At our annual meeting on June 1 we learned that a committee would be formed whose purpose will be fund raising. As we all know, history repeats itself, in that our church has had financial ups and downs throughout its existence and special efforts to raise funds dot our historical landscape. Here are a few of those efforts that this committee might find instructive where members as well as interested community members contributed through entrance fees, purchases, and donations:
- The Laymen’s League sponsored lectures by the famous minister John Haynes Holmes, a prominent Unitarian minister, pacifist, and anti-war activist.
- The Women’s Alliance presented a Pageant of Shawls with a program of ethnic dancing at the art museum.
- The Alliance coordinated programs for church and community children put on by the Clare Tree Children’s Theatre Troupe
- Church members, including children, put on plays, theatrical performances, and musicals.
- Garden parties were held at the homes of prominent church members.
- One of the money raising events was called the Department Store and in 1905 it brought in a record sum of $256.52.
- The women of the church put on an annual two-day May Faire that used the church and church grounds to raise funds through such activities as an antique sale, bazaar, business men’s lunch, carnival corner, flea market, food sale, game room, garden shop, gourmet shop, pancake lunch, pony rides, puppet show, salad bar, sidewalk art show, and even a stamp and coin booth. [If you would like to see a poster of one of these fund-raising events, see http://history.mmuus.org/mayfaireposter.pdf.]
- The society raised money with a series of roast beef dinners, cooked by John Fuller, that were open the public.
- The Christmas tree sale organized by forestry professor Gerry Lanier became a popular annual fund-raising event that involved a majority of members.
So think creatively when you are asked for ideas on how we best can raise funds in this coming year. There are many ways similar to those above that might be tried, but many wonderful possibilities exist in your minds and experiences.
Rog Hiemstra, Chair, History Committee
Written June 19, 2008
