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of conscientious scruples about bringing
church institutions into the Community Fund
because I find that my fellow directors of this
movement all have institutions of this kind
themselves. One of them is a member of this
church, another is a member of that church,
and they want to bring all their institutions
into it. So I must have no scruples any more.’
That is the kind of discussion that went
on before Kingdom House, became the first
church institution in the Community Fund.
Through all those years I was in the drives
and I was a member of the Board of the
Community Fund again and again. I was
present at luncheons and dinners in which
this movement got under way in the early
years…
In the early history of the movement I
can remember, for example, how, before
the movement reached the campaign stage,
the ministers of the city were all brought
together at breakfast. After the Catholics
and the Jews came in an earnest effort was
made to bring Catholic priests and Jewish
rabbis and Protestant ministers together at
a great breakfast. I can remember some of
those among the most inspirational meetings
that I have ever attended in St. Louis. I can
never forget how the campaign leaders
said, ‘It is absolutely impossible for us to
make this thing go in St. Louis without the
churches and we know that this thing is in
the hands of the ministers. You can create a
sentiment that will put it over, or you can, by
failure to create the sentiment, almost surely
defeat it.
…So much for the participation of
Kingdom House in the Community Fund.
17
The committee recommended that
Kingdom House remain in the
neighborhood in which it had been
for nearly thirty years, and that either
a suitable building in the area be
purchased and remodeled for settlement
work, or that a new, fireproof structure
be erected.
18
In 1931 the St. Louis
Church Extension and City Mission
Society authorized the purchase of the
property at 1102 Morrison for $12,000,
with total remodeling costs not to
exceed $7,000. This figure was raised to
$10,000 a few months later.
After the Hickory property was sold,
Kingdom House was permitted to use
the buildings as the city was not yet
prepared to raze the structure. For the
sake of continuity, a double apartment at
1106 Hickory was temporarily rented in
May of 1928 so as to carry out programs
with little interruption. However,
religious services continued at the old
settlement until 1930, when demolition
finally occurred. The Sunday School and
church then moved to 1100 Hickory for
two years but was forced to move yet
again into a vacant movie theater. Here
it remained until the fall of 1932, when
all activities – settlement and church –
were moved into the new building.
While the search for the new
Kingdom House was being conducted,
the General Board of Missions made
an appropriation of $1200 to the
St. Louis District for the year 1930,
asserting, “The territory east of Grand
Avenue is Missionary territory and
the churches in this district are rapidly
becoming dependent…. The territory
surrounding Lafayette Park is largely a
boarding house district and this church
is facing a changed situation and the
need for a progra[m] [sic], to meet a
missionary situation…. The fact should
be recognized that we are on the border
of Southern Methodism and that the
strengthening and maintenance of our
work in St. Louis will very largely
determine our future in this state…. We
have twenty-five churches in greater
St. Louis
and ten
of this
number are
without an
adequate
equipment.
Four have
large debts
and six are
in territory
that is
rapidly
becoming
missionary
33
C
hapter
T
wo
:
‘F
orgetting
O
ne
’
s
S
elf
in
S
ervice
to
H
umanity
’ (1928 – 1955)
B
P
hoto
:
B:
1031 South 8th Street,
where the nursery and girls’
activities were held from
1909 until 1927
K
ingdom
H
ouse
,
became
the
first
church
institution
in
the
C
ommunity
F
und
.