Plymouth Magazine-Spring24-FINAL - Flipbook - Page 14
Dr. Lane voiced the belief that Jesus today
would visit not the churches to find out
about modern life, but rather would visit
the homes and working places.”
Rev. Stoddard Lane preaching on a Sunday morning
from a wheel chair. Lane had injured his right knee while
playing baseball with the Plymouth’s mens group.
Lane did face internal challenges when
he first arrived at Plymouth, specifically,
the church’s massive debt following the
completed construction of the new
$475,000 church at the present location
(this would be nearly $8.4 million today).
With the Board of Deacons and financial
advisors, Lane helped execute a new
unified budget and a continual tithing
program based on member’s incomes,
replacing the annual pledge drive. He also
strongly courted potential new members,
asking the committee to scan newspapers
for new arrivals in Des Moines to invite
to church. By the last year of his ministry,
the debt had been reduced to $162,000.
While juggling Plymouth’s financial
health with the day-to-day duties of a
Senior Minister, Lane began one of his
most significant missions: interfaith
education and friendship. Programs from
the church’s 75th Anniversary celebration
showed Lane’s plentiful connections
with leaders of diverse faiths; the invited
speakers included a Catholic Priest, Jewish
Rabbi, Presbyterian Minister, and African
American Baptist Minster. While Lane’s
definition of interfaith may seem narrow
to us today, cooperation between disparate
Christian denominations and the Jewish
faith was radical in the 20th century.
Rabbi Eugene Mannheimer of Temple
B’nai Jesherun (still located on Grand Ave.
today) was a close friend and colleague
of Lane’s. The two worked together with
the National Conference of Jews and
Christians, an organization founded
in 1927 to address rising antisemitism
and anti-Catholicism in America. Their
friendship was so significant that when
sick with the flu, the Rabbi took over the
pulpit and delivered the Sunday sermon
at Plymouth. Along with Catholic Priest
Father Robert Walsh, the three composed
the “Des Moines Brotherhood Trio”
which visited Iowa colleges, houses of
worship, and community centers to talk
about interfaith friendship. The events
were attended by thousands, showing
the real desire of these communities to
develop interfaith connections.
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Lane was also dedicated to fostering racial
equality, particularly between African
American congregations and Plymouth
Church. Churches in Iowa were still
unofficially segregated by race in the early
20th century. Indeed, Plymouth had no
African American members when Lane
was asked in 1937, prompting him to say,
“I wish we had some. It would be a fine
thing for the church.”
Fellowship services were often held with
the Corinthian Baptist Church, with the
Corinthian chorus frequently performing
at Plymouth. In 1941, Plymouth hosted
“Race Relations Sunday,” a program
aiming to improve relationships between
in the community.
Lane’s actions were grounded in his deep
faith. He wrote in 1942: “Who am I to
say that I with my white skin am worth
more to God than the other man with
his black skin. Believing in the value of
men before God, I will treat them as
valuable regardless of nationality or color.
Believing in their equality before God, I
will have no part of any discrimination
that denies their equal right before God.”
Lane also championed tolerance for
Japanese Americans during World War II.
From his sickbed in 1943, he organized
a panel of Japanese American students to
speak at Plymouth and published letters
and editorials urging for just treatment of
Japanese Americans.
Lane’s actions in support of Japanese
Americans also grew from his unwavering
dedication to pacifism. Lane spoke
about pacifism from the pulpit, created
committees for International Relations
education, and hosted panels for
community discussion on anxieties about
U.S. involvement in another international
war. He believed that if a war was to be
