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I’ve been thinking a lot about our centennial year, which we will kick off on October 8. As I write this on my computer, which is literally connected to the whole world, I’m aware of how different our world is from the one in which St. John’s was born. It speaks to the truth of Christian faith that the message of the Gospel is as vibrant and relevant today as it was one hundred years ago. It speaks to the continued brokenness of the world that the message of the Gospel is as needed and often ignored as it was one hundred years ago. In those respects (the relevancy of the Gospel and the need for it), we have much in common with our spiritual ancestors who started St. John’s. But in other ways, things are so, so different.

I thought it might be interesting to explore how different, so I used my Twenty-First Century computer to get on the internet and find out about life in the first decade of the Twentieth Century. Here are a few facts:

Theodore Roosevelt took office as Vice-President in 1901 and became President shortly thereafter when an anarchist assassinated President William McKinley. Roosevelt stayed in office until 1909. Teddy Bears became a fad after a cartoon appeared showing Roosevelt with a bear cub.

In 1903, President Roosevelt, having failed to negotiate a canal treaty with Columbia, instigated an uprising in that country and supported the rebels. When they prevailed and created the new country of Panama, Roosevelt quickly negotiated a canal treaty with them. This was an age of American imperialism and expansionism. After leaving office, Roosevelt expressed regret for his militarism.

Oklahoma was admitted as a State in 1907. New Mexico and Arizona were Territories until 1912.

The 1910 census showed 76 million Americans in 46 states.

In 1900, Americans owned 8,000 cars. There were 96 automobile related deaths, and 10 miles of paved road.

In 1900, there were 115 lynchings in America.

In 1900, the average worker made $12.98 per week and worked 59 hours.

In 1903, the Wright Brothers made their first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

In 1905, Albert Einstein proposed his Special Theory of Relativity. Time-space would never be the same.

In 1905, baseball (which was segregated) was the national pass time, but Take Me Out to the Ball Game was not written until 1908 when Jack Norworth composed the lyrics on the NYC subway. Later, Albert Von Tilzer put them to music. At the time, neither man had ever been to a baseball game.

In 1900, the average life expectancy was 47.3 years for females, 46.3 for males, and 33.0 for Blacks. Jim Crow laws segregated much of life in the South. The 1906 race riots in Atlanta made the situation much worse.

During the decade, police arrested women for smoking in public.

Popular musical hits included, In My Merry Oldsmobile, Come Josephine in My Flying Machine, and Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis. Irving Berlin shows included The Boys and Betty, The Girl and the Whiz, The Jolly Bachelors, and Ziegfeld Follies. In 1905, the first Nickelodeon (nickel theater) opened in Pittsburgh. The formation of a National Board of Censorship soon followed in 1908.

The fashion was formal and romantic. Men wore long slim trousers with a bit of fullness at the top.A cap with goggles and a linen duster made up the motoring outfit. Women wore the high, straight-front corset with long hips making the waist as small as possible.  Garders came in during this decade. The skirt grew shorter to accommodate stepping onto the new automobiles and trolley. The popular hobble skirt measured a yard around, necessitating a knee-high slit at the side to make walking possible. The high-buttoned shoe lasted during this decade.  Bobbed hair made its appearance by the end of this decade. Hats were large. People were very clothes conscious and clothes were 'costumy.'

In 1905, College Park, renamed from “Manchester” in 1895, was located in the Diocese of Georgia (which then covered the whole state). The Diocese of Atlanta (encompassing Middle and North Georgia) was not formed until 1906. The Bishop of the Diocese of Georgia (and later Bishop of the Diocese of Atlanta) was the Rt. Rev. C.K. Nelson, one of the rather stern looking fellows whose picture hangs in the reception room in front of Ruth’s office.

Bishop Nelson’s diary reads: “COLLEGE PARK (St. John’s) Held a meeting of Church people here and organized a Mission including 30 souls, 1905-10-22.”

Jordan Housel

Michaelyn Koss

Rafael Caraballo

8 Daimler Olaiya

David Wagner

Brian Carver

10 Kwasi Baffour

Jay Johnson

Patricia Okonya

Melissa Brady

Jackie Berlin

Patricia Baker

Eleanor Dixon

Charles Thomas

Charles Primerano

Romanus Okonya

Victoria Taylor

31 Philip Lee

In preparation for the Annual Council of the Diocese of Atlanta (Nov. 11 & 12), the Convocation of Southwest Atlanta will gather at St. John’s (College Park) on October 30 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. We will enjoy a pot-luck supper (please bring a dish to share), then discuss the business of council, including proposed changes to the funding canon. We will also hear of the exciting plans made to celebrate the centennial of our Diocese in 2006.

Family Life reports that they fed over 700 people last month alone. This month they estimate that they have served no less than that.

So, we need to continue our support by collecting the items listed below.

Spaghetti

Green Beans

Dried Beans

Anything Green in a can

Pork and Beans

Canned Fruit

If you cannot send these in, Family Life can also use your designated funds to purchase what is needed. Please send your contribution to:

Family Life Ministries

PO Box 91472

East Point, GA 30364

As we go to press, we are continuing to develop our Katrina (and Rita) relief efforts. Many of you have given generously to St. John’s (marked “Katrina relief”), Episcopal Relief and Development, the Red Cross, and other worthy causes. Thank you for your generosity! The money will be well spent to help the one hundred thousand (or so) evacuees in our area as well as the devastated Gulf Coast.

Donn Blosser and Jim Pritchett have attended meetings with city of College Park officials and other churches to help coordinate the city’s response (which isn’t easy!). Georgie White and Jim Pritchett have attended training sessions conducted by Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta (RRISA, pronounced “REESA”) for parishes interested in sponsoring evacuee families. Episcopal Migration Ministries, the National Church’s refugee resettlement ministry, partners with RRISA to serve this area regarding international refugee resettlements (we worked through RRISA to sponsor both our recent refugee families). Because of the overlap of skills required to resettle refugees and evacuees, RRISA has agreed to head the Episcopal Church’s Katrina relief efforts in our area. The National Church is also putting together a program called, “We Will Stand With You” for parishes and dioceses in unaffected areas (like ours) to sponsor parishes and dioceses in affected areas. We will keep you informed. On October 3-7, Ruth and Jim are going with a group of clergy to help clean up in Mississippi. Pray for that trip.

RRISA has recently informed us that there are many evacuee families in our area who have used a substantial portion of their FEMA money to rent apartments because the hotels are full. They have nothing to go in the apartments and often sleep on the floor. We can and will help. Please watch (and listen to your Calling Post messages) to see how you can contribute. May God bless you for your generosity during these difficult times.

Featuring duo-pianists

Jon Marc Rutherford

and

Dock Anderson

Mr. Rutherford is the organist/choirmaster at St. John’s Episcopal Church, and the staff accompanist at Woodward Academy.

Mr. Anderson is the choral director at Woodward Academy.

1662 Rugby Ave.

College Park, GA 30337

Dueling Pianos

In association with the Performing Arts Department of Woodward Academy

The Diocese requires that all church staff, vestry members, Sunday school teachers and youth leaders attend Anti Racism Training.

An Anti Racism Training will be held on Saturday, October 22, from 8:30 am to 4 pm, at the Cathedral of St. Philip, room 382.

You are invited to A Day With the Arts on Saturday, October 15 from 10:00 a. m - 4:00 p.m.

The event is sponsored by The Work of Our Hands and hosted by Emmaus House & Holy Comforter. Come out and enjoy the artists market, performances and music throughout the day and goodies from the food tent.

The event will be held on the Emmaus House Campus located at 1017 Hank Aaron Drive SE, Atlanta.

________________________________________________________

A CONCERT 7pm Woodward Chapel

Cash Bar

at

For those not taking DOCC beginning on October 12th we will be starting a series of programs which will run from 6:30 (after supper) to 8:00 p.m. I gave those who were present on September 22 a list of possible subjects to examine, and their choice for a ‘beginning’ was a video program on the subject “When It’s Hard to Choose”. It deals with the questions, “When it’s not a matter of choosing right over wrong, or when right and wrong are not as clear as we would hope, where do we look?”

The Biblical references in the material are very helpful as well as are the people dealing with presented cases. I think you will enjoy it!

This program will function in some ways as Via Media did last year. Each of five subjects are covered in one evening, so there are no commitments for a long period of time. We will watch the video and then have time for sharing our opinions.

Come for supper and fun!

Ruth Healy