The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-09-24
CLOSING Of OLD
FIRST CHURCH UP
FOR DISCUSSION
All-Year Residents Favor Ser
vices During Winter
VITAL COMMUNITY NEED
Suspension Means Interference
with Best Influences of
Community Life
VITAL COMMUNITY NEED


People Of Old bennington, summer
and regular, are considering the ques-
tion whether 1t is best to keep the
church open during TIE winter when
attendance dwindles to handful. The
following is a statement Of lhe case
from a member Of the parish.
The announcement that the parish
oners Of Old Bennington are 10 vote
upon proposal to close the Old First
Church during the winter months.
leaving the village entirely without
Protestant religious services Of any
kind during several months in the year
brings to the front with sharp and
challenging directness one of the most
vital problems affecting the religious
life ard Well-being OF our Vermont vii
lagos. Because the problem IS one
Which confronts rnany villages besides
Old i}enn ngton, il is possible to dis
cuss it in general terms and without
paying undue attention to the specific
local issues,
Like many ether Vermont villages
Old Bennington has come TO be the
summer home OF many people whose
business and other major interests lie
in the large cities. Fond as these peo-
pie may be OF the little villages and
hamlets where they spend tleir sum
mers, they are not in any real sense
Vermont villagers. They are city folk.
and their psychology is OF the cities.
During the summer months they nat
urally attend the village churches,
making up considerable part Of the
congregation IN most eases. For the
most part they are fairly well-tD.do
people, these city sojOurners in Our
villages sometimes very rich. Be
cause they are generous as class.
they contribute generously to the sup
port OF the village churches and kin
dred institutions Many OF our Old
Village churches. which heretofore
were supported ay the sacrifices and
sell denials 0fsrMe village inhabitants,
have come TO depend to a great ex.
tent upon the Summer visitors for the
greater part OF their maintenance
funds Il Is unquestionable that but
Tor this support many OF Our ane old
Churches would be IN danger Of being
closed and abandoned Unpleasant as
the fact may be it Is a fact and must
be reckoned with in any discussion OF
the problem before Us.
1T is only natural that the people
from the cities who contribute 50
largely TO the maintenance Of the
churches in our villages. and who dur
ing large part OF the year provide
the greater part of the congregations,
should come to exercise large meas
ure OF control over I've churches. They
are called upon to serve on church
COMMITTEES and boards; their advice Is
sought by the ministers Herein lies
a really grave peyil to the religious life
Of the villages. and the peril Is al
the greater because the city peop'e
are quite innocent anu anxious only
TO do good
They cannot help themselves. Be-
Ing city dwellers. they naturally reflect
the psychology OF the city in their
attitude Nowhere is this more mani
fest than in their church activities.
Insensibly they adopt city standards
of Indictment. The typical village min
lister does not satisfy them they want
"smarter" preachers and moro brilliant
and up.to.date services. All too often
when changes In the ministry are
made. it ia Gie viewpoint OF the CITY
people that prevails. In place OF the
miet. plodding village minister. WIN
his modest ways old-fashioned preach
ing. and above all, his profound sym
pathy with and understanding of vii
lage life and village people, comes the
city minister fitted to minister to the
temporary sojourners from the c,res
hut ill.Htted to minister to the vii
layers. the natives as they are con
temptuously called.
"Now note what Aappens. Whe'
the summer cottagers and hote
guests have gone, and only the all-the
year.around villagers remain the min
ister finds himself out of his element
He is discouraged and heartbrokel
when he faces the large number o
empty uews. He feels that his ser
mons are not appreciated he 4
generally right. the reason being hi
alien psycholosQ. lie has nothing t
inspire him now His work seems t
be futile and 30 little worth while
To plow through deep snowdriits o
la Sunday morning and find only tiv'
or six people in church to listen to hin
soon crushes his sprit He begins n
asking "ls Il worth while2' and soo'
decides that Il Is not. AS n matte
lof fact. of course, 2le had reached tn
answer in his own mind before tn
question took definite form
"The result soon appears In a pre-
posal to close the church for tn
long Winter season; to make IL In fac
summer church. Upon the face G
lit this seems only reasonable Wh
20 20 the trouble and expense Of hea
ing the church during winter when S
few attend? The permanent resident
do not show any real interest in tn
church anyway? and what can be NOR
lust than that the summer residents
who pay most Of the e~enses--shoul