Heirlooms of UCN History #38
by Will Frank
The Rev. Gerald R. FitzPatrick and his wife Jifka arrived in Norfolk to accept the call of the Unitarian Church of Norfolk in November 1934. They settled into a house at 237 East 39th Street in the Riverview section of Norfolk. After months of a minimal program, now the church sparked into life.
On December 13 the congregation officially welcomed the FitzPatricks by a reception in the church social hall, which was richly decorated for the occasion. In one of his first sermons, Gerald FitzPatrick emphasized the fanciful nature of many episodes in the Bible, but that fanciful stories may have a “kernel of truth” in them, and to be open to “the embodied principle” in Bible stories will lead us never to be disappointed. With Christmas 1934 approaching, he encouraged Sunday School children to provide entertainment to the children’s wards of local hospitals, which they did. He also organized a Christmas pageant that incorporated both enthusiastic children and normally-staid adults. He offered Sunday night lectures to liberally-minded townsfolk, for which the church distributed flyers asserting that “ORTHODOX RELIGION FORBIDS YOU TO THINK; It puts Traditional Straight Jackets on your knowledge” and inviting all to come over to “the Little Brown Church on the Corner” to learn how “Unitarians Look at Life.”
In a grand ceremony, FitzPatrick was installed as minister of the Unitarian Church of Norfolk on February 17, 1935. The ministers of the First Christian Church (Disciples), the Ghent Methodist Church, and Christ Church (Episcopal) participated. Dean H. Dobson Peacock of Christ Church used the occasion to make the very liberal assertion that “Christ taught no theology,” but left it to those who came after him, and they had made a mess of it. The Rev. Charles R. Joy, D.D., Vice-President of the American Unitarian Association, gave the sermon, urging the congregation to be hospitable neighbors and faithful witnesses with all. It was an “impressive service,” reported the Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch, for its festive ceremony, its open liberality, and its broad ecumenical spirit.
The church sparkled with activity. Boole Powell of Portsmouth, a talented singer with local renown, organized and trained a choir. Gerald FitzPatrick led adult religious education classes in approaching the Bible as a work of literature. He also taught classes on Saturdays for children from 8 to 14 years. A chapter of the national Young People’s Religious Union and a So-So [Social Society] Club for older young people were founded, quickly attracting 45 members. The Women’s Alliance met monthly to further the work of the church. A Bazaar was organized for April. A young people’s group met with teens from neighboring churches to get to know each other and understand and respect the various denominations represented. In the Spring leading up to Easter, FitzPatrick organized a special series of seven sermons on the seven last statements of Jesus, each preceded by a discussion session. Easter Sunday saw a special service in the morning and a Church School program at 4:30 PM. Through all these activities, attendance by adults and children grew. The core congregation with fairly regular attendance rose from 20 to 30, with others swelling the ranks on Sunday morning. The congregation had loved the Lutzes, but the church was not going anywhere. Now, however, inspired by the new young, jovial, happy, energetic Irish minister, the church was popping. The change seemed to be just right to get the church off the dime.