On July 4, 1963, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA) the Rev. Eugene Carson Blake and African American Elder Furman Templeton approached Gwynn Oaks Amusement Park in Baltimore. The pair, along with other civil rights activists, were arrested for trespassing. Months before Blake and Templeton’s attempt to desegregate the Maryland amusement park, the 175th UPCUSA General Assembly created the Commission on Religion and Race (CORAR). The new commission would be the focal point of the UPCUSA’s concern for race relations and would work with interfaith and ecumenical groups to address racism in the United States.
The Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS) reflects on and explores 1963 as a year of reform within the Presbyterian church with this year’s Reformation Sunday church bulletin insert. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations are encouraged to download the free insert to use during the Oct. 29 celebration. Three sizes are available on the PHS Reformation Sunday webpage: www.history.pcusa.org/history-online/presbyterian-history/reformation-sunday
Visitors to the Reformation Sunday webpage can also explore other free resources, including a 16mm film, with some of Blake’s speeches on civil rights dubbed over it, that was widely distributed after his arrest, as well as previous bulletin inserts for download.
PHS encourages congregations who use this year’s bulletin insert during their Reformation Sunday celebration to take a photo and tag @PresbyHistory on social media.