1958 Rev Anderson and the Capital Campaign
By the time of Woodland’s Golden Anniversary, in 1958, a number of Woodland members began training for the ministry including Paul Gray, Theophilus and E. Tipton Carroll, and Jo and Lewis Riley who were arguably most influenced by Farish.
The group also included Joe and Hal Hunter, Homer Gamboe, George Moore, Thomas Alvin Corbett, and Wilbur Wallace.
Greatly influenced by Anderson, were Mac Warford and Nancy Jo Kemper. Anderson was said to be a brilliant preacher, but some people were troubled by his prophetic preaching on race. In Kemper’s view, his stance on civil rights and race relations challenged quite a few people. Still, university students and other progressive people in the community flocked to Woodland to hear him.
Anderson was an activist and a scholar. He started an evening seminar that had church members reading the works of famous mid-20th century theologians including Paul Tillich, Rudolph Bultmann, and Reinhold Niebuhr, thus introducing people to biblical criticism, and a more expansive theology. In many ways, he had the same progressive notions as Hayes Farish, but in Kemper’s view, was a far more powerful speaker. Warford and Kemper attended the seminars as teenagers, giving them the upper hand with their religion classes once they arrived at Transylvania University. Anderson believed that churches thrived and grew from a “nurturing matrix” of thoughtful, well-read, and committed laity.
Near the end of Rev. Donald Anderson’s brief tenure as pastor of Woodland, there was a bustle of activity at the church. A capital campaign led by George Baxter, Gladys Scheer, Bob Prewitt, Jr., Scott Young, and William Atkinson had netted over $77,000.
The board approved $21,500 for the purchase of a new Reuter Organ to replace the old Wurlitzer, which had become so unreliable that Charles Higgs (who serviced it) had begun to call a “Worry-it-zer.” Aside from Higgs, only organist Betsy Steiner was allowed to touch it.
The new instrument would have 61 notes on the manuals, 32 notes on the pedals, and would incorporate the existing chimes from the old Wurlitzer organ. Its 745 pipes and 17 tube chimes were placed on two third floor rooms adjacent to the sanctuary. The blowers were in the boiler room downstairs.
Renovation plans also called for a new hot water heating system and improvements to the church rest rooms, kitchen, baptistery, fellowship hall and chancel.
Next time, I’ll take an extra minute, and walk the congregation through the bronze symbols that were placed on the screen at the rear of the chancel.
The group also included Joe and Hal Hunter, Homer Gamboe, George Moore, Thomas Alvin Corbett, and Wilbur Wallace.
Greatly influenced by Anderson, were Mac Warford and Nancy Jo Kemper. Anderson was said to be a brilliant preacher, but some people were troubled by his prophetic preaching on race. In Kemper’s view, his stance on civil rights and race relations challenged quite a few people. Still, university students and other progressive people in the community flocked to Woodland to hear him.
Anderson was an activist and a scholar. He started an evening seminar that had church members reading the works of famous mid-20th century theologians including Paul Tillich, Rudolph Bultmann, and Reinhold Niebuhr, thus introducing people to biblical criticism, and a more expansive theology. In many ways, he had the same progressive notions as Hayes Farish, but in Kemper’s view, was a far more powerful speaker. Warford and Kemper attended the seminars as teenagers, giving them the upper hand with their religion classes once they arrived at Transylvania University. Anderson believed that churches thrived and grew from a “nurturing matrix” of thoughtful, well-read, and committed laity.
Near the end of Rev. Donald Anderson’s brief tenure as pastor of Woodland, there was a bustle of activity at the church. A capital campaign led by George Baxter, Gladys Scheer, Bob Prewitt, Jr., Scott Young, and William Atkinson had netted over $77,000.
The board approved $21,500 for the purchase of a new Reuter Organ to replace the old Wurlitzer, which had become so unreliable that Charles Higgs (who serviced it) had begun to call a “Worry-it-zer.” Aside from Higgs, only organist Betsy Steiner was allowed to touch it.
The new instrument would have 61 notes on the manuals, 32 notes on the pedals, and would incorporate the existing chimes from the old Wurlitzer organ. Its 745 pipes and 17 tube chimes were placed on two third floor rooms adjacent to the sanctuary. The blowers were in the boiler room downstairs.
Renovation plans also called for a new hot water heating system and improvements to the church rest rooms, kitchen, baptistery, fellowship hall and chancel.
Next time, I’ll take an extra minute, and walk the congregation through the bronze symbols that were placed on the screen at the rear of the chancel.