We’re here
today to honor Harriet Spangler, the last living founding member of what is now
Unity Church of Anderson, and to honor, too, those who were present and became
members when we officially became a church in 1977.
What we are really
here to talk about is a love story. A love story that began in the hearts of a
handful of people: Harriet Spangler, Kathryn and Gib Gentry, JR Shirey, and
others of the original group.
They first met
in Gib and Kathryn’s basement 52 years ago in the fall of 1962.
Let me read to you from a
presentation given on Sunday, August 8th, 1998 by Harriet Spangler.
It was Groundbreaking Day for this very sanctuary in which you find yourself
today.
“…We outgrew Kathryn’s
basement and moved on to ours (Spangler’s). Then we outgrew ours and we moved
to Muncie to Thelma Johnson’s home. Not for long; we had to find a bigger place
than a home. We went to the basement of the Grace Lutheran Church in Muncie,
Then Kathryn found a building in Yorktown! She was so thrilled that she went
right out and had a huge sign painted “Unity of Yorktown.”!
I think this
is about the time Janice Garrison found what she’d been looking for. Janice,
would you like to come up and tell us about the day you first drove by that
building with that sign on it?
(TELL JANICE’S
STORY)
Back to
Harriet’s written account, “She (Kathryn) took pictures of it (the sign) and
sent one to World Unity in Lee’s Summit (Missouri). They immediately let us
know that we could not do that because it was not legal;
we had to go through certain channels. Of course, the sign was removed until
the legal formalities were made. At that time, we became really legal as a
Unity Church (1977). …We outgrew the Yorktown building in a year and were off
to the City Building in Anderson.”
Pat McCoy cannot be with us today and
she did want to have some input so we recorded this story. It’s difficult to
hear in some spots, so I’ve transcribed it and you can read along on our
projector screen.
(PLAY PAT’S SOUND FILE)
Again, from Harriet’s account, “From the City Building, we went to a building
in North Anderson. Virginia Clement was our minister and we moved to this building which was the first time that we
were in a bona fide church building.
You know, it took Moses
forty years to get his children across the wilderness, to the Promised Land. It took me forty years
to get my thought-children across the desert of my mind.... and it will soon be forty years that
all of this began in the basement of Gib and Kathryn's home. Kathryn was the
power behind the scenes… she built fires under us to get us to be a part of
something that meant much to the enrichment of our lives!”
Kathryn built fires under us… it sounds like
Kathryn was a great motivator. Apparently she also knows how to entice people.
(HARRIET TELLS HAIR
STORY)
(DORIES TELLS HER
STORIES)
In those early days
that initial group had an affirmation and held to it faithfully, accepting it
to be true even if it hadn’t yet manifest itself in form. Their affirmation was
this, “We place ourselves and all our
affairs, lovingly in the Hands of the Father, with a childlike trust, knowing
that everything for our highest good will come to us. It was one of Charles
Fillmore's affirmations and we thought it would be something-we could use. We know…
that God is in this situation working in us and through us to bring about
something for the good of all!”
... Our dream come true and an answered prayer for all of us who [worked]
for so long to keep things going, telling
ourselves that the appearances of
failing-to-succeed were not the true story. With God all things are possible.
This day is a new start. ... a new beginning and
it will take all of us to make an unwavering attempt to finish what we have started…
We believe in the
future of this Church! We are grateful to be a part of something so worthwhile.
Yes, this is an answered prayer!”
I believe in the present of this church.
Because of love and
vision and perseverance, it is here.
I believe in the future
of this church to continue to welcome all who find a spiritual home here for
their soul, be it weary or joyful.
I’d like to invite
Harriet, Dorie, and Edie to come forward and receive a small token of our
gratitude for the love you held so dearly in your hearts, for the actions you
took in your living that this sweet church may be a reality today.
(THEY
COME FORWARD AND RECEIVE A MUM)
Thank you Kathryn and
Gib, thank you JR Shirey, and many others who may not be here iN physical form
today, but certainly are here blessing us today.
This concludes our
service. We’ll now take an offering to support our ministry.
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