I encourage you to follow along with Dan as he recites from the King James Version.   I apologize for the less than stellar recording quality - but you'll be able to hear Dan's strong, confident voice.

            This is in a way a "testimony" - a Still-Speaking reflection.  Dan begins the recording thanking the church for their support of him and Orabelle - and says that they "have enjoyed so many years of fellowship with you."  It is a testimony of how his church - this church - had become a great source of encouragement and love. 

            Dan's sharp mind, quick wit, gentle caring spirit - stubborn independence too - not formally educated, but eager to use his mind in his faith and in his love - these are marks of who we are, because of who our forebears in this place were.   Their story is our story; their stories have made us who we are.

            And so let us hear Psalm 103, as recited by Daniel Hanson sixteen years ago.

The last several weeks we have been telling stories - stories of faith, of doubt, of questions - stories, that is, of life.  As we tell of our faith - as we give "testimony" to the working of God in our lives - we encourage one another, and we grow in faith.   Our stories shape us; our stories help us become the people we will be.

            We have stories as individuals.   Our church has a story too.  Well, really, many, many stories.  Just as our personal stories shape us as individuals, so too do our stories as a church shape us as a group, and make us to become the church we will be a year from now, five years, fifty years from now.

            But what are the stories of this church that make up the story of this place?  We have already heard about two people of our past - two of many, but two that are I believe typical of who we are.  Bertha Merker, Dan Hanson: bright and caring, energetic and independent, learning and growing and serving - loving.  You find a lot of those folks here, in the past and right now too.  We are not a people looking for easy answers or easy lives.   We are a people striving to be all we can be - all God empowers us to become - that we might love one another and serve the community with creativity and energy.

            But allow me to tell you some other stories of who we have been, and who we are.

            There are first of all stories of great characters, great people who have sat where you are, so to speak.  As the sermon title indicates, this sanctuary though nearly a century old was at least the sixth building in which we have worshiped.  We started in the living room of Joseph and Emeline Jackson - on the site of the New Moon coffee shop.  We worshiped at McCourt's hall a while too before building a sanctuary  - "a small, cheap edifice" says the record - on Main Street.  A sanctuary was begun on the present site in the late 1850s, but not finished for some years - and it burned down soon after completion.   There was an 1873 sanctuary, and then this one, in 1911. So while those 10,000 or so souls - that's a wild guess on my part, by the way - did not all sit in these pews, they were part of the congregation, just as you are today.

            Joseph Jackson, and his wife Emeline, were fixtures in this church its first 35 years.  That would be the Jackson of Jackson Street.  And who was this Joseph Jackson?  One of the pioneers of Oshkosh who before his death was the mayor, the Chief of Police, carpenter, business leader, Justice of the Peace, City Marshall, Overseer of the Poor - as well as a long-time Deacon of the church, Emeline and Joseph were pillars of this church.  More to the point, though, was Joseph's universally admired character: Hear the story of his passing, as we read in the official records of the church:

At a meeting of the first Congregational church of Oshkosh held on the 5th of October 1881 the following preamble and resolutions were adopted.

 Whereas, by the . . . dispensation of Providence in the removal by death of the much respected and greatly beloved member of our church and Society, Deacon Joseph Jackson, the whole community and Society are stricken with grief,

Therefore, Resolved, That his integrity of character, purity of morals, and consistent Christian deportment united with his unostentatious liberality and great benevolence in all public and private charities, embalm his memory in the hearts of all connected with this church and society.

Resolved, That while we bow with submission to this dispensation, we tender our heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved family of the deceased and mourning his loss, we would commend his example to the living as eminently worthy of imitation.

There were other much-loved and admired saints:

October 23, 1881  Mrs Julia A. Loper died.  For many years Mrs.  Loper was a very efficient member of the church, Society, Sabbath School, and Ladies Aid Society of this city.  Let us, like her, be ever ready to help the needy.

Death came to us very suddenly, and bore away from Earth to Heaven, one of our most dearly beloved standard bearers, one who for more than twenty years, had been a faithful teacher in the Sabbath School, and for nearly thirteen years a deacon in the church.  May we long remember, and be very slow to forget the example, and Christian words of our mutual friend and brother Deacon Sumner Bartlett, who died January 1st, 1881.  Truly it may be said of Bro Bartlett that "He rests from his labors, and his works do follow."

            A big part of our story here are the stories of the wonderful and creative, energetic and bright - often leaders in the community - men and women who came here for a faith that would not just challenge them intellectually, but challenge them to live out their faith in the world, to make a difference in the community.

            These great people of course knew their share of sorrows and difficulties.  You remember the name S.C. Whitney, the father of that first infant baptized in the church in 1857?  Listen to this entry from March 29, 1863 - six years later - remember this was during the Civil War:

At the morning service a rather singular coincidence occurred.  The funeral of two of our church members, father and son.  The father Amasa Whitney died on Wednesday night and the son, Sylvanus C.  Whitney, died on Friday night.  S.  C.  Whitney had been in the Army and returned this winter in poor health and has gradually failed till at last he was taken from the afflictions of this life.  Amasa Whitney was sick only a day or two.  The funeral was largely attended and our Pastor preached a heart sympathizing sermon.

            Part of our story is the coming together of family and friends to comfort one another, to help one another through the tragedies that befall every life.  That's who we are.  That's what we do.

            There were other times of great hardship for us.

July 10, 1872

Wednesday P.M. about 6:15 o'clock, the fire alarm was sounded and soon our church edifice was seen to be in great danger from the spreading flames, but the story is short - in less than an hour our church was enveloped in fire and instead of assembling for the prayer meeting that evening we came houseless to see burned the home which we had consecrated to the worship of God.

            The congregation met for a while at Harding's Opera House, and then back to McCourt's Hall. 

January 5, 1873

The week of prayer was observed - the weather was cold and our place of meeting uncomfortable and tho the meetings were decidedly interesting it was thought best not to continue them.  How much we miss our church building.  Our hearts cry out for the courts of the Lord.

            A new church was built - but money was a problem.  The Panic of 1873 began a 6-year-long Depression - these were hard times financially - sound familiar?  On the day the sanctuary was dedicated in 1875 there was still $7000 left to raise.  At the service of dedication the pastor gave a history of the church [like I am today!] and challenged the congregation to then and there raise the money.  The records picks up . . .

"Then began the strain.  At first the amounts were small and came in slowly but as the congregation warmed up to work their hearts and pockets were opened and [money] poured in proving although times were hard that our people had determined to lift this debt. 

            Mrs.  Philetus Sawyer offered to give $1000 when the debt was all paid but that amount was received with evident signs of satisfaction, so was Mrs.  Sam Hays offer of $500 on the same terms. 

            When all had given and it did seem as if not another dollar could be raised, then yet remained $1000 unpledged. 

            Just at this moment Mr. James V. Jones came to the rescue with the proposition that he would be one of twenty men who would in addition to what they had already given pledged himself to give fifty dollars.  This proposition took very favorably and twenty men arose immediately. 

            Every one in the house breathed easier feeling that a crushing burden had been removed.  All felt that to fail in raising this debt we should lose more of the prestige of victory than we could afford.  It therefore was vital struggle and splendid victory.  On account of the time consumed with our finances the sermon was deferred until evening.

            Our story is one of overcoming formidable financial challenges, in the most formidable of times.

            Another part of our story concerns our openness to address hard issues - controversial issues - in a spirit of willingness to learn.   In the years just prior to the first World War this church sponsored series of public lectures - "People's Forums" they were called.  Hundreds - 700, 800, 900 people - would crowd into this room to hear a short organ concert, followed by some singing, all leading up to the lecture for the evening.   Advertized with these words,  "A Truly Democratic Meeting for People Who Think?Non-Sectarian!  Non-Partisan! Unprejudiced!" these were no tame topics. 

            Scott Nearing, "radical educator and economist," spoke to the Forum on "Woman and the Social Progress," presenting "a red-hot arraignment of social and industrial America as at present organized, sketched the newest biological theories of sex, declared the nation was destroying itself and the time had come for woman to take a hand in a declaration of ?Thus far shalt thou go and no farther.'" 

            Professor E.A. Ross ("A Man-Made World") addressing the "woman's movement;"  Father Arthur B.C. Dunne of Eau Claire who, said the advertisement for his speech, "never utters a dull sentence"; and Mary Antin, a Jewish immigrant from Russia and author of several books.  socialists, feminists, men and women, Protestants, Catholics, and Jews - all these were invited here to this church, to Oshkosh, so that we might learn from others, and better live in our world.  That is a big part of who we have been, and who we continue to be: unafraid to address the most pressing and controversial issues of our day.   The Shower of Stoles display behind you and in the narthex bears silent witness to this ongoing ministry.

            We - I - could go on and on with stories of our 160 years of ministry.  You can read those stories in the church's history book, Independent of Mind, Open of Heart.

            What is our story at First Congregational?

            It is a story of people - strong, and caring people, some heroic characters and some who were/are just plain "characters!"  But all are part of this community of faith seeking more light, seeking to be a faithful people in the world.  It has not been all sweetness and light; we have had our dark days, days of conflict that needed years of healing.  But through the healing has come wisdom.

            The journey goes on, of course.  Our challenge is to remain a people open to the issues of the day, learning from one another, loving one another as we each face the sorrows of life, but never alone on that journey.  May the God who has gone with us through the past be with us in the challenging and exciting days that are ahead!  Amen.