In answering reference questions and looking up obituaries in the Advocate, South Carolina's Methodist newspaper, I occasionally come across stories that give a bit of the flavor of their day. Last Saturday, between the football game and a reception on campus, I copied an obituary and discovered a column in an October 1961 issue of the Advocate by Bishop Paul Hardin Jr, Wofford Class of 1924. Bishop Hardin, who served as South Carolina's Methodist bishop from 1960 to 1972 and oversaw the desegregation of South Carolina's Methodist Conference, wrote a "bishop's notes" column most weeks. Here are some excerpts from one of his columns.
As soon as these notes are written I will join the trustees, faculty, students and friends of Columbia College in a service for the Breaking of Ground for the new Science building at that fine institution. On October the 17th my schedule will take me to Spartanburg Junior College (Now SMC) and on October 21 I will take part in the formal reopening of the Main Building at Wofford. Just a few days from now I will meet with the Committee on Higher Education of the Alabama-West Florida Conference, where a campaign for our colleges and Wesley Foundations has gone well beyond the million dollar mark. I mention these engagements to remind you that The Methodist Church is fully committed to the task of providing excellent church-related colleges schools and colleges for the benefit of our people and the nation at large. By comparison with some other denominations we do pitifully little for our church-supported educational institutions. I have been worried by the fact at many of our people and churches have made no payment on e pledges wwich they made during e campaign of 1959. The Methodist Higher Education FUnd is essential to the continuing development and strengthening of our colleges.
Tuesday, October 31st is Reformation Day and Sunday, October 29 is Reformation Sunday. I hope that our ministers will observe it, not in a negative way by denouncing another faith but in a positive way by taking the opportunity to let our people know more about the basic beliefs of Protestants in general and Methodists in particular.
By the time you read these notes I will have been to Joanna (SC) for homecoming and the dedication of the educational building. It is truly a "homecoming" for me for nearly fifty-right years ago I was born there. While I make mention of many places and people in these notes, let us not forget that the Church has one main purpose and goal -- to seek and to save the lost. Let us be forever busy at that task!
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