Lux Radio Theatre - One Foot in Heaven

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Lux Radio Theatre - One Foot in Heaven

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Host: Harolds Old Time Radio
Episode Date: July 20, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode features a classic performance from the Lux Radio Theatre: "One Foot in Heaven," adapted from the memoir by Hartzell Spence and originally dramatized for the radio. It tells the heartfelt, often humorous story of Reverend William H. Spence, his decision to leave medicine for the Methodist ministry, and the trials and joys he and his family experience as they move from parish to parish in early 20th-century America. At its core, it's a portrait of faith, service, and family, and the delicate balance ministers and their loved ones maintain between the spiritual and everyday worlds.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Calling to the Ministry (01:13 – 06:27)

• The story begins with Reverend Spence delivering a powerful sermon on Palm Sunday, referencing the need to "believe in the light." He’s interrupted with news that his own house is on fire but continues calmly, humorously letting the congregation know after the closing hymn that it's his house at risk, not theirs.
• Transition to Ministry: Will Spence confides in his fiancée, Hope, that he is leaving medicine behind to become a preacher, inspired by Bishop Hartzell's revival work: "There is ministry to the soul. ... I've entered the ministry. I'm going to be a preacher." (05:46 – Will Spence)
• Family Sacrifice: Hope acknowledges the challenges of being a preacher’s wife, humorously noting that unlike a doctor’s wife, she’ll never get a moment alone.

2. First Parish in Laketon, Iowa (10:10 – 21:16)

• The newlyweds arrive in Iowa, encountering a closed, dusty parsonage and a well-meaning but meddling congregation (notably Mrs. McLintock) who have their own ideas about furnishings and décor.
• Community Dynamics: The traditions and quirks of small-town church life are on full display—the mismatched expectations between the Spences and their parishioners become a source of gentle comedy.
• Financial Challenges: Salary negotiations for the pastor show the modest means and priorities of the early 1900s church community: "You'll get $385 a year or my name's not McCreary. ... Starving preachers isn't too bad. But when we start starving their pretty young wives, that's where I draw the line." (14:27 – Mr. McCreary)

3. The Family’s Ministry and Personal Growth (21:16 – 30:09)

• As the years pass, the Spences settle in, the church grows, and Will becomes restless, seeking greater challenges. The move to a larger, struggling parish in Fort Dodge is set in motion.
• Hope’s Support: While Hope is the last to hear of the decision, she accepts, recognizing her husband's drive to serve: "You'll do what you must do." (22:54 – Hope Spence)

4. New Adventures in Fort Dodge (25:01 – 38:00)

• The Fort Dodge parsonage, close to the courthouse, brings both financial and communal advantages, with the family helping facilitate weddings as a practical means for extra income.
• Church Building Project: Reverend Spence sets his sights on a new church and parsonage, which triggers fresh challenges—primarily community fundraising and dependence on a wealthy, prickly parishioner, Sister Lydia Sandow.
• Key Conflict: Spence’s insistence on equality within his congregation creates friction with Sister Lydia, especially after he visits and has tea with her coachman, Samson. Lydia’s social hierarchy and pride come into direct conflict with Will’s theology.

5. Themes of Equality, Humility, and Reconciliation (33:11 – 48:02)

• Stand for Equality: Will refuses to stop visiting Samson, telling Lydia, "We are all children of God, Sister Lydia. There is no distinction in his sight ..." (36:52)
• Lydia, angered, leaves the church and, with her, the expected major donation for the new church’s carillon and organ—leaving the congregation in a financial lurch.
• Personal Reflection: Will realizes his pride and frustration, and finds solace in the friendship of Samson, who shares, "Everyone's lonely, Pastor, from too many friends, or too few ... I have my Bible. It's my consolation and, I guess, my life." (34:49 – Samson)

6. Dedication and Redemption (48:02 – 52:37)

• Lydia eventually returns to the church, accompanied by her household staff, experiencing a softening of heart after Will insists her gifts must come with true humility and acceptance of all people as equals.
• The new church is dedicated in a moving scene, with Will declaring, "In the lives of all of us, there are moments ... when we may truly say, my cup runneth over. This is surely such a moment for your pastor." (51:24)

7. The Minister’s Pilgrimage: Moving Forward (52:37 – end)

• With the successful completion and dedication of the church, Will receives another call—to serve in Omaha. The cycle of uprooting and starting anew underscores both the insecurity and the spiritual adventure of a minister’s vocation.
• Family Resilience: The Spence family’s adaptability and humor shine through their sadness at leaving friends behind and their anticipation for new beginnings.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ministry & Marriage:
  "I must warn you, a preacher's wife never has five minutes alone as long as she lives."
  (06:08 – Will Spence, relaying the bishop’s advice)

• On Community Quirks:
  "Help you with the bags, Parsons?"
  "No, thank you. We’ll be all right. Come along, my dear."
  (15:30 – Mr. McCreary and Will Spence, arrival at the parsonage)

• Parish Politics:
  "You'll get $385 a year or my name's not McCreary ... when we start starving their pretty young wives, that's where I draw the line."
  (14:27 – Mr. McCreary)

• Inter-church Sensibilities:
  "People don’t join a preacher, Sister Lydia. They join a church. They take the preacher the Lord sends them and give thanks for the privilege of worship..."
  (46:05 – Will Spence)

• Themes of Equality:
  "We are all children of God, Sister Lydia. There is no distinction in his sight."
  (36:52 – Will Spence)

• On Family & Service:
  "After all, that's part of the problem of having a preacher for a father."
  (55:23 – Will Spence, as his children lament moving again)

• Closing Reflection:
  "In the lives of all of us, there are moments ... my cup runneth over."
  (51:24 – Will Spence, church dedication)

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Important Timestamps

• Opening Sermon & Call to Ministry: 01:13 – 06:27
• Arrival & Settling in Laketon, Iowa: 10:10 – 21:16
• Transition to Fort Dodge: 21:16 – 30:09
• Parsonage and Church-Building Comedy: 31:03 – 36:01
• Conflict with Sister Lydia and Consequences: 36:15 – 47:35
• Church Dedication & Lydia’s Return: 48:02 – 52:37
• Final Move and Family Farewell: 52:52 – end

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Tone and Style

The episode balances heartfelt sincerity, gentle humor, and warm nostalgia for small-town church life. The dialogue is earnest and imbued with a spirit of perseverance and hope, colored by the practical challenges of parsonage and parish life. Themes of humility, equality, and the value of community lie at the heart of every exchange. Listeners are left with a sense of enduring faith, the importance of service over status, and the enduring strength of family ties.

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Highly recommended for listeners who appreciate classic radio drama, stories of faith and resilience, and Americana nostalgia.

Transcript

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[Will Spence]

From Hollywood, the Hollywood Radio Theater.

[Don Wilson]

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is your host, Don Wilson. Tonight we're presenting a story that has long been a favorite of audiences all over America. It is, in fact, a peculiarly American story, and yet its theme of an inspired man ever seeking new challenges, new fields to conquer, is universal and timeless. We're privileged to bring you Hartsell Spence's unforgettable drama, One Foot in Heaven, starring Mr. Dana Andrews.

[Narrator (Son of Will Spence)]

It was Palm Sunday. Father, facing a church full to the rafters, was delivering one of the finest sermons of his life. And now his gradually rising crescendo told me the climax was near at hand.

[Will Spence]

Clear. There is no dark, hidden mystery here, my friends, for the skies are alight with this truth. And we remember well those words spoken on that first Palm Sunday so many centuries ago, the words of our text today. While ye have light, believe in the light that ye may be children of light, Believe. That is the word of this day.

[Doc Romer]

Believe.

[Narrator (Son of Will Spence)]

For the first time in my memory.

[Will Spence]

Father broke off abruptly at the very high point of his sermon.

[Narrator (Son of Will Spence)]

Mr. Guthrie, Chief Usher of the church,

[Will Spence]

had come up to him on the

[Narrator (Son of Will Spence)]

platform and whispered something in Father's ear. Father merely nodded and went on believing.

[Will Spence]

We are Christians in the truest sense of that word. We are servers, workers for his church and for his faith. Unselfish, untiring, and devoted to the last full measure of devotion. Let us pray. The Lord bless thee and keep thee. Amen. Brother Kendall. Will lead you in the closing hymn. Oh. In case any of you may be worried that the house on fire is yours. It is not. It's mine. Evening services at

[Narrator (Son of Will Spence)]

that was my father, pious but practical, always managing somehow to keep a miraculous balance as he lived out the precarious existence of all ministers with one foot on earth and one foot in heaven. Father hadn't planned to be a preacher at all. He'd planned to be a doctor. But in 1904, when he was 29, something happened. Something sudden and drastic. And father himself was certainly not the only one affected. As a result, in a certain house in the town of Stratford, Ontario, on a certain June morning of that year.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Hello, Will.

[Will Spence]

Good morning, Hope, my dear.

[Hope Spence]

Oh, come in, Will. I'll take your hat and your umbrella.

[Will Spence]

Thank you.

[Hope Spence]

You look very elegant in your new suit, Will.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

And that wing collar.

[Hope Spence]

Is that what doctors are wearing in Toronto now?

[Will Spence]

Hope, I must talk to you. Oh, at once.

[Hope Spence]

All right.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Can we sit down?

[Will Spence]

My dear, before I asked you to marry me, I tried to be very frank as to what it would mean. I know I tried to make you realize the many problems of being the wife of a doctor. Loneliness, having so little part in what I'd be doing and all the rest of it.

[Hope Spence]

But I said I didn't mind, Will, and I still don't.

[Will Spence]

Hope, I. I'm afraid I have a shock for you.

[Hope Spence]

All right, Will. Whatever it is, please tell me.

[Will Spence]

Do you know why I gave up teaching and studied medicine these last four years?

[Hope Spence]

Well, because.

[Will Spence]

Because I felt I could be of greater service as a doctor than as a teacher.

[Hope Spence]

And you, Will. You'll be a fine doctor.

[Will Spence]

Hope, have you ever heard of bishop William Hartzell?

[Hope Spence]

I. I think I've heard the name in all Canada.

[Will Spence]

My dear, there's no more eloquent crusader for the lord. He's a great man, Hope. He's a modern Paul among the philistines.

[Hope Spence]

Well, I'm sure he is, if you say so.

[Will Spence]

This last month, Bishop Hartzell has been conducting a revival in Toronto. Oh, you should have seen it. Night after night, scores of new converts. Hundreds of men and women finding new hope and new purpose in their lives.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Will, what on earth?

[Will Spence]

There is true service, Hope. Far more important than ministry to the body. There is ministry to the soul.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Will.

[Will Spence]

Yes?

[Hope Spence]

What are you trying to tell me,

[Samson (Coachman)]

Hope?

[Will Spence]

I've entered the ministry. I'm going to be a preacher.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Oh, is that all?

[Narrator (Son of Will Spence)]

All.

[Hope Spence]

That's wonderful. I'm glad.

[Will Spence]

Will, Are you sure the bishop said that? I must warn you. He said to tell you that while a doctor's wife spends half her life being alone, a preacher's wife never has five minutes alone as long as she lives.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Oh, that doesn't matter.

[Will Spence]

It'll mean teaching in Sunday school, working in Ladies Aid, running the parsonage, and it'll mean. Yeah, that's another thing. It'll mean leaving Canada. For where? Well, there are no Paris vacancies now in Canada. There is one. Northern Iowa.

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[Tammy (Geico Subconscious News)]

Subconscious News, I'm Tammy Racing thoughts broadcasting from your brain. Tonight's top worry. If something happens to your apartment and you need to, like, stay in a hotel and pay for it. That would be crazy, right? Art Palpitations has more.

[Will Spence]

That would be crazy, Tammy, but you got surprisingly affordable renters insurance through geico, so it could be covered, giving you peace of mind.

[Tammy (Geico Subconscious News)]

Aw, I love a story that ends well.

[Will Spence]

Next up, love stories. Are they all they're cracked up to be?

[Tammy (Geico Subconscious News)]

It feels good to worry less. It feels good to Geico.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Iowa. We're going to be Yankees.

[Will Spence]

I told you it meant great sacrifice.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Hope, Iowa.

[Hope Spence]

Well, I've heard Father say Iowa's full of rascals and cattle thieves.

[Will Spence]

Well, if it is, they have all the more need of a preacher. Well, Hope, what's your answer?

[Hope Spence]

You really think you have to ask? As a minister, surely you remember what Ruth said to Boaz. Your people shall be my people. Your land, my land.

[Will Spence]

Your quotation is inaccurate, my dear. And she said it to Naomi, not to Boaz. But that doesn't matter. Just so you said it to me. Oh, Will, tell you the truth, I'm relieved. I'll need you now more than ever. I'll need you.

[Hope Spence]

Well, why more than before?

[Will Spence]

Well, I tend to be proud, vain and to. Well, to insist upon having my own way. I know all that. Someone. Someone who loves me must help me to control those faults.

[Hope Spence]

And that's why you're marrying, yes.

[Will Spence]

Oh, no, of course not. That's not the only reason.

[Hope Spence]

You haven't mentioned any other in a long time, Hope.

[Will Spence]

This work is really what I've been seeking all my life. But it may not always be easy. And I'll have little to give you in worldly things. Still, I don't think you'll ever be sorry. And Hope, you're crying.

[Hope Spence]

Oh, darling, don't you know that every girl prays that someday a man, her man. Well, say to her what you've just said. You know what you want in life, and you need me to help you accomplish it.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Iowa. Oh, Will.

[Hope Spence]

Of course I'll go with you to Iowa, to the mountains of the moon.

[Will Spence]

But you're still crying, Hope, if you're happy about it.

[Hope Spence]

Is there anything in church discipline that prevents a new minister from kissing the girl he's going to marry?

[Will Spence]

Here. Here is your answer.

[Hope Spence]

I guess there isn't. And I'm glad. I'm very, very glad. Parson Spence.

[Narrator (Son of Will Spence)]

It had been planned that Father should spend the first six months in his new parish alone and then return for the wedding. But after three months, he could stand the 6 separation no longer. So it was that a train nearing the little town of Laketon, Iowa, on a Winter's Day in 1904 bore two very special passengers. The Reverend and Mrs. William H. Spence.

[Will Spence]

Are you sure you had them straight, dear?

[Hope Spence]

Oh, I hope so.

[Will Spence]

I'll go over it one last time. Mr. McCreary, who will probably meet us, is church treasurer. Mrs. Sharples is Sunday school superintendent. Mrs. Reynolds is head of Ladies Aid. Mrs. Mrs. McLintock as parsonage committee. Mrs. Farrell.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Oh, Will, not again.

[Hope Spence]

I think I know them now.

[Will Spence]

You know we're doing this exactly the right way. Hope. If I told them I was going to be married when I left Monday, the whole congregation would have spent all week preparing for our return. As it is just a few hours notice by telegram. Well, it'll be much simpler.

[Hope Spence]

I still wonder if we shouldn't have given them a day or so notice

[Will Spence]

so that a horde of women would have descended upon the parsonage and all but taken over the place as it is. We can open it ourselves.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Open it?

[Will Spence]

Oh, didn't I tell you? It's been closed up for two years. Reverend Davis, the last minister here, was a bachelor.

[Hope Spence]

Oh, Will, what's the parsonage like?

[Will Spence]

I've never seen inside it. From the outside, it looks, well, old. Distinguished.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

How old?

[Will Spence]

Oh, you'll love it, my dear. And remember that in those walls, you'll be doing noble work. You'll be part of a labor of tireless, unselfish service. There you will be not a lily of the field, but a worker in the sacred vineyards.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Will.

[Samson (Coachman)]

Yes?

[Hope Spence]

I'm your wife, darling, not your congregation. And besides, I'm already converted, remember?

[Will Spence]

Oh, I'm sorry. Remember to keep reminding me, will you? L. We're here, are we?

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Oh, yes. How. But, Will, where's the town?

[Will Spence]

Well, that is the town.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Oh, I see.

[Will Spence]

I'll carry the bags out to the platform.

[Mrs. McLintock]

Hurry up.

[Will Spence]

It was most kind of you to meet us, Mr. McCreary.

[Mr. McCreary]

Oh, not at all, Parsons Finch.

[Will Spence]

Not at all.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Willis told me how busy you are with your seed business.

[Will Spence]

Right, right, Hope.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

And also how hard you worked his church treasure. But he didn't tell me you drove

[Hope Spence]

the finest pair of matched bays I've ever seen.

[Mr. McCreary]

Oh, not bad, are they? Up there, Damon. Up, Pityus. Well, I see that you've a good eye for horse flesh, Mrs. Spence. And looking at this husband of yours, I'd say you had a good eye for man flesh, too. No offense, Mrs. Spence, but those things come to me and I can't resist them.

[Mrs. McLintock]

I don't see how anyone could.

[Will Spence]

Oh, that building there, that's the Carnegie library.

[Hope Spence]

Ah, yes, I see. Will, that woman on the porch of that house, she's waving.

[Will Spence]

Oh, good morning, Sister Williams.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Good morning, parson Ben.

[Hope Spence]

Good morning, Mrs. Williams. Missionary Society, right?

[Will Spence]

Very good, my dear.

[Mr. McCreary]

You see Nora Williams, eyes popping out. You probably just heard. About you bringing home a bride. Parson news has been covering this town this morning like wildfire. I'll bet she's been. She's been standing on her porch ever since she heard the train pull in. Just for the first look at your missus driving by.

[Will Spence]

Well, Mr. McCreary, the meeting of the church stewards Wednesday night.

[Mr. McCreary]

Well, we had it. I presided.

[Will Spence]

Good meeting?

[Mr. McCreary]

Well, not bad. A little matter came up might interest you. Especially right now, a matter of the parson's salary. Now, certain party. I can't name a party who owns a pair of matches. Bayes said he thought Our parson deserved a raise.

[Hope Spence]

Oh, that's good of you, Mr. McCreary.

[Mr. McCreary]

Oh, no, I never said who it was. There are some other members disagreed. They said $350 a year was enough for any pastor, even Parson Spence. What was decided, it was laid on the table. I promise you, next meeting it'll be put across. Not for any measly $20 raise. Even. You'll get 385 a year or my name's not McCreary. After all, this isn't 1880. This is 1904. You know, starving preachers isn't too bad. But when we start starving their pretty young wives, that's where I draw the line.

[Will Spence]

Be ready, Hope. We're almost there. Just around the corner.

[Hope Spence]

Maybe I should close my eyes.

[Will Spence]

No, I don't think that.

[Mr. McCreary]

It's too late now. Here we are. Oh, Damon. Oh, Pythias.

[Will Spence]

Well, there it is. That's the parsonage.

[Mr. McCreary]

Oh, that does need little paint, doesn't it?

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Oh, no, no.

[Hope Spence]

It. It's very quaint.

[Mr. McCreary]

Oh, it's that all right. Help you with the bags, Parsons?

[Will Spence]

No, thank you. We'll be all right. Come along, my dear.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Thank you again for meeting us, Mr. McCreery.

[Mr. McCreary]

The pleasure was mine, ma'.

[Mr. Crandall]

Am.

[Will Spence]

Pleasure was mine.

[Mr. McCreary]

See you later, Parson.

[Will Spence]

Yes, sir.

[Doc Romer]

Thank you,

[Will Spence]

Hope. Don't despair yet. It may be better inside.

[Hope Spence]

I didn't say a word.

[Will Spence]

You didn't have to. See, I have the key here somewhere. Yes, it is. I'm stuck.

[Hope Spence]

Rusty.

[Will Spence]

Very likely. Now it's coming. There you are. Now, go right in. Oh, dear. The door is open.

[Hope Spence]

Oh, you don't mind? It isn't too undignified?

[Will Spence]

I'll show you how I mind.

[Don Wilson]

Here.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Oh, will.

[Will Spence]

Now, welcome, Mrs. Spence. Welcome home.

[Hope Spence]

Thank you, Will, darling.

[Will Spence]

Yeah. Now, little inspection tour. This obviously is the entrance hall. And this. This would be the.

[Hope Spence]

The what?

[Will Spence]

Parlor.

[Hope Spence]

With black curtains and a pew for a sofa.

[Will Spence]

Maybe it's a waiting room for weddings or funerals. How about in here?

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Oh, the dust.

[Will Spence]

This must be the parlor. Oh, look. Horsehair sofa. Comfortable, too.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Well, don't sit on it. The legs.

[Will Spence]

Would you be good enough to help me up, my dear?

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

Yeah.

[Will Spence]

Thank you. Well, this room isn't too bad with a new sofa, some different curtains, decent rug on the floor.

[Hope Spence]

Picture down. Isn't it awful? Take it down. Now, Will, will you, please?

[Doc Romer]

All right.

[Will Spence]

That's a frightening old buzzard. Wonder who he was.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

And that one, too.

[Hope Spence]

Wonder who she was.

[Will Spence]

Undoubtedly one of the original Salem witches.

[Hope Spence]

Oh, Will. Will. There's newspaper pasted across the back of that frame.

[Will Spence]

Yeah. Faded, but still legible. General Zachary Taylor reports victory over Mexican forces at Vera Cruz, April 12, 1854. Well, this picture is brand new. It was only put up there 50 years ago. Oh, terrible. I'll open the window. The sash weight ropes rotten.

[Hope Spence]

Oh, Will, don't look like that. We're just both tired now, and it's all a shock. But I can fix this place with some fresh paint and those pictures down. And some new bright curtains. And that awful rug off the parlor floor. We'll do all of it over together just to please ourselves.

[Will Spence]

Who's there? Somebody at the back door. Good morning.

[Mrs. McLintock]

Oh, good heavens, you're starting me.

[Hope Spence]

Parson, you're here ahead of me.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

Oh, you can't be.

[Will Spence]

Well, Mrs. McLintock, may I present my wife?

[Mrs. McLintock]

How do you do? How do you do? Oh, Parson Spence, you can't have done this to me. My dear, can you ever forgive us if my committee had just.

[Hope Spence]

It'll be all right, Mrs. McLintock.

[Mrs. McLintock]

Will and I would just. Oh, we have everything planned to fix the place up.

[Hope Spence]

But, Mrs. McLintock, we didn't want you.

[Mrs. McLintock]

The dust in this place and the cobwebs. Just look at them. Oh, in here. Oh, her picture's fallen down.

[Hope Spence]

Oh, my goodness.

[Will Spence]

Well, that didn't fall down, Mrs. McLintock. We took it down.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

You.

[Hope Spence]

Oh, Parson, you didn't. Was there some reason we shouldn't?

[Mrs. McLintock]

My dear, this parsonage was built for the first passer of our church, Parson Nichols. And one thing never touched out. His picture or Those of the Mrs. Nicholses.

[Will Spence]

And there were two Mrs. Nicholses?

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

There were three.

[Mrs. McLintock]

The third Mrs. Nichols, or rather her picture. Her picture's upstairs in the small bedroom.

[Hope Spence]

The small one.

[Mrs. McLintock]

Oh, a very hardy man. Parson Nichols, so they say, buried all three of his wives. They died one after another right in this room, poor dears. So naturally, their pictures never came down. I'll just put this one up again.

[Will Spence]

Mrs. McLinnock, my wife had some ideas

[Mrs. McLintock]

about the house that I. Oh, she needn't have. My committee has every last detail planned. Now, those purple drapes in the parlor will be perfect once they're clean. And that lovely orange rug was made by hand by our sewing club. And then in this bedroom, we're going to put some paint. Exquisite magenta flowered wallpaper. It's all picked out. And upstairs. Well, there's no point in my telling you. It would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it, dear?

[Hope Spence]

Yes, I suppose it would, Mrs. McClintock.

[Mrs. McLintock]

Well, when my committee does a job, it does it well. I'll go back now and get them. We're going right to work. And you, my dear, I don't want you to turn your hand. Just rest and save your strength for the reception tonight.

[Will Spence]

Reception tonight?

[Mrs. McLintock]

Naturally, everyone in the church wants to meet the blushing bride.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Yes.

[Mrs. McLintock]

Well, goodbye, dear, and don't worry about a thing.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

It's all in our hands. Goodbye.

[Hope Spence]

Goodbye, Mrs. McLintock. Hope they have it all planned, even the purple drapes.

[Will Spence]

Hope I won't stand for it. I'll go right now and talk to Mrs. McLintock. I'll talk to the committee. I'll talk to the whole congregation.

[Hope Spence]

No, darling, you can't. You know you can't. We'll be all right. And after all, you warned me. But when you were getting a church, couldn't you just as easily have gotten it someplace a little easier? In China, for instance.

[Narrator (Son of Will Spence)]

The reception was held that night. And Mama survived it. As she was to survive hundreds of similar occasions and years to come. Come, and Father was magnificent, proud of the beauty of his bride and of her skill in her new role. And so began the first of the adventures that were Father's many parishes in the years to come. In five years, many things had happened there in the town of Father's first ministry. Including the birth of my sister Eileen and me. And the church had changed. Father had worked his own peculiar magic upon the congregation. Where once there had been empty seats on Sunday morning, Now they were full and overflowing. And Father, restless for further challenge, was looking for new spiritual fields to conquer. And being Father, he found them.

[Will Spence]

That is right, Hope. After all, my task is finished here in Laketon. Well, isn't it? Port Dodge is the second largest parish in the district, and it's run down. Hope there's work to be done there. A great deal of work. After all, it isn't as though the idea of going there originated with me. They asked for me, and it was their suggestion that they should ask the bishop to appoint me. Well, he did ask me how they might go about it. But the initiative was theirs. Hope.

[Hope Spence]

Yes, dear?

[Will Spence]

Will you please not just sit there and knit? Will you either tell me you approve or don't approve?

[Hope Spence]

Will, darling, I learned a long time ago that you always conduct both sides of your own argument. And you always end by convincing yourself you're right.

[Will Spence]

You think I'm wrong. I shouldn't have tried. For the Fort Dodds Parish.

[Hope Spence]

Will, when you first told Me? You were called to the ministry. I didn't question your decision. Now, if you feel called to a new parish, I don't question that either. You'll do what you must do.

[Will Spence]

That's true. Guess Hope you're right. I should go. It's my duty to accept this challenge. We'll do it.

[Hope Spence]

I'm glad you've decided. Will. Yes, Ms. Spence.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

The first trunk's all packed. And I put that label that says Fort Dodge on it like you told me. Shall I pack the next one?

[Will Spence]

What's that?

[Mr. Crandall]

Um.

[Hope Spence]

Never mind, Opal. We'll discuss it later. You tend to the children now.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Yes, ma'.

[Hope Spence]

Am.

[Will Spence]

So you're glad I decided the first trunk is all packed.

[Hope Spence]

Well, we both better start getting ready. After all, we can't be late to prayer meeting.

[Thumbtack Announcer]

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[Don Wilson]

And now act 2 of one foot in heaven. Starring Mr. Dana andrews as will spence and steve forrest as hartzell.

[Narrator (Son of Will Spence)]

Fort Dodge had many advantages, but one that affected us in the family especially had nothing to do with the church itself. This concerned the location of the parsonage. It was just down the block from the county courthouse, and the marriage license clerk was a Methodist. The result was a fortunate combination that often meant shoes for Eileen and me, when otherwise we might have gone to school barefoot. The operation involved cooperation of the entire family.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Mama. Mama. What? Is it hard? It's a wedding couple. They just came out of the courthouse and Mr. McAfee pointed them this way.

[Hope Spence]

Oh, let's see. Your father was going to the Cobblers 10 minutes, then to the hospital 40 minutes, and then Mrs. Kendall's.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

He's probably at Mrs. Kendall's in a hurry. I'll get him and Eileen, you try

[Hope Spence]

the hospital just in case.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Yes, ma'. Am. Don't let them get away.

[Mrs. McLintock]

Don't worry.

[Hope Spence]

They won't get away.

[Mr. Crandall]

Ma', am, I'm afraid we can't wait no longer.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

That's right. Oh, really?

[Hope Spence]

Well, the pastor will be right here.

[Mr. Crandall]

You said that a half hour ago, ma'.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

Am.

[Mr. Crandall]

And we gotta get back. I got my chores to do. Before nightfall. So is Ellie.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

That's right.

[Hope Spence]

But being married is very important, Mr. Crandall. And my husband performs the very best marriage in town. Everybody he's ever married has said so.

[Mr. Crandall]

The words is the words Methodist, Baptist or a holy roar, no matter who says them.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

That's right.

[Mr. Crandall]

We just want our license back.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

That's right. Yes.

[Hope Spence]

Yes, of course. Are you sure Mr. McAfee made this out correctly? My husband always checks to be sure everything's legal. Well, the ages, for instance. Now, this says you're 22, Mr. Crandall. Is that right?

[Mr. Crandall]

Sure.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

That's right.

[Hope Spence]

Only 22. Oh, but you look like a much older man. You're mature, sturdy, solid appearing.

[Mr. Crandall]

Sure. I don't know.

[Hope Spence]

And, Ellie, you're 18.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

That's right.

[Hope Spence]

And a prettier 18 I've never seen.

[Mrs. McLintock]

Oh, this must be.

[Hope Spence]

Oh, Ellie, did you.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

No, ma', am. Not at the hospital.

[Hope Spence]

Try Dr. Swolfes.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Run. I will. No. Let's see.

[Hope Spence]

Oh, birthplace.

[Mr. Crandall]

Ma', am, that license is all right. We gotta go.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

That's right.

[Hope Spence]

Well, I'm sorry. Here's your license.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

One last cup of tea.

[Mr. Crandall]

We're floating now.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

That's right.

[Mr. Crandall]

Well, goodbye, ma'. Am. I'm sorry that we can't hurt so.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Did you. Yeah, running up the walk.

[Hope Spence]

Well, isn't that fortunate.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Here's the pastor now.

[Will Spence]

Good afternoon. I understand you young people wish to be merit.

[Mr. Crandall]

We sure do.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

That's right.

[Will Spence]

Well, please sit down. Before I marry any couple, I always want to be sure they're fully aware of all that marriage means.

[Mr. Crandall]

Now, look here, mister.

[Hope Spence]

Well, I think I've covered most of what you usually say. And they do have to get back before dark.

[Will Spence]

Oh, the license in order?

[Hope Spence]

Yes, dear, to the last comma. We checked that, too.

[Mr. Crandall]

Sure did.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

That's right.

[Will Spence]

Very well. Will you stand here, please?

[Mr. Crandall]

Come on, Ellie. This is it. Finally.

[Will Spence]

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God. In this company.

[Mr. Crandall]

Pastor, we got chores to do. Will you please get right to the

[Will Spence]

will use, young man? I'm not sure.

[Hope Spence]

No, it's all right. They've waited so long.

[Will Spence]

Lester, wilt thou have this woman, Ellie Caroline, to be thy lawful wedded wife? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, and forsaking all others, keep that only unto her so long as ye both shall live?

[Mr. Crandall]

I sure will.

[Will Spence]

Ellie Caroline, wilt thou have this man Lester to be thy wedded husband? Wilt thou love, honor and obey him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, so long as ye both shall live.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

That's right. In fact, I come a purpose.

[Narrator (Son of Will Spence)]

The minister of the Lord shall, by his word, build temples within the minds of men. My father believed that with all his heart. But he believed, too, that the minister should be concerned with the outward temple of the Lord he loved in each of his parishes. To see see the old church improved or a new one erected in its place. The process was never without its complications, but in Fort Dodge, they were unique. It all began on a very rainy spring afternoon.

[Hope Spence]

And I hated to bother you, Doctor, but I did want to be sure before I said anything to Will.

[Doc Romer]

Well, I assure you, you could not be sure.

[Will Spence]

Sure?

[Doc Romer]

Where is Will, by the way?

[Hope Spence]

There, in his study. This is Saturday, remember?

[Doc Romer]

Will's too conscientious. I used to write my sermons Sunday morning when I wrote them.

[Samson (Coachman)]

Oh, Hope.

[Will Spence]

I've decided. Oh, Doc Romer.

[Doc Romer]

Hello, Will.

[Will Spence]

Doc, I'm glad you're here.

[Doc Romer]

As a matter of fact, so am I. We've got news for you.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Yes?

[Will Spence]

Will, as chairman of the church building committee, you'll be pleased to know of a decision by your pastor.

[Narrator (Son of Will Spence)]

Oh, I will, huh?

[Will Spence]

Yes. The new church we all agreed we need will not be built two years from now or one year from now. It will be built this year.

[Doc Romer]

You don't say.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Will. That means the parsonage will be torn

[Hope Spence]

down to make room for us.

[Will Spence]

And a new one built.

[Doc Romer]

Exactly.

[Will Spence]

So that the parson and his family will no longer be drenched by every passing rainstorm.

[Doc Romer]

And who's going to pay for this project that's going to develop overnight?

[Will Spence]

Lydia Sandow.

[Hope Spence]

Mrs. Sandow?

[Will Spence]

The same. The one member of the church with more money than all the rest of the members put together.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

But she's chairman of the parsonage committee.

[Doc Romer]

Exactly.

[Mr. McCreary]

And look at the parsonage.

[Will Spence]

For 10 years she's been responsible for its condition. For 10 years, it has known nothing but neglect. Now she's going to make up for that neglect by underwriting the entire building project.

[Mr. McCreary]

A new church, a new part in it, everything.

[Doc Romer]

He never did hear your news.

[Hope Spence]

No, he didn't. I wonder what he'll say when I do tell him.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Yes? Oh, Parson Spence. Come in, Parson.

[Will Spence]

Good afternoon, Hannah. You will please tell your mistress her parson is calling.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

But I can't.

[Will Spence]

You can't?

[Eileen (Daughter)]

She's not here. She went to collect rent from two of her farms with Lawyer Ackerman.

[Will Spence]

Oh, she did?

[Hope Spence]

Yes, sir.

[Will Spence]

Hannah, is it dry in this house?

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Dry, sir? Of course.

[Will Spence]

And is it dry in the stables?

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Oh, yes, sir. Mrs. Sandow wouldn't dream of letting a horse be.

[Will Spence]

Oh, she wouldn't, much less Samson.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

He lives in a room by the stable.

[Will Spence]

Samson? Oh, yes, of course. Her coachman. Very faithful Samson. He never misses Sunday evening service. I can't say as much for you, Hannah.

[Mrs. McLintock]

No, sir.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

But I never miss Easter or Christmas.

[Will Spence]

Your church does not exist only for Easter and Christmas, Hannah.

[Mrs. McLintock]

No, sir.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

I don't know, sir. Samson might know. He drove her to lawyer Ackerman. I. I'll go out.

[Will Spence]

Never mind. I'd like to see those waterproof stables that your mistress insists upon. I'll ask Samson myself.

[Samson (Coachman)]

Yes?

[Will Spence]

Good afternoon, Samson.

[Samson (Coachman)]

Who is Pastor Spence?

[Will Spence]

May I come in here?

[Samson (Coachman)]

You'd come in here, of course.

[Will Spence]

Or aren't you at home, dear Pastor?

[Samson (Coachman)]

Oh, please mind the door.

[Will Spence]

It's low for your height. Well, Sampson, this is very comfortable in here. Warm and dry. And dry.

[Samson (Coachman)]

But my place is no fit one to receive a preacher.

[Will Spence]

Nonsense. A man's home is his inner spirit. All one needs in a house is a roof over his head. Yes, a roof over his head. I can't believe it. A caller.

[Samson (Coachman)]

You're the first guest I've ever had in 22 years, and you came to see me in the rain.

[Will Spence]

Oh, Samson, I should tell you I didn't.

[Samson (Coachman)]

Please, please, Mr. Spence, sit down here in the good chair. I was just making tea. I still can't believe it.

[Will Spence]

You have no friends, Sampson.

[Samson (Coachman)]

Mrs. Sandow, she frowns on them. They call talk and gossip. Mrs. Sandow's afraid of gossip.

[Will Spence]

So you live here alone, never seeing anyone?

[Samson (Coachman)]

Mrs. Sandow has me in for prayers after supper. And on sunny days, I talk to the maids in the garden. I'm both gardener and coachman, you know.

[Will Spence]

Yes, I know.

[Samson (Coachman)]

Your tea, parson.

[Will Spence]

Are you very lonely here, Sandra?

[Samson (Coachman)]

Everyone's lonely, Pastor, from too many friends. Or too few, at least. I see it that way. And I'm lucky.

[Will Spence]

I have my Bible. And well worn, I see, from much reading.

[Samson (Coachman)]

It's my consolation and, I guess, my life.

[Will Spence]

Samson.

[Hope Spence]

Yes?

[Will Spence]

I'm very grateful to you just now.

[Samson (Coachman)]

To me?

[Will Spence]

Pride and willful anger are sinful in any man. They're even worse in a minister of his word. Thank you for helping me remember that house. Go now. But thank you for your help.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Will.

[Hope Spence]

Where have you been? We were worried.

[Will Spence]

Walking. Hope. Walking. And communing in the rain.

[Hope Spence]

You saw Mr. Sandow?

[Don Wilson]

No.

[Hope Spence]

But you seem pleased.

[Don Wilson]

I am.

[Will Spence]

Do you realize I was approaching the chief potential donor of this congregation with anger in my heart? There is a way, my dear, but not that way. A very wise old man made me realize that.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Father?

[Will Spence]

Yes, son?

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Mrs. Sandow, she's coming up the walk. And does she look mad. Mad?

[Will Spence]

You must be mistaken. Son, do run along with your mother.

[Hope Spence]

Yes, come, Harcourt.

[Will Spence]

Mad? That can't be. Oh, Sister Sandow, come in.

[Hope Spence]

I am in.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

And don't you Sister me, Parson Spence.

[Will Spence]

I beg your pardon.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

I hear you've been calling on my coachman.

[Will Spence]

I have indeed. A fine and devout man.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

Well, I'll have none of it.

[Will Spence]

Do you mean to say that I may not call on Samson?

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

You're my pastor and you'll call on me. My coachman belongs in the stable.

[Will Spence]

Your coachman is also a member of my church.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

Only for the evening service.

[Will Spence]

Sister Lydia, I. Tell me, don't you have Sampson in for evening prayer?

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

I do. As mistress of my house, I'm responsible for devotions of my servants. But I don't have tea with them, and neither will you.

[Will Spence]

I. We are all children of God, Sister Lydia. There is no distinction in his sight as he would do unto me. Do even so unto the least of these.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

Don't you start quoting scripture to me. You preachers are all alike. You can find precedent in the Bible for anything, even sin. But you won't find it to have tea with my coachman ever again. You hear? You'll never visit Samson again.

[Will Spence]

Yes, I heard. And I shall visit Samson's Sister Lydia, whenever he has need of me. Or I of him.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

That settles it. From now on, you're no longer my pastor. I'm going to the Baptist.

[Hope Spence]

Will.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Will.

[Hope Spence]

What happened?

[Will Spence]

The new church just went out that door.

[Hope Spence]

Oh, no.

[Will Spence]

To the Baptists.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Will.

[Mrs. McLintock]

Mama.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Oh, Father.

[Will Spence]

What now?

[Eileen (Daughter)]

That drip pen we put for the leak over your study, it overflowed. Look. Your sermon for tomorrow.

[Will Spence]

Never mind, Eileen. What more, oh, Lord, what more can one day bring?

[Hope Spence]

One thing, Will. One very little thing. I tried to tell you before, but you wouldn't listen.

[Will Spence]

What?

[Hope Spence]

I'm going to have another baby.

[Don Wilson]

We pause now for station identification. And now we return to one foot in heaven, starring Mr. Dana andrews as will spence.

[Narrator (Son of Will Spence)]

Father loved revival meetings. He believed that a revival meeting helped to unify a church in time of need. And so now, when all the forces of the congregation had to be mobilized, Father began a revival in Fort Dodge.

[Will Spence]

So the committee's pleased with the way the building pledges have been coming in Odark.

[Doc Romer]

They approved the final budget this afternoon. $60,000. And without a nickel from Lydia Sandow. Say, have you heard the latest about Lydia? Rumor is The Baptists won't take her.

[Will Spence]

Dr. Carmichael came to talk to me. He doesn't want to accept anyone who just joins his church in anger. Besides, Sister Lydia would never stand for immersion.

[Doc Romer]

What's more, she'd never lived through it. You think she'll come back to us, Will?

[Will Spence]

I'm not saying a word. But that carillon for the tower and the organization, they're still not included in that revised budget, are they?

[Doc Romer]

No. Hey, you mean Sister Lydia.

[Will Spence]

Doc, do you think for one minute we can have the finest church in Iowa and no chimes to call the worshipers to service, or no organ to give body to our choir?

[Doc Romer]

Will Spence, you're the most religious man I know. But you're also a conniver if ever I saw one.

[Will Spence]

Well, this food we're about to receive, we offer thanks. May it be blessed to our use and us to thy service. Amen.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

Amen.

[Will Spence]

Good sermon today, Mother?

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Fine.

[Doc Romer]

Will.

[Hope Spence]

Baby loved it, too. He slept all through.

[Will Spence]

So I noticed. I expected him to cry as usual during the silent prayer this Sunday.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Old Mr. Nixon didn't even go to sleep once. I was watching. I wasn't. I was watching, Father.

[Will Spence]

Oh, what was the text? Daughter.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

I knew, but I forgot. For whosoever shall do the will of God. The same as my brother. Good.

[Hope Spence]

Hartsong.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

This was waxing, but I was listening.

[Hope Spence]

Just go on about your meal.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

Heart.

[Will Spence]

34 more Sundays.

[Hope Spence]

Till what?

[Will Spence]

Till dedication of a new church during the offertory today. I was visualizing it. We'll have the bishop, of course, for the sermon.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

On account of we have to.

[Will Spence]

Artzo. One of the functions of the bishop is to dedicate new churches. And Bishop Quine delivers magnificent sermons.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Yes, Father.

[Hope Spence]

Will, I didn't want to mention it, but I've had several telephone calls. Your congregation is worrying about how the carillon and the organ will get paid for.

[Will Spence]

They'll get paid for.

[Hope Spence]

Well, you've already ordered them and you haven't seen Sister Sandow.

[Will Spence]

There's a time for all things, my dear.

[Hope Spence]

And speaking of a time for all things. Mr. Spence.

[Will Spence]

Yes?

[Hope Spence]

One thing was missing in today's service. There was no announcement that next Sunday there will be baptism of new baby.

[Will Spence]

I'm afraid the minister forgot.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Will.

[Hope Spence]

How long can a child go on being called just baby?

[Eileen (Daughter)]

He's three months old.

[Will Spence]

William Fraser.

[Hope Spence]

William H. Junior.

[Will Spence]

No. Will H. Just H. Standing for nothing. No, dear.

[Hope Spence]

Will, I want the baby baptized, and I want it done properly and at once.

[Will Spence]

William Hope.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

No.

[Will Spence]

Henry Hobart. Harry Hooligan.

[Hope Spence]

Just H. William H. Like his father. On this will, I won't give in.

[Will Spence]

You won't?

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

No.

[Will Spence]

You insist on the last word?

[Eileen (Daughter)]

I do.

[Will Spence]

All right, my dear. Next Sunday, I'll announce baptisms. At long last, baby will have a name. Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not remain, receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms and he blessed them. At this point, your pastor always likes to depart a moment from the usual ritual. I counted an especially rare moment in the Lord's service when I'm privileged to baptize new babies in our church. And this morning, I have a particular interest. We have two children to be received today, a girl and a boy. The parents of one I recognize as our chief usher, Mr. Nagle. And his good wife, the mother of the baby boy. Well, she looks familiar, too. And now, will the parents stand here by the font, please? A little girl first. What is the baby's name?

[Doc Romer]

Clarice Marie.

[Will Spence]

Thank you. Clarice Marie Nagle, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Now the boy. What is the baby's name, please?

[Hope Spence]

William H. I beg your pardon? William H. Thank you.

[Will Spence]

William Fraser Spence, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. You may return to your seats now. You too, ma'. Am. And may I say, your son Fraser is a very handsome child.

[Samson (Coachman)]

Yes.

[Doc Romer]

Will, this is Doc Romer.

[Will Spence]

Yes, Doc.

[Doc Romer]

Will, I'm worried. There's a letter from that company you ordered the carillon from. They're ready to ship and they want payment. I know it's serious, Will. Between the carillon and the organ, it's over 30,000. If we can't pay, it'll be a lien against the church. It can jeopardize the whole project.

[Will Spence]

Doc, I told you at the start not to worry about the carillon or the organ.

[Doc Romer]

Yes, but you were depending on Lydia Sandow.

[Will Spence]

I still am.

[Doc Romer]

She came back.

[Will Spence]

She sent word three days ago that she wanted to see me. It will be settled this afternoon.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Misses Sandow says to please come right in, Parsons.

[Will Spence]

Thank you, Hannah.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

Come in. Come in, Brother Spence.

[Will Spence]

Good afternoon, Sister Lydia.

[Narrator (Son of Will Spence)]

I trust you.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

Well, I'm a sinful old woman, that's what I am.

[Will Spence]

You mean you've been neglecting your prayers?

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

No, I went to the Baptist.

[Will Spence]

I don't see any sin in that. Brother Carmichael's flock will get to heaven as fast as we will. And he's a good preacher.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

Not like you.

[Will Spence]

People don't join a preacher, Sister Lydia. They join a church. They take the preacher the Lord sends them and give thanks for the privilege of worship. Even with the kind of preachers the Methodists have.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

Brothers, Pence. I'm very unhappy. I feel that each day I'm slipping a little farther away from God.

[Will Spence]

You probably are.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

Have you no sympathy, Sister Lydia?

[Will Spence]

Is Sampson still prohibited from having callers?

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

But he's my coachman.

[Will Spence]

And do you still prohibit him from going to morning service because you're too proud to have your servant attend church when you do, take me back.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

Brother Spencer.

[Will Spence]

You haven't answered my question.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

The whole church built and I've been no part of it. Thaddeus would never forgive me.

[Will Spence]

Your husband was a sinful man, Sister Lydia. But when he took. When the pride was burned out of him, he found greater richness in the love of the Lord. In our new church, we should have a mighty carillon to peel out as his goodness rang out to rich and poor alike.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

Let me give it in his name. I have more than I'll ever need.

[Will Spence]

We should have a magnificent organ lending warm beauty to worship in God's house like a rich, deep echo of the prayers of Thaddeus Maximus Sandow.

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

And that, too, I'll give that, too, in his name. And a rose window. Thaddeus loved a rose window. Let me give that, too, in his name.

[Will Spence]

Your gift will be accepted, Sister, in your husband's name, on the day that you come in humility to your church, but not alone. The day you accept Samson and all men as your equal in the sight of God. Good afternoon, Sister Lydia.

[Doc Romer]

Well, that was a fine sermon you preached today. But where was Sister Lydia?

[Will Spence]

In the rain, Doc. It's a bad drive from her place. Lydia Sandow has never come to church in the rain. Next Sunday. Don't look so worried, Doc. She'll be there with Samson.

[Doc Romer]

I suppose it was the weather this Sunday?

[Will Spence]

No, but. Well, Lydia may have been away. She's often out of town on business. There's still plenty of time. And she'll come all right.

[Doc Romer]

You don't see that as positive as you used to. Will.

[Will Spence]

She will come. She's got to come,

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Will.

[Hope Spence]

You should try to get some sleep.

[Will Spence]

Oh, I'm sorry. Did my pacing wake you up?

[Hope Spence]

No, I haven't been asleep either. It's the Mrs. Sandow business, isn't it? Did you talk to Samson?

[Will Spence]

Yes. Sister Lydia hasn't been anywhere for weeks. She hardly talked to any of the servants stays in her room for days at a time. Hope, am I wrong in this?

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Wrong?

[Will Spence]

Will, without Lydia Sandow's gifts, the church is in serious trouble. Or more correctly, we are. I placed those orders on my own authority. But I was so sure, Hope. I was sure she'd come back.

[Hope Spence]

Well, she still may, Will. And as long as delivery on the Carolyn was delayed, if couldn't be here for the dedication anyway, maybe the dedication service will be a call even Lydia's pride can't resist.

[Will Spence]

You know, it's actually true. Without that gift from Lydia Sandow, we may be in trouble. Serious trouble.

[Hope Spence]

We haven't had too much trouble in our lives, Will. Problems, but not real trouble. We can stand some if we have

[Sister Lydia Sandow]

to,

[Hope Spence]

but this will all work out. Now, try to get some sleep, Will. Just think about the dedication service Sunday. The new church. That's what's important now.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Oh, Mama, you. Isn't the new church wonderful?

[Hope Spence]

Yes, dear.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

And the procession. I was so proud of Father.

[Hope Spence]

So was I.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

But he hasn't smiled at us once. And he keeps looking all over the church, worried like, what's he looking for?

[Hope Spence]

Never mind, Sis.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Mama, he smiled just then, and then he looked over toward the side door. What is it? What's there?

[Hope Spence]

It's someone who just came in, dear.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Mrs. Sandow?

[Hope Spence]

Yes, with Samson and Hannah, her maiden. Olga, her cook.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Gosh, are they all Methodists?

[Hope Spence]

Well, if they weren't, dear, they are now.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

But, Mama.

[Hope Spence]

Shh, dear. Your father.

[Will Spence]

In the lives of all of us, there are moments. Moments when we may truly say, my cup runneth over. This is surely such a moment for your pastor. We share in this hour a temple to the Lord. A fine, magnificent structure that stands as eloquent evidence of the labor and sacrifice of each and all of you. In his name, let us pray. The Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before deliver us from coldness of heart and wanderings of mind, that with steadfast thoughts and kindle affection we may worship thee in spirit and truth through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

[Hope Spence]

Amen.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Mother, you look like you were going to cry.

[Hope Spence]

I'm not, Sis. I'm not. It's just that right now, I'm like your father. My cup runneth over.

[Narrator (Son of Will Spence)]

From that moment there at the dedication, I think we knew, Mother Eileen and I. What was inevitable was only a matter of time. The return of Lydia Sandow was an event that was but a late milestone on a course that Forefather was already running.

[Will Spence]

And then they came.

[Narrator (Son of Will Spence)]

The words we'd expected.

[Will Spence]

Mother, we've got to move on. I talked to the bishop today, and he wants me to take the church in Omaha. It's a challenge, Hope. The bishop says the parish there needs leadership. It needs devotion. He feels much good work for the lord can be done by the right man.

[Hope Spence]

And you're that man.

[Will Spence]

The bishop thinks so.

[Hope Spence]

Oh, will, You've earned a rest now.

[Will Spence]

Hope, I.

[Hope Spence]

You're tired. You've nearly worked yourself to death here. Now you have a perfect church organization, a car, a fine new church. And for once, we have a new parsonage.

[Will Spence]

When a minister takes root, hope, he's through.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Why?

[Hope Spence]

Why can't you go on serving in one place? Why must you always find a new town, a new challenge, someplace far away?

[Will Spence]

That's methodism.

[Hope Spence]

Well, there's another thing. Your health.

[Mrs. McLintock]

Dr. Roma said.

[Will Spence]

Dr. Roma doesn't know what he's talking about. Well, hope,

[Hope Spence]

what can I say? You know we'll do what you feel you must. When did you tell the bishop we'd go?

[Will Spence]

September.

[Hope Spence]

Oh, Will.

[Will Spence]

Oh, how did you know? I'd already given him an answer?

[Hope Spence]

I know you, darling. And I can recognize that new horizon look in your eyes when it comes. Heaven help me if I couldn't. Well, now that we have everything beautifully settled in the new parsonage, I'll go and start to pack.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

One thing sure, will.

[Hope Spence]

No church ever gave a minister a finer farewell reception.

[Will Spence]

Yes, her good friends, all of them. If we hadn't been all packed, I don't think I could have left after all.

[Hope Spence]

Well, why are we stopping?

[Will Spence]

Take a last look, everyone. Back across the river.

[Doc Romer]

You too, hope.

[Will Spence]

Unless you were afraid of what happened to lotsworth, I'm not.

[Hope Spence]

I'll say a last goodbye to fort Dodge, children.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

I don't want to go. Ah, sis, don't start crying. You'll wake up crazy.

[Will Spence]

There now, sis, you mustn't feel too

[Eileen (Daughter)]

badly, but all our friends.

[Hope Spence]

We'll have new ones where we're going.

[Will Spence]

After all, that's part of the problem of having a preacher for a father.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Sis, you're not a problem.

[Will Spence]

Thank you, but I am. We may have many moves like this before you children are grown up. What Paul said is true of every preacher. Eileen, I have no continuing city.

[Hope Spence]

And you'll love Omaha. While we're there, dear, we all will.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Listen, the carillon. Oh, will, your favorite hymn.

[Will Spence]

That must be doc roamer. You wouldn't think of that. Way to say goodbye. Thanks, doc. Well, we're underway.

[Mrs. McLintock]

Goodbye, foot dodge.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

Oh, here we come. Father, can I blow the horn?

[Will Spence]

Yes, Eileen, you may blow it. For it is not seemly that the chariot of the Lord come unheralded to the awaiting city. Blow it, Eileen. Blow it long and hard.

[Eileen (Daughter)]

J.

[Will Spence]

Hollywood Radio Theater is a presentation

[Don Wilson]

of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service.