Plymouth Magazine-Spring24-FINAL - Flipbook - Page 15
fought, the peace-building process after
was just as important as Allied victory.
He urged tolerance for the Japanese and
Germans, preaching, “There are some
things we ought to hate–we ought to hate
war itself, we ought to hate the evils that
produce war, and the evils of Hitlerism,
and the suppression and barbarisms
of totalitarianism. We do not need to
hate the German people or the Japanese
people… They are not essentially different
from ourselves. They are not inherently
war-lovers and men-killers… There are
good and bad people in every nation. But
they are all the children of God.”
There is a throughline from Lane’s
ministry to the identity of Plymouth
Church today. Plymouth’s dedication
to embracing LGBTQ+ identities,
anti-racism, environmental justice,
reducing food insecurity, and political
advocacy is grounded in the same
Plymouth that Lane helped foster. Lane
himself inherited a church with a deep
progressive history based in abolition,
and he pushed it further to embrace
social issues of the 1930s and 40s.
The identity of Plymouth Church of
today can be better understood through
introspection on its past. There are
countless other stories hidden not only
in the Plymouth archives but in boxes in
attics and memories of members. There
are stories of Plymouth’s heritage waiting
to be discovered and told. With that in
mind, the words of Reverend Stoddard
Lane ring true today: “Plymouth is
a tradition. It is not only a present
possession, it is a rich heritage passed
along to us by the past… God help us to
be worthy of it!”
Allie Shambaugh-Miller is a graduate
student at Simmons University in Boston,
Massachusetts pursuing her Masters in
Library Science with a concentration in
Archival Management.
STODDARD LANE WINDOWS
Our Sanctuary is full of beautiful
stained glass windows. In late
1943, after Stoddard Lane’s death
in May of that year, two stained
glass windows were dedicated to
him. Both windows are installed
on the East side near the center of
the Sanctuary. See the photo above.
The information below was written
in 1943 about the installation and
symbolism of these windows.
The window on the left “symbolizes
Dr. Lane’s love of the sea and sailing
in a five-point nautical star, sailboat,
and anchor. Dr. Lane and his family
spent July and August for many years
at Mere Point, ME. It was his custom
to preach on some aspect of the seat
at his first fall sermon after returning
from the East coast.”
The window on the right “with
the Star of David at its apex, is a
testimonial to Dr. Lane’s service to
the church and the cause of peace.
Its symbols are a dove of peace, a
gold crown encircling a cross, and
an open Bible.”
Plymouth Magazine 15
