13Epilogue

momentous decision in our family as my mother, Lillian Magnuson; my grandma, Alma Haugh; my aunt, Mildred Hendrickson; and my uncle, Oscar Haugh, had all been baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church. They were all re-confirmed at St. John in the Wilderness by Frank Davenport, the year after I was confirmed.”

“The Rev. Frank Davenport was a delightful man, and made the young people in the congregation feel a responsibility to God, the church, their parents and to each other. The statement he made to me, at the age of eleven, was that ‘A Christian was a person the sun shone through.’ He really made me feel that being a religious young female, did not indicate I should be a doom and gloom person frowning on all things fun. In the 1930s this was an interesting departure from the thinking of many protestant ministers.”

“White Bear Lake, at that time, did not take kindly to the presence of Black Americans. One day, when a Black family came to visit the Davenports and tried to go swimming, they were ordered off the Clark Avenue beach. Rev. Davenport donned a swim suit and went to the beach with them.”

“Rev. Davenport encouraged me to be a Sunday School teacher when I was sixteen, and I continued to be one for over thirty years - no matter where I attended an Episcopal Church. He taught me the value of a ‘spit ball’ blessing. If you have a conflict, or are really unable to resolve a difficulty with another person, you think to yourself, ‘God Bless You’ -- you need it. In your mind you throw the blessing like you would a spit ball, and start thinking about something good about your ‘adversary.’ It is not an easy feat to accomplish, but it does work, if you give the concept your full attention.”

“When Frank Barr (see Plate) and Russell Murphy were

Plate. Rev. Frank T. Barr, Rector of St. John’s, 1944 - 1953 (click here or on image for higher resolution views)

ministers at St. John’s, I was not living in White Bear, but when visiting my family, I went to church with them. I do know that Father Murphy and Frank Barr were kind and dear to my aunt, Mildred Hendrickson, whose daughter died of a rare disease, Myasthenia Gravis, in 1953. Her daughter, Phyllis Hendrickson Bedahl, had been married at St. John’s, and was only twenty-three when she died.”

“I believe Father Murphy had been a conscientious objector in World War II, and he died at an early age. I remember a very thoughtful and moving sermon preached, when his death was announced, to substantiate that being an objector did not make him a coward. He was a deeply religious person who could not condone warfare for any reason. Years later, it was interesting to hear Father Greenlee Haynes preach a sermon justifying the use of the atomic bomb in Japan. I mention these two messages from the pulpit, as all Episcopal ministers I have known seemed to be fearless in their faith and not afraid to speak to present day issues.”

“Greenlee Haynes (see Plate) was with us such a long time,

Plate. Rev. J. Greenlee Haynes, Rector 1956 - 1978 (click here or on image for higher resolution views)

and there were those who thought one needed a dictionary to understand his sermons. I thought he was an excellent ‘preacher,’ well read, and certainly realistic in applying religious principles to daily life. My mother and aunt were handicapped in their later life, and he sometimes came to the house and ‘practiced’ his sermons.”

“I picked up Greenlee one day when he was all dressed up to go to dinner, in his full ministerial garb, because I couldn’t get my grandma to get out of the car, to go into the house, to take her medication, and to go to bed. She responded to him all right: took the pill, but spit the pill back onto his black outfit. He also accompanied me on a snowy night to go to Eau Claire, Wisconsin to give my aunt her Christmas Communion. What a guy!”

“During Rev. Hayne’s tenure, there were several assistant ministers. Robert Moore was the one who convinced me to pilot the Seabury Series in the daily vacation Bible School. I had all the students by myself. I taught ‘creative drama’ with Bible stories. I remember one day Bob came in and thought this sixth grade boy was being a behavior problem - hiding from me. The boy informed him, he was one of Saul’s men - and he truly was.”

“Another assistant was Vince Anderson, one of his many assets was his mother, Coral. I had married Vern Haas, a widower with four children and a Missouri Synod Lutheran. I wanted my son, Kurt, and Vern’s children to know that even though we were of different protestant faiths, we were all ‘in tune’ with God and Jesus Christ as our Savior. I invited the two Missouri Synod pastors and their wives, from the South Shore Trinity Church, for dinner. I also invited Vince and his mother along with Greenlee Haynes and his wife, Mabel. Vince’s mother, with her gentle charm, was truly a facilitator in this gathering. The pastor emeritus of South Shore stated with warmth, ‘I have never broken bread with a pastor of any faith but my own until tonight.’ The ‘breakthrough’ happened when he led us in grace. It was a lovely Amen.”

“Dan Swenson (see Plate) was certainly our most famous

Plate. Rt. Rev. Daniel L. Swenson, Rector 1978 -- 1986 (click here or on image for higher resolution views)

rector. He had barely come to White Bear, when he was with me in the hospital when my aunt was dying, even though he was having health problems himself. Going to Dan’s ordination as Bishop in Vermont was one of my most thrilling experiences in the Episcopal Church. The ceremony was in a Catholic Church, and it was very ‘homey’ to see George Glander participate in the service. Everyone from White Bear who attended were so proud of Dan and Sally. Dan was another Episcopalian minister who helped me as a caretaker for both my mother and my aunt.”

“Rev. Joe Campbell (see Plates) saw me through my own

Plate. Rev. Edward Joseph Campbell Jr., Rector 1987 – 2001 (click here or on image for higher resolution views)

Plate. Rev. Edward Joseph Campbell Jr., Rector 1987 – 2001, second photo (click here or on image for higher resolution views)

personal hospitalizations, and my husband’s long term illness. I went with Joe and Priscilla to Israel -- his knowledge of the Bible, Christianity and the conflicts in Israel were so meaningful. When he and Judy Hoover were going to lead a group to Ireland, I signed up -- and then couldn’t bear to go when he died before the trip.”

“Joe was so helpful to Charles Resler with his wife’s long term illness. I attended a couple of funerals, at a mortuary, where Joe delivered the eulogy. He did such a meaningful Service for these non-church members that I often said he should have a sign -- ‘Way to go -- With Joe.’ Father Ed Wittenburg and Joe were both so supportive to me and my children during my husband’s long and hopeless battle with two cancers, that I remembered Frank Davenport’s words -- ‘A Christian is a person the sun shines through.’ Father Ed was certainly another Anglican priest who could make traveling a painful road easier because he was there with you.”

“Any account of the life and times at St. John’s not only includes the ordained ministers, but all the members of the congregation that we call ‘the ministers of the church.’ When I walk through the church, look at the memorial windows, read the inscriptions on items used in worship, or even attend a church picnic in the graveyard, I feel I am surrounded by a church family, headed by men we have fondly called Father. I remember when Father Davenport was no longer going to be our rector – and Bishop Keeler came to St. John’s and said, ‘Remember, if you don’t approve of your new minister, you can always go to early morning communion and it won’t matter what your new minister says.’ At that time, there was no homily at the early communion service. The job description of priests at St. John’s has changed with time, and if I didn’t quite ‘go along’ with the way things were happening, I’ve just gone back to Frank Davenport’s advice: ‘Just give the person a spit ball blessing. It will work every time.’”

- Dorothy Haas