First Baptist Manlius

The Manlius Baptist Church moved quickly to replace Reverend Caldwell. On April 28, 1917, a meeting was held to decide on calling Reverend Royden Nelson Rand as Pastor. The Church minutes for 1917 do not mention his candidating for the position, but a vote was taken. Out of 37 votes cast, 37 were in favor of calling him. A second affirmative vote was taken on a motion which set his salary at $1000.00 a year, plus house rent. Reverend Rand accepted the call. He was in Manlius in May for a short time and preached at the morning and evening services on May 6, 1917. He was given a reception on May 12, 1917, in the church parlors (about 50 people attended.)

It is not clear how the Manlius Baptist Church knew that a Baptist Pastor in Prince Edward Island was interested in a New York State Pastorate. According to the Colgate Seminary records Pastor Rand was a student there in the fall of 1917. It is likely that the Manlius Church contacted the Seminary in early 1917 after Reverend Caldwell announced his resignation, either to find another Seminary student to preach on Sundays as a temporary solution, or to find someone to serve as full-time pastor. Rev. Charles Allnot of Cherry Creek, New York, a Seminary student, was hired as in interim pastor while Reverend Rand completed his studies. Reverend Rand was called to serve as full-time pastor later in the fall of 1917. It is believed that after his reception in Manlius and a farewell visit to Dundas, PEI, Reverend Rand took his family to Hamilton and studied at Colgate Seminary until November, 1917.

Reverend Royden Nelson Rand was born in Moncton, New Brunswick, on October 1, 1887. He attended high school there. It was reported that he postponed most of his higher education until he could be married to Elsie Sterrit. According to her niece, Beverly Sterrit Curr, a 50 year member of the First Baptist Church of Manlius, they met when he preached occasionally to the Sterrit Meeting House congregation in Grey’s Mills, New Brunswick, from 1910 to 1912. They were married in 1912 in St. Johns, New Brunswick. (Several generations of the Sterrit Family were instrumental in building the church in Grey’s Mills and in keeping it open. Colgate University Seminary Alumni records show that Reverend Rand attended Gordon College in 1912-1914 and spent time at the Colgate Seminary in 1916-1917 and 1918 -1920.

Although Reverend Rand was originally expected to arrive in Manlius with his family in October, they did not appear until late November, 1917. He was reported to have conducted his first Prayer Service in Manlius on November 30, 1917. (All were invited to come and give Rev. Rand a hearty welcome.) His first Sunday Service would have followed on December 1, 1917. On December 18, 1917, a second reception was given for the Rands to which all the friends in the various Churches of the village were invited to attend.

Reverend Royden Nelson Rand and Mrs. Elsie Sterrit Rand brought with them to Manlius three children:

• Grenfell Newton Rand - Born 1913
• Anne Estelle Rand - Born 1914
• Gordon Theodore Rand - Born 1917

A fourth child, Royden Nelson Rand, Jr., was born in 1925 in Albany, New York. Bessie Todd, then Bessie Miller and a member of the Manlius Baptist Church since 1916, remembers walking the carriage that carried the Rand’s boy and girl, which could have been Grenfell and Anne or Anne and Gordon.

Although there were no Church Bulletins or Newsletters and the minutes of Church Meetings reported only a minimum of information, the highlights of Reverend Rand’s pastorate were well documented, thanks to the information available in The Fayetteville Examiner. Some of the special Church programs were featured on the front page. News of Sunday School Class parties or vacationing pastors was often included in the Manlius Personal Columns. Almost every week a summary of past events and the program for the coming week was printed in the Manlius Churches’ Column. During Reverend Rand’s pastorate, full advantage was taken of the opportunity to publicize the Church and its activities.

In the Fall of 1917, according to an article in The Fayetteville Examiner , the Ladies Aid Society of the Manlius Baptist Church originated a new idea for making money to fund their Church projects: i. e., a curb market. In stands in front of the church on Seneca Street, they sold vegetables, fruits, buttermilk from the Burt farm, and baked goods, including appetizers and pumpkin pies from the Baptist ladies pantries. Potatoes and apples sold for $1.00 a bushel; green tomatoes were 25 cents a bushel. The curb market was a yearly event until 1926.

There was very little mention in the Church Record of the terrible World War being fought in Europe from 1914-1917. A number of Manlius Baptist young men were involved, but their names were not mentioned. Fortunately none of them lost their lives. On November 17, 1917, a special collection was taken by the Ladies Aid Society to buy a service flag for L. E. Randall. Ethan L Caldwell, son of Reverend T. Byron Caldwell, a member of the Church until 1917, also served. After the war was over the Church raised money to relieve some of the suffering in Europe.

On January 14, 1918, Reverend Rand, a Canadian citizen, spoke to the Christian Brotherhood in the Church about Canada’s part in the World War. On April 12, 1918, he gave an illustrated lecture on “England, Our Ally in the World War” before a well- filled house at the Baptist Church. His lecture was condensed and published in The Fayetteville Examiner.

Reverend Rand was found to be an outspoken person who would never be reticent about what he wanted the Church to accomplish in the way of attendance and giving, and equally insistent that the Church provide for him a salary adequate for the needs of his family and himself. (He was continually being called to serve other larger Churches that could afford higher salaries for their pastors.)

Times were indeed changing rapidly. It was just a few years earlier that Mrs. Harris was lamenting the fact that the Church could not pay enough money to attract a full time pastor. Reverend Caldwell was getting only $15.00 per week and he was an experienced man in his fifties. Now, only a year later, the Church was able to pay double that amount.

On April 26, 1918, Reverend Rand called a special meeting of the Church to consider his salary. He told the Congregation that he was offered a more substantial salary elsewhere, that $1000.00 per year (plus house) was barely enough to meet his expenses . He thought he ought to be paid $1400.00 yearly if he stayed. He stated that he was satisfied with the Church and spoke very highly of the cooperation he had received on the part of the members. Reverend Rand retired from the meeting and Mr. Nightingale and Mr. Perry told of the discussions they had had with Reverend Rand concerning his salary. Mr. Nightingale also related some of the changes in times in just the year since Reverend Rand was hired. The Church agreed with Reverend Rand and Mr. Nightingale and voted to increase Reverend Rand’s salary to $1500.00 per year, effective immediately. A Committee was appointed to canvass the Congregation for increases in their support of the Church.

On July 5, 1918, Reverend Rand’s thoughts turned to organization. With the approval of the Church, he appointed an Advisory Board and Baptism and Evangelistic Committees to oversee some of the work of the Church. (Keep in mind there were Deacons and Trustees, both all male, but no Mission or Christian Education Boards at this time.) The Advisory Board was to include the four Deacons, the Church Clerk, the Assistant Sunday School Superintendent and the Choir Director. (The Assistant Sunday School Superintendent was probably added because the Superintendent, W. M. Nightingale, was also eligible as a Deacon.) The Evangelistic Committee was made up of 6 men and 5 women, and the Baptism Committee of 7 men and 5 women. There was no mention of meetings of their Boards, advisors, or Committees in Church minutes, however.

In 1918 there was another village-wide effort to promote Go-To-Church Sunday- November 3, 1918. This time, at least in the Baptist Church, it was reported by Reverend Rand to have been a tremendous success with large congregations (morning and night) and “delightful and encouraging” new faces.

Earlier preachers had been hired on a year to year basis. Toward the end of Reverend Barber’s stay, the custom changed or at least yearly negotiations were not reported. With Reverend Rand, however, the practice again was to negotiate annually. On December 8, 1919, the Church voted to call Pastor Rand for 1920 (and to release him from attending prayer meetings on Friday and Saturday for a month.) On October 7, 1920, the Church voted to call Pastor Rand for 1921 at a salary of $2000 per year and a 2 week vacation. On December 5, 1921, the Church voted to call Pastor Rand for 1922. On December 3, 1922, the Church voted to call Pastor Rand for 1923, with 3 months notice to be given for any change by Church or Pastor.

It was during the pastorate of Reverend Rand that more meaningful and relatively complete financial reports became available. For example, the report for the financial year of 1918 (Dec. 1, 1917 to Nov. 30, 1918) for the Operating Fund Budget was as follows:

The Missions Budget was included separately but did not give specific information on where the money was sent.

Financial Reports were also included from the Trojan Sunday School Class, the Brotherhood, Junior and Senior Christian Endeavor and the Ladies Aid Society.

In 1918 Reverend Rand, always ready to try something new, ran advertisements in The Fayetteville Examiner for seven weeks. Messages like “God gave Himself for You: What have you given for Him?”; “Don’t Pray for the War to end and then dishonor God by never going to Church”; or “Sunday is God’s day, dare you use it as your own?” were used to encourage readers to attend the Baptist Church. Several of the advertisements are reproduced in the appendix.

Ex -president Theodore Roosevelt died on January 6, 1919, at the age of 60. On January 19, 1919, the Manlius Baptist Church hosted a “solemn and impressive: memorial service for the much-loved and respected former President. Reverend Rand spoke on “Lessons from the life of Theodore Roosevelt” and described him as “one who was beloved by all who believe in and hold to the truest principles of democracy and equality, the adored of those who worship at the shrine of fearlessness and truth, known wherever the language of civilization is spoken, a man whom posterity will call the Great American.”

A few days later on January 26, 1919, there was a Union Service to commemorate the passing of the infamous fictitious John Barleycorn, and this time the atmosphere was one of joy and jubilation. The Prohibition Amendment had been ratified by the states. The various speakers told of their satisfaction with the passing of the curse that had blighted homes throughout the centuries, of the benefits for businesses when wages would be used for food and clothing instead of booze. Reverend Rand said preachers would miss talking against the use and sale of liquor. Reverend Williams paid a tribute to those who fought against the “ vile” liquor traffic.

The WTCU (Women’s Christian Temperance Union) was a prime force for prohibition in Manlius. Many Baptist women supported the non-sectarian group and they often met in the Baptist Church. (The “Reachabites,” a men’s organization who fought against the use of liquor in the late 1800s, had long ceased to function as an organization in Manlius.)

On January 29, 1919, an impressive article appeared in one of the Syracuse newspapers with a picture of the Seneca Street Church and its Pastor, Reverend R. N. Rand. The text included a history of the church including its construction, changes and improvements over the years, as well as a listing of the current programs of the Church. There was only one problem, but it must have been a rather embarrassing one. The headline read “MANLIUS BAPTIST CHURCH 200 YEARS OLD, AT PEAK OF VARIED ACTIVITIES.” The Church was said to have been organized in 1719. The correct date was 1797. In 1919 the Church was only 121 years old. There were no settlers in the area in 1719. The article is reproduced in the appendix.

Missions giving increased substantially during Reverend Rand’s pastorate. The support for Missions grew from $266.41 in 1918 to $2,485.06 in 1924, an increase of 932.8% in six years. There was no reason given for this very substantial improvement, nor was it recognized in the Church Minutes. The introduction of the duplex envelope system and the agreement to canvass for benevolences as well as for the regular Church expenses must have helped. The income for Church expenses (salaries, heat, repairs, etc.) increased a modest 45% during the same time. In 1918 the Church was giving 11.3% of its income to Missions, in 1924, 45%. This was to be a percentage of total income never reached again. The dollar amount ($2485.06) would not be realized until 1953. The following table of giving for 1918=1924 shows how giving progressed during 6 years.

*Other groups (Sunday School, Sunday School Classes, Ladies Aid, Missionary Societies, etc.) gave money to Mission Projects and that is not included.

In the Spring of 1919 the Methodists and Baptists conducted two weeks of union evangelistic services, one week in the Methodist Church with the Methodist preacher delivering strong impressive sermons and the second week in the Baptist Church with Reverend Rand making an urgent, insistent appeal for the Higher Life. Reverend Rand (who apparently had an excellent solo voice) led the singing. It was said that there were no spectacular conversions but that many voices were heard for the first time in the praise of God and many lives were rededicated to God’s service. One of the important results was said to have been the splendid and earnest spirit of mutual interest and brotherly love which came to exist between the Methodist and Baptist Churches.

Reverend Rand never tired of trying new varieties of Church Services and finding different ways to attract old and new members to Church, especially for the Evening Services. In September, 1919, he presented a series of “songalogues.” The whole evening was “carried through” by the choir. On September 15, 1919, the subject was the “Life of Joseph” and on September 22, 1919, “Jacob.”

In 1919 the first of a series of Capital Fund Campaigns on the national level that the New York State Baptist Convention participated in was the New World Movement. The national goal was $100,000,000 and the state goal was $17,000,000 to be collected over a five year period. The money was to be used for assisting Baptist Churches in their building programs.. The Manlius Baptist Church under the leadership of Reverend Rand, entered into the program enthusiastically. The campaign started on November 16, 1919, with a Sunday night appeal by Mrs. H. E. Ransier on the “Vision of a Great Task,” a talk illustrated with stereopticon slides.

The World War was over on November 18, 1919, and Manlius welcomed its soldiers and sailors home in a “cordial manner.” There was a dinner for the 35 men, a parade (the streets were decorated), a mass meeting in Fowler Hall, and speeches of welcome and appreciation. Ice cream and cake were served to 800 people.

From late in the Fall of 1919 to the Spring of 1920 Reverend and Mrs. Rand spent time in Hamilton, New York, where both were to take special courses at Colgate. Reverend Rand came back to Manlius for the weekends to carry out his duties for the Baptist Church (and more often if the occasion required). The horse had been replaced by the automobile and travel between Hamilton and Manlius was much easier. Prayer meetings were scheduled for Friday or Saturday nights. The parsonage was rented out for the winter to Harry Fillmore. Reverend Rand moved his family back into the parsonage in April, 1920.

Most of the information concerning the Baptist Church and its members found in newspaper articles or recorded in the Church minutes is about sermons and meetings and building and mission projects and members gained and dollars given. The Church is made up of human beings, however, and sometimes they do things that are sad or foolish or funny or memorable or possibly delightful and these stories may be handed down from person to person or from one generation to another but are rarely recorded and eventually forgotten. One humorous story about a Baptist gentleman was recorded for posterity in the Fayetteville Weekly Recorder for April 9, 1920, entitled “Twas a Chill Easter Morn” and subtitled “Water Superintendent will accept a Faith without Baptism.”

“There is a vague rumor afloat that Water Superintendent George Deyo has forsaken the Baptist faith and has announced his intention of expounding any faith but one which upholds Baptism by immersion. The water superintendent’s change of faith is said to be all on account of a little untoward incident which occurred at 10:04 o’clock- at least that is the time that his watch stopped last Sunday morning.

At 10 o’clock on that eventful day George was looking forward to making the day a joyous one for the congregation of the Baptist Church and all mankind. He had busied himself all the morning in arranging the plants and flowers about the platform of the edifice. His good taste in the blending of colors had led to his being selected for the task by the exacting women of the congregation. He viewed his work with the air of a satisfied artist and then stepped upon the platform for still another view of the harmony of colors which his hand had wrought. The organist rehearsing at the organ, softly played that touching Easter anthem, “An angels came by night and rolled the top away.” Perhaps George was so engrossed with the scene of beauty that he didn’t sense the warning the music implied or that there was a large baptismal font filled with icy water four feet deep back of him. But George stepped back. Just then the organ pealed forth, in double fortissimo, “Alleluia! Alleluia.” The organist suddenly stopped. Strange sounds were coming from the icy depths. She put her fingers in her ears and ran to the door calling for help. Just then a dripping form emerged from the tank and hastily donning an overcoat ran rapidly up Washington Street.”

The pledge “drive” for the New World Movement was held during the week of April 23-29, 1920. “Minutemen” chosen to canvass the Congregation gave four minute speeches supporting the drive for several Sundays preceding the canvass. Reverend Rand had called for a general barrage to be laid down before the Congregation in the interest of the “Movement.” He told the Congregation, “If you are a Baptist and begin that word with a capital letter, then you will gladly hear these pointed messages.” The Church reached its goal in just five hours and raised $2000.00 in pledges over its quota (never specifically mentioned but must have been approximately $6500) for a total of $8560.00. This was an impressive sum for a Church whose giving for Missions in 1920 was $1468.01. There was no information on how well the Manlius Baptists honored their pledges. On the national level it was reported that although the pledging was successful, there was a tremendous shrinkage in actual payments. However, the money actually received was said to “have done much good in assisting Churches in their building projects.”

In July 1920, the Union Sunday School (now only made up of Baptists and Methodists) Picnic was held again, this time at Long Branch with transportation via the Long Branch Railroad. Interest was declining and only 200 attended.

The year 1920 was a leap year and in July the Women’s Missionary Society held a leap year party. Each member was to invite a gentleman friend (usually her husband) to accompany her on an auto trip to the home of Mr. and Mr. Fillmore on the Jamesville Road for a picnic dinner.

On September 30, 1920, the Church met for a special business meeting. Reverend Rand’s year had expired (his third). The Church had to decide if they wanted Reverend Rand for a fourth year. The Church was still hiring its pastors for one year at a time. There was no question about the desire of the Church to engage Reverend Rand for another year, and the Church was doing so well financially that they could afford to raise his salary to $2000.00 as he requested. The weather was bad, a quorum was not present and the meeting was postponed to October 7, 1920, at which time Reverend Rand’s requests were granted.

Reverend Rand continued to fight valiantly to keep up interest in the Sunday Evening Services. It was no longer possible to expect large Congregations with the usual type of sermon. Reverend Rand had the knack of devising special programs to bring the people out on Sunday evenings. (Later he wrote short plays to be given at Sunday Evening Services.) The attempt at Sunday Evening “entertainments” was criticized by some New York Baptist Leaders, who felt that the Congregations should be satisfied with a good sermon.

In 1920 several Sunday Evening Church Services were entitled “Books Which Live.” The talks were illustrated with images from slides projected on a screen. In the newspaper notices for the series, the prospective audiences were promised that a large number of slides would be used each evening and that “altogether the service will be very attractive” Three of the books discussed were In His Steps with 50 slides, Ben Hur with 100+ slides and The Other Wiseman with 60 slides.

Daylight Saving Time was enacted during World War I to save energy. Many people objected to changing from Standard Time (often called God’s Time). The farmers especially were upset. It was necessary to warn church members in the fall of 1920, as it still is eighty years later, to “remember to turn your timepiece back one hour next Saturday night, otherwise you will be an hour late for the service on Sunday morning.” The farmers in New York were delighted when the New York Legislature repealed the Daylight Saving Law in early 1921. To confuse things, however, cities of the state could opt for Daylight Saving if they wished. The local paper was pleased, noting that “cows do not respond to natural calls by clock, nor does the dew dry when the clock says it is time to.”

On January 9, 1921, Reverend Rand presented “The Better American Illustrated Lecture Series,” sponsored by the Men’s Booster Brotherhood of the Manlius Church, for five Sunday evenings. Among the topics were “Sanctity of Property as the Logical Influence from the Sanctity of Life,” and “Bolshevism in Russia” (it works ruin wherever tried.)

On January 18, 1921, The Sunday School teachers, the officers of the Church and officers of every society of the Church met at supper for a round table discussion of ways and means to increased the efficiency of their Church works. On Sunday, January 23, 1921, Marguerite Randall, on behalf of the Worthwhile Girls’ Society, presented the Church with a “beautifully” framed picture of “The Boy Christ” by Hoffman. The girls won the picture by successfully completing a prescribed Reading Course. Over one thousand societies engaged in the competition and only sixteen in the United States won the picture. (The picture with a note on the back is kept in the Historical Room of the Church.)

It was “revival” time again in the First Baptist Church. From February 27 until March 12, 1921, Reverend Rand preached every night and also led the singing. (Mrs. Rand played the piano.) The members were said to have been “most faithful in attendance and energetic in personal work and the result was nothing short of marvelous.” The Church reported more than fifty-five converts, thirty-nine baptisms, and the Hand of Fellowship was given to sixty. It was said to have been an inspiring sight to see when the sixty converts moved forward at the close of the morning service to receive the Hand of Fellowship. “Stretching across the entire front of the church in a double line, the new Christians listened to the words of instruction from the Pastor and then in turn received the hand clasp of welcome.” A total of one hundred persons had been received into the fellowship of the Church thus far during Reverend Rand’s pastorate.

In the Spring of 1921 the Church held its Semi-Annual Fellowship Banquet. More than 150 people attended and enjoyed the food, festivities, songs and speech making.

In 1921 the New York Baptist Convention was made aware of a lack of food in some areas of war-torn Europe and sponsored a special offering for The Relief of Starving Children. The Manlius Baptists contributed $305.00 for the Fund.

The Sunday Evening Service for June 5, 1921, was to be a Union Service. Each of the Protestant pastors was to have a part in the program. The subject was “The Kind of People Manlius Can Get Along Without.” Everybody was wondering who the pastors would decide should remain.

In June 1921 Reverend Rand attended the annual meeting of the Northern Baptist Convention in Des Moines, Iowa, as a delegate from the Manlius Church. All of his expenses were paid by the Church. In July Reverend Rand and his family motored to Gray’s Mills, N.B., where they spent their vacation.

In the Fall of 1921 Reverend Rand presented a series of Sunday Evening Sermons entitled “Road Signs on the Highway of Life.” Some of the individual titles were: “Slow Down to 15 mph;” “Dangerous Curve Ahead;” “Stop, Look and Listen;” and “Dangerous Detour.” Prayer Meetings were resumed. They were conducted by the Pastor in open forum style. Discussion was welcomed.

On Sunday, November 20, 1921, the Sunday Schools of Manlius united for a march through Manlius in the interests of peace. There was a Conference on Armaments meeting in Washington, D. C., called by President Harding. The Sunday schools sent a resolution to the President, assuring him of their heartfelt interest and prayers in connection with his great undertaking in the calling of the Conference. The Sunday Schools suggested that God should be recognized by starting each of the sessions with prayer and that the United States should set the example by lessening and limiting our own armaments.

The Onondaga Orphans’ Home and its children were a special interest of most of the Churches in the area. Our Baptist women continually worked with the management, serving on the Board of Directors, providing clothing for the children and periodically bringing a group of the children to the church for food and fellowship. The children often reciprocated with programs for the Manlius Baptists.

Easter Sunday Services on April 16, 1922, were reported to have been attended by the largest Congregations since Reverend Rand began his pastorate in Manlius. In May 1922 the indefatigable Reverend Rand, in addition to his duties in the Manlius Church, accepted the Pastorate of the Baptist Church in Delphi, New York. The Delphi Church changed their worship service time to 2:45 in the afternoon and held their prayer meetings on Wednesday evenings.

Children’s Day in 1922 was celebrated on June 11. For the evening service the Baptist children prepared a program of songs, recitations and exercises. Several children from the Orphans’ Home also attended and took part in the program. A film of the Home’s activities was shown to the Congregation. Offerings for the day ($110.00) were given to the Home.

The Church was apparently closed for several weeks in the summer of 1922. It was announced in the August 18, 1922 edition of The Fayetteville Examiner that the Baptist Church would reopen for services next Sunday morning (August 27, 1922) and that Reverend Rand would be home from his vacation.

The use of the automobile was, of course, in the ascendancy. This explains why group trolley excursions were less popular. On September 24, 1922, the Sunday School conducted a “sociability run” to the Delphi Baptist Church where Reverend Rand was preaching on Sunday afternoons. The cars were to leave the church at 6:00 and later. The folks were to eat supper at the Delphi Church and then the run would begin homewards. A secret time was to be set, and the owner of the car whose time was the closest would be given a valuable prize.

In the Spring of 1923 Reverend Rand started a Sunday School Teachers’ Class which met at the close of the Thursday night village prayer meetings (apparently the Protestant Churches were now holding group prayer meetings.) All village Sunday School teachers were invited to attend the class each week.

Although the Congregation was kept very busy attending prayer meetings, Sunday morning and evening services, and at times special evening revival meetings, there were a great many other opportunities for smaller groups to meet for work, for inspiration and for fun and fellowship. The younger children met Sunday afternoons in the Junior Christian Endeavor (changed to the Baptist Program of the Crusaders for a time and then back to Junior Christian Endeavor.) It was reported that “57 units of human activity and wiggle” attended the December 12, 1919 meeting and 65 on December 19, 1919. The older youth met sporadically in a group. Under previous pastorates the Senior Christian Endeavor had been an extremely active group. For part of Reverend Rand’s pastorate it was called the Young People’s Society. This group must not have been one of Reverend Rand’s priorities. The girls also met separately as the World Wide Guild, at times with a group for the younger girls, and a group for the older girls.

The women who wanted to work (selling fruits and vegetables, handsewn items, baked goods) were members of the Ladies Aid Society. They were very helpful in raising money for church repairs and improvements. Those women interested in missions belonged to the Women’s Missionary Society. They met afternoons to study, support and pray for the missions that the Church was involved with (some local projects, others in the United States and abroad as carried out by the Northern Baptist Association). Most women were part of both groups.

The men reorganized from time to time. During the Rand years they were the Baptist Booster Brotherhood. They met evenings, put on suppers, worked on special projects and sponsored Baptist athletic teams.

Many Sunday School classes were organized as well. Some met socially; others would have serious programs and undertake special projects to benefit the Church. These were the Baracca Class (female) the Philathea Class (male), and the Trojan Class (older women). Many of the younger classes also took on names and met for picnics and parties and recreation. There were enough Church related activities besides the regularly scheduled services and prayer meetings to keep a Church family fully occupied in their spare time away from work and school.

On May 13, 1923, the inevitable happened. Reverend Rand after the morning service read the following letter to the Congregation:

Dear Brethren: One of the hardest and most exacting duties of my life confronts me at this time. We have been joined together in a loving fellowship and service for the past five and one-half years, and with the speeding months have learned to love and to understand each other. The road of service for us has not been easy, but it has been joyous. The blessing of Almighty God has crowned our efforts together. I can truly say that my stay with you has constituted one of the happiest periods of my life, and I can never forget the eager and willing and sacrificial way in which you have responded to your pastor’s appeals. Under God’s hand I feel that we have come to the hour when we must say good-bye. The call which has come to me from the Fulton Church is so strong, and so manifestly the call of God to new service, that I dare not disobey it. As I came to you, so I go to them, believing that God’s hand is directing our affairs.

Believe me, my brethren, I would that our happy fellowship could go on forever, but for the present I must go on in the path of new light and service. Therefore, I ask you to please accept my resignation as pastor of this Church, same to take effect on June 10, 1923.

May the Lord Jesus bless you in all your future activities, and my prayer is that the new pastor who shall come to you, may be accorded the same hearty and unanimous support you have given me.

Signed: Reverend Royden Rand

The members of the Church voted unanimously to reject the resignation and asked Reverend Rand to reconsider. At a Prayer Meeting on May 17, 1923, they bowed to the inevitable and accepted his resignation. A new Pulpit Committee consisting of the combined Boards of Deacons and Trustees (all men) was selected by vote.

Later in May Reverend Rand attended the annual meeting of the Northern Baptist Association at Atlantic City as the guest- delegate for the Manlius Baptist Church. (In 1923 the Association represented more than ten-thousand Baptist Churches with a membership of nearly 1,500,000 Church members.)

Mrs. Yettie Harris traveled a great deal in her lifetime. In the summer of 1923 she and Miss Louise Davis of Los Angeles and Cazenovia set sail for a six week tour of Europe. They were to visit all of the principal cities and attend the International Baptist Convention in Stockholm, Sweden.

Sunday, June 17, 1923, was a full day for the members of the Manlius Baptist Church. It was to be a sad day for Reverend Rand would preach his farewell sermon at the evening service and a hopeful day as Reverend James Macpherson of West Henrietta, New York, was to preach as a candidate at the morning service.

Reverend Rand thanked the members of the Church and Congregation for their splendid spirit of friendship, fellowship and cooperation, and for their personal friendship. He felt that gigantic things had been accomplished during this period. The budget itself with its increase from $1500.00 to nearly $7000.00 was a noteworthy feat. He said that all that had been done is directly traceable to the fine cooperative spirit of the people and their willingness to follow their leader.

On June 28, 1923, Reverend and Mrs. Rand said good-bye to their many friends in Manlius and left for their new field of labor in Fulton, New York. Their membership was transferred to the First Baptist Church of Fulton on November 8, 1923.

While in Manlius, Reverend Rand was involved in a controversy concerning football. Specifically, he was accused of stealing signals from the local St. John’s School (a military academy) and passing them along to the Colgate University Freshman Football team, an accusation which Reverend Rand denied. The controversy was written up in The Observer Dispatch in Utica, New York. The thought that it would be unethical to study a future opponents team in action would, of course, be laughable today. The article is reprinted in this volume of Church History.

Reverend Rand left Fulton in 1925 and became Pastor of the Memorial Baptist Church in Albany until 1932 when he resigned to devote full time to radio broadcasting. Reverend Rand’s interest in radio began when he produced a series of his own Biblical Dramas over Radio Station WGY in Albany. Biblical Dramas were his answer for the problem of rapidly dwindling interest in Sunday Night Church Services. He wrote a book, It Happened This Way, on the subject with a collection of his plays and advice on how to produce them. In 1932 Reverend Rand took on the full time position of continuity director for stations WOKO and WABT and became a beloved radio voice known as “Doc” Rand to thousands of admirers in and around the Albany area. He became Father Knickerbocker, the Quick Quiz Conductor, Santa Claus, and announced baseball and bowling. Behind the scenes, he wrote and produce scripts.

It is hard to understand how a man who gave so much of himself to the cause of Christ would suddenly give it all up to become a radio personality. It may have been partly due to reasons of health. “Doc” Rand, only 50 years old, died suddenly of heart disease on December 18, 1937. His death was announced in two columns (with his picture) on the front page of the December 18, 1937, Albany Times-Union. The loss of “Doc” Rand, three hours before he was to play the role of Santa Claus, “a role which the jovial personality of the former clergyman had supplied to his radio public in a year-round way,” shocked and saddened the Albany area.

“Doc” Rand’s children had taken parts in his various radio productions. He had trained them so well that it was expected that the oldest son, Grenfeld, would take over his father’s duties in their entirety.