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Show i r ' , , S. long-tim- e Anderson, resident of Bear River, enjoys : caring for plants in her home. M ! M UEWS F 7HER CHURCHES j Mary J J (F'On the M. tjoA ' Ne5 Pres (J 5e A'n3 ( the Pm ., the inter he fit A r.it Youth's Role Gov. Harold LeVander has challenged the state' and the Minnesota Council of Churches invoke more young people in their activities. We've got to te concerned we dont become an old peoples church," the governor said at the Coun cils annual assembly In St. Paul. He noted an ab seme of youthful faces at the assembly. Gov. spoke on the implications for Minnesota of the World Council of Churches Assembly held last summer in Uppsala, Sweden, which he attended as a delegate. chu't-he- By DELL VAN ORDEN She recalled as a youth going to various communities in Idaho with her family to play music for dances. We played mostly the waltz and the fox trot, but occasionally we would quadrille to play the accommodate the older people, she reminisced. She said in the winter, they would travel to the dances on a double-besleigh, pulled by a team of horses. We always figured two hours traveltwo ing time before the dance and hours after the dance. To keep warm, we would heat bricks before leaving and then wrap them in caipeting and place them in the middle of the blankets spread out on the sleigh. The bricks would usually keep the blankets warm most of the d DEVOTED CHURCH WORKER She Is Proud Of Her Heritage BEAR RIVER CITY, UTAH When Mrs. Mary S. Anderson came to Bear River City from Idaho as a young bride nearly 50 years ago, it was a strange, new world for her. The town, located about 25 miles from the Utah-Idahborder in northern Utah, was composed almost entirely of Scandinavian people. Wherever I went, I heard people talking Danish. I couldn't understand any of it. After Id been here three years, I was put in as secretary of the ward o Relief Society. Ill never forget the first minutes I took. Both the opening prayers were said in Danish. If j Id been asked to write down what they said, 1 would have been up cs I FrUltS against it, she recalled. Because there were so many Scandinavian families in Bear River there were many people with the same both first and last. There names were several other Mary Andersons in town, she said. To avoid confusion, everybody had a nickname. Mrs. Anderson was called Mary Alvin, a name which has stuck with her through the years. Alvin was the name of her husband, who died a year ago. It was a common practice for a woman to assume the name of her hus 0 Their band in choosing a nickname, as it readily identified both the husband and the wife. She said the people gradually quit as the older talking Scandinavian folks died off and new people came in. Mrs. Anderson, who has devoted her lifetime to service in the Church is proud of her heritage in the Church. Her grandparents and great - grandparents lived in Nauvoo during the stormy days when the Saints were driven out. She said her great - grandmother was the personal laundress for the Prophet Joseph Smith, and after the Prophet was martyred, she laundered the clothes he W'as killed in. Music has always played an important role in Mrs. Andersons life. At the age of 14, she was ward organist in her hometown of Cleveland, Idaho. Since then, she has served as Primary organist, Sunday School organist and Junior Sunday School chorister. She also served twice as Relief Society president in Bear River, and has devoted many hours in genealogy work. Although she recalls with fondness the memories of her early childhood in Idaho and of her young married years, she said she has no desire to return to the good old days. I think of the old days a lot, she said, but I still like to go along with modern times. I like the modern con- veniences." evening. Mrs. Anderson said today the spirit of the she missed dances. There was a lot more sociae bility and visiting in the dances. most impressive She said the thing which happened in her life was the recovery of her grandson, who was hit several years ago by an automobile while riding a bicycle. Severely injured when struck by the car, the boy, who is now serving a mission in Hawaii, was administered to by the priesthood, and regained his health. I feel he was saved for a reason, Mrs. Anderson declared. Another impressive incident in her life was when a family came to Bear River from Arizona looking for genealogy information. "They came here because the husband once lived in Bear River, she said. In visiting with the Andersons, the family discovered that Mr. Anderson had kept a journal of all the families that he was assigned to as a ward teacher. The journal included not only names, but also birth, marriage and death dates, plus a lot of other inforold-tim- mation. The visitors joyfully discovered that in the journal was information they had been seeking about a member of their family killed years before in Bear River City. We have been searching for many years and could never find it," the visitors told Mrs. Anderson. In addition to Church activities, . Mrs. Anderson has been active in civic-affairs- For eight years, she served as Bear River town clerk and had been employed for a number of years in the Box Elder County treasurers office. Active in PTA, she said she spent many days canning fruit for the school lunch program in the 1930s. The fruit was first kept in a room at a local store and then later a room was provided in tlie school. Working Sentence Two Nashville teenagers received a suspended sentence in juvenile court for vandalizing a suburban Methodist clunch, wi'h the stipulation that they maintain the church grounds for the next 12 months. The boys, aged 14, 15, confessed to destroying property at Gleneliff Methodist Church. Damage was estimated at $20,000. Juvenile Court Judge Richard W. Jenkins confined the boys to a state training school, suspended the sentence and then ordered a rigid probation that will not permit them to be away from their homes unless accompanied by the mothers, except to go to school and maintain the church grounds. Mixed Reaction A Chapel of All Faiths has been proposed for Michigan's projected new $49 million futuristic state capitol in Lansing. Mixed but generally favorable reaction has been obtained from clergymen. The chapel proposal was made by Rep. Nelis J. Saunders (D Detroit), who based the proposition w the fact that a prayer room is maintained in the U.S. Capitol. I feel that we cannot leave God out of our plans, she said. When we put God first, our plans and programs are always a success. Mrs. Saunders pointed out that Michigan's Senate and House of Representatives open with prayer daily. . Outside Work Members of the United Church of Christ gave million in 1968 for work beyond the local congregation. Dr. Sheldon E. Mackey, executive director of the Churchs Stewardship Council, said in Philadelphia that while the contributions were up $175,338 front 1967, the increase did not equal the inflationary rise in the cost of Church work. Largest portion of the went to national agencies donations $10 million of the denomination, including mission work. Stab' and regional organizations received $7.2 million. $19.4 Budget Increased The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Com mittee recommended in Nashville, Tenn., a 1970 Cooperative Program operating budget of $27.2 million and a revised capital needs goal for 1970 of $1.3 mil lion. However, the operating budget would repiesem an increase of only $597,100 over the 1969 opera tin-budget, the smallest increase in many years. Named President Bishop John Wesley Lord of Washington, D C was elected president designate of the United Methodist Council of Bishops at the episcopal lead ers meeting in Charleston, W. Va. He will ake office in April 1970 at a special .vision of the denominations General Conference (legislating unit) in Baltimore. Council presidents are ways elected a year in advance of their term. Taking office at the meeting in Charleston was Bishop Reuben Mueller of Indianapolis. He sue eccdcd Bishop Eugene Frank of St. Louis. semi-annu- one-yr..- WEEKENDING MAY 10, 1969 CHURCH-- 11 .. |