Fifty Years of Faith: the Bill Holmes Years
Northaven remembers the years
1958-1966
Continuing the celebration of our anniversary,
Northaven will hear Rev. Bill Holmes preach in our morning worship service on
March
19th.
Bill and his wife Nancy came to Northaven to serve in June 1958 at the very cusp of change for this community. For three years the congregation, led by Rev. Addison Cutter, had met at George B. Dealey Elementary School for services, during which time he shepherded them through the building program. The arrival of Holmes coincided with the move to our present location.
Bill attended Hendrix College in Arkansas and had a license to preach during that time, serving a two-point circuit. When he came to Dallas to attend Perkins School of Theology, he was invited to join the staff of Highland Park Methodist Church, where he was one of two associate ministers for a membership of 8,000. Upon his decision to pastor his own church, Bill was appointed to Northaven, arriving for the first Sunday service in the new building. The immediate need arose for parking and educational space, and a budget was needed. He remembers the crisis of trying to change the architectural plan to provide more classrooms.
At the same time, the McCarthy era was in full swing, and allegations were being made about communism in the Methodist Church. This precipitated a decision to bring the congregation together in a strong, committed commonality. Thus began the Community Dialogues, courses designed for discussion about faith and its relevance. At its high point effectively every member participated in this training. Theologian Paul Tillich came to Northaven for a week of lectures, and he is remembered as saying that he thought the local church was dead but now he had been to Northaven and knew it was still alive.
In November 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. On the following Sunday Bill preached “One Thing Worse Than This”, the sermon in which he assailed intolerance and urged personal responsibility, a position which upset many people in Dallas.
During Bill’s ministry, the church experimented in new expressions of Christian faith in art, music, drama and dance. The Great Books program became a part of Northaven’s culture. Northaven was known as an avant garde in church renewal. The first of many “Feasts” occurred during Bill’s time, causing one member to speculate that Bill thought people would not argue if they were eating. Bill wrote a book at the end of his ministry at Northaven about the congregation and his experiences titled Tomorrow’s Church, A Cosmopolitan Community A Radical Experiment in Church Renewal.
In June 1966 Bill was transferred to Denton First UMC, and then to Austin in 1969 at University UMC. He finished his pastoral appointments at Metropolitan Memorial UMC in Washington, D. C. as Minister of Preaching and Administration from 1974-1998. He is now retired, and he and his wife, Nancy, live in Silver Springs, Maryland.
Bill and his wife Nancy came to Northaven to serve in June 1958 at the very cusp of change for this community. For three years the congregation, led by Rev. Addison Cutter, had met at George B. Dealey Elementary School for services, during which time he shepherded them through the building program. The arrival of Holmes coincided with the move to our present location.
Bill attended Hendrix College in Arkansas and had a license to preach during that time, serving a two-point circuit. When he came to Dallas to attend Perkins School of Theology, he was invited to join the staff of Highland Park Methodist Church, where he was one of two associate ministers for a membership of 8,000. Upon his decision to pastor his own church, Bill was appointed to Northaven, arriving for the first Sunday service in the new building. The immediate need arose for parking and educational space, and a budget was needed. He remembers the crisis of trying to change the architectural plan to provide more classrooms.
At the same time, the McCarthy era was in full swing, and allegations were being made about communism in the Methodist Church. This precipitated a decision to bring the congregation together in a strong, committed commonality. Thus began the Community Dialogues, courses designed for discussion about faith and its relevance. At its high point effectively every member participated in this training. Theologian Paul Tillich came to Northaven for a week of lectures, and he is remembered as saying that he thought the local church was dead but now he had been to Northaven and knew it was still alive.
In November 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. On the following Sunday Bill preached “One Thing Worse Than This”, the sermon in which he assailed intolerance and urged personal responsibility, a position which upset many people in Dallas.
During Bill’s ministry, the church experimented in new expressions of Christian faith in art, music, drama and dance. The Great Books program became a part of Northaven’s culture. Northaven was known as an avant garde in church renewal. The first of many “Feasts” occurred during Bill’s time, causing one member to speculate that Bill thought people would not argue if they were eating. Bill wrote a book at the end of his ministry at Northaven about the congregation and his experiences titled Tomorrow’s Church, A Cosmopolitan Community A Radical Experiment in Church Renewal.
In June 1966 Bill was transferred to Denton First UMC, and then to Austin in 1969 at University UMC. He finished his pastoral appointments at Metropolitan Memorial UMC in Washington, D. C. as Minister of Preaching and Administration from 1974-1998. He is now retired, and he and his wife, Nancy, live in Silver Springs, Maryland.
Posted: Thursday - March 02, 2006 at 02:46 PM |
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Published On: May 05, 2008 04:54 PM
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