Thursday, December 23, 2004

Capsule offers insight into church´s history

By VICTORIA ALDRICH
News-Journal Staff Writer

DAYTONA BEACH — Seabreeze United Church of Christ turned 100 on Sept. 25, and in many ways resembles the same diverse congregation that was born in the Rev. John Beekman´s beachfront parlor.

Michael Simmons, left, removes items from the time capsule, as the Rev. Donald Epps looks on at Seabreeze United Church of Christ, Daytona Beach, in October. The time capsule contained photos, a Bible and papers from the 1939 dedication. The items were placed in the time capsule in 1950. (Photos: News-Journal/Pam Lockeby)

At that first service, wealthy Northern industrialists and common folks happily shared beer mugs and crackers in lieu of communion wine and wafers. Beekman´s daughter, Helena Beekman, announced service times as she rode her bicycle along the peninsula.

And when Tourist Church, as it was known then, moved to North Wild Olive Avenue in 1929, congregants hid a treasure for future members -- a time capsule that was opened and reburied in 1950. Reopened in a recent service, it contained documents including photos from the church´s ground-breaking and construction, copies of an annual financial report and a wrapped object the Rev. Donald Epps believes is a Bible.

“We want to have them opened properly so we won´t damage them,” Epps said.

Finding the capsule was a feat in itself, since it was thought to be hidden behind a church cornerstone. Aided by clues from architect Harry M. Griffin´s blueprints, it was found in the Education Building and soon will be reburied.

“He (Griffin) said this church was his crowning glory,” Epps said of Seabreeze, the peninsula´s oldest church, which was founded in 1954 when Tourist Church merged with United Church of Christ.

Surviving a century is a feat for any church, according to member Ava Lamar, since it must attract young parishioners who balance faith with career and family commitments.

A member for 41 years, she feels that Seabreeze´s commitment to racial equality and social activism have been vital to its survival.

Lamar said the church, which was among the earliest area congregations to practice interracial worship, helped to establish an area chapter of Habitat for Humanity, which provided homes for the economically disadvantaged.

The church also ministers to at-risk youths, including the children of homeless parents and prostitutes, and welcomes former convicts, helping them to readjust to life outside prison walls.

Among those drawn to its humanitarian work was Rev. Epps, who came here three years ago after ministering for 15 years on an Indian reservation. Epps said he´s proud that a third of the church´s 328 active members are black or Hispanic, reflecting Volusia County´s ethnic diversity.

At one time, Lamar said, a Jewish cantor, or liturgical singer, even performed in the choir.

“Just about every senior pastor here has had a background of journeying. God´s always led people here with a social conscience,” Epps said. “I think the most impressive thing is, how this church has responded to the needs of the community. It´s significant that the church would lead the civil rights movement here in Holly Hill.

“Many senior pastors over the years have been retired theological seminary presidents, very distinguished people. Because it was only open part of the year, it was an ideal post,” he said, adding that the church began operating year-round during World War II to minister to soldiers.

Among its alumni was a civil rights activist, the Rev. Lilburn Mosele. In March 1965, he was among those who accompanied Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a four-day protest march from Mosele´s native Selma, Ala., to Montgomery, that helped establish Alabama´s Voting Rights Act.

In the 1950s, another minister, Dr. Gordon Poteet, landed at Seabreeze after fleeing communist persecution in China, where he taught in a seminary.

A treasured item in the church archives is a letter from the principal of the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute for Negro Girls Inc., thanking the church ladies for donating to the school.

Aided in part by Seabreeze´s financial and emotional support, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune went on to found Bethune-Cookman College.

Though he jokes that Seabreeze is the “wedding church” of choice among local newlyweds, since so many weddings take place there, Epps said Seabreeze hasn´t lost its focus of serving worshippers of all socioeconomic levels, a throwback to the days when members of prominent families, such as the Gambles and Rockefellers, paid church expenses.

“They wanted everyone to feel comfortable,” Epps said.

Special Project: THE FLORIDA QUEST Laptop Lauren and the Trackers are the main characters in the Florida Quest, a 4-week, multi-media project involving thousands of students in Volusia and Flagler counties. In this quest they discover Homefront and Heritage!