Pastor David Elton captured these photos and had this to say about Georgia Strickfaden. ‘As a well-deserved historic site in Los Alamos, we now have history boards for all to see and learn about The United Church of Los Alamos! Thank you to Georgia Strickfaden for all of her work in making us historically ‘official’ and creating these history boards,’ Elton said. ‘The story of this congregation, Sanctuary (formerly known as the Chapel) and campus will always be part of the roots and vitality of The United Church and our mission.’ Courtesy/UCLA
History board about the United Church of Los Alamos. Courtesy/UCLA
By BERNADETTE LAURITZEN
United Church of Los Alamos
While many projects have been put on hold during the pandemic, some people have had the time to make great strides on personal projects.
Georgia Strickfaden has been working on an idea for quite some time that has come to fruition. Naturally, when we are talking about Strickfaden, it is one that makes history, by documenting life for future generations.
The month of November finds the United Church of Los Alamos celebrating another birthday, or as they call it, Anniversary Sunday. This year, a page in their memory album has come alive. The history book of sorts allows visitors to walk through the history of the United Church, starting from the beginning.
“I’m very excited to have completed the exhibit,” Strickfaden said. “Visitors and church members alike can learn about the historicity of our church building, which is one of only three WW II-era structures left in Los Alamos.”
Strickfaden grew up in the United Church, hearing the background of the building from those who were here during its relocation and being the place of the ecumenical experiment in the late 1940s. Then, Los Alamos was transforming from an army camp into a post-war town.
“My parents, originally from Santa Fe, came to Los Alamos in January of 1946 after my dad returned from serving in the Army Air Corps during WW II,” she said. “My mom always said that the best thing that came out of that awful war was that Christians realized they could worship together.”
Her mother instilled that philosophy in her, pointing out that our church building was a symbol of that unity.
Many charter members also were a part of her life. It is well known that a WW II army chapel, moved from Bruns Army Hospital in Santa Fe, was the beginning of a new history in Los Alamos. Strickfaden realized that its existence is a rare thing, and she began to explore getting it listed in Los Alamos County, as a Manhattan Project building.
According to Georgia, historians rightly asked, “How do you know? What are your sources? So, with the help of her husband, Gerry Strickfaden, they nailed down some primary sources. Documents were consulted and collected including; Army Corps of Engineers documents, and the like that supported their claim. She originally wrote the text for the history exhibit as a brochure, which she intended to condense into a much shorter number of words, but a graphic designer told her that it could all go into the exhibit.
According to Strickfaden, church member Randy Erickson also had been gathering a lot of information about the Chapel history and she was thrilled to know that he had accessed some different, collaborating sources. She said she also knows that like every history project, it will continue to expand as people come forward with more information.
Strickfaden also said she knows the connections with the past are informative and should be considered as we live today and make plans for the future.
How excited is she to see how the church she loves has grown since 1947?
“I’m in awe of the moving of the Holy Spirit right after WW II at that time, in those founders, and in this place,” Strickfaden said. “Through the years, the ecumenicity has been tested and proven strong. That’s exciting and challenging and inspiring.”
You can learn more about the history of the United Church and current programs at www.unitedchurchla.org.
