship Committee continues on with this tradition. 7. Down the hallway, we arrive at the library, where there is a beautiful open Bible, It was given by Mr. and Mrs. William Harris in 1926 in memory of their son, Robert Harris. 8. As we approach the Sanctuary, you’ll notice the Sanctuary Doors . They are the threshold we all pass through every Sunday as we enter the Sanctuary. They stand in memory of

• Mr. and Mrs. Chandler Beach and Richard Beach. Mr. Beach was the son of a minister, and

served in the Civil War in the Quartermaster Department. He also founded the C. B. Beach Publishing Company in Chicago. He served our church as both Elder and Clerk of Session for many years. In 1928, Beach Hall, a church addition, was built and named after Mr. Beach, However, it later burned down in the 1960’s. Here you see a photo of Mr. Beach holding his grandson. 9. Next to the doors in the south foyer you will notice a Chapel Lectern. On it, we

• ften place informational flyers or bulletins for special services. It is in honor of Mr. and Mrs.

Albert Ames, who became members in 1888. You’ll recognize that name from our local Ames

• School. Here you see Mr. Ames with the Kindergarten class in 1898. And it should also be noted

that Mrs. Ames is responsible for starting our youth group back in 1913, and it’s still going strong today.

• 10. The Advent Candle you see during the Christmas season is in memory of the

Ames’ daughter, Harriet Ames Carlson. And many of you know the Ames’ granddaughter, Harriet Kweton, a current member of our church.

• 11. From 1900 – 1913, Rev. Jenkins served as our 5th pastor. Here you see a church

advertisement during that time. It states, “Strangers cordially invited….” And it is about this time that our association with the British and Scottish homes begins. Horse drawn carriages were sent to the homes to bring anyone who desired to attend Sunday morning services. After

• Rev. Jenkin’s death in 1920, a pulpit was delivered in his memory. Although we no longer know

the whereabouts of this pulpit, the story goes that this pulpit was determined to be “a foot too high.” So a new member at the time, Mr. Otto Haack, altered it free of charge. A year later in 1921, Mr. Haack started Riverside’s first Boy Scout troop, which continues on today. And we all know how good those pancakes are every year at the Boy Scout Pancake Breakfast.

• 12. It was 1931, and the Great Depression challenged families and businesses
• everywhere. But despite economic hardship, a major redecoration of the sanctuary was done.

Look up at the beautiful Sanctuary Chandeliers. They’re in memory of Olive Keller, the daughter

• f Mr. and Mrs. G.F. Keller, who died at age 11 from complications of diabetes.MUSIC has

always been important to RPC, not just at Christmas but throughout the liturgical year, and memorials support this program. Every year at Easter, members may contribute to the Music Fund in honor or in memory of a loved one. INSTRUMENTS have been acquired through memorials, too. Some of the HAND BELLS you hear on Sunday mornings have been purchased in this way.

• 13. The Organ TRUMPET Stop was given in memory of John J. Bryant.
• 14. The Organ CLARINET Stop was given in memory of Frank Mancl.
• 15. The sanctuary PIANO was given in memory of Robert Lindquist.
• 16. The Piano LAMP was dedicated in memory of LaRue Thompson in 2004.
• 17. Back in the 1980’s, HYMNALS were given in memory of Mary Cerny, who was

a deacon and known as the “Sunshine Lady.” She would always spread sunshine by sending cards to members for weddings, births, illness, etc., and here you see a card she sent to Mary Ann and Dennis Sadilek when they got married. Since then, the hymnals in Mrs. Cerny’s memory have been replaced by the newer hymnals we use today, which were given in honor or in memory of loved ones by our church members. Open the hymnal in front of you and see whose name is in it!

• 18. Handel’s Messiah Sometimes musical memorials are of a less tangible nature.

This year's Messiah will serve as a memorial to those we have loved and lost. Memorial donations of $20 may be sent to the church office marked “Attn: Messiah 2010.” The names of the collected memorials will be listed in the Messiah program.

• 19. The Messiah evokes Jesus as our Shepherd, among other images, and that is an

image we frequently see in stained glass windows in churches. Let’s take a look at RPC’s lovely windows and review a few stories associated with them. The windows along the south wall are titled “The Great Commission – Jesus, before His Ascension, sends His Disciples out into the World.” The window on the left is in memory of Joseph and Cora Harrington.Joseph Harrington was a heating engineer who is mentioned in the “Who’s Who in Engineering” book for making the “Harrington Stoker” in 1918. As you may have guessed, Riverside’s Harrington Park is named after him.

• 20. The center window is in memory of Nelson and Frances Willard, the Assistant to

the President of the Santa Fe Railroad. He was chair of the pastoral nominating committee that called Reverend Waldo to be our pastor in 1913, but we will talk more about that later. His wife,

Frances was a member of the choir for 25 years, and an excellent knitter who knitted socks for the troops in Europe during WWII.

• 21. The window on the right is in memory of Walter and Anne Scoville. Mr. Scoville

was hired by Mr. Ames to teach school in Riverside, and was a Village Trustee. Oak Park’s Scoville Park is named after the family.

• 22. Some of you may not be aware that there are two beautiful windows in the choir

loft entitled, “The Nativity Windows.” They were given in honor of the 6th pastor of RPC, Rev. Alfred Waldo, by the Gross family. How he came to our church is an interesting story: Fifty years after the Battle of Gettysburg, in 1913, veterans from all over attended the 50th Anniversary Encampment event at Gettysburg. Veteran Mr. Willard, who also happened to be RPC’s chairman of the Pastoral Search Committee at the time, was there at Gettysburg. At a nearby Congregational Church, he heard Rev. Waldo preach. Mr. Willard enthusiastically encouraged RPC to invite Rev. Waldo to come and preach here, and it wasn’t long after when he accepted the position as pastor. You may find it remarkable that during Rev. Waldo’s stint, the Vision newsletter began in 1914 and $2.50 per week was the budget for printing and postage. My, how times have changed–today this is mostly an online publication. In 1922, also during Rev. Waldo’s tenure, our church celebrated its 50th anniversary and for the first time held a pledge drive called the “every-member canvas pledge drive.” Deacons and Session members visited each home and requested a pledge as well as volunteer participation. Does this sound familiar?

• 23. The windows on the north wall and are entitled “The Good Shepherd Windows.”

They are in memory of the fourth pastor of RPC, Rev. Charles Snyder, He was pastor when the manse was constructed and preached the word with (quote) “rare eloquence, sweetness and power.” After his death in 1910, a member of the congregation, Mr. Ashley Guthrie, recalled a day when he was a young boy throwing snowballs at a man…and when he discovered it was

• Rev. Snyder, he became very embarrassed and felt (quote) “as bad as though I had thrown snow

balls at God.”

• 24. Looking at the east wall, the three lower windows in the center are in memory of

Watts DeGolyer , who served as Elder and was also one of the founders of the Moody Mission. He preached there as often as Mr. Moody himself. In fact, Mr. DeGolyer preached the last sermon at the old Illinois Street Tabernacle the night before the great Chicago fire in 1871. After the fire, his first thought was of rebuilding the mission, which became the Chicago Avenue Church and the Moody Bible Institute. Mr. DeGolyer served as a strong spiritual leader for our church until his death in 1910. -- These windows are often attributed to Tiffany, but the claim has never been substantiated.

• 25. To the right you will see the window entitled “The Wedding at Cana” and it is in

memory of Edward Sprietsma and Dorothy Gross Sprietsma. Dorothy met Captain Edward Henry Sprietsma at the youth group meetings at church, and they were married during World War II. Captain Edward Sprietsma was a WWII veteran of more than 80 combat missions, but

• nly eleven months after their marriage, Edward died in action in England in 1944. In 1946, two

years later, Dorothy also died. The window was given by Dorothy’s brother and long-time member of our church, Scuff Gross, and his wife Sue Gross in 1947.

• 26. And finally, the upper window on the east wall is titled “The Rose Window” and

is in memory of Kate Harrington, who died in 1895. Her son-in-law was at one time the church

• rganist, and he reportedly came to church at 4:30 each morning to watch the sunrise through the
• window. He described the angel’s face as an “explosion of roses.”
• 27. These beautiful windows are in need of tender loving care and are the focus of
• ne of two large-scale, long-term projects that RPC is dedicated to fulfilling. Memorials in the

names of Jack Withers, John Clark, and Marjorie Prass have been designated for The Stained Glass Windows Restoration.

• 28. The other large-scale, long-term project is the Future new Accessible Bathroom,

and memorials in Don Christensen’s name support this project.

• 29. We leave you with this lovely photo of our CHURCH hanging back in the parlor.

This photo was taken by Bradley Rolf Steven Penn, and was framed and given to the Church by his parents, Wayne and Sylvia Penn, as a loving memorial to their son, Bradley. Here we are not

• nly seeing a beautiful building, but we are also looking at 138 years of God’s people at work.

We hope you have enjoyed taking a moment to reflect on the history of this church. We would not be here today, were it not for the many saints that have worshiped within these walls throughout the years. And with God’s grace, we, the people of RPC, will continue in the footsteps of those who have come before us and have left the great legacy that is our

• congregation. Thanks be to God.