PBS’ ‘The Congregation’ features United Methodist church

Dec. 15, 2004       

A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose Supporters of Beth Stroud hold a banner outside Stroud�s church trial in Pughtown, Pa.

Although Philadelphia’s First United Methodist Church of Germantown is most recently known as the church of Beth Stroud – the former pastor stripped of her ministerial credentials Dec. 2 after a clergy trial – the congregation has a long history of activism and social justice ministry.

That history, as well as the impact on the church when its pastor of 37 years retired and a new pastor was appointed, is part of “The Congregation,” a new documentary produced by Alan and Susan Raymond. The documentary will air Dec. 29 on PBS.

The recipients of numerous awards for their work, the Raymonds filmed the groundbreaking PBS series, “An American Family,” featuring the Loud family, in 1973; won an Academy Award in 1994 for “I Am a Promise: the Children of Stanton Elementary School”; received international acclaim and an Emmy in 2000 for “Children of War,” a look at the effect on war and terrorism on the lives of children; and most recently documented a prison inmate-run literacy program in “How Do You Spell Murder?” in 2003.

Alan Raymond told United Methodist News Service that “The Congregation” is their first documentary to focus on religion, a subject they believe has been overlooked on television. “You don’t really see a kind of depiction of ordinary religious life that often,” he said.

“Hopefully our documentary will shed some light on why these congregations have endured, even though they are now faced with a more ethnically and religiously diverse nation,” the Raymonds say in a commentary at http://thecongregationmovie.com, the documentary’s Web site. “We decided to focus on a mainline Protestant church because of the historic importance of Protestant churches in American life.”

One of the first Methodist churches in America, First United Methodist Church of Germantown, known today by its acronym FUMCOG, was founded in 1796, a few miles from Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The cornerstone of the current building was laid in 1896, and the congregation had 2,000 members by the end of World War II.

The church building’s beauty, featured in such scenes as a Christmas service in chapel, was appealing to Alan Raymond. “I like the whole idea of the church as a kind of sacred place,” he said. “That was one of the first things that attracted me to (First) church.”

Like many urban churches, First Church lost members as the middle class migrated to the suburbs during the 1950s. With the appointment of the Rev. Ted Loder in 1962, the congregation committed itself to social justice issues, becoming involved in the cause of civil rights and opposing the Vietnam War. In 1984, the church declared itself a public sanctuary for Guatemalan refugees, and in 1990, it became a “reconciling” congregation, supporting the full participating of gays and lesbians in the church.

A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose The Rev. Fred Day, senior pastor at First United Methodist Church of Germantown, speaks with reporters during a press conference at the clergy trial of Beth Stroud.

The filmmakers also captured a tumultuous period for First Church. Loder’s retirement in 2000, followed by the appointment of the Rev. Fred Day the next year, led to a division among its members, some of whom considered Day too traditional for their congregation. The documentary follows the transition of the new pastor into the church.

Although that transition is part of the film’s dramatic structure, it also is a common experience for many churchgoers. “Everyone who has ever been a member of a congregation … has had pastoral change,” Susan Raymond pointed out.

The church trial of Stroud, then associate pastor, was not in the script when the Raymonds began filming, but it became an integral part of the documentary.

Included are scenes of the staff-parish relations committee talking with Stroud about her decision to publicly acknowledge her sexual orientation, of Stroud writing the April 2003 sermon that would reveal she was a lesbian living in a committed relationship with another woman, and of Stroud gathered with family and friends just before delivering that sermon. “They’re having one last pause before the sermon, knowing this was going to change everyone’s life,” Susan Raymond recalled.

The filmmakers said they felt privileged to follow Stroud’s journey. “She never wavered in her decision,” Susan Raymond noted. “It became clear she was going to go all the way to the end.”

“Whatever side of this issue you’re on, it’s rare to see someone who sticks to their principles in this way,” Alan Raymond added.

A church trial court found Stroud guilty on Dec. 2 of being a “self-avowed practicing homosexual,” which is not acceptable for pastors under United Methodist law. The court removed her ministerial credentials, and she remains on staff at First Church as a lay employee.

 The premiere of “The Congregation is 9:30 to 11:30 p.m., Eastern time, Dec. 29. Check www.pbs.org/tvschedules for local listings.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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