Women in the History of The First Congregational Church - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Women in the History of The First Congregational Church of Greenwich (pre 1990) A talk given January 20, 2016 by Pat Larrabee, church Historian

Women in our stained glass windowsWomen on our StaffMusicChurch SecretariesEducatorsFundraisersHelping PeopleHelping our ChurchFirsts for Women in our ChurchWomen Senior Deacons Women Chairs of the Board of TrusteesAnecdotesSlide2

Women in our stained glass windowsThe main designer of the 1960's windows in the extension of the Meetinghouse is Marguerite Gaudin of the Willett Studios in Philadelphia. She was known for her quick work and great quantity of output.The Chapel windows were designed by our own Helen Sickles Hull, and executed by the Willett Studios.

Ann Willet Kellog and Helene Martin designed the Sunday School windows.Slide3

Our Chancel WindowChristmas – Mary, baby Jesus and Joseph

Advent – The Annunciation to MarySlide4

North Transept Window

The left lancet was copied from Raphael’s painting of Saint Cecilia, , the patron saint of musicians and Church music, listening to a choir of angels.All three panels in this window were selected by Rev. Dewitt Eggleston and his wife, Mary Kennedy Eggleston in 1896. They were created by the J & R Lamb Studios of NYC, which preceded the Tiffany Studios. The Egglestons became friends with J. Kennedy Tod and his wife, who sent them on a vacation to Europe! The Kennedy name connection may have helped the friendship.

This lancet was given “In

loving memory of Hannah Marie Lockwood Hendrie 1793-1849, given by her sons, John and Charles Hendrie

.” Slide5

Jesus was a guest of Mary and Martha for dinner in their home whenever he was near Bethany. Mary is in the foreground listening, learning and asking questions, while Martha sets the table and prepares the dinner. This window is “In memory of Lucy A. Marks 1824-1888, given by her family”.

The Home in Bethany WindowSlide6

Chapel Window 1There is only one woman shown landing on Greenwich Point in 1640, but there were actually two women, three men and seven children. Elizabeth and Robert Feake had four children, and Daniel and Anneken Patrick had three children, with one more born two months after they landed.Slide7

Chapel Window 3

There is no written description of what this window represents, but it seems to show women teaching Sunday School to children.

Sunday

School began here in 1816.Slide8

The ladies here are packing barrels of clothing for missionaries. This reveals the missionary spirit of our church during the hundred years of great missionary outreach and expansion in the 1800’s.

Chapel Window 4Slide9

Associate & Assistant Pastors

Ann Suzedell (Interim Associate Pastor 1976-1977)

Sally Colegrove

(

Assistant Pastor; Associate; Senior Associate, now Pastor Emeritus 1978-2003)

Sally

grew up in this church – the only woman

pastor who

did. After college she worked in a hospital finance dept. and was asked to help with the Youth program as a volunteer. She decided it was what she wanted to do as a living. Sally graduated from Yale Divinity in 1983 and was ordained. In the next two years we had seven ordinations and

six were women

. We were known as a church that raised and ordained women. Nancy Schongalla, Brenda Stiers, Deedee

Rigg

, Meg

Boxwell

, Faith Carmichael and two more.

With Paul Fraser and Nancy Ziac, she focused the Youth Program on Worship, Mission, Fun & Fellowship and Education, with many wonderful youth advisors along the way. It became a team – a family. To provide funds for the Mission trips and to build kids’ confidence, they did shows. The kids

often helped

write the shows, using their favorite songs and they wrote their own skits. They did Godspell in 1986, 1992 and 2000. They went to Appalachia, H.O.M.E. in Maine, Turkey, Hungary, 6 trips to Honduras and, in 2000,

79

people

went to the Holy Land.

In 1986 Sally went to Honduras with another church group, and because the country was at war, it was a terrifying experience. She met Dr. Joyce Baker, who said they needed a medical clinic, which our church eventually funded. Hurricane Mitch in 1998 wiped out most of

Honduras, and thanks to Jamie Rutherford alerting us to how bad it was, we sent 300 boxes of clothing plus medicines.Slide10

Dale convinced women to stop listing themselves as "Mrs. John Jones", but rather "Jane Jones". She became our first full-time, ordained female minister in 1980. She was also possibly the first pastor here who had been divorced, which she used as a selling point in getting this job. She would be better experienced to help others in divorce situations. There was only a scattering of female ministers at that time (although there was one at 2nd Congregational--Rebecca Spencer.) Women in ministry exploded thereafter in 1980's and 1990's. By the end of the 1980's, there were more females in seminaries than males -- a huge shift. Also

this was the time that inclusive language and was introduced and Opening & Affirming policy was adopted. Dale was an outspoken proponent of support for gay people and often wrote letters to the Editors of newspapers in support of God’s love for ALL people.In her oral history, Dale tells of the wonderful Music Sunday when she baptized Rick and Marilyn Derr’s baby daughter, Katy. The church had a symphony orchestra and Dave Brubeck at the grand piano. When it was time to walk the baby to show to the congregation, Dave Brubeck broke into a jazzy rendition of “Jesus Loves Me”, and Dale fairly danced with that baby! It was a magical moment.Dale Greene (Associate Pastor 1980-89)Slide11

Meg Boxwell Williams(Assistant Pastor & Director of Children’s Ministries 1982-1987)Susie Craig (Associate Pastor; Senior Associate Pastor 1988-2007)

1985-1987 Deacon, 1985-head of Homecoming Picnic 1986-87 Family Life, SPF advisor 1987 Parish Associate as a seminarian, taught Confirmation Class, was In-Care here and coordinated the all-church retreat1988-1989 Director of Children’s Ministries1992 Susie was ordained and on the Preschool BoardMarie Reed(Interim Assistant Pastor 1987-1988)Slide12

Brigitta Remole (Assistant Pastor 1989-1992) She led the Hats Off group, worked with the new Stephen Ministry group, and did Hospice support ministry. She was the first woman pastor to have a baby and go on maternity leave while here.

(All other women pastors began after 1990.)Slide13

MusiciansWomen organists were Mrs. Wilmot,

Lucy Marks, 1900-1910, who also conducted a choir of 12, Grey Bedford 1956-59, andPorter Remington 1968-1972. Viola WorrellShe was our organist and director of music for 41 years, from 1915 - 1956. She was one of the first members of the Stamford Chapter of the American Guild of Organists in the mid-1950’s, along with Ray Harrington, Sr. and Virginia DuBois. Her parents were active in the church as well.

Lucy MarksSlide14

Church SecretariesNellie Hutchinson (1950 - 1968) Served the church for 25 years. She was Church Secretary in charge of Finances and the Cemetery. In 1967 we had 7 secretaries!Carolyn Colegrove (1967 - 1972) “Administrative Assistant”

Emily Jostrand (1979 - 1983) “Administrative Assistant”Mary Boudreau (1984 - 1990) “Administrative Assistant” 1985-first computer at our church, so the need for secretaries went down to two! Thanks to Erna Olson, Pledge Secretary, for implementing the computer.Nellie Hutchinson

Carolyn Colegrove

Mary BoudreauSlide15

EducatorsPreschool Directors1955-1978 Peg Roberts 1979-1984 Wendy Silverman 1985-1986 Sandy Plickert 1989-1999 Jackie Kahl

Sandy PlickertOur current Preschool is outstanding, with 9 teachers have been working in the preschool for 10 years or more, including 4 with more than 20 years of service to our preschool.  We have a total of 279 years of service in Early Childhood Education.Summer Day Camp was begun by Bill Zboray in 1965, which he ran through 1983. Then Rita Caruso, Lynne Lehman, Jackie Kahl, Nancy Ferullo & Barbara Andersen, Libby White and now Darla Kohler Steiner have run it. (When the laws governing Day Camps changed, and we decided to offer the summer activities only to the 5 and under children, we renamed it the Summer Program. Our Day Camp had been for a large range of school kid ages.)Slide16

Church School Directors1965-1969 Frances H. Milnes, Director of Religious Education. 1970-1974 Alice Berry1974 Marion Johnson, interim Director1970’s Religious Education committee & 4 Church School Supervisors.

1976-1982 Rev. Ann Suzedell, Interim Associate Pastor; Mary Ann Chidsey, Church School Administrator 1982–1985 Rev. Meg Boxwell1985 Kathy Verdier, interim1986–2007 Rev. Susie Craig, Director of Children’s MinistriesSlide17

FundraisingWomen continually made great efforts to raise money for the church or for outreach.There were twice yearly HUGE rummage sales in the pre-Rummage Room days where ladies put collected and made items, putting them up in the church attics, closets and every nook and cranny they could find, then bringing them down for the one-day sale. It was a tremendous amount of work, and it raised thousands of dollars. They also had an annual evening ice cream social lawn party in summers. There were booths of items to buy. Amanda Worrell (Viola’s mother) wrote in 1884 of boys tearing down the Japanese lanterns

on string, saying "This just won't do! We must use wire to hang the lanterns”. Slide18

The ladies organized many antiques sales over the years as well, often with a newly made quilt for sale. They also organized mock weddings (below) as a children’s pagent and as a fund raiser. Other churches were doing the same in those days. The Rummage Room began on October 1, 1964, with it being open on Thursdays, Fridays and half day Saturdays. Barbara Miller and Ruth Wright were the Co-Chairwomen. Within a few months the weekdays days were expanded to all 5 and there was a paid manager. Since they began, the Rummage Room has raised over $4 million for outreach!

Rummage Room foundersMock wedding pre-1940 church, pews facing eastSlide19

Helping PeopleMary Cordelia Ford went around town on her bike to help anyone in need from about 1880 to 1904. She was single and devoted herself to helping others. She wrote a small news sheet called the Sound Beach Beacon. She would bring coal and bread in winter to poor people, mend or buy clothing for them, or give flowers from the church to shut-ins – all delivered by bike. There is a lovely small book written as a tribute to her in our church archives and online on Google Books. Six ministers came to speak highly of her at her memorial service, one coming from Michigan. She

was the next to last person buried in Tomac Cemetery, in 1904. The last was Lucretia Taylor Peck one month later in 1904.The War Years - The Women’s Guild began in 1930 or so. Women of the church made thousands of dressings for the Red Cross in WWI. In WW I they also sewed new clothing for the cause. The church bought a sewing machine for them to use.In 1940-41 the Sewing Committee reported 110 articles of clothing finished for the Red Cross and 6 pair of new draperies made for the room in basement of the church from material donated by Mrs. Kitchel. This was done by a total of 45 workers contributing 255 hours of work. In 1941-42 there were 14 regular meetings followed by teas and seven all day sewing meetings with a luncheon. Six of those were preceded by food sales and the 7th by a white elephant sale. Because of the war effort two of the regular meetings were devoted to sewing in order to meet the emergency.Slide20

Dr. Ida ScudderIda was niece of the famous Dr. Ida Scudder who worked in India from 1900-1960 and started a nursing school, a hospital for women and a medical college for women in Vellore, south India. She was a 4th generation medical missionary in India until her retirement in 1970, and, thanks to her sister Lillian and her husband Charlie Fish being active members at our church, Ida’s work was supported by First Church. Dr. Ida established the radiology dept. at the Vellore medical college.

Rev. Duke Potter, who was the pastor here from 1964-1972, had been born in Velore Christian Medical College to missionary parents stationed in Velore, India, so he got us interested in supporting Mission work in India. (His father’s middle name was Marmaduke and that’s where he got his nickname “Duke”.)Slide21

Helping our ChurchMary Jane Campbell Quintard was Treasurer of our church for 21 years with her husband, Henry Ferris Quintard

, from 1883 to 1904.Around 1925-27 in the years of Dr. Barney as senior pastor, church membership fell off. The Ladies’ Aid raised money to keep the church going by giving turkey dinners two or three times a year. Because the church basement was small and had a small kitchen (where half of the Preschool is now), there were usually two sittings. Elizabeth W. Clarke and a committee of 26 researchers, most of them women, wrote the fabulous "The First 300 Years: The history of the First Congregational Church of Greenwich, Connecticut, 1665-1965" book about our church history up to 1965, published in 1967. They searched archives in Hartford, Greenwich Historical Society and the Greenwich Library. She also wrote the Greenwich Historical Society’s book on the chronology of Greenwich History 1640-1976, and “Before & After 1776: A comprehensive chronology of the town of Greenwich: 1640-1976”. Slide22

Alice Stead BinneyShe and her family gave so much to the church and town. Alice gave us the June Binney Memorial Parish House in 1930-31, and the 1937 organ in memory of Edwin Binney. Most of the 1962 organ

in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Binney was given by family, Alice got Edwin to buy Binney Park, and Helen did much of the landscape planning. Alice was a former English teacher, a published poet and songwriter. She and her daughter Helen co-founded the Greenwich Historical Society in 1930, which was then located in Perrot Library, and they joined with architect Dan Everett Waid to buy the woodlands along Harding Road which became the Helen Binney Kitchel Natural Park. Alice and Helen also bought the pocket park kitty-corner from Perrot Library so a gas station would not go in there. Helen Binney Kitchel (1890-1990) was in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1931 to 1939 and got legislature to agree to forbid billboards within 500 feet along CT roads in 1939. In 1962 her husband, Allan F. Kitchel, gave the Flower Room to the church in her honor, and in 1963 Helen and her children gave the chapel reredos and dossal hangings in memory of Allan (1885-1963). She also gave us the Memory Garden in memory of her mother. Helen had a long and distinguished career in Greenwich as a member of the Representative Town Meeting, the Chamber of Commerce, the Greenwich Reorganization Committee and the Greenwich League of Women Voters.Slide23

Helen Sickles Hull Allen Her oral history is on our church’s FCCOG.ORG website and has some interesting stories. Her father was Senior Deacon in Vincent Daniels’ time.

1959 She headed the Handicraft Committee. 1961-2 She was Assistant Day Camp director, headed the youth group’s Mission Mart and was part of the Choir Mothers Guild. Later she headed the Arts and Crafts for the Day Camp and the Memorial Gifts Committee. 1972 She designed the usher badges that we still use today that women made from needlepoint. Later she worked on the Stewardship and Worship Committees.1974 She began the Chancel Committee. 1990 She wrote the 25 years booklet and did many, many drawings for the church over the years.Slide24

Betty Woodman1961 President of Evening Guild1968 Chair of Religious Education Committee1972 Chair

of Youth Program Committee1974 one of four receptionists1975-1976 Religious Education Committee1976-1977 State President of the Women’s Fellowship1977-1980 Deaconess1978-1981 Head of Church and Society Committee1985 UCC Board of Homeland Missions1986 She and Harry were delegates to the annual CT Conference and to the Fairfield West Association Church Women United

-1996 Attended

with Lois Berlin the UCC's Third National Meeting of

Women

-

1997 Secretary

of Back Bay Mission Board of Directors

(Biloxi, MS,

shrimp sales

)

1998-1999 WF

Board for Rummage Room, Church school teacher and receptionistSlide25

Needlework, calligraphy, baking, decorating and flower deliverySome ladies were fine calligraphers for our Memory Gifts book, some made the fine needlework usher badges, and some did the needlework on the cushions on the lovely carved wooden chairs up front and in the Narthex.Many ladies of the Women’s Fellowship baked pies for pre-annual meetings when they were held on Thursday evenings (1984 to 2007).The Chancel Committee, all women, decorates the chancel for Christmas and Easter, orders flowers every Sunday and delivers leftover flowers to shut-ins and those in the hospital or local rehab places.Slide26

Firsts for Women in our Church(1835-36) The women members (only nine women then) of our church excommunicated all of the men for swearing, drinking, and not attending church regularly. Rev. Thomas Payne helped them to mend. He felt he had to ask the Western Division of the Fairfield County’s Consociation at their annual meeting in 1836 if it was proper for him as acting pastor to administer the Lord’s Supper to the all female membership without the help of a church committee, traditionally all male.Rev. Marion Faye Stickney

She came in 1954 as the first woman on our staff to serve in an ordained capacity as Director of Religious Education. Even though she was an ordained minister she was called as Director of Religious Education and was not considered one of the pastors since she was a woman. (It wasn’t until 1976 when Rev. Ann Suzedell became our first woman Interim Associate Pastor.) She played the organ for Youth meetings on Sunday nights and embroidered the six images of our historical church buildings and had them framed as wall hangings. Emily Lent She volunteered to be our first front desk receptionist in 1964 as something to do after her husband died. She brought home made corn chowder for each staff meeting and a cake for each staff person’s birthday. Ruth Reed got a copy of Emily’s delicious corn chowder recipe, and always makes it for a Souper Bowl Sunday soup. In honor of Emily, it is the only recipe allowed by the Women’s Fellowship to list the name of the recipe creator! Emily

took over managing the

College and University Loan Fund (CULF)

after Vincent Daniels started it in 1959, and she continued until 1984 – 25 years! She had also been church Treasurer, a Sunday School teacher, and head of the Women’s Fellowship. Slide27

Brenda Stiers She was our first pastor’s wife who became a pastor herself. She gave several sermons here. She was mainly based at Riverside Cathedral in Manhattan.

She graduated from Yale Divinity School and Princeton Theological Seminary. She was a leader on the Commission on Aging in Greenwich, Council of Churches and Synagogues of Lower Fairfield County, Greenwich YWCA, National Council of Churches, and on the Board of Advisors of Yale Divinity. She worked for the homeless, hunger, and elder organizations. In 1969 women ushered for the first time. Ironically, the usher badges which are hand embroidered, were designed with a fixed clip pointing down to clip onto a man’s suit jacket pocket. Only in 2015 were these clips made more flexible to suit women’s clothing, thanks to Betty Bonsal speaking up about it!The Kettle Quilters, first began in 1973 and continued by Inge Thalheim, have made over 180 quilts! The quilters started by quilting for each other and for anyone for a modest price, with the proceeds going to our church.  This quickly grew into making quilts for the Women’s Fellowship Antique Shows 1974 – 1990.  New England antiques dealers displayed their wares but the highlight of the show was the raffle of the handmade quilt.  Perrot Library and Hill House have also benefitted. Some quilts were gifts to pastors when they left. These lovely quilts are now on our website, thanks to Hilary Lawrence for scanning, naming and dating them all. Slide28

Allie Holmes in 1975 became the first woman Senior Deacon. Beth Rollins in 1991 became the first woman Head of the Board of Trustees.In 1976 Rev. Ann Suzedell became the

first ordained woman to serve as Interim Pastor.Our Parish Nurse first began in 1998 with Mary Ann McDevitt, then Dee Coover in 2000. A Wellness Committee began in 1997 to help our Parish Nurse by taking blood pressures after church, giving flu shots and helping at Red Cross Blood Banks at the church. Rev. Kitty Garlid was a visiting pastor at local hospitals for years. These ladies have helped people in body and spirit! The diaconate in 1931 was a group of four men, which grew to a group of 12 men. But by 1949 the Church Committee had a diaconate of twenty four: twelve deacons and twelve deaconesses. The ladies could prepare communion, but only the men could serve it. In 1989, they all merged into one board giving everyone equal responsibility.

Mary

Leinbach

counselled high school students from 1982-2006 (27 years!) on getting into college and choosing the right college for them. She always

donated

her fees to the church.

Allie Holmes

Mary

LeinbachSlide29

Women Senior Deacons Allie Holmes 1975 Ruth White 1981Joyce Carlson 1992Vickie Altmeyer 1994Judy Goodchild 1995

Ruth Davidson 1997Caralliene Westbrook 1999Robin Loughman 2002Pat Mendelsohn 2005Barbara Davidson 2007Pat Geismar 2009Lynn O’Gorman 2010Lesley Schless 2011Elaine Teeters 2014Elaine Teeters 2015Pam Grunow 2016Women Heads of the Board of TrusteesBeth Rollins

1991

Emily Jostrand

1993

Julie Jones 1995

Frosty Friedman

2005

Betsy Moore

2011Slide30

Three Anecdotes about our Pastors’ WivesMartha Burritt, Rev. Blackleach Burritt’s wife In the early morning hours of February 11, 1779, our pastor was captured by the British for his passionate advocacy of the American cause

.At 4 am he was sleeping at the parsonage with his wife Martha and their eight children. The British raiders broke in by shattering their windows when they refused to open the door. The raiders, fearing an attack by his fellow patriots, did not have enough time or kindness to let the Reverend dress. Martha, seven months pregnant, left their eight young children at home and followed clothes in hand, begging for a chance for her husband to put on some clothes. The raiders finally allowed it, after giving her a hard time, and ordered her to leave. But she kept following, pleading for two of her cows. She followed all the way to the water’s edge, where they boarded the prisoners and stolen animals onto a boat. One of the raider officers finally caved, saying “let the damned rebel Minister’s wife have one of her cows!”Slide31

Mary, Rev. Allan Lorimer’s wifeIn 1928 Rev. Allan Lorimer's wife Mary used to put their baby boy outside the parsonage at 106 Sound Beach Avenue to nap in his playpen in the summer sun - totally naked.  The church ladies were shocked - what if a young girl came by and saw him! Young 8-year-old Carolyn Colegrove overheard the ladies talking about this in her home, so the first chance she got on a warm day to slip out of the house and walk to the church, she saw that the playpen was out on the front lawn of the church. When she looked inside, she saw an adorable redheaded baby boy sleeping naked on his stomach, and wondered,

“What is all the fuss about?” Slide32

 It was a perfect weather day in August, 1967, when four “presumably reliable” women suddenly decided to kidnap Mary L. and whisk her away to a picnic at Tod’s Point. They figured that on a minister’s salary, her husband could hardly afford to pay a ransom! Mary L. was painfully shy, modest and unassuming – the perfect minister’s cheerful wife. She taught Sunday School, had a lovely soprano voice, attended all meetings of the Afternoon and Evening Guilds and helped those true saints who sorted stuff for the church Rummage Sales. The rumor was she had cancer, but she never spoke of it. One morning, because she didn’t drive, she asked me to drive her to an appointment in Greenwich. I was delighted. We first went to the rose garden in Bruce Park where the pink tea roses were in full bloom. Then we went to the supermarket, where we met Marion Ficker, a special friend. I said, “Let’s make sandwiches and go to the beach at Tod’s Point. This will be YOUR day, Mary.”

Mary, Merton Libby’s wife: “The Joyous Abduction of Mary L.” by Ruth N. MorrisSlide33

Mary explained that her husband came home every day at noon for his lunch. “We’ll kidnap you! Nelda Teague and Beverly Bradham will join us, and the good minister will just have to get his own lunch.” Mary gave in to the four desperados. We taped a message to the back door of the parsonage: “Mary L. has been kidnapped. No lunch today.” and took off. Mary was proud of her own daring and we were delighted in her complete joy, enhanced by the beauty of the dark, sparkling waves, warm golden sands and the screaming gulls circling above. It was a magical day. She had lived in town for many years and had never been to a picnic at the Point. We laughed so much she said, “Please abduct me again.” But we never did. The next week she was driven to Maine to visit her elderly parents, but she became very weak and came back to Greenwich to die at the hospital. Her memorial service was on a beautiful day and the church had many vases of pink tea roses. Because her parents were unable to make the long trip, I wrote them how beautiful it all was and told them the story of the day we abducted her. They were so

happy to hear it and replied, “Mary was always so self-effacing and modest we were afraid no one would know what a fine person she was.” Betty Wiiken recently gave this story to Ruth Reed, who passed it on to Pat Larrabee for the church archives. Betty Wiiken

Nelda Teague

Ruth Reed