Written by Phil Wala
This week we have a few more excerpts from the 80-year-old color film found in the church archives. Last week we looked at scenes featuring Hennepin’s pastoral staff. Today’s highlights feature the children of Hennepin Church in the years 1941-1945.
So take a few moments and enjoy another rare glimpse into the life of Hennepin Methodist Church eighty years ago! Unfortunately, these films didn’t have sound, but there are some pretty easy lip-reading opportunities. Look for “Yes, Jesus loves me …” (at 0:16) and “… the Bible tells me so” (at 0:31).
The last segment of the video (beginning at 3:39) takes place in the room that had served as the Primary Sunday School classroom since the construction of the building in 1915. The classroom was named in honor of the Primary class supervisor who would have been the first to teach in that room when the “guild hall” first opened in June 1915: Olive Branch Longfellow. “Mother Longfellow,” as she was known to many, died on Christmas Eve 1915, only six months after that room opened. The room continued to be the Primary classroom until the education annex was added in 1950, whereupon it became a general purpose conference room. The next time you’re in the Longfellow Room, look for the carved mantlepiece and the bronze plaque dedicated to Olive Branch Longfellow, and think of all the Sunday School students who learned about God in that room, and all the Hennepin Sunday School teachers who lovingly nurtured them.
In other news from This Week in Hennepin History:
1883 (February 8)
Fire destroys the main building housing Hamline University. This building, only ten years old, contained classrooms, labs, and the men’s dormitory. Donations from Hennepin Church were a significant source of funding for the construction of this building, and will also help fund its replacement. The nearby Ladies Hall, later called Goheen Hall in honor of Hennepin Church member Anna Goheen, was not touched. It’s noteworthy that at a time when Hamline had about 100 students, mostly male, the school and its benefactors had the foresight to construct a building to house 60 women. (Minneapolis Tribune)
1897 (February 9)
Hennepin Avenue Church was the place to go for the best in education and entertainment as the monthly “Mosaic” featured a talk on “Some Phenomena of the Vegetable Kingdom,” illustrated by lantern slides! (Minneapolis Tribune)
1912 (February 11)
The painting “Ecce Homo” (“Behold the Man”), a recent gift from Hennepin member T. B. Walker, is unveiled at Hennepin Avenue Church, meeting in the former Fowler Methodist Church building at Franklin and Dupont. (Minneapolis Tribune)
1962 (February 4)
Over 1000 young people fill the Hennepin sanctuary to hear what the church has to say about sex. (Minneapolis Tribune)
2008 (February 8)
Hennepin Church hosts a showing of a 1920 silent film, accompanied by live organ music. (City Pages)
2017 (February 5)
Sad evidence of history repeating itself is evident in this Star Tribune column by Hennepin member Lori Sturdevant. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
