Reflections on the Chapel of the Cross

Lonnie London - as told to Charlie Browning

This article begins a series devoted to Reflections on Stewardship. Throughout the coming year, members of the parish will share their experiences and reflect on what the Chapel of the Cross means to them. We are especially blessed to begin the series with an article from one of our most esteemed and respected long-time parishioners.

Lawrence Foushee London, Sr., “Lonnie” to so many of us, has been a member of the Chapel of the Cross for 67 years. He spoke with enthusiasm as he recounted his experiences over many years, reflecting on what the Chapel of the Cross has meant to him and his family.

I was born in the neighboring town of Pittsboro in 1908, went to school there through the 10th grade, and then attended Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg for two years. I started classes at the University of North Carolina in the fall of 1927, receiving my undergraduate, master's and Ph.D. degrees. For 20 years, I was curator of the Rare Books Collection at UNC.

A very memorable occasion for me was, when as a 17-year-old lad, I sat in a pew with my father in the newly constructed church building at the Chapel of the Cross. It was May 1925, and my dad was a delegate to the Diocesan Convention that was held in Chapel Hill so the whole Convention could be a part of the consecration of the new church. I remember Bishop Joseph Blount Cheshire knocking on the front door to request entrance, an age-old symbolic act of the consecration service. It was my privilege to write a book on the life of Bishop Cheshire. It was published in 1941.

On August 29, 1936, Emily Dewey Mitchell and I were married at the Chapel of the Cross. Dewey and I had two sons, Lawrence Jr. and Alexander, and we moved shortly thereafter to our house on Hillsborough Street where I still live today. Both boys were baptized and confirmed at the Chapel of the Cross.

I guess that one can say that my experiences with our church and the Diocese were many and varied. In 1941 I headed the Every Member Canvass that had a goal of $6,000. I can look back with a chuckle now because we didn't make it. It wasn't funny then. I was on the vestry many times and served as senior warden when Peter James Lee was rector. In 1937, I was chosen historiographer for the Diocese of North Carolina and I served in that post for 50 years. During that time I was pleased to co-edit the book The Episcopal Church in North Carolina 1701-1959. Of all my experiences over the years, however, the one that still gives me the most pleasure was the bold move taken by the parish in 1952, when David Yates was rector, to give birth to a new congregation, the Church of the Holy Family.

If I were to sum it up, I would say that I'm grateful for the clergy and so many members of the congregation who have been my friends over these many years, Alfred S. Lawrence, David Yates, Tom Thrasher, Peter Lee, and Stephen Elkins-Williams have all been rectors through my life at the Chapel of the Cross.

It is indeed enjoyable to view the events that have taken place at the Chapel of the Cross during Lonnie's long lifetime, though only a few are related here. This grand southern gentleman has given countless hours to the church he loves, to the people he loves, and especially to the God he worships and loves. For Lonnie, stewardship has been a lifelong journey.

Charlie Browning