Christmas Library 2020: Give A Child Their First Bible For Christmas

A Little Girl's Bible gifted 65 Christmases ago.
Found in a thrift store in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 

For the past five years, I have shared a post about giving a Bible and Bible study books to children for Christmas.

Your child, grandchild, pupil, sibling, or friend is never too young for their first Bible, and having a copy that comes from someone they love will have a special meaning. In my quest for Bible media, I do come across used Bibles and other media from many Christmas long past. The 1955 Christmas Bible pictured above is a favorite and I am reposting it again as part of the 2020 Christmas Library.

Christmas Library 2020: Building An Al Hartley Christian Comics Collection

"Christmas With Archie" by Al Hartley, 1974 Spire Christian Comics.

Al Hartley (1921 - 2003) was a longtime cartoonist & writer for the Archie Comics company who famously used the teenage characters for Christian stories in the 1970s and 1980s. Hartley was a very versatile talent whose work is still distinguishable from most Archie artists with very colorful visual gags, character responses, and Christian inspired sentiment. His comics were very successful and are still sought after by collectors. After dedicating his life to Christ in the late 1960s, Christian messages began appearing in his Archie stories, Christmas tales in particular. 

When he was asked to tone down his messages, Hartley got permission to use the Archie characters for Christian comic books published by Spire Publishing, later Barbour Christian Comics.

One of Hartley's best titles was "Christmas With Archie" (1974). Full of inspiring stories, puzzles and and beautiful artwork it is a treasure of my "Christmas Library". As far as I know, this comic was not reprinted by Barbour publishing in the 1980s so it is one of Hartley's rarest books along with "Archie's Circus (1984) and his testimonial paperback book "Come Meet My Friend" (1977).

It would be great if a full reprinting of all of Hartley's Spire Barbour comics were released again one day. In the meantime, God has blessed me with a growing Hartley Collection of original comics including many biographies & book adaptations, children's books and a book by his son Fred that he illustrated.

I am finding not only the life and testimony of Al Hartley very inspiring but also his unique artistic and storytelling style. I will post more about Hartley in future posts, and like Jack Hamm, God willing I would also do a series for his 100th birthday next October.

"Bible Time", A Chicago TV Classic!

Bible Time

WNBQ-TV Chicago, October 4, 1953 - 1957

Starring: Marcella Hein

For 4 years in the Golden Age of Classic Chicago Television a Sunday morning program captivated children with stories from the Bible. "Bible Time" was created and hosted by Marcella Hein who was also the procurement supervisor for station WNBQ. 

Hein, a native of Milwaukee was inspired to start the series after a hometown visit. Her pastor suggested that she could do a lot of good for the Gospel with the new medium of television.

The series was successful and popular with Chicago audiences. The exact format of Hein's program isn't clear from press articles at the time. Based on the episode titles, she told stories from the Old and New Testaments. It is fascinating that "Bible Time" seems to be the only program from it's time that taught children about the Book of Revelation. In December 1954, Hein taught a multi part episode on the birth of Christ.

In 1956 WNBQ became the first TV station in the world to broadcast entirely in color. "Bible Time" therefore may have been the first live action Bible series broadcast in color. 

The series ended in 1957 when Hein left for California for a position at another station.

If you have memories of "Bible Time" or information on the life of Marcella Hein, please leave a message in the comments area. 

The Drive-In Church and "Sunday School Adventures" of Rev. Norman L. Hammer

 

Press photo of drive-in service by Rev. Norman L. Hammer in Summer of 1949. From the Key West citizen, July 12, 1949. See full page and article at Chronicling America.

In the age of COVID-19, the need for drive-in church services has strongly re-emerged. Drive-in church services go back several decades, and I was elated to learn that a pioneer of these services was also a producer of children's Bible television programs. I am hoping that his story will continue to inspire church leaders and worshipers today.

The Reverend Norman L. Hammer (1912 - 1980) was an innovative evangelist and media producer. He was also the first pastor documented to have conducted a drive-in worship service on church grounds. 

As pastor of the Emanuel Lutheran Church of North Hollywood, California, Hammer received inspiration as he passed a drive-in theater. He also had the thought that people who usually wouldn't come to church in a beach community would come if they could wear their regular clothes. His first service on Sunday, July 10, 1949 reportedly had 54 parked cars with 160 worshipers. His sermon was called "Judgement Just". This service received national attention when photos were published in newspapers the following day, and in the August 1, 1949 issue of Newsweek. Rev. Hammer's pulpit was a patio at the back on his church as he conducted services for road travelers, some in their cars, and others on folded chairs. A "success", Rev. Hammer later said that more people attended the car services than his regular 11:00 am indoor worship service. 

In 1953, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod called Hammer to be its representative for television evangelism. Resigning from the pastorate, he began a study on television and its effectiveness for evangelism. He produced a TV show for children called "Through the Porthole" that began appearing on television schedules in 1956. Seen in at least 13 TV markets in the American mid-west, the exact contents of this series are unknown. 

By the end of the decade, Rev. Hammer relocated to Hawaii for an evangelism ministry to tourists and was the founder and pastor of the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Waikiki. In Hawaii he produced "Sunday School Adventures" a children's game-show for a local television station. On the show he played a character named "Captain Norm" while sharing masters of ceremony duties with Rev. Lester W. Hoffman pastor of the Gloria Dei Church in Pearl City. "Through the Porthole" programs were shown during the program along with segments of "Light Time" another Lutheran children's series. "Sunday School Adventures" ran from October to December 1960.

Rev. Hammer continued to do ministry on television and was the host of a late night/early morning program. His ministry in this world came to and end in a tragic three vehicle accident in 1980. Rev. Hammer was 66 years old. 

More information is wanted about the life and media ministries of Rev. Norman L. Hammer. If you have this information, memories, and copies of his programs "Through the Porthole" or "Sunday School Adventures", please leave a comment.

References:

'California Pastor Finds "Drive-In" Church Success', [Washington, D.C.,] Evening Star, July 11, 1949, Page A-2 - https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1949-07-11/ed-1/seq-2/

"Drive-In Worship" Newsweek, August 1, 1949, pg. 62. [Must have an Internet Archive account to view this page, https://archive.org/details/newsweek34julnewy/page/n387/mode/1up?q=hammer]

"Drive-In is Thrivin'" Modern Mechanix, August 1951 - http://blog.modernmechanix.com/the-drive-in-is-thrivin/

 

Find A Grave Memorial: "Norman L. Hammer". https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37638578/norman-l-hammer 

Minister to Become Television Evangelist, Daily Colonist [Victoria, B.C.]. July 4, 1953. - https://archive.org/details/dailycolonist0753uvic_1/page/n5/mode/1up?q=hammer

"Pastor Produces Bible Quiz Show". Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, Hawaii). Wed, Nov 30, 1960, Page 30

Wirephoto. Key West Citizen, July 12, 1949, Page 4 - https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83016244/1949-07-12/ed-1/seq-4

Shuttershock, Drive-In Worship, stock image July 10, 1949 [same as above], - https://www.shutterstock.com/editorial/image-editorial/drivein-church-los-angeles-usa-6659841a

Time Travelling Thru The Bible - with Dirk and Janet.

While time travelling is not possible, with the imagination it is a great way to  introduce young people to the Bible. This article is the first on a series on that theme.

An obscure example is a 1952 Sunday School book series featuring the adventures of Dirk and Janet (not Dick and Jane) two fifth graders who find themselves aside great figures from scripture, like Moses in the above example. Their adventures were written  by Joseph W. Inslee for The Weekday Church School Series, for Grade V, or Fifth Graders. The texts were published by the Muhlenberg Press of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Originally published in 1952, these stories were reprinted again in 1960.

In this series we have two "modern" children, a boy and a girl, finding themselves interacting with great Bible heroes. Does that sound familiar? This was a few decades before "Superbook", "The Flying House" and "Adventures in Odyssey's" Imagination Station. 

Classic Jack Hamm Cartoon: "Easter Meditation"

"Easter Meditation" by Jack Hamm was distributed to newspapers for Sunday, April 10, 1955 almost exactly 65 years ago today. Meditating on John 11:25, words spoken by Jesus to Martha before he rose Lazurus, may have far greater meaning today as millions recognize his saving power while at home instead of a traditional worship service this Easter. 

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live"

Lutheran Hour & Smile TV Easter Specials

Lutheran Hour Easter TV Specials

Each March and April the Lutheran Hour Ministries makes 3 of their TV specials available to local TV markets and Christian broadcast stations.

The Puzzle Club® Easter Adventure
Feaures the three The Puzzle Club detectives, Christopher, Korina and Alex.

Easter Is (1974)
Sequel to the animated "Christmas Is" special in which young Benji is chosen to draw an Easter poster for his class decorating contest. How should he should he draw "Easter"? Features the voice talents of Leslie Uggams, Les Tremayne, Joan Gardner, Darla Hood (that Darla) in one her last roles.

3 Days
The story of the Resurrection portrayed the with a "you are there" feel.

To find these specials on cable or a local station go to the Lutheran Hour Ministries Broadcast Guide page at: https://www.lhm.org/broadcastinformation.asp. Many stations plan to air these programs on Saturday, April 11, and Easter Sunday.

Smile of A Child Easter Specials:

Smile (Smile of A Child network) will air "Easter Is" and "The Puzzle Club Easter Adventure" along with "Superbook: The Last Supper", "VeggieTales" An Easter Carol", "Discovering the Empty Tomb", "Bedbug Bible Gang Easter Party" and several other special programs several times this weekend. Their channel can be streamed for free with an account.