--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Richards, Preston D. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 32 number: 2 published: 1928-12 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Preston D. Richards, “The Spirit of Mar Vista,” *Improvement Era* 32, no. 2 (December 1928): 103–106." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera322unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera322unse start_page: 103 end_page: 106 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1928-12) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera322unse publication_year: 1928 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1928, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Spirit of Mar Vista The Spirit of Mar Vista By Preston D. Richards, Member of the General Board Y. M. M. I. A. IF a small ward, comprising seventy-one families and three hun- dred sixty-one souls, were asked to build a chapel worth $75,000.00, the task ordinarily would be thought impossible. This was accomplished by Mar Vista, and what is even more remark- able, that beautiful chapel, with all its refinements and embellish- ments, including a marvelous pipe organ, was dedicated to the Lord, clear and free of debt, within the surprisingly short time of five months and twenty-three days from the very day the ward was or- ganized. This is the story of a wonderful accomplishment. The Mar Vista ward of the Hollywood stake, California, was organized by a division of the Ocean Park ward on April 1, 1928, and comprises the territory embraced in Mar Vista, Palms, Culver City and surrounding sections. For a short time Mar Vista ward held its meetings in the Ocean Park chapel at nine a. m. and five p. m. each Sunday, but this ar- rangement was not satisfactory, and a large store building on Venice Boulevard in Mar Vista was rented for meeting purposes. This was entirely inadequate for the needs of the auxiliary organizations and the surroundings were not the most congenial with the spirit of worship. There was great need of a chapel with adequate facilities and favorable atmosphere. But there were only three hundred sixty- one Church members, comprising seventy-one families, possessing not a great amount of this world's goods, but rich in spirit. Notwithstanding the mountain of obstacles, it was unanimous- ly decided at a meeting of the ward membership to build a chapel adequate, not alone for present needs, but adequate to the growing needs of Mar Vista for many years to come. Generous-spirited members donated a building site on the very crown of the imposing hill at Mar Vista, another generous member, one of the distinguished architects of Southern California, prepared and donated the plans, and with this start and without a building fund the good people of the ward commenced the erection of a chapel with their own hands. The site for the new building was dedicated by Elder Benjamin Goddard, member of the General Board of the Y. M. M. I. A., on April 22, 1928; the first spadeful of earth was turned on May 1, 1928, and the cornerstone was laid by President George W. McCune of the Hollywood stake on May 22, 1928. On September 1, 1928, 104 IMPROVEMENT ERA four months to the day from the time work was commenced, the beautiful edifice was completed and ready for dedication, and on Sunday, September 23, 1928, it was dedicated by President Heber J. Grant. There was not one dollar paid for labor, it was all volunteered, mostly by Church members, but non-Church members in the com- munity, seeing the Saints busy at their task, partook of the spirit, volunteered their services and joined the happy family of builders. A great part of the work was done at night, the grounds being lighted with electric lights. One night one hundred fifty people were seen joyfully at work under the electric lights. At 9:30 p. m. each evening sandwiches and light refreshments were served to the work- ers by the various families taking their turn. A large part of the painting and inside lathing was done by women and girls. Children of tender years carried to the roof all the tile with which the building is covered, which labor alone was valued at $500.00. One boy of fourteen years, who had more than $100.00 credit for labor, was asked to dismiss a ward gathering and in doing so prayed that the Lord would "help us finish the church even before we expected." Mothers with infants in their arms could be seen doing their part and faithful wives worked with their husbands and children. One hundred forty-three bags of cement were used one night in filling cement foundations. Most remarkable is the fact that there was not one person in- THE COMPLETED MAR VISTA CHAPEL THE SPIRIT OF MAR VISTA 105 jured, which fact among others caused J. B. Daniell to say in a very complimentary editorial on "The New Mormon Church," published in the Venice Evening Vanguard: "The whole task has an air of being finely inspired and particularly well-favored by Providence." By every stroke of the hammer the people of Mar Vista have driven their hearts into their chapel and they have built with their own hands a temple in which to worship God. It is perhaps this which led them, when the task was completed, to resolve by unani- mous vote always to maintain silence and so preserve the spirit of reverence in the beautiful auditorium of the chapel where the Sunday services are held. That the community has been spiritually benefited by this en- deavor is evidenced by the fact that the day after the dedication, twenty-four baptisms were performed in the new font, and when you add to this the dozen more baptized the following week, you have a total of baptisms equal to ten per cent of the ward's popu- lation. Recall again that the ward population was three hundred sixty- one when the chapel was commenced. At the regular M. I. A. meet- ing Tuesday night following the dedication, there were two hundred seventy-five persons present, and at the Sunday School the next Sunday following the dedication there were present three hundred seventeen persons. At the dedication services President Heber J. Grant's sermons THE BUILDERS OF MAR VISTA CHAPEL 106 IMPROVEMENT ERA were most inspiring and, in referring to the building of the Mar Vista chapel, he said it was in some respects the most remarkable building achievement in the Church since the building of the Kirt- land temple. The structure contains twenty rooms, including those for classes, choir, bishop's office, library, Relief Society, Boy Scouts, baptistry, a beautiful spacious auditorium, and a commodious recreational hall with its interior arches which can be used to augment the seating capacity of the chapel proper. Among the unique fea- tures are a large entrance patio, luxuriantly planted with palms and other tropical plants, and a richly curtained sacred sacrament alcove behind the speaker's stand, above which is revealed, as the velvet curtains are drawn, a reproduction of one of the world's master- pieces in art, depicting the Savior, his apostles and the first sacra- ment. The choir loft is on the same level with the pulpit but at the side so that the choir members can see and hear all that is done and said from the pulpit. The sunken console directly in front of the choir leader is all that can be seen of the great organ. The beautiful white chapel of Spanish-Moorish architecture now stands majestically on the crown of the hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, an enduring and inspiring monument to the faith and industry of the people of Mar Vista. To give proper credit for this accomplishment the name of every man, woman, and child in Mar Vista should be recorded here but, limited to space, as we are, we must be content in stating that this unparalleled accomplishment was achieved under the splendid leader- ship of the building committee consisting of Bishop E. J. Sorensen, his counselors, William J. Brown and O. E. Peterson, together with Thomas Robinson, and Orson H. Hewlett as chairman, assisted by architect Louis A. Thomas who drew and donated the plans and supervised the construction throughout. A friend is a person — Who will help you in the hour of sickness; Who will lend you a dollar without deducting the interest; Who will help you up hill when you are sliding down; Who will defend you in the hour when others speak evil of you: Who will believe in your innocence until you admit your guilt; Who will say behind your back what he says to your face; Who will shake hands with you wherever he meets you, even though you weat patches; and Who will do all these things without expecting any return. — Dorothy C. Retsloff.