The Unanticipated Benefit of an Unexpected GiftThere's a story here of Luther B. Williams' gift. It needs background and perspective before I share it.
We honor the legacy of our three former congregations by rotating use of their communion "silver" and also by our chancel appointments. We use flower stands from the Colonial Church. An alternate set of stands and the baptismal font are from the Northminster Church. (It was a gift from the architect for the sanctuary.) The pulpit, communion table and chancel chairs are from the Lake Park Church. Now to Luther Williams' gift and its unanticipated benefit.
First Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Dallas, the forerunner of the Lake Park Church, occupied several sites in the city. Its last location, before the congregation moved to Audelia Road and chose the name, "Lake Park," was on Beacon Street in old East Dallas.
The Depression '30s were brutal years for churches, especially smaller ones. Contributions barely met operating expenses. The people of First Cumberland Presbyterian forewent property improvements. During those years, a teen, Luther Williams, attended the church. After he graduated from Woodrow Wilson High, he moved away from Dallas and never lived here again.
World War II, with rationing, followed the Depression. The people of the church still could do nothing to brighten the neglected face of their church.
Sometime after 1945, Luther Williams became ill. Realizing he could not survive, he asked his wife to remember his boyhood church with a memorial gift. She did, and the session accepted the pulpit, communion table and chancel chairs we still use.
The people of the church now saw how desperately their worship space needed a "face lift." They gave it one but didn't stop there. They redecorated all the rooms and beautified the grounds and building exterior.
That's when the unexpected gift began to have its unanticipated benefit. The area around the church was booming with new growth. Returning veterans were needing housing for their families. It was also a time when people walked to church. Couples came to First Cumberland Presbyterian for their weddings; they were drawn by its attractive chapel-like setting. Many stayed as members. And the congregation had to add a new education wing.
I am grateful to Eula Watterson for sharing the story. And I admit I had some trepidation about using it; after all, I am a former pastor of the Lake Park Church. But it seems too rich not to share, and I trust you to understand my reason. It is this: We are into our Capital Stewardship Campaign for our soon-to-begin property development. No one knows the unanticipated, delightful result of a gift or how God can use it.
(There must be other stories like this within our former congregations. Please, share them so we can all celebrate.)
-- Robert E Shelton