“We Never Know“

Today’s message will include stories of several people who touched the world driven by their own vision and their own belief in the power of The Almighty and with the desire to make Peace on Earth. 

May their stories spark visions for you, too.

It was a cold, rainy, windy, bleak December night in Stafford County,  Virginia late in the 1880’s,  when a young woman named Kate answered a knock at the door.  She was in her young 20’s and early in her marriage to the local Episcopalian Pastor, Rev. Robert Barrett.  She was enjoying the warmth of a cup of tea and the warmth from her living room fireplace.  Cradled in her arms was a beautiful baby boy, named after her husband, Robert. How content and blessed she felt! 

Yet with the lateness of the evening and extreme weather, this must be, she thought, an emergency.  Quickly she strode to the door with the baby in her arms &upon opening it, she saw a near mirror image of herself!  A similarly aged young woman – also with a baby boy in her arms!  In her tears the young woman shared that she had no where to go!  By the warmth of the fire, with a shared cup of hot tea & a biscuit, came an outpouring of tears.  Both women shared their hopes and dreams for their future and the future of their little boys: that the boys should remain healthy, grow up to be kind, dutifully attend school and live a life the scriptures had taught them!  Sadly, the visiting woman shared that she had not fallen in love with a good man, as had Kate, and now she had been left alone with her baby. 

That night was an epiphany for a woman who came to be known as Dr. Kate Waller Barrett.  She had remembered the scripture from Matthew 25:37-40 “Whatever you do to the least of my children, you do to me”.  And Kate’s gifts of love, energy, commitment to God and to the world would now and forever by changed.    For you see in the world of the late 19^th & early 20^th century, a false myth circulated that if a man with syphilis bedded a virgin, he would be cured. Such false thinking left thousands of young woman in America not just devastatingly ill, but also pregnant – just as the young lady who knocked on Dr. Kate’s door.  And so this horrific myth prompted Kate Waller Barrett to go to medical school, become a doctor & learn how to intervene in such situations in order to create a much different outcome.   Her dream for the literally thousands of young, unwed mothers wondering America seeking a place to live, was to establish homes where they could finish their pregnancies, learn new skills, get plenty of fresh air and sunshine, care for their babies and begin a new life.   Ironically, Kate learned of a wealthy pharmacist/entrepreneur man from New York whose name was Charles Crittenton.  He, too had seen the plight of so many similar young women.  During his sleepless nights, walking the streets of NYC with his Pastor –  filled with the grief of having lost two children, he, too, desired to do something with the wealth he had acquired.  He wanted to start a “home” similar to Dr. Kate’s dream.  The two became aware of one another and ultimately joined forces to create a national chain of homes for unwed mothers that became the National Florence Crittenton Mission.  Because of the inordinate numbers of these “fallen young women” (as they began to be called), the United States Congress and President McKinley granted a national charter – into perpetuity – for this much-needed and what would become a highly successful string of homes across America for Unwed Mothers.  At its height the homes numbered over 98.  The success from what came to be known as the Progressive Era’ in American history, from 1890 – 1920 – was driven by numerous leaders who had the insight and fortitude to do what they believed was good and right. I encourage you to Google Dr. Kate Waller Barrett when you have some quiet time today- for indeed she lived her life in step with our scripture that Lois so beautifully read from the book of Matthew.   Dr. Kate lived until 1925 – long enough to know that she had helped many, many women who were encouraged to keep their babies, start a new life, learn a trade and re-join society with pride and a head held high!  Clearly she and the staff of these homes had become beacons of Hope for so many & they never really knew in the years to come, the true difference they had made in the lives of so many women and families.  Think of how many, many women were able to go on with their lives and celebrate Mother’s Day!  Such is the work of our Lord!  “We often Never Know!”

Some of you may have heard of Mr. Julius Rosenwald, a wealthy Jewish entrepreneur who landed in Chicago, Illinois in the early 19^th c.  As the primary owner and president of the Sears Roebuck Co. he had also become friends with Booker T. Washington who encouraged him to address the poor state of African-American education in the US, which suffered from inadequate buildings and books. Rosenwald provided funds to build six small schools in rural Alabama, which were constructed and opened in 1913 and 1914, and overseen by Tuskegee. In Rosenwald’s words, written in 1911 “The horrors that are due to racial prejudice come home to the Jew more forcefully than to many others of the white race, on account of the centuries of persecution which the Jews have suffered and still suffer.”  Together the men devised a plan for southern American communities to invest in education for African American children using the following ratio:  1/3 Rosenwald funding, 1/3 white community funding & 1/3 black community funding.  Between 1913 and 1932 over 5,337 schools, training centers and homes for teachers were built in the southern part of the United States – serving hundreds of thousands of children and teens over this twenty year period and beyond.  Mr. Rosenwald & Mr. Washington could Never Have Known how their vision and gifts shaped the world!

From people like the young, black pre-Revolutionary era poet, Phillis Wheatley – who remains to this day a beacon of light and hope for millions of African Americans intent on making a difference with their talents, to a lady like Julia Ward Howe who not only penned the lyrics to the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” after seeing the devastation at the onset of the Civil War, and then who  also sought to honor all women, sisters and especially Mothers who endured the pain and loss of a husband, son or father.  Julia Ward Howe began the first Mother’s Day in 1870.  Look at the millions of happy Momma’s honored today – Julia Never Knew!

And Finally, in our own backyard, it was in 1935 when two men reluctantly came together at the Gatehouse (thanks to Henrietta Seiberling) at Stan Hywet right here in Akron.  Ultimately in that one evening they began a program that defied all logic by bringing together alcoholics wanting to achieve and maintain sobriety.  It is and has been one of the great humanitarian self-help programs in the world – and Dr. Bob and Bill W.  Never could Know the gifts they were to the world

The Lord has gifted us with these stories to see how the messages from today’s scriptures can inspire all of us in our lives today.  Whether it be on the highway when we are stuck in traffic, waiting in a long line at the grocery store or dealing with a relative who says something that makes us bristle – we always have a choice and we hope that at the end of the day, our actions consistently carry ripple effects of love, forgiveness and amends, if need be.  Our Lord asks us to examine our thoughts, words and actions constantly – which is why living life as a committed Christian can be such hard work at times.  And I know, I truly know in my heart of hearts, that the good work of people like Julius Rosenwald, Dr. Bob & Bill W., Julia Ward Howe, Mr. Charles Crittenton, Dr. Kate Waller Barrett and all of the nurses, doctors and social workers that supported the National Florence Crittenton Missions, were doing exactly what the Lord had asked of them.   They ALL had a Christ-inspired vision to bring peace and good will to our world.

And, how do I know this, you might ask.  I know for certain that “We Never Know” the good we leave behind.  I know this Because, Brothers and Sisters in Christ –
I was born in a National Florence Crittenton Home, right here in Cleveland, Ohio on Euclid Avenue in the old Drury Mansion.  And I give thanks to the power of one woman’s vision who rose to the occasion to serve The Lord with her good and hard work.

So for today – & in all days – let us all – adult, child, man & woman – do our very best to share our own brand of  “motherly” love with one another. 
And let’s make every day a Mother’s Day for all!
Praise God!  Alleluia!  Amen!!