FATHER and MOTHER DIVINE
Many visiting guests and friends were present on this glorious occasion. MOTHER DIVINE Personally met and greeted the Followers from California and Switzerland in FATHER DIVINE's Office, before Holy Communion Service, as well as numerous visiting guests and friends. Several representativea of City government were introduced to MOTHER DIVINE, one of whom could not stay, and the following informal conversation took place;
Secretary: MOTHER DIVINE, this is Mr. David Coleman, Commissioner of the Department of Records.
MOTHER DIVINE: I am very pleased to meet you.
Commissioner Coleman: It is my pleasure. I have indicated to them—they asked me to come over(other representatives) and I said I would be very happy to. We have this Bicentennial, a very, very hectic achedule. The Bell Telephone is having something and I did want to come and stop in here. They told me to be there at one-thirty and I was a little late. I wanted to explain that I won't be able to stay but there are other city representatives here. However, I wish You success and continued prosperity in everything You are doing.
MOTHER DIVINE: Well, when you are wishing that for Me you are wiahing that for all Americans who believe in what this Country stands for, because that is what FATHER DIVINE came to uphold—the Documents of this Country—and that is why FATHER DIVINE and I were married, to give new life and energy to the Principles of Brotherhood. This is My Secretaxy, Miss Peaceful Love.
(The other representatives introduced themselves and it was mentioned that in flying from Wings field one had flown over the Woodmont Estate and how beautiful it is.)
MOTHER, DIVINE: Well, when you think that in 1952 when it was purchased by the Palace Mission Church there was no person of dark complexion that had acceas to go there ...
Representative: Yes, right, right, and still very diflicult.
MOTHER DIVINE: and now it is open every Sunday for anyone to come and enjoy—we have busloads at times from various chuuches and schools.
Commissioner Coleman: Oh yes?— every Sunday? I would love to come out there. And again, I would like to come, love to come and participate in some of your programs.
MOTHER DIVINE: Yes, I think it would be good if you could come and get a better understanding of what we are doing.
During the Holy Communion Service the guests were blessed to hear the Rosebud Choir sing many inspirational songs depicting our patriotic and religious convictions.
FATHER DIVINE's Sermon was played via tape recording which HE gave April 29th, 1951 A.D.F.D. in which FATHER spoke concerning the propagation of Virtue as in HIS Spotless Virgin Bride, and the Sermon was tharoughiy enjoyed by guests and friends as well.
Mrs. Eve Thompson who had several friends with her and had to leave before the Service ended, arose to speak as follows:
Peace FATHER, Peace MOTHER: We beg to be excused because we have to catch a bus back to Scranton; however, I can't leave without saying how wonderful it is to be here. I am sure I speak for my friends also. How perfectly wonderful it is to have MOTHER here in Person— it has just made my day! I always look forward to it for this is a Celebration very deep in my heart, as you know, because FATHER is one of the few who has proven that true interraciality, true internationality, can be lived—and it was! Peace Dear—Happy Anniversary! Peace Everybody.
Miss D. Darling, Secretary: Peace FATHER Dear, Peace MOTHER, Dear; Peace to all of our Visiting Guests and Friends and Peace to FATHER DIVINE's Holy Happy Family! We thank YOU, FATHER and MOTHER Dear, for this blessed privilege of being here with YOU and MOTHER Personally and for the Family being together, as it is a glorious day when we can all get together and really love GOD and praise GOD. And MOTHER Dear, this is a very happy day for us. We know that FATHER knows exactly what HE is doing and our whole trust is in HIM, and whatever HE wills to do we go along with it, but we are happy that HE brought You to us today. {thunderous applause and cheers) Because we know, and FATHER has said, that HE is Omnipresent, and HE said, "but you did not know that MY Bride is Omnipresent." We do recognize it, FATHER and MOTHER Dear, and we thank YOU to live in this 8ecognition, but we also enjoy YOUR Personal Presence very much!(again applause and cheers)
We do have many visiting guests and friends with us and we would be very happy to hear from any and all of you if we have time, but I would like to first say that we have a number of foreign Followers, and I do want to thank FATHER and MOTHER, for bringing them to this Celebration and during this Bicentennial year. I think it would be nice if our foreign Followers would stand up and let everybody see who you are.
(As they stood up in various parts of the Dining Room, the applause and cheers were tumultuous.)
Now these Followers know FATHER and MOTHER DIVINE just as we do and they have Churches in Switzerland, in Germany, in Australia and all over the world just as we have them. They live according to the Precepts of FATHER DIVINE just as we are endeavoring to do, and when they come here, if we have never met them we know them and we love them because they belong to our Family. We do thank YOU, FATHER and MOTHER Dear.
At this time I do want to invite all of the visiting guests to speak. We will not introduce you especially, unless you wish an introduction. I do want to mention that we have representatives here from the City of Philadelphia. We would be happy to hear from you if you care to speak.
One of the representatives arose at this time to speak briefly. He is from the Mayor's office — Chief Service Analyst — and he introduced himself.
I am Mr. James Johnson, from the Mayor's Service Office, representing the Mayor's office. MOTHER DIVINE and Everyone, I want to thank You for the privilege of being here today. I enjoyed this occasion and I ate too much.
Miss Darling: I also want to make mention that we have a Mrs. Mabel Mann here who is a graduate of the Peace Mission Free Schools at Peace Center and Nazareth Missions' Church, 128th Street, New York City. She graduated in 1951 and she now is in Freeport, Long Island. Among other accomplishments she is a psychiatric nurse and she is writing a paper on delinquent children, so she came to the right place because we don't have any delinquent children here. So maybe you can learn what we are doing along that line and that will solve your problems. There is also another probation officer here, and if either of you care to speak we would be happy to hear from you. Thank YOU, FATHER and MOTHER Dear.
Mrs. Mabel Mann: Thank you very much. Peace FATHER, Peace MOTHER, Peace Everyone: I'm very enthustiastic about being here today and I can truly say without a hesitancy that I have enjoyed every word that has been spoken and every song that has been sung. I have guests with me who have never been here before, and they were so elated and so shocked, because we see so much down at police headquarters in New York City; so much in probation, and we are dealing with delinquent children.
First I want to say that I graduated from here —from 128th Street, that is, but we had the program here—and I sat over there with classmates on that side, and FATHER was sitting here at the Table. HE kept looking at us and HE was so happy for us. I had never had anyone to give me any money before, or do anything for me, but I understand that the course I received (at the Peace Missi on Free Schools) was five hundred dollars elsewhere, in those years, and when FATHER said I could come free, I almost fainted myself. So I went on from there —I want to make it short because the day is long and we've been doing much and I haven't even eaten; but it doesn't matter any more. I finished in fifty-one and then I went on to finish nurses' training in sixty-four. In 1970 I picked up a B.A. Degree in Liberal Arts. In 1972, one in Nursery Education. Then in 1974 I got one in Child Care. Then in 1976 I have a B.S. in Sociology. I have now done 26 credits on my Masters' Degree as a Health Administrator for the hospital.
Truly I can say that I really got my motivation from here. Miss Christian Heart is in the audience who is a very, very strict teacher; she taught me typing. I think I'm an expert, a1though she doesn't agree I am sure! (laughing) And Miss Perfect Life is not here, she was supposed to be here today but we weren't able to pick her up because (she explained she was called suddenly to do some police work of a confidential nature). But in the meantime, I want to thank MOTHER and FATHER and thank everyone for being so kind to us, and truly THEY made it for me. THEY helped me make my way, because I was certainly tired of scrubbing floors and going in people's back doors—~and I want to thank you very much for listening to me! (thunderous applause)
(It was to give further glory and honor to FATHER DIVINE's Work and Mission that Mrs. Mann listed these accomplishments:)
She is now (1) a Psychiatric Nurse at Nassau County N. Y. Medical Center; (2) a Nassau County Police Woman;(3) Nassau County Probation Officer for Delinquent Children; (4) Proctor for Professional Examinations, New York State and has a son, now age 25, who frequented the Banquets at 128th Street, from a small child, and is now working on a Doctorate in Psychology in Atlanta, Georgia.
Miss D. Darling: Peace FATHER Dear, Peace MOTHER Dear: We really don't have the names of all of our guests but we do have the names of a few and I am sure they do have something to say. I see Mr. and Mrs. Favinger are here from Bryn Mawr and usually Mr. Favinger likes to have something to say. We would like to hear from him, also Mrs. Favinger.
We also have Mr. and Mrs. Frank Ferrell here, with, I believe, Mrs. Ferrell's mother and father. We have, oh, so many here—we have Mr. Robert Skaler who is with us quite frequently, but we would be happy to hear from all of you so we are not going to make any personal introductions. We do thank FATHER, as someone said FATHER is not confined to the Peace Mission and you are all a part of it, so you can be free to move volitionally just as we do, and I know you'll be blessed if you do. Thank YOU FATHER and MOTHER.
Mrs. Ruth Favinger: Peace FATHER, Peace MOTHER, Peace Everyone: I am very happy to be here. It seems like it was a long, long time ago that I was here last, however, it seems like yesterday that we were at YOUR 25th Wedding Anniversary. It is hardly possible that this is the 30th!
I am not much at public speaking, I leave that to Mr. Favinger—he does much better than I do —however, he always has me speak first, that always makes him look much better! (merriment)
But I do want you to know that it is a great privilege for me to be here and I appreciate it very much and I hope that I can soon come and visit you at Woodmont, and, thank you.
Mr. Calvin Favinger: Peace FATHER, Peace MOTHER, Peace Everyone: MOTHER, You look better each time we see You !(applause) As 'Lupi' mentioned, we haven't been here for quite a while and that has been our loss. It's good to be back here and see the faces of so many old friends—don't take that literally, I mean young ones too! (merriment)
One of the most fortunate things that ever happened to us was when I retired and came back east to become your neighbor. I don't say very much about that because I have some friends in the Township building and if they knew how fortunate we were, they'd probably increase our taxes! (laughter) Seriously though, we have always enjoyed the privilege of being with you, particularly on such a joyous occasion as an Anniversary, and congratulations on YOUR 30th! Believe it or not, we have eleven years to go to reach that point. We're trying hard to make it, and with Your Help, and FATHER's we shall.
Thank you again for the Honor and Privilege of being with you. I'm making this short because the hour is getting late.
Lady (name indistinguishable)—New Jersey: Thank you. My name is Mrs. H--- and I am representing the Bicentennial of New Jersey. MOTHER, we are all happy, and on behalf of the Bicentennial I think it is a privilege that You should invite us here and I hope that I will be coming back again soon. I will definitely report back to all my friends about the pleasant evening we have had, and, thank you.
Mr. Robert Skaler: Peace FATHER and Peace MOTHER; Peace Everyone: This may sound very chauvinistic to a lot of guests from the foreign Missions but I want to thank FATHER for being in Philadelphia so I can see MOTHER DIVINE right now! — and not because this is a Bicentennial City but because I have the privilege of living here and being close to Woodmont and being able, for many Sundays as Mr. Guileless said, to come here in hopes of seeing MOTHER DIVINE, and I'm really thrilled today that She is here in the Presence with us, and so beautiful! (applause)
Wishing You very many happy years and very many Anniversaries, that they should be as joyous as this wonderful day that I have had with you here today—to be surrounded with so much Love and Peace, and so many people who have benefited from FATHER and MOTHER's Love.
Thank you very much.
Mrs. Ferrell's father, Mr. Edward K. Gurk:
Peace MOTHER, Peace FATHER ; Peace Everyone: This is my third time I have had the privilege of being with MOTHER and FATHER DIVINE; mostly at Woodmont, a beautiful place. I always gain information and knowledge any time I attend the meeting, particularly spiritual help.
The 30th Anniversary is a long time and I know that in thirty years I won't be attending another one here but I know MOTHER DIVINE will and I hope She does. Good Luck and Peace! I particularly enjoyed the singers and I enjoyed the food, oh, I ate so much, and I hope I'm invited again. Thank you.
Mr. Frank Ferrell: Peace FATHER, Peace MOTHER, Peace Everyone: It is really good to see MOTHER again!(thunderous applause) The day is almost complete, if we hear "Joybells" —we haven't heard "Joybells " (an inspirational song) Peace, and thank you very, very much.