Spicer College Auditorium

In 1958 Pastor Rice announced to the college that a new auditorium would be built the next year with a capacity of not less than 500.  This was truly ambitious because the enrolment in the ‘58-‘59 school year had dropped to 178 from a record high of 199 in the ‘56-‘57 school year  (though they had the highest number of college girls that year—45).

Students pledged Rs1,100 towards the college goal of Rs 5,000, and the Division promised to double-match what the college raised.  Richard Jonathan and Sam Kodan college seniors, and Stella P. Rao and Gentry Israel, High School seniors promoted the fund-raising among the students.

Pastor O. O. Mattison, president of the Division broke the ground for the new auditorium on August 21, 1959. Pastor D. S. Johnson, Division Secretary, and Elder M. E. Kemmerer, Division Treasurer were also present.  In his speech Pastor Mattison said that the new assembly hall was was evidence of the growth of the college, and expressed the hope that the day would come when the student body would outgrow even the new auditorium.

The class of 1960 made first use of the new auditorium on Mar 18. The building was not fully completed, but attractively decorated.  Florescent lights and a new PA system added a new dimension to the services.  Pastor R. E. Rice, College President, and Pastor H. H. Mattison, church pastor, conducted the last two services in the old chapel which was converted to a reading room for the new library in April 1960. The new auditorium was calculated to comfortably seat 700 while the old was crowded with 260.  The benches were moved to the new auditorium and folding chairs added along the sides. (The flowering trees now growing beside the auditorium were planted by boys as punishment for going to the movies.)

The new auditorium was so spacious that students and staff could move the benches to the walls and to play active indoor games on Saturday nights.  But the enrolment rapidly  increased to 700 in the seventies, and suddenly the new auditorium was inadequate.

In the early 1970’s Pastor Crump, college chaplain was the first to strongly advocate the idea of a dedicated church.  The inspired congregation responded and money started trickling in.  Some women even donated their wedding rings for the cause.   Social, academic and mundane programs intruded upon the spiritual atmosphere of the hall, and finally it just became way too small as the college family approached 2,000. Two service on Sabbath helped, but created new difficulties.  Secular events with large numbers moved outdoors to the main lawn, but Sabbath services could not.

The College has a new church now, but the auditorium continues to serve for chapel exercises, social programs, and daily worship services for the men. Boys and girls interested in each other still vie for aisle seats during services and programmes, and of all things, spoons have started falling out of pockets again during boring sermons just like in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

--Gordon Christo