Faith at work
Communal gifts - faith at work
A query into documented City of Tulsa and First Church histories confirm evidence of the truth, “We cannot separate the history of Tulsa from the history of First Presbyterian Church, Tulsa.” Three members of First Church including, Mrs. A.W. Roth, Lilah Lindsey and Mrs. Charles Kerr, each spearheaded a particular project.
Mrs. A. W. Roth, champion of young women
Session minutes show that on December 4, 1910, Dr. and Mrs. A.W. Roth were received by letter from 1st Presbyterian Church Fort Collins, Colorado.
In January 1914, Mrs. Roth hosted the first YWCA planning meeting. On March 11, 1914, the YWCA was incorporated at which time she was elected president. On November 1, 1914, at a meeting held at First Church, 480 paid memberships were received. During the war, the YWCA of Tulsa demonstrated its patriotism by sponsoring patriotic leagues in schools, Red Cross classes met in the building, and raised a war budget of $5,000. Mrs. Roth’s commitment to the Tulsa YWCA ensured the organization was established on a firm footing. Mrs. Roth was also instrumental in the completion of Friendship Lodge in Parthenia Park, the site of Camp Loughridge.
Mrs. Roth served as president of the YWCA from its organization until September 1920 when she resigned due to ill health.
“... and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this.”
– Esther 4:14 (KJV)
Lilah Lindsey, an educator
“The Presbyterian Church … mother of the Public School System in Tulsa.”
Lindsey’s gift to the community was her involvement and leadership in education with the Tulsa Public School System. In 1906, she was serving as historian of the Tulsa Woman’s Club, whose motto was “thought and action.” Science, education, philanthropy, literature and art were emphasized. In such a role and as member of First Church, Lindsey was poised to play an active role in the city’s educational development as it transitioned from a mission school to the Tulsa Public Schools system.
Mrs. C. W. Kerr, a bell ringer
Mrs. Kerr, wife of First Church pastor Rev. Dr. Charles W. Kerr, arrived in Tulsa in February 1900 when Dr. Kerr assumed pastorate of First Church. The descriptive noun, “estimable” was applied to her. Stories abound of Annie Coe Kerr and her feats during her tenure in Tulsa. No one described them better than her niece, Joan (Jonnie) Coe.
“So let us not grow weary in doing what is right.”
– Galatians 6:9 (NRSV)
In Jonnie’s words, “On November 16, 1907, Annie Kerr was baking bread and awaiting the sound of the train whistle which indicated that Teddy Roosevelt had signed the proclamation making Oklahoma the 46th state. When she heard the train whistle, she grabbed the children by the hand and ran over to the church and rang the bell 46 times. She again rang the bell in 1932, the 25th anniversary of statehood. The bell, mounted in a tower on The University of Tulsa campus, was rung the third time in 1967 on the 60th anniversary of statehood. Annie Coe was 91 years old at the time.
Kerr was one of Kendall College’s early graduates in the Fine Arts program. When Session asked the Kerrs to submit their proposal for the church facility they would want in which to continue their ministry here, Mrs. Kerr put her artistic knowledge to use. She toured large and prominent Protestant churches in the country and gathered ideas for a Sanctuary. The edifice continues to be a beautiful and visible landmark in the city of Tulsa.
Histories worth remembering and sharing.
About the author:
Joan Williams Hoar is the First Church historian and an elder, the chair of the Docents and History & Archives Committee, and a member since 1978. Joan has traveled the globe and her education includes Asian Studies at Sophia University in Tokyo and a master’s degree in liberal arts with an emphasis on Japanese print and literature from OU.