The Wilmington morning star., 1947-01-24
BY JOE SPIVEY
Wilmington Star
Raleigh Bureau

Wilmington Star
Raleigh Bureau
RALEIGH - Realizing that the
need for denominational religious
guidance is as great in a monde
nominational college as in a
church = supported school, four
Protestant churches, representing
300 of the 1900 students at North
Carolina State College. have as
signed a quartet o. religious work.
ers to the campus to minister to
the religious needs of the students.
The job of the four men, who
work closely with the college
YMCA, is part of a program
which will include a survey by a
nationally-known theologian to de-
termine the needs of the campus
and assist religious leaders in for
mulating a long range plan for the
development of the religious life
of the college.
Many students are veterans. old
er than the average college stu
dent, finding the transition from
battlefield to campus difficult, try
ing to forget details OF war nor
rors. Approximately 300 veterans
are married. Five hundred and
their wives live in trailer and
emergency housing communities
ON the campus. Many have one
Or more children.
Other students are youngsters
just out of high school, away from
home Cor the first time and a little
homesick, though they don't like
to admit it.
The four religious workers,
young men themselves, two of
them with service as chaplains,
are we'll qualified to understand
and meet the religious problems
Of State students. The Methodist
church pioneered the plan for stu
dent workers at State College with
the assignment Of the Rev. John
M. Hamm 10 the College in Au-
gust, 1915. In July of this year he
was joined by Clarence E. Hob
good, Episcopal worker, in August
by the Rev. Robert c. Lasater,
Baptist worker. and in November
by the Rev. Arthur G. Courtenay,
Presbyterian worker.
Although the Lutheran church
does not. have a student worker
OH the campus, a request for one
has been made. The Rev. Clarence
z. Norman, pastor of Holy Trim
ity Lutheran church in Raleigh,
works With State students to the
extent that his full time schedule
allows.
Rabbi Harold Gelfman of Tenn
pie Beth-Or assists Jewish stu
dents and Father Charles E.
O'Connor. assistant priest at Sa-
cred Heart Cathedral. ministers to
the needs of Catholic students.
Meeting places for all religious
groups are made available in the
YMCA.
The four Protestant student
workers coordinate their programs
by meeting together each Tuesday
with I'd S. King, general secretary
Of the college YMCA. Out of these
meetings have grown the 15-mia-
ute vesper services held each eve
ming at the YMCA, sponsored by
the Wesley Fellowship, Meth
odist), Baptist Student Union, Can
terbury Club. (EpiscopaD, and the
Westminster Fellowship, (Prespy-
terian).
The religious workers. as we'll
as Offering religious guidance and
arranging religious programs, Or
anize social activities in coopera-
ton with the three girls schools
in Raleigh, Peace. Meredith, and
St. Mary's Colleges, act as advi-
sors for publications put out by
their groups, and encourage their
organizations to engage in social
service projects on and off the
campus.
By reason of it's seniority on the
campus, the Methodist group i,
the best organized. Approximately
/ 800 Students on the campus are
Methodist. Hamm. director of the
State College Wesley Foundation
was ordained a minister in No
vember, 1915, after receiving hi.
Bachelor of Divinity degree a.
Duke University earlier in the
year under the Duke Endowment
Program.
The Wesley group works close
~ with the Fairmont Methods
Church. In addition to arranging
for speakers for campus Methods
sroups. organizing forums ane
study groups, planning parties ant
outings. the fellowship is active ir
three Sunday school classes at thu
Fairmont Church, n or methods
of teaching in church schools,
second for students and Raleigh
young people. and a third fol
young married couples from the
campus.
THE Methodist Student" 8
monthly news sheet, is published
by the group to furnish news O;
former students and present Meth.
odist activity on the campus,
Members OF the fellowship assist
with work at the State School for
the Blind. taking students to town
for shopping and on hikes. Hamn
is at present setting up a librar,
Of religious and related religious
and social studies books at his Of
flee in Pr1len HILL on the campus.
Hobgood received his Bachelor
Of Divinity degree al Yale Univer
sity and studied at the Episcopal