Dr. Milton Loyer, Conference Archivist
May – 100 years ago
On May 4, 1924, the Wyoming Conference dedicated the Scranton’s new West Park Methodist Episcopal Church at Oram Street and Bromley Avenue. This was a relocation of the Tripp Park congregation on Elizabeth Street, which sold their building in 1914 and worshiped in a temporary tabernacle at the site until the new building was finally ready. In 1976 the congregation became a two-point charge with Simpson, and in 1982 the congregations merged to become Simpson-West Park UMC worshiping in the Simpson building on North Main Avenue. In 2003, that congregation merged into Court Street. The Tripp Park Elizabeth Street building was purchased by the Polish National Church, and the West Park Oram Street building was sold to the Salvation Apostolic Temple – which later outgrew the facility and purchased the Simpson North Main Street building. The building that was dedicated May 4, 1924, was later razed and a modern house facing Bromley Avenue has been erected on the site.
June – 50 years ago
The 1974 sessions of the Wyoming Annual Conference met June 4-7 at the University of Scranton. At least two of the reports indicate the Conference was still dealing with issues from the Hurricane Agnes flood of 1972.
Archives and History: “Plans are progressing to provide a suitable memorial in Forty Fort for those pastors whose bodies were washed away in the Agnes Flood of 1972.” [Included in that group were four former presidents of Wyoming Seminary whose remains were never recovered.]
Flood Relief Committee: “Our Committee has been providing financial help to people in the black community since the summer of 1972. Now, through cooperation with our Commission on Religion and Race, we are providing a parish worker. This is the first time Wyoming Conference has had a major program in a black community within the Conference boundaries.”
