1935-03-10-Newark Sunday Call-Mormon Bishop
From: The Mormon Moment, 1935
- By Ardis E. Parshall, December 11, 2012
(Mormon Bishop)
By Girard Michelson, Newark Sunday Call, 10 March 1935
Few residents of East Orange are aware of the presence of a Mormon bishop in their midst. A very young, energetic and genial prelate, too. He is Vern S. Thomander (the h is silent), bishop of the East Orange ward of the Mormon Church, or, to be exact, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A 32-year-old electrical engineer, he was recently elevated to the prelacy after serving two years as president of the East Orange branch, before the district was officially designated as a Mormon ward. He lives at 459 North Grove street, his family consisting of Mrs. Thomander and their two pretty little daughters.
The bishop is a very human individual, serving his Church without salary – as all Mormon clergy do – and deriving keen satisfaction in watching his flock grow, and joining them in disillusioning those who picture Mormons as eccentric, white-bearded elders who practice polygamy.
200 Members
There are 200 registered Mormons in the East Orange ward, which includes practically all of Essex county, and hundreds of others not actively affiliated. Most of them are young. They are a devout, earnest group of Church people who taboo intoxicating beverages, tobacco, tea and coffee.
The bishop is a native of Utah, a graduate of the university of that state, from which he holds a degree of bachelor of science. He obtained a degree of master of science from the University of Pittsburgh. He is of the third generation of Mormon Thomanders and his father is now clerk in a Mormon ward near Salt Lake City, Utah. The bishop’s wife is also Mormon-born, and takes an active part in the affairs of the East Orange chapel, located at 40 Whittlesey avenue.
Since January 1, the East Orange ward has been included in the newly organized New York (Mormon) stake of Zion, which also includes Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Oceanside, Bay Ridge and Westchester. The last three are branches, the others are wards. Wards are regularly organized sections comparable to parishes and are presided over by bishops. The branches are not so fully organized and are directed by presidents.
Mormon Chapels
All Mormon places of worship, except the temple in Salt Lake City, are known as chapels. They are supported by the tithe system – each follower donating a tenth of his income every year. No collections are taken, no plates passed. As a means of raising relief funds for the needy the faithful eat but one meal on the first Sunday of each month and donate an amount equivalent to the cost of the other two meals,
Polygamy, the bishop tells one, has been banned by the Mormon Church for a great many years, and its practice now is cause for summary excommunication. The preaching of sermons is not confined to the bishops, presidents or other leaders of the sect. Every Mormon is expected to occupy the pulpit whenever called. They never prepare a sermon.
They believe “In worshiping God according to the dictates of their own conscience and allowing all men the same privilege.”
The East Orange Churchman believes heartily in hobbies, but his professional duties and Church work consume so much of his time that he is not able to pursue any himself. “The hobbies, however,” he adds, “must be constructive and not merely for amusement.”
The Thomander home is a favorite gathering place, not only for believers in the Mormon faith, but members of other sects who come to discuss a religion they know so little about. The Church leader is a convincing talker and a tolerant thinker. He has at his finger tips the story of the Church founded by Prophet Joseph Smith, the telling of which unfolds one of the interesting chapters of American religious history.
