From the Archives …

The Universalist Church of Urbana entered the Great Depression in 1929 with a stable but stagnant membership and no cash reserves. By the end of 1930, the church owed the minister, Rev. Ray Cranmer, $290 in unpaid salary. When Rev. Cranmer resigned to take a pulpit in California, the church owed him $310 plus accumulated vacation. In July 1931, the Board of Trustees told the Music Committee that there were no funds available for music in the church.

Our situation was not unique. The lay leadership of the church turned to the State and National denominations for help and received in reply “reassuring letters inquiring as to what the church could raise for itself during 1932.” By that Spring, however, the State office offered around

$1000 if the church could develop a constructive program and hire a minister. The church’s Board of Trustees assured the State convention that they intended to keep the church open and searched for a minister. On September 1, 1932, the Universalist Church of Urbana called

Harmon Gehr, an unordained new graduate of St. Lawrence University. In the matter of attracting college students to the church, he said he did not know any techniques for interesting them in liberal religion, or in fact in any religion, and was searching for a new technique. He held the pulpit until November 1936.