Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Old School: John S. Higgins

"And in the dream I knew that he was goin' on ahead. And he was fixin' to make a fire somewhere out there in all that dark and all that cold, and I knew that whenever I got there, he would be there..."

- No Country for Old Men

The Reverend Higgins began his ministry by restarting the Parish Visitor and announcing a five-year plan to restore and preserve the now-historic church. Massive repairs followed, fiscally provided by the congregation. However, the repairs were not without controversty, as new memorial projects had to replace old ones. To resolve this, Higgins created the Book of Memorials, a permanent record of all memorial projects.

Meanwhile, WWII began, and the rationing of oil required Gethsemane to switch to coal heat. Higgins oversaw this change, and erected the first war memorial in Minneapolis, to remember those from Gethsemane who had given their lives, and to offer a place for prayers over the fallen of any denomination.

Yet in these sober times, church attendance continued to grow, requiring the purchase of new pews. Higgins installed a library for the Campfire Girls; in collaboration with The Eliot Park House, Gethsemane started a program for eight to twelve-year olds. After the war, the men's club restarted.

Reverend Higgins resigned effective August 1.

2 comments:

Monica said...

Do we have copies of sermons and such from any of these former rectors? I'm curious what their theology was like.

Curious Monk said...

That is a truly excellent question.

To which I do not have an answer...but I'll try to find out!