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1920-1950

Good Times, Bad Times, and Another War

1923 A Pastoral Letter of the House of Bishops affirms the virgin birth and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.
1928 General Convention authorizes a new Book of Common Prayer.
1932 The Rev. John Gayner Banks found the Fellowship of Saint Luke. It later becomes the International Order of St. Luke the Physician.
1940 General Convention authorizes The Hymnal 1940.
1920 Two robberies occurred at Saint Paul’s Church. The first, on October 13th involved the cutting open of a concrete and steel safe. Several personal possessions of the Reverend George Sherwood Whitney were taken. The thieves were never apprehended and the property was never recovered. A second robbery occurred shortly thereafter, when two young men in their teens took the silver alms basins of 1820. These were recovered after they confessed, and directed the law enforcement officials to where they had been buried in South Carolina.
1921 Louis Sayre was hired as the Organist and Choirmaster.
1923 The Centennial Celebration of the Diocese of Georgia, and the 101st General Convention of the diocese, were held at Saint Paul’s Church, it having been the place of its organization in 1823.
1923 A chime of eleven bells was installed in the Bell Tower. Manufactured by Meneely & Company of Watervlist, New York, part of the casting came from the old bell that burned, and was dug up under the tower. The new bells weighed 12,187 pounds. The dedication took place on December 23rd, and was followed by a series of bell concerts through Christmas Day.
1924 The Reverend George Sherwood Whitney dies on March 1st, having suddenly taken ill after meeting The Reverend Julius A. Schaad at the train station. Schaad was coming to conduct a “Mission,” a sort of revival, during the week. Mr. Whitney died in Mr. Schaad’s arms. Despite his death, the Vestry decided it would be his wishes to proceed with the “Mission.”
1924 Having conducted a successful “Mission” at Saint Paul’s in the spring, the congregation liked Mr. Schaad so well, that they asked him to stay, and called him from the Episcopal Church Mission House in New York to be their next Rector. He accepted, and arrived in Augusta on October 5th.
1924 The present Memorial Pulpit was dedicated on October 12th. It was made by the Gorham Company of New York and was a gift of Mrs. Frank Clark Doughty in memory of her daughter, Ruth Doughty Inman (1902-1920).
1924 The Reverend Julius A. Schaad was instituted as the 12th Rector of Old Saint Paul’s Parish on November 23rd.
1925 In February Saint Paul’s participated in a “Joint Mission” with First Presbyterian Church, which lasted for two weeks.
1926 The large Palladian style window over the altar was dedicated to the memory of The Reverend George Sherwood Whitney, former Rector of Saint Paul’s.
1926 The Diocese established Camp Reese on Saint Simon’s Island. The various churches built cottages at the camp. One of them was “The Augusta Cottage,” which was built in 1936 by Saint Paul’s and the Church of the Good Shepherd, Augusta.
1927 An effort was being made to organize the men of Saint Paul’s Church into a Men’s Service League. Falling under their umbrella would be Scouts, Christian Education, Evangelism, Fellowship, Social Service, Sunday Services and Visiting.
1928 Robert H. Daniell is ordained as a deacon at Saint Paul’s on February 29th.
1930 The effects of the Great Depression were being felt in the church budget, both because of underpayment of pledges and the reluctance of parishioners to make a pledge in the every member canvas. It was noted that the bills were piling up and the treasurer felt some embarrassment because of the situation.
1930 In October, a new parish newsletter was begun. The first three issues intentionally used different names in order to get feedback, including “The Parish Record,” and “The Message.” “Saint Paul’s Herald” finally was settled upon, but it appears that the newsletter did not last very long.
1931 Louis Sayre resigns as Organist and Choirmaster, having accepted the same position at Saint Philip’s Cathedral in Atlanta. Bernard Carpenter followed as Organist and Choirmaster for many years afterwards.
1931 A flu epidemic was so threatening that Sunday School was suspended for a time, as was regular school classes in Richmond County.
1931 The Reverend Julius A. Schaad accepts a call as Dean of Saint John’s Cathedral in Quincy, Illinois, and leaves Saint Paul’s on May 10th. He died in 1938. Serving as supply pastor while the Vestry conducted a search was The Reverend John Armstrong Wright, of Savannah. Mr. Wright had recently come as an assistant to Mr. Schaad, and was already at work for the parish.
1931 The Vestry determined that the Reverend Mr. Wright was the right man for the job, and called him to be the permanent Rector. He was installed as such on July 22nd. Mr. Wright showed a particular interest in the young people of the parish. He drew up a set of “Rules of Life,” which were printed on cards. He asked all the young people to sign the cards and carry them in their pockets.
1932 Saint Paul’s held a service for the Observance of the George Washington Bicentennial. The National Council, Protestant Episcopal Church had provided a printed service for the same. The Rector noted on the program, “There was a hard, cold rain. Congregation 142.”
1932 Saint Paul’s hosted the 40th Annual Meeting of the Women’s Auxiliary to the National Council of the Episcopal Church on April 26th – 28th.
1932 Mr. E. S. Bothwell had written a multi-volume history of Saint Paul’s Church, fully indexed, but unpublished.
1933 The first Feast of Lights was held on the first Sunday following Epiphany.
1933 Memorial stained glass windows in memory of Bessie Martin Cozart and of Katherine Jumelle Guilliland and Charles William Beaufort are dedicated.
1935 Saint Paul’s Church took a prominent part in the celebration of Augusta’s Bicentennial observance, having been the town’s first church. Featured in the pageant was the Rector, John A. Wright, representing the Reverend Jonathan Copp, first Rector of the church in Augusta.
1935 The Reverend Middleton Stuart Barnwell was elected Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Georgia at a Special Session of the Diocesan Convention held at Saint Paul’s in January. This was precipitated by the wish of Bishop Frederick F. Reese to retire on pension from the active exercise of his ministry due to his age and physical infirmities.
1936 The Right Reverend Frederick Frock Reese, D. D. died in Savannah on December 22nd. Upon his demise, Bishop Coadjutor Barnwell became the Fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Georgia.
1937 The Reverend Mr. Wright resigns as Rector of Saint Paul’s.
1937 The Reverend John Elbridge Hines was called as the next Rector, and arrives in Augusta in February. Born in 1910 in Seneca, South Carolina, he was educated at the University of the South, and was a product of the Virginia Seminary. Having served churches in Saint Louis and Hannibal, Missouri, he was called to be the Rector of Saint Paul’s when he was only 26 years of age. Mr. Hines accepted a salary of $3,000 annually plus a $50 monthly rent allowance. He taught at Camp Reese for one week every summer, and served on the Boards of the Red Cross, the Juvenile Court and the Augusta Housing Authority. He held a local membership in the Augusta National Golf Club due to the generosity of some of his parishioners.
1938 Louis Aldworth Haskell, a Saint Paul’s parishioner, was ordained deacon at Saint Paul’s Church.
1939 Despite Mr. Hines’ progressive stand on social, political and racial injustice in Augusta and elsewhere, his congregation was accepting and respectful of his views. He was a pioneer in speaking of the “incompatibility of segregation and the Christian Gospel.” The every member canvas resulted in a 25% increase in the budget, and the congregation grew from 148 to 194 families and from 500 to 560 communicants. Sunday School had increased from 220 to 353.
1939 Saint Paul’s Church and the Quota Club of Augusta established the Girl’s Center at the corner of Mayer and Hill Streets in the Frog Hollow neighborhood. The Girl’s Center was a place of instruction, recreation and assistance for the general betterment of living conditions. The Quota Club was a businesswomen’s service club.
1941 The Reverend John E. Hines resigns on January 21st, having accepted a call to Christ Church, Houston, Texas. He was elected Bishop Coadjutor of Texas in 1945, and became the Fourth Bishop of Texas in 1955. In 1964 he was elected Presiding Bishop of the United States, and retired in 1974.
1941 The Reverend Hamilton West is called to be the next Rector, and arrives in Augusta on February 17th.
1941 The memorial plaque in honor of Confederate General Joseph Wheeler, a former member of the parish, was dedicated in the narthex.
1942 The Rector of Saint Paul’s, the Reverend Mr. West, was also serving the mission churches of Atonement in Augusta and Saint Michael’s in Waynesboro.
1944 Broadcasting of the Sunday service of Saint Paul’s was underway.
1944 The remains of Bishop and Mrs. Leonidas Polk were removed from the Crypt at the request of the Diocese of Louisiana on November 24th. They were committed at Christ Church Cathedral, New Orleans, in May 1945.
1945 By the end of World War II, Saint Paul’s Church had furnished a total of 120 men to fight in the armed services, as well as some women.
1945 The Reverend Hamilton West is elected Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Florida in May. After due consideration, he accepts, and his resignation as Rector of Saint Paul’s becomes effective on October 1st.
1948 Johnson Hagood Pace, Jr. is ordained as Deacon and assists with pastoral duties at Saint Paul’s.
1948 The Reverend Charles F. Schilling, of Trinity Church, Saint Augustine, Florida accepts a call to be the new Rector of Saint Paul’s in a letter dated September 30th.
1948 Although he had already officially resigned, Bishop Coadjutor West and Saint Paul’s Church hosted the 22nd Synod of the Province of Sewanee on October 5-7.

 

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