Medford mail tribune., November 13, 1960, Image 6

C ' a ,.. n. -. SUNDAY. NOVEMBER U. I960
. . , n """"""" . . . .
Methodises Observe 75tb Year aim MedHfoirdl
First Church Was
Organized in 1885
By 18 Valley People
The First Methodist church
. Mcdford, this week is com'
meliorating the 75th anniver
sary of its founding Nov. 15,
1885. Commemorating serv-
Ices will be held today and
continue through next Sun-
, day.
Methodism came to the
Rogue valley in 1853 when
the first Protestant church
. was started in Jacksonville.
; The beginning of the fourth
; Protestant church in Medford
was Nov. 15, 1885, when
I group of 18 people met and
; organized the Medford Meth-
odist Episcopal church.
Among this group was the
' family of John William Red
; den, including their 17-year--
old daughter Cora. Mrs. Cora
- Redden Carder is today the
" only surviving charter mem-
bcr of the church.
Official Organisation
. The official organization
: was conducted by the Rev. VV.
G. Simpson, who had been
appointed by Bishop Waldcn
. Aug. 31, 1885, to serve the
, Ashland and Jacksonville
Methodist churches on a clr
' cult. The first meeting place
. was upstairs In Wolfe's hall
; on the northwest corner of
Central ave. and Sixth st. La
' ter the Methodists were meet-
ing in the old Washington
- school, which stood where the
Jackson county court house is
' now located.
In 1887, through coopera-
Hon with the new Presbyte-
rian church, services were
. held in their sanctuary once
; a month, With the continued
- increase . in attendance at
-church and Sunday school
. services, in 1880 the Method
ists rented Howard's hall, a
building on Main st. between
Central ave. and the railroad
tracks;
Mrs. Charlotte Hubbard
was the first Sunday school
superintendent. D. T. Lawton,
father, of Mrs. Clarence Pan
key who has furnished much
historical material on the
church, served 15 years as su
perintendent. First Church Building
In 1889, while the Rev. J.
W, Miller was pastor, the first
church building was erected.
The lots, on the southeast cor
ner of Bartlett and Fourth at.
were donated by Lawton and
Clark Taylor. The building
completed the same year at
an approximate cost of ?4,uuu
has housed the Salvation
Army since 1924.
Before coming to Medford
in 1887. the Lawtons lived in
Portland, where they attend
ed the old Centenary church.
In 1892, when that church
was being torn down, Mrs.
Lawton went to Portland
where, for $100 she purchas
ed and had taken to Medford,
the old bell from that church.
The bell had been cast In
Philadelphia in 1866 and
shipped around Cope Horn in
a windjammer. The bell now
hangs in the present church
tower and may be heard
every Sunday.
For the first seven years of
its existence, the church was
a part of a circuit, the pastors
living in Ashland or Jackson
ville. In 1892, it was made a
separate appointment and I.
J. Phipps donated a lot -on
North Riverside ave. on
which was erected the first
parsonage.
Additions Built
. As the size of the congre
gation grew, the church built
additions. The one on the east
Bide was built in 1912 while
the Rev. E. O. Eldridge was
the minister, and the one on
the south side was erected in
1916 while the Rev. C. J. Rol
lands was the pastor. Later a
lent was set up for use by
Sunday school classes, and
nearby residences, Including
the Lawtons also were used.
A "sewing society" of 10
members was organized in
1888 at the home of Mrs.
Mary Chlldcrs, with Mrs.
Carder secretary. The group
was later known as the La
dles' Aid.
The Woman's Foreign mis
sionary society was organized
in 1800 with five members.
: Mrs.' Charlotte Hubbard was
the first president; Mrs. Law
ton, secretary; Mrs. Laura
Hoxle, treasurer; and Mrs.
Ruth Fielder, corresponding
secretary.
On March 14, 1907, the
, Woman's Home Missionary
society was organized with 11
members. Mrs. J. C. Wines
was the president; Mrs. Law
ton, treasurer; Mrs. Kellogg,
corresponding secretary; and
Mrs. George Mickey, record
ing secretary. The three organ
izations merged in 1940 and
are now known as the Wom
an's Society of Chrlstion
Service.
Epworth League Organised
During the Rev.- E. L.
Thompson's pastoral in 1891,
the Epworth league was or
ganized. The young people'
organization grew to have
three divisions: the Wesley
league, the high school Ep.
worth league, and the inter
mediate league. Mrs. Bernice
Kunzman, daughter of Mrs.
Carder, recalls the annual
February 22 Washington1
birthday dinner sponsored by
this group to earn money for
missions, and that they would
serve about 100 persons each
year. Today the same age
groups are served through
the Methodist Youth Fellow.
ship.
Bishop Matthew Simpsoi
Hughes of the Portland area
of the church visited Medford
in the summer of 1919, and
instituted the m o v e m e n
which culminated in erection
of a new church building
Because of thin active per-
sonal interest in the Medford
church, the suggestion that
the building be called "The
Matthew Simpson Hughe
Memorial" was made. The
board received the suggestion
with enthusiasm, and action
was taken accordingly. One
of the large stained glass win
dows was given by the annual
conferences of the Portland
area as a memorial to Bishop
Huges.
Assigned to Area
Following the death of
Bishop Hughes in 1920, Bish
op William O. Shepard was
assigned to the Portland area
which included the southern
Oregon district. The Rev. S
A. Danford, as district super
intendent, and the Rev.
Randolph Sasnctt, as pastor,
with Bishop Shepard, steered
plans for a new church build
ing at West Main and Laurel
sis.
The structure Is of Spanish
Renaissance slyle of architcc.
ture In its simplest form. The
interior of the sanctuary fol
lows the motifs of some of the
ancient cathedrals of Europe
having the large timbers of
the trussed roof exposed
cloistered aisle and transcepts
and wrought-lron lighting fix
tures suspended from the pur.
lines. The walls are of solid
masonry, reinforced with
structural steel, and the roof
is of varl-colorcd clay tile
The building, which is In
use today, was dedicated Sun
day, July 13, 1924. Bishop
Even S. Johnson gave the
dedicatory sermon. A feature
of the afternoon service was
an address by E. C. Boggs,
chairman of the building com
mittee, who presented the
building to Bishop Johnson
for dedication. The total cost
of the building, Including pipe
organ, fixtures and furniture,
was approximately $105,000.
In Us Today
The pipe organ, which Is
still in use today, Is known as
the "Jane Carrol Memorial
as a tribute to her devotion
and benevolence as a member
of the church.
During depression years,
members of the church were
unable to provide enough
money to meet the mortgage
payments on the new build
ing, and, on March 31, 1932,
it was sold at a sheriff's fore
closure sale. The trustees Im
mediately began negotiations
to secure a lease for a period
of one year.
In 1033, the Rev. Joseph
Knolls was appointed to the
Medford church, and he soon
begun to work on a plan for
redeeming Ihe church proper
ty, It was his Idea to sell cer
tificates to the children of the
Sunday school for $1 each.
In a few months time, the
children bought $200 worth
of certificates. Not until then
was a program proposed to
the adult membership of the
church. Mr. Knotts put the
matter before the adults and
asked for cash payments, not
pledges, for ccrtilicales.
Inspired by Response
Inspired by the children's
response to the "let's redeem
our church" campaign, the
congregation responded. By
May, 1934, enough money
hod been paid inlo the church
treasury that an agreement
could be reached between the
Mercantile Trust company of
St. Louis, and (he trustees of
the church. The redeemed
ownership was consummated
In early September, 1934.
There was another branch
of the Methodist denomina
tion known as the Methodist
Episcopal church. South,
which was the result of the
conflict over the slavery ques
tion preceding the Civil War.
This church began In Medford
In 1892 when the Rev. H. S.
Shanglc arrived shortly after
being appointed presiding el
der of the Roseburg district.
The Rev. 11, S. Shanglc
(cousin of tho fattier of Verne
Shanglc, Kings highway), di
rected tha building of the
h i ml
SOUTH CHURCH The first
Episcopal church, South, was
the Rev. H. S. Shangle in the
it
ft .
7
tut-
sat,
CHARTER MEMBED Mrs.
Bernice Kunzman, 607 West
charter member of the Medford
Mrs. Cortcr, the first secretary of the Ladies Aid Society
of the church, Is 93 years old.
DEDICATED CHURCH -
Bishop O. P. Fitzgerald dedi
cated the Medford Methodist
Episcopal cnurch, South, in
August, 1893.
church in the spring of 1893,
and it was dedicated in Au
gust of the same year by Bish
op O. P. Fitzgerald with R. A.
Reagan as pastor, It was lo
cated at the northwest corner
of Main and Oakdale.
Land Exchange 1
The land which was origin
ally given to the church by
the Southern Pacific Railroad
company was so near the
trucks it was considered un
suitable and exchanged for
the lot on which the church
was built.
Judge Silas Day gave the
first Communion service to
the church, having brought it
here from England. .
The original frame struc
ture was remodeled, enlarged
and faced with brick in 1920
during the pastorate of Dr.
Jouctt P. Bray. Dr. Bray, who
still resides In Medford, serv
ed as pastor of this church on
three separate appointments,
1920, 1926 and again in
1939.
Auxiliary Planned
In the winter of 1892-93.
the Woman's Parsonage and
Home Mission Society was or
ganized by the presiding eld-
Mr. Shangle. That same
ear he organized a district
auxiliary to tha organization.
building for Medford Methodist
built under the direction of
spring of 1893.
,-!:.
Cora R. Carder, mother of Mrs.
Eighth St., is the only living
Methodist tplscopal church
FORMER PASTOR-The Rev
Meredith A. Groves, now ex
ecutive secretary of the Ore
gon conference, was minister
of First Methodist church
when the educational unit
was built in 1951.
This auxiliary was for women
who wished to belong to the
Society but were too far from
any church to attend. Thirty
members were enrolled.
Later this organization be
came known as the Mission
ary Society.
As a result of the decision
of the Methodist Episcopal,
the Methodist Episcopal
South and the Protestant
Methodist branches of Meth
odism to unit on a national
basis in 1939, the two Med
ford churches voted to unite
and this union became effec
tive July 2, 1939.
When the members of the
two united churches met, it
was voted unanimously, on
the motion of R. J. Bills, to
designate the former Method
ist church, South, building as
Wesley Chapel, a name that
was perpetuated in a room of
the present building and is
now continued in Wesley hall
Wesley Chapel was the center
of Epworth league youth
meetings, (.raver meetings
and young people's and Inter
mediate departments of the
Sunday school until the prop
erty was sold and the build
ing dismantled.
Pastor of Unittd Church
Pastor of the united church
and for some time was Rev.
I 1 " -
LiF in.., jjf,
I1 VJJN ML':- fax - ;
FIRST CHURCH The First Methodist Episcopal church
building was built at the corner of Bartlett and Fourth sts.
It is currently used by the Salvation Army.
I''- K 0
MINISTERS Ministers of the two Methodist churches in
Medford at the time of the unification in 1939 were Dr.
Jouett P. Bray (left), minister
faouth, and the Rev. Joseph
Methodist Episcopal church, and first minister of the united
churches. Mr. Knotts, now of Springfield, Ore., plans to live
at the Rogue Valley Manor.
Joseph T. Knotts who now
lives in Springfield, Ore., but
who will return to Medford
to live in the Rogue Valley
Manor upon its completion.
The total membership of the
church on Easter Sunday,
March 2!, 1940, was number
ed at 756.
In 1945, a bequest from
Mrs. Addie Halley made pos
sible the extensive remodel
ing of the educational plant,
making It easier to teach in
the church school which at
that time had an average at
tendance of 335 each Sunday.
Late in the summer of
1949, the building of an edu
cational unit for the church
was discussed by the official
board and in February, 1950,
under the leadership of the
Rev. Meredith A. Groves, the
financial drive started. Con
struction began in July, 1951,
to provide an addition of 21
class rooms, three assembly
rooms, a fellowship hall, and
new kitchen facilities.
This unit was dedicated on
Oct. 26, 1952, by A. Raymond
Grant, bishop of the Portland
area. Dr. S. Raynor Smith, su
perintendent of the Southern
district, presided at this serv
ice, and the Rev. H. W. Harsh-
man was pastor.
Dedication of Unit
May 13, 1956, saw the dedi
cation of the Clarence A.
Meeker Memorial chapel,
completion of which was
made possible by a memorial
gift from Mrs. C. A. Meeker.
The late Mr. Meeker had been
an active member of the First
Methodist church for more
than 50 years when he died
in 1948.
The total cost of the build
ing and furnishing of the
chapel was approximately
$15,000, of which $8,500 was
given as memorials. The cha
pel Is of Spanish Mission de
ign, conforming to the gen
era 1 architecture of the
church. The chapel is design
ed for use in wedding, baptis
mal, communion, and funeral
services. Electronic facilities
make it possible to link the
chapel directly with the main
auditorium of the church.
In the fall of 1954, three
members of First church de
cided that the Dead Indian
Soda Springs resort area
would be the choice location
for a youth camp site. Ross
Adams, who had assisted R. J.
Bills and Charles Adamson in
seeking a location, took an
option on the land. The Ore
gon conference camp commit
tee in December, 1954, pur
chased the land which is now
1
of Methodist Episcopal church,
Knotts (right), minister of
known as the Dead Indian
Methodist camp.
A new dining hall has been
built under the direction of
Walter Higgins, with the as
sistance of other men of the
church. This hall has been
named "Doiph Hall" in honor
of R. J. Bills who aided in es
tablishing the youth camp.
Three houses there have been
donated by members of First
church; one by Mrs. Anne
Gorby and two by Mr. and
Mrs. George Howard.
In 1956, First Methodist
church sponsored a second
Methodist church in Medford
by buying land for a church
site and by continued gifts to
ward its support. The St.
Luke's Methodist church, lo
cated on Siskiyou blvd.,
serves much of the eastern
section of Medford, and be-
SISKIYOU
MORTUARY
' SP2 5488 CEMETERY
5P 2-5488 MAUSOLEUM
I CREMATORY
2100
C
in
Joa Hosick Funeral
605
REBUILT CHURCH The Methodist Epis- Main st. and Oakdale ave.
copal church, South, was remodeled in 1920. way store now stands.
It was located on the northwest corner of
gan services on June 17, 1956,
with the Rev. Jack Taylor as
the first minister. He was fol
lowed the next year by the
Rev. Melvin Dixon who is
presently serving.
In 1957, the old parsonage
on Orange st. was sold and,
under the direction of Dr.
Raymond Balcomb, a new
parsonage started at 3310 Hol
loywood ave. Dr. and Mrs.
George Roseberry moved into
the new home in November,
1957, and on June 26, 1960,
following a fellowship dinner
in the church, the parsonage
was dedicated by the Rev. E.
J. Aschenbrenner, superin
tendent of the Eugene district.
Unit Completed
In May, 1959, the educa
tional unit started in 1950
saw completion when the
basement was finished and
decorated for use as a youth
center. Restrooms and a small
kitchen, in addition to the
large hall, make a complete
area for use as a recreation
center.
It was the last week in May
1959, also, that First Method
ist church was host to the
Oregon annual conference for
the first time in 32 years.
Bishop Grant presided at the
meetings and ministers and
lay delegates from through
out Oregon were present.
Guest speaker was Dr. Roy
Nichols, minister, of Oakland,
Calif.
First church has experienc
ed what members feel is a
rich experience in sponsoring
refugee families since World
War II. They have sponsored
four families in this area and
are awaiting the arrival of
the fifth. The church now has
a membership of about 1,500
and is providing for future
growth in physical facilities
by the purchase of the Woods
property south of the church
on Laurel st.
BEARLY ABLE TO VOTE
Hokkaido, Japan - IUPD
Representatives of Bekkai vil
lage, on Japan's northernmost
island of Hokkaido, have told
the local election supervisors
committee that the villagers
will vote in the Nov. 20 gen
eral election only if the com
m i 1 1 e e "guarantees" their
safely from the wild bears
that infest the area.
UN SELL IRS
Service Not Sale
Buy Directly From
Siskiyou Memorial
Park and Save a
Minimum of
Director
CHAPEL IN
Highland Dr.
Hatfield Will Seek
To Benefit Oregon
During SA Journey
Salem - A mission to estab
lish closer economic and cul
tural ties between Oregon and
Latin American nations will
be undertaken by Governor
Mark Hatfield during a good
will trip to South America
The governor left New
York Saturday with 30 other
chief executives for visits to
Argentina and Brazil at the
invitation of heads of those
states.
The governor will seek to
expand the already -sizable
volume of trade between Ore
gon and Latin America, and
will Investigate possibilities of
teacher and student exchange
programs to promote closer
cultural relations.
Governor Hatfield will con
fer with the Presidents of Bra
zil and of Argentina to pro
pose that those countries es
tablish consulates for the Pa
cific Northwest in Portland.
This proposal is being sup
ported by the Portland Dock
commission, the Port of Port
land, and the city of Portland.
Trad Quadruples
Oregon's trade with Latin
America has increased nearly
four-fold in the past five
years, the governor pointed
out. Last year imports from
the South American trade
area through the Portland har
bor totaled 132,611 tons, sec
ond only to Japan as a source
of Oregon imports. Ore con
centrates, coffee, gasoline, as
phalt and crude salt account
for bulk of the Imported ton
nage.
Latin America also is an
important buyer of Oregon
products. The total of 140,190
tons shipped through the Port
land harbor to the South Am
erican area last year included
paper, lumber, grain, flour
and aluminum.
South America's wealth of
mineral resources and Ore
gon's abundance of low-cost
hydroelectric power for proc
essing ores into metal offer
one possibility for expanded
trade between the two, the
governor said. He cited cur
Reverent
Sincere
Dignified
THE TREES Mortuary
Si.
where the Safe-
I
rent importations of alumi
num ores and of "rare earth"
metal ores for processing hers.
Ties Strengthened
Economic ties between Ore
gon and Latin America also
are strengthened by licensing
and marketing agreements
now existing between some
Oregon and South American
manufacturers, he said.
Governor Hatfield will con
fer with Ministers of Educa
tion of several countries to in
vestigate possibilities of work
ing out exchanges between
Oregon and Latin American
educational institutions. Ha
also will discuss other possi
bilities for expanding cultur
al relations to promote friend
ship ties.
The governor will have let
ters from Portland State col
lege proposing exchange pro
fessorships, and expressing
Portland State's Interest in es
tablishing a Latin American
center here. He will also dis
cuss such relationships with
other schools in the state sys
tem. City Hall Contest
Finalists Announced
Eugene -(IOT- Three Eugena
architectural firms and ona
from Portland were announc
ed Saturday as finalists in the
designing competition for tha
new Eugene city hall.
The firms are Balzhiser-Cedar-Rhodes,
Stafford-Morin
and Wilmsen-Endicott of Eu
gene and Stewart-Richardson
of Portland, according to Dr.
Walter Gordon of the Uni
versity of Oregon, who is in
charge of the competition.
The four firms were chosen
from 25 entries throughout
the state.
The winner of the competi
tion will be announced March
1. The winner will be select
ed from further detailed
plans, which must be submit
ted by Feb. 24.
7'.'
I. G. "lew" Miles
Cemetery Manager
A5(L
i