The Old Reader

I am in the library where Donna works and I noticed that the first three ministers who served here between 1811-1832 attended Yale College. (I have a photo of Donna in this blog with our first minister, one of the three out of five that attended Harvard University/Gordon-Conwell). This works out because Harvard Divinity School was founded in 1816, which seems incongruent to its history of burying ministers. I also have been skimming the novel "Johnny Tremain", by Ester Forbes. The major characters that appear with Johnny Tremain in the novel, Sam Adams, Paul Revere, James Otis, the orator, who gives speeches in the novel, and John Hancock, are all buried in our churchyard. The cemetary is in fact on Tremont Street, Boston. The fictitional Tremain would have been born around 1765. (Every week I try to avoid the story that the minister that preached here in 1969 founded the seminary adjacent to where I spent my childhood, Gordon Conwell, which before then was a Carmelite. His books are in fact in the library- it is being sold this year and I now live on the bus route to Harvard, on the thirteenth floor looking in the opposite direction toward Boston, the top of this steeple, the tallest structure in America when built, just visible.) So this is rightly the "Johnny Tremain Church" with all the patriots present and seen from the library's window. Donna is at her desk checking out books, having finished her reshelving. While in Boston, you'll note that the church does happen to be on The Freedom Trail and open to the public for the study of the American Revolution with other church within walking distance and is in fact on Historical Walking Tour of Boston with other museums, as is the graveyard, although the service is Congregational Trinitarian with a Catholic service offered by the Paulist Center of Boston, the church adjacent, next door. Once seperated by the offices of Little and Brown publishing, the churches are now connected. The Paulist Center dates from 1956. Our charter, from 1809, and its theology, is well worth looking at for history and divinity studens both alike.

When we got to church, Donna very nicely said, "I'm not a mother." She introduced herself to Dr. Elaine Phillips from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, who, also without children, echoed the same sentinment. I'm in the church library now which overlooks Boston Common on one side and is adjacent to the church burial ground on the other. I have noted in this blog that the church was built in 1809, before that it being a warehouse for brimstone during the revolution. The word brimstone comes from explosive ministers that make themselves audible in the thick of the fray. I have mentioned that Ben Franklin's mother is buried at the church as well as Sam Adams, Paul Revere, James Otis, John Hancock. The Old North church has crypt in the basement I believe.and the church across the street is a Puritan graveyard. My brimstonetone message for day was that Mother Goose is also buried in the church graveyard. After lunch, I'll be in the library with my wife Donna for the afternoon. THE REAL Mother Goose was named Mary Goose (Vertigoose) born around 1645.

Photo:wickpedia