THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 2, 1994 TAG: 9409300235
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: A Twist of Trivia
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
In 1987 they spent a week in the hills of West Virginia. In 1988 they spent a week in an entirely different environment - New York City.
Specifically, they spent their time in Brooklyn working with children in that borough - teaching and praying.
There were 20 youngsters and 10 adults who spent a week at Park Slope Baptist Church, the only Southern Baptist congregation in the five boroughs.
There would have been more Suffolk area boys and girls at that church, but some parents got nervous at the thought of their little ones traipsing around New York.
As it turned out, nothing untoward happened in New York. The kids who made the trip found it worthwhile, and they had fun touring some of the sites of Manhattan.
In Brooklyn they worked hard at Park Slope, which was pastored by Carl Smith, a South Carolinian.
He had worked hard to interest a lot of neighborhood children in spending part of their summer in his 800-seat house of worship which normally had a congregation of 22.
His was not an easy task. The neighborhood was predominantly Roman Catholic.
The church, which was built in 1869 and once served as spiritual home for President William McKinley, was near Prospect Park, which became a favorite place for the Suffolk teenagers and their Brooklyn charges.
The question - from whence came those Suffolk teens?
More questions:
1. What are French Protestants?
2. When he returned to Broadway and to radio, in the 1940s, who asked, ``How many lion parts are there in Hollywood?''
3. What actor was one of the youngest Marine drill instructors in the history of the corps? Unhelpful hint: His father was a Marine captain. Part two: Who was the character actor who served as an instructor at West Point during World War II? Semi-helpful hint: Both performers have Irish names.
4. What did Thomas Jefferson do - daily - to avoid catching cold?
5. What happened to the schoolchildren in the fictional town of Bodega Bay? THE ANSWERS Valerie Faber Duncan, minister of youth at First Baptist Church, Main Street, made beaucoup telephone calls to try to arrange to give the youngsters of the church the opportunity to do missionary work in New York City.
It almost looked as if the dream would not come true because the area was such a popular locale for mission opportunities. But just before summer a Texas church backed out and First Baptist was in.
For the seventh- through 12th-graders it was an experience combining inspiration with fun.
They conducted church classes for the youth of the Brooklyn community served by Park Slope Church, and had the opportunity to visit NBC, the Hard Rock Cafe, the Statue of Liberty, a few other places, and ride the subway.
That's not all that's happening in this column. You need a few other answers.
1. The French Protestants are called Huguenots.
2. Bert Lahr, a hit as the Cowardly Lion in ``The Wizard of Oz,'' returned to Broadway and radio after making that movie.
3. Hugh O'Brian was one of the youngest drill instructors in the Marine Corps. Remember Hugh? - Wyatt Earp; Arthur O'Connell was the actor who served as an instructor at West Point.
4. To avoid catching cold, Thomas Jefferson would soak his feet in cold water every morning. These days, people tell their presidents to go soak their heads - Democrats and Republicans.
5. The schoolchildren in the fictional town of Bodega Bay were attacked by ``The Birds.'' It was a Hitchcock hit. The sequel, years later, was strictly for the titlists. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
President William McKinley worshiped at Park Slope Baptist Church,
the only Southern Baptist congregation in the five boroughs of New
York. It was the church where 20 Suffolk teenagers and 10 adults
spent a week working with children.
Bert Lahr returned to Broadway after playing the Cowardly Lion in
the movie, ``The Wizard of Oz.''
by CNB