Oklahoma City Times (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 72, No. 15, Ed. 1 Saturday, February 25, 1961 Page: 4 of 16
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1st Methodist
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_____________________ I
Eyes Problem
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Others Faced
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nance a rebuilt sanctuary the biggest stretch of one-
Cited was a unique proj- First
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1201 No. Robinson
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Supervlsed Nursery
7:30 P.M.
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B
5
ROBERT S. SCALES, Pastor
ses "Merald of Truth" Chan. ’ Sunday Morntns •:» **
ZION LUTHERAN
Solid citizens who maintain homes in the area and blies of God congregations
CHURCH
don’t want to move away.
Sunday.
Transient residents of hotels, here for short-term ances
spot, is a tremendous task.
X
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N
First
Methodist
WNHE1
Church
"Placed On Deposit"
.1
Dr. MacGowan
First Methodist, St. Paul’s and Zion Lutheran are
$/
■
4:30 p.m.
9:30 a.m.
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and an expanded program.
Kentucky Project Cited
Rev. D. Wesley Doak, Minister
Robinson At 4th
owner property downtown,
said Dr. L. C. Williams,
OKLAHOMA CITY TIMES
4 Saturday, Feb. 25,1961
11 a.m. in Faith Tabernacle,
1100 NW 2, and at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday in Southside Faith
Tabernacle, 2124 SW 29.
Sunday
10:55 A.M.
9:45 Sunday
Church School
11 a.m. Worship
Church School 9:30 AM
Worship Service 11:31 AM
Youth Groups 5:00-9:00 PM
"Love Finds
A Way"
1st Cor. 12:31
Supervised
Nursery
i
Methodism’s Downtown Church
9:30 A.M.— Sunday School
Morning Worship—10:45 AM
"What Is Involved?"
10:40 a.m.
MINISTERS
Downtown
Baptist Church
(429 W. MAIN)
In the Heart of Ohio. City
w. E. COOK, Pastor
WESLEY
METHODIST |
F )
K v .
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!
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area.
"There is a need, and
muammmamnsammmmmmmmmwe
‘Army’ Sing
Is Slated
7:00 P.M.
"OwmedlyGo"
Rev. Doak, Proaching
CHURCH
"Planned for the Family1
CLASSEN BLVD, at N.W. 25th
DR. EARL S. WALKER
WELCOME TO THESE SERVICES
9:50 A.M.—Sunday School
10:50 A M.—Worship
6:15 P.M.—Training Union
7:50 P M—Worship
HIGHLAND HILLS
BAPTIST CHAPEL
of the 1st Baptist Church
Meet Ino at Bao. Memoriel Hospital
Sunday School 0:30 AM
Training Union 6:15 PM
Worship Services at 11 AM
& 1:30 PM
Bill C. Haggard, Pastor
TWO—Whether to remain downtown and build in-
come-producing property to finance an expanded pro-
gram.
THREE—Whether to retain physical property as it
stands, but expand their
rmmmmmmmmmema downtown ministry.
MAYRLOWER COMMUNITY CHURCH
(CONGREGATIONAL)
3901 NW 43
"MORAL MASONRY"
1:00 MORNING WoRSHIP
10:45 CHURCH SCHOOL
_Dr. Norman Whitehouse, Minister—-
Dr. Walter F. MacGowan, Prenchino
t
t
Preaching in Sin
Lenguage for Deaf Mutes
11 A.M.— 8 P.M
55.9 10--r U 6 45
J
Pastor Preachig
Rev. Jameswi Schneider, Pastor
By Kyle Ragland
Sleek, modern office buildings rise above older brick
and stone of Oklahoma City’s downtown churches—an
eloquent symbol of a changing ministry.
Large downtown churches, increasingly squeezed by
an expanding business section, have been following their
people to more spacious suburban areas for more than
35 years.
Now, historic First Methodist Church—a landmark
at NW 4 and Robinson since 1904—is facing possible
relocation.
Nearly 300 members discussed alternatives this
week, in their first hearing with a 27-member master
plan committee. They considered:
ONE—Whether to move to a more thickly populated
residential area.
822
Social Work Included
Central’s counseling program of necessity includes
much personal and social work in addition to vocational
advising. Some of its students face stark problems, Law-
ter said, of money, clothing, lunches—and broken homes.
Some families in Central’s feeder area are coming
In from “pretty sheltered lives’’ in rural districts.
"It’s quite an adjustment they have to make," Law-
ter said. “Downtown churches have been kind to Cen-
tral." /
Toplcs:
Morming: Lessoms From Gehazi
Evenine: Except Ye Repent
Men’s Prayer
Breakfast
Monday 1:00 A.M.
Population Is Varied
Clergymen and other professional people can point
to a fantastically varied population. There are 50,000
people who work downtown daily—businesses, clerical
and professional personnel.
In addition, people who live in the area include:
Single persons, young married couples and older
people living in new downtown apartment buildings.
Lower-income families, sometimes living three to a
unit in crowded, substandard housing.
ST. LUKE’S
METHODIST CHURCH
Fifteenth and N. Robinson
Broadcasting Each Sunday KYFM (98.1 mg)
11:00 AM — 12:00
Pilgrim Congregational
Church
Classen Drive at 14th St.
"The Cross Was Not the Will of God"
Leslie J. Barnett. Minister
Morning Worship 11 o’clock
Church School 10 to 11 noon
Morning Worship Topic
"What’s Inside It Where
Important"
7:00 P.M.-"The Hour of Power"
Sermon Topic
by The Rev. W. Correll Pope
"We Test Our Lives By Thine"
#
v)
L 1u
First Christian Church
36th & N. Walker
A“hh
a.
etu t ■ T
TACHRISEN
Morning Worship
1:00 A.M.
10:45 A.M.
Sermon Topic:
"JUDAS BETRAYS JESUS"
Rev. F. I.
Schuih,
Pastor
among churches offering use of their facilities.
“People can support their church and figure that's as
far as their responsiblity goes—but somebody has a re-‘
sponsibility down here if we're Christian in our actions
[/ as well as our thoughts." said Lawter.
1
"g 8
h
*4?
Pastor
S Church School—9:45 A M. |
(Missouri Synod)
N.W. 8th AT ROBINSON
Sunday School & Bible Class
9:30 A.M.
Dr. W. McFerrin Stowe, Minister
★
Morning Worship—9:30-10:55
E" Church School — 9:30-10:55
contacts available downtown.
Possibilities for a downtown ministry are getting
searching study by the Oklahoma City Christian Church
Commission, a Disciples of Christ body whose duty is
to seek locations for new church endeavors.
The commission even has considered operations in
the former Oklahoma Club at 202 W Grand, said Dr.
J. Clyde Wheeler, new president.
They concluded that costs of operation and upkeep
would be prohibitive, and adequate parking space was
another problem, said Dr. Wheeler.
But they’re still looking.
"The truth is, if churches continue to move away
from downtown areas, they will move away from the
clientele they ought to be serving," said Dr. Wheeler.
“The church must be there as it has been to meet
the needs of the people.”
He called attention to the continuing core of profes-
sional people, in addition to apartment and hotel-dwellers
For editorial comment, see back page__
and lower-paid workers who live in the area.
“The inner city is a real problem for the church,
said Rev. W. Carroll Pope, associate minister at St.
Luke’s Methodist—geographically known as an “uptown”
church.
As business expands, a downtown church becomes
“a metropolitan church, drawing membership from
everywhere,” he said. “If the area ‘goes down, it must
change its program and minister to the population sur-
rounding it."
Needs of the area are now under study by a Near
North Neighborhood Council, formally organized in late
September.
Born after a year's groundwork among members of
St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, it includes area church
and school patrons, residents, property owners, business-
men and such organizations as the YMCA and the Ameri-
J. Clyde Wheeler—JJerry L Thompson—N. Dwein Acker
NORTH WESTERN AT 40th
%. 7
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Dr. L. C. Williams, of-
ficial board chairman of
First Methodist, expects
board members to take ac-
tion within two weeks, se-
lecting a proposal to dis-
cuss with district officials
in a forthcoming “Fourth
Quarterly Conference."
The First Methodist con-
gregation then would take
a final vote.
Should First Methodist
move, it would follow such
large congregations as
First Christian and St.
Luke’s Methodist, both re-
located virtually within the
and spiritual.
A major project is an educational program on a
proposed city housing code, said Granville Scanland,
council president.
As proposed, the law would enable the city to en-
force minimum standards of maintenance, sanitation,
ventilation and occupancy in existing residential unite.
Currently, owners of apartments can "cut them up
and cut them up again," said Scanland. The city can en-
force standards only in new building additions.
Also under study by the Near North group is a
possible spring clean-up campaign, linked to a beautifica-
tion project to replant trees and clear litter in the area.
“We have some pretty
valuable property down
here,” he said. "We’re bet-
A "booze to books" project may foreshadow a
brighter face for the cramped area known as the near-
north neighborhood in downtown Oklahoma City.
On Wednesday, the bookstore of the Oklahoma Epis-
copal diocese will move into a renovated tavern at 722
N Robinson.
Once known as the Central Confectionery, the old
3-story building was a headache for years to Central High
School authorities and an eyesore to church-goers across
the street at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral.
A vice squad raid at the “confectionery” in 1954
netted 14 teen-agers suspected of using marijuana.
The building was purchased by the Charles R. Nes-
bitts of St. Paul’s. Now, “it’s hardly recognizable," says
Ross Elliott, bookstore manager.
He also edits the diocese newspaper, The Oklahoma
Churchman, which will be headquartered there with the
office of the diocese Christian education advisor.
Built about 1908, the solid masonry building once
housed plush apartments (an early-day dean of St. Paul s
Cathedral once lived there). The Nesbitts have remod-
eled the upper two stories to serve as apartments for
downtown workers.
County assessor’s rec-
ords show First Methodist
owns over 600 frontage feet
in its area. This may be
mmemmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmen past decade.
What are the reasons be-
hind the trend of churches to outlying districts?
"They were strangled,” Dr. Williams said graphic-
ally.
Both First Christian and St. Luke’s were plagued
by parking and property woes.
“It was either expand or die, they tell me,” said
Rev. W. Carroll Pope, associate minister at St. Luke's.
“It was parking,” said Ralph Chaney, First Chris-
tian business manager, “And too, we needed more space
because of our dream of a big youth program."
And—like First Methodist—most First Christians
had settled In the northwestern area of Oklahoma
City.
Many downtown church members are caught in a
paradox — they may commute past other “sister”
churches of the same denomination to reach Sunday
services, pointed out Rev. F. Grover Fulkerson, canon
of St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral.
Pattern Is Changing
Parishioners come there from as far as Edmond and
Norman.
Many have grown up with the church, keeping their
affiliation after they move out of the neighborhood.
“It lasts for a generation," said Canon Fulkerson.
“The kids generally don’t come back." Once married
and ready to buy a house, they generally settle into a
neighborhood church.
That’s one reason why mission churches are boom-
ing in outlying areas.
Commuting church members, "unless there is some-
thing terribly dynamic down here to make them come,
will go to a neighborhood church," said Canon Fulkerson.
If the churches follow their people to suburban loca-
tions, what sort of pastoral opportunities remain down-
town?
Methodist official
< •
32
way for the new structure.
Officials Agree
Trinity officials agreed
it was the only way the
church could remain down-
town.
In Chicago, a Methodist
church has been quartered
“for years” in the Chicago
Temple building, which
houses offices in the down-
town loop, said Rev. Wes-
ley Doak, First Methodist
minister here.
ter off from that stand- can Legion. w
.. They are interested in the area bounded by Main,
point than many other NW 13, Dewey and the Santa Fe tracks, with the prime
churches that moved out” objective of improving living conditions—both physical
B. .
I
»
NICHOLS HILLS
BAPTIST CHURCH
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24
it to a beautiful _
thing each •m
May Help ‘Near Northside ’
Public perform-
are scheduled at
I
C7 BAPTIST
^irst CHURCH
stays.
With the rise of neighborhood churches, the general
pattern turns to a downtown ministry "for people who
live in housing in the area—which is generally sub-
standard,” said Canon Fulkerson.
“Then the problem begins.”
To minister to such a varied population, on the
A colorful “singing con-
vention” will start a la-
bour program at 2:30 p.m.
Sunday in Salvation Army
headquarters, SW 5 and Hud-
son.
Featured will be a Christ-
ian Classics choir, a youth
chorus of youngsters in the
Chickasha Salvation Army
program which also will pre-
sent a tambourine drill, and
a male quartet.
The Salvation Army’s own
14-piece band and Songsters
Brigade also will perform.
Choir to Sing
The Harvester Choir of
Southwestern Christian Col-
lege, Waxahachie, Texas,
will sing before two Assem-
m • "Soenkirq In
m1 Tongues"
m 1st 14
Dr Herschel H Hobbs
Broadcast KOMA II to 12 noon
Dr. Herschel H. Hobbs
Pastor
members, pondering pros
and cons of moving to a
residential area, aired
ideas earlier this week for
a history-making project
to stay downtown.
One idea is to build “in-
come-producing” property
near the church — such as
apartment facilities or
tiered parking — to fi-
Southwest Church of Christ
2400 $. Agnew
Welcome Oklahoma Chinchilla Breeders
Services:-Worship 8:50 or 10:50 AM * 6:00 PM.
Bible Study 8:00 or 10:00 AM mA feW P.M.
. Lewis Hale, Minister
You're Cordially Invited To Worship With Us
Worship Service 10:40 a.m.
"The Cost of Christian Service"
Dr. J. Clyde Wheeler, preaching
CHURCH SCHOOL WORSHIP SERVICE YOUTH MEETINGS
ZION EVANGELICAL And
REFORMED CHURCH
VI 3-0297 2200 NW 50th
The United Church of Christ
Booths, bar and a "25 years accumulation of junk’
have been cleared out to make way for curriculum ma-
terials, general religious books and office supplies.
Book operations are being moved from All Souls
Episcopal Church in northwest Oklahoma City, head-
quarters for the past three years. ,,
“We’re looking forward to being downtown, said
Other church groups also are considering the wider
Redevelopment Precedents Set
cies, and thus is eligible to
seek federal aid.
Urban redevelopment
could eliminate undesir-
able “fungus” growths
that now hem in downtown
churches, said Clowers.
"It’s reciprocal both
ways — as the downtown
strengthens itself, it’s go-
ing to add that much more
boost to the churches.”
First Methodist Church
dharcli Christ
IOth & Francis
Sunday, February 26, 1961
Bible School 9:45 A.M.
ALL AGES
Morning Worship 10:45A.M.
Evening Worship 6:00 PM.
James W. Adams
Evangelist
The Bible only makes Christians Only!
Lord’s Day to
•M the sanctu-
an crowded and
overflowins Into
other area« of
ike editlee.
Notice: We are
pavtng property
1 o accomodate
some sixty (60)
more care for
off street park-
1701 N Robinsor
r M G uen M
Nir i e y Provided
“This is where the churches can really work with us
in the downtown area,” said Joe Lawter, principal of
Central High School.
The city’s oldest high school reflects the area it
serves. Students are white, Indian, Mexican and Negro
in descent.
hirWeek
ineldjon
Oklahoma City’s down- there will be an increas-
town churches, if they dig ing need, for churches in
in to serve a chang- the downtown area,” said
ing ministry, will have Paul Clowers, director of
some useful precedents to Oklahoma City planning,
follow. Cultural Center?
They are linked to pro- ..We should be revers-
grams of urban redevelop- ing the trend now
ment, empowering cities Churches are part of “a
to launch campaigns of nucleus for redevelopment
slum clearance and blight needed around that area,”
prevention. said Clowers. He sees the
In Tulsa, the downtown cramped downtown area-
church community is due plagued by parking woes
for redevelopment and and substandard buildings
landscaping into a park- in some spots—as a poten-
like setting, made possible tial cultural and educa-
by removal of several ex- tional center.
isting structures. Two downtown apart-
Churches Needed ment buildings, erected
Tulsa’s First Christian within the last two years,
Church voted to stay down- are both full. “They indi-
town and has launched a cate a trend toward com-
$600,000 expansion pro- ing back down here,” said
gram. Included are a Clowers.
chapel and educational fa- Eligible for Aid
cilities to serve both com- Oklahoma City has an
muting church-goers and urban renewal program
people who live in the approved by federal agen-
9
432
Towering Skyline Crowds In on Downtown Churches
‘Booze to Books ‛ Renovation
ect in Louisville, Ky., a board chairman.
combined church and if physical properties are
apartment building known retained as they stand,
as Trinity Towers. Tenants there are possibilities for
over 65 will be given pri- an expanded program,
ority for its 218 apart- Mr. Doak quoted ideas
ments. for more week-day pro-
First two floors of the grams to appeal to people
16-story building will be in the area—possibly busi-
occupied by what is now nessmen’s mid-day devo-
Trinity Temple Methodist tions — and more all-city
Church, razed to make offerings for youth.
WORSHIP
With Your Silent Friends
AT THE
FIRST
»i
Two Wonhip Services
= 8:40 and 10:55 A.M.
= "When LferpennT"Nk. MB0»"
= By Dr. Earl S. Walker
Anthem: "Savior, Like e Shepherd
Lead Us"
— Or Gluck
7:30 P.M.
Sermon Toole:
"The Image of Jesus end the
Authentic Christ"
Rev. Milton Proop
"The Church Near Ike Untversit"
inuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiii
Tor am Dr. Ruper Naney
other Ereat oc- Fastor
casiom.
SEEVICEs MlM A.M. ....7:00P.M.
SUNDAY SCHOOL .........MI A M.
TAAnO UNoN ....6:00P.M.
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Gaylord, E. K. Oklahoma City Times (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 72, No. 15, Ed. 1 Saturday, February 25, 1961, newspaper, February 25, 1961; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc2004685/m1/4/: accessed May 26, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.