PEACE, EVERYONE:
I have called you, the trustees, together tonight for the purpose of presenting a proposition to you that was presented to Me. Personally, as you know, I have no Personal or legal authority to do anything from a legal point of view in connection with the property here, or the place, whichever; but as a rule they usually call on Me.
It had been requested by the Commander Hitchins that we grant the privilege of about thirty of his men to come here to take showers, as they do not have any accommodation to take baths where they are, and this was presented to Me about a week ago. Hence, according to the privilege I have to that extent, since it would and does come under the church rules and regulations to co-operate and help anyone who is in need, why, I felt it was fitting to grant them the privilege to come and take showers and I suggested that if they, and since they did not have suitable sleeping accommodation for these thirty Coast Guard men, I considered if we were going to keep open this winter we might consider in keeping with our Work and Mission giving them the accommodation of one or two floors to sleep here.
It was suggested and put before some few of the trustees and it was spoken of to the Commander, but they said it would not be in keeping with their policy to have them housed here while the building was under the jurisdiction of the present owners or anyone else living in the building. Therefore, they desired to lease the building, and it was brought to My attention last evening and put before Me quite vividly that I might present it to the trustees.
First they asked Me; but after they were advised it was not in My power Personally to lease the building, as it was a grant to us for religious services only, they asked Me to present it to the trustees and the trustees in turn could present it to the owners, and the owners will have the power to lease the building if we waive our right to the use of the building for our services for the duration. So according to My promise I called you all together and am presenting the situation to you.
Now, they desire to lease the building for the duration, as I told them, it was not with Me nor with the trustees to make any offer or even attempt to lease the property, because it is not ours to lease as a church or as the representatives of the church. It has only been a verbal grant to us that we might use it for religious purposes the same as we have been up until now and any way I see fit, until they see fit to make any other changes.
Now it would be, in My opinion, the duty of the trustees to contact the owners and let them know that the government has offered to lease the building, while still they could not, according to their word, lease the building to anyone else for any other service except by we, the church, waving our right to the use of the building for the duration for the government, and then the owners would have the privilege to lease the building and would be justified in so doing.
Of course, I would advise to waive our rights the owners have given us only for the government. We would do it for the government but I do not think we would do it for dollars and cents, as far as our part is concerned. After we waive our rights to the use or possession of the building for religious purposes, why, the owners have a legal right to lease it to the government or sell it or anything they wish to do for the duration. We would waive our rights for the duration for the benefit of the Coast Guard, but it is up to the owners to decide whether they will lease it or not, but they would like to get some quick action. I told them today and also last night, I would relay the message to the trustees of the church and they in turn, no doubt, would relay it to the owners as soon as they could get in touch with them, but I imagined it would not be possible to get in touch with them in a few days as they are scattered around in different parts of the country.
So that is the question I wish to put before you, whether you, the trustees of the church will waive your rights to possession of the property for the duration for the government and only for governmental purposes. Of course, I made the suggestion voluntarily to give them a floor or two. I thought that was very congenial on our part as the church, and as it is in keeping with My Work to supply comfortable accommodation for members. And, you see, it is not even confined to members alone but we accommodate anybody so long as they are American citizens and decent people, you see.
So I felt that I could make such a suggestion to give the thirty men accommodation who have no place for the time being to take baths and not even enough drinking water up there where they are. Through My sympatheticness I made the suggestion, and I have the right to do so according to the By-laws of the church, because it would be in keeping; we would not be taking them in for money. There would not be any monetary gain for us but it would merely be a charitable act and a patriotic act, in My consideration, to co-operate with the government. And that was the reason I made that suggestion. But after I made the suggestion, then they said they wanted the whole thing. Now it is up to the trustees to make their decision, and if they are willing to waive their rights that have been granted them just for the duration and only for the government, why, you can contact the owners and get them together inside of a week or two maybe and get the papers signed.
(At this point the matter was discussed by the trustees, and when the decision was reached the motion was made and seconded that the trustees waive the right of the church to the use of the building for the duration, if the owners desired to make some arrangements with the Coast Guard for their occupancy of the premises.)
The New Day: November 26, 1942
*****************