Gleanings From
In Christian Fellowship
By Shirley Lindahl
Edited by Jerry Rutherford
Classes Everywhere--Even The Kitchen!
A preliminary building committee was making arrangements for an architectural survey to consider further additions as the Sunday School was using all available classrooms, all of Fellowship Hall and even part of the kitchen. The topic for discussion was to be: "how and where to expand, remodel or replace our church."
The Social Action Committee chair presented a resolution regarding discrimination against minority groups as a violation of human rights. The church was asked to take a stand. The question involved a cemetery that required racial segregation. After discussion the congregation voted to go on record as "strongly disapproving of the practice of discrimination based on race in any burial facilities" and letters were sent to those involved.
"Fun Night" involved each organization in the church putting on a skit. Ed Hjorth, trustee secretary wrote: "After discussion... it was decided that nothing could be funnier than a real trustees board meeting with its spontaneous repartee!" He may have been referring to the hours spent trying to settle on the color to paint Fellowship Hall--"ripple green" or "apricot." The latter won and was applied by Henry Jovag, painting contractor.
Kirkland volunteer fire fighter Clare Crowe stressed the need for a fire door on the furnace room and adequate fire escapes at one of the trustee meetings. The trustees met in homes at that time and usually included dinner prepared by the host's wife! (Evidently all of the trustees were men.)
It was reported that around 100 attended the Women's Fellowship meetings. The new project introduced was visiting rest homes. The annual church bazaar and turkey dinner had provided the bulk of their budget. Eleanor Helliwell helped organize the older women into a group to work on projects for "Friendly Service" such as sewing and preparing layettes. They took the name of "So and So's" and met for many years. (special note: Diane Wilson has started a group on the first Wednesday of the month--we meet at 9 am in the Helliwell Room to quilt, knit, crochet, needlework--come join us.)
A calendar planning meeting was set up to arrange ushering. A small corps of men had been performing this task. This year each man in the congregation was put on the ushering list and asked to take a turn. Now men and women both serve as ushers. (Let Char Bates know when you can take your turn.)
A letter from Harriet Rogers suggested that the trustees set up a permanent building maintenance committee and allocate funds for this purpose so that maintenance would not done in such a haphazard fashion. She also questioned why the trustees did not have any women on the board. A maintenance chairman was finally appointed in 1960 and the first woman trustee was Nadine Underwood in 1967!
The budget for 1959 showed $20,000 for local church expenses. $3000 for OCWM (Our churches wider mission), $3000 for Washington Conference Church Extension and $470 for Seattle-King County Council of churches.
The couples club was known as the Congregators and they no longer held to an age limit. The annual picnic at Paradise Lake, near Maltby, was delayed an hour on June 21 so that the congregation could watch television Reverend Helliwell and the adult choir were featured on a video on KING-TV program which aired at 10:30 am.
After three years of trying times the deacons and deaconesses finally presented a revised list of members which showed 757 members. The time consuming task of determining active/inactive status, correcting addresses and making contact with each person had been a chore.
The board purchased two red memorial books. Enid Johnston lettered the names of each person for whom a memorial was given into Volume 1 (which was prior to 1960).
The newly formed Stewardship committee conducted a survey to find the talents and interests of the members when they were distributing the information for financial pledges. This survey resulted in new recruits for choir, teachers, transportation, phone committees, piano players, yard workers, etc. Members were also asked to pledge the number of Sundays they planned to attend church.
The Every Member Canvas was led by Jack Clark and Bruce W. Johnson. Verna
Thormahien was in charge of the Vacation Bible School. Merry Garrison helped Mary
Ann Radcliffe with the children's choir. Nels Rasmussen was in his fifth year as
superintendent of the Sunday School.
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