Heirloom #28
by Will Frank
Now that the Unitarian Church of Norfolk was formally organized and the Rev. Harry Lutz had taken its pulpit as settled minister on September 14th, 1930, the congregation set to work to organize the formal and public installation of its new minister. Two days later church leaders met as a committee in the home of president Robert A. Darden at 535 Virginia Avenue to plan the event.
Planning for the installation proceeded quickly. They unanimously wanted a major role for the Rev. Frank W. Pratt of Richmond as the beloved and long standing friend and supporter of Norfolk Unitarians since the days of the First Unitarian Church of Norfolk, fifteen years before. They also desired Rabbi L. D. Mendoza of Ohef Shalom temple to figure prominently in the proceedings, for he and the people of his synagogue had welcomed and sheltered the Unitarians as fellow religious liberals during the arid 1920s when the Unitarians limped along with only an informal existence. He had also invited Unitarian ministers to speak to his congregation. Mendoza was the right religious figure to extend “the right hand of fellowship”from the community.
For the sermon they invited the distinguished minister since 1901 of the prominent All Souls Church of Washington, D.C., the Rev. Ulysses G. B. Pierce, D.D. It is easy to see why the committee picked Pierce. He had served for twelve years on the Board of the American Unitarian Association, and was a leader in the AUA’s Foreign Relations Committee, by which he traveled throughout Europe animating liberal forces. He was a trustee of both Gallaudet College and Howard University, and President of the Board of Visitors of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. For four years he served as chaplain to the United States Senate, succeeding in that office the famous Unitarian minister, The Rev. Dr. Edward Everett Hale. He compiled a little book The Soul of the Bible (1907), which quickly became, and remains with many, a staple possession of liberal ministers across the country. He also oversaw the construction of the new edifice of All Souls Church, which still stands as a prominent landmark at 16th and Harvard Streets in Washington. And most importantly all knew him as one who coupled the broadest tolerance with a deep religious sense of what we now call the interconnected web of all existence and the inherent worth and dignity of all people. He had a humorous and clear preaching style, but his actions in his extensive ministry in the community as much as in the church spoke more loudly of his values than his eloquent words. Norfolk Unitarians were delighted when Pierce agreed to come.
The small congregation of 35 regular attendees was full of enthusiasm for the church and its potential. On October 19th they organized a church school of ten children, and eight adults for adult religious education. Then, on Tuesday, October 21st, 1930, at 7:30 PM the installation of the Rev. Harry Lutz as minister of the Unitarian Church of Norfolk was held in its own building.
It was a grand affair. Many of the more orthodox churches of Norfolk sent representatives. Organ music filled the sanctuary, and a choir sang anthems. The Rev. L. W. Strickler of Norfolk gave the invocation. Pratt read the scripture. Pierce preached the sermon. The Rev. George F. Patterson on behalf of the American Unitarian Association offered the prayer of installation and gave the charge to the minister. Rabbi Mendoza gave the greeting of fellowship. Pratt then gave the charge to the people. Lutz, as is customary with newly installed ministers, offered the benediction.
Following the service all went into the spacious and decorated social hall, where they enjoyed refreshments and were introduced to local and out-of-town speakers. As the secretary, Dora Cason, recorded, “it was, indeed, a happy evening for the members of the church, and the visitors rejoiced with us.” The Unitarian Church of Norfolk was now an established and known institution in the community.