A study of the recreational programs of the churches in the Wilshire district of Los Angeles

142 Pages·06.293 MB·English

by  McCrory, Muriel G

A STUDY OP THE RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS OP THE CHURCHES
IN THE WILSHIRE DISTRICT OP LOS ANGELES
A Thesis
Presented to
the F aculty of the Department of Sociology
The U niversity of Southern C alifo rn ia
In P a rtia l F u lfillm en t
of the Requirements fo r the Degree
M aster of A rts
by
M uriel G. McCrory
August 1942
UMI Number: EP65637
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This thesis, written by
A 7bt!L£& Jt!t& .........
under the direction of hAt* Faculty Committee,
and approved by all its members, has been
presented to and accepted by the Council on
Graduate Study and Research in partial fulfill­
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I IAS TER OF ARTS
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jO . * Chairman ^
TABLE OP CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I . INTRODUCTION: PROBLEM, DEFINITIONS OP TERMS
USED, AND METHOD................................................................... 1
The p r o b le m ............................................................................. 1
Statem ent of the p ro b le m ......................................... 1
Im portance of the s t u d y .......................................... 1
D efin itio n s of term s u s e d ........................................ 2
The c h u rc h ............................................................................. 2
R ecreation • • • • • • • • • • 2
L eisure .................................................................................. 3
W ilshire d is tr ic t . . . . . . 3
Method . . .................................................................................. 3
O rganization of the th e sis ......................................... 4
I I . REVIEW OP SELECTED LITERATURE ON THE CHURCH
AND RECREATION........................................................................ 5
L ite ra tu re re fle c tin g the a ttitu d e of the
c h u rc h ...................................................................................... 5
S pecial stu d ies of rec rea tio n in churches . 9
Im portance of recreatio n in the church1s
program . ........................................................................ 17
I I I . THE MATERIALS USED AND CHURCHES STUDIED . . . 23
Q uestionnaire used by the churches and
how adm inistered . 23
iv
CHAPTER PAGE
Q uestionnaire used by p a rtic ip a n ts . . . • • • 24
Personal interview w ith m in ister and
church lead ers . ......................................................... . 25
Churches s t u d ie d . . 25
IV. THE RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS............................................... 27
S ta tis tic a l Study of the Q uestionnaires • . 28
O rganizations for w o m e n .......................................... 28
O rganizations fo r m e n ..............................• • . • 28
O rganizations' fo r men andw o m e n ...................... 31
O rganizations fo r youngp eople . . . . . . 31
O rganizations fo r g ir ls ........................................... 33
O rganizations fo r b o y s ............................. 33
Mixed groups fo r boys and g i r l s ..................... 36
Programs of the churches having lim ited
re c re a tio n a l programs .......................................... 38
Programs of churches having extensive
re c re a tio n a l p r o g r a m s ............................................... 44
Women1s a c tiv itie s ......................................................... 44
Men’s a c t i v i t i e s .............................................................. 49
Mixed a c tiv itie s fo r men and women • • • • 52
. Groups for young women • • • • • • • • • • 56
Groups fo r young m e n ...................................... 57
Mixed groups for young people . . . . . . 58
Groups fo r g i r l s .............................. 63
Groups fo r b o y s .............................................................. 68
V
CHAPTER PAGE
Mixed groups fo r boys and g i r l s ............ 75
V. SOCIAL VALUES OF CHURCH RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS 83
Reasons for estab lish in g these programs . • 83
T raining and q u a lific a tio n of th e ir leaders
and s u p e r v i s o r s .................................................... 92
A ttitu d e of the p a rtic ip a n ts toward these
p ro g ram s......................................................................... 99
VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS.......................................... 106
S u m m ary ............................................................................ 106
Church-sponsored recreatio n fo r ad u lts • . 108
Church-sponsored recreatio n fo r young
p e o p le ........................................................................ 109
Church-sponsored recreatio n fo r g ir ls
and b o y s ................................................................... 110
Reasons fo r estab lish in g these programs . 112
T raining and q u a lific a tio n s of the
re c re a tio n a l l e a d e r s ................................... . . 113
A ttitu d e of the p a rtic ip a n ts toward
re c re a tio n a l programs ......................................... 113
C o n c lu s io n s .................................................. 115
To what extent have the churches of the
W ilshire D is tric t developed re c re a tio n a l
programs? ................................................................... 115
vi
CHAPTER PACE
What were the reasons fo r which the
churches have estab lish ed these
p r o g r a m s ? ........................................................................ 116
Have these church programs s a tis fa c to rily
f ille d the re c re a tio n a l needs of th e ir
c lie n ta g e ? ........................................................................ 117
What so c ial values have these re c re a ­
tio n a l p ro g ram s? ......................................................... 118
R ecom m endations.............................................................. 120
F urth er study .. ........................................................ 121
BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................ . • 122
APPENDIX............................................................................................................ 130
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
I. O rganizations fo r Women by Churches . . . . . 29
I I . Men*s Club and Mixed O rganizations by
Churches .........................................• • • • 30
I I I . O rganizations fo r Young People by Churches • 32
IV. G irls 1 Clubs by Churches ...................... 34
V. Boys1 Clubs by C h u rc h e s.......................... 35
VI. Mixed Groups fo r Boys and G irls by
Churches ............................................. 37
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION i
PROBLEM, DEFINITIONS OP TERMS USED, AND METHOD
In the la s t few decades re c re a tio n a l a c tiv itie s have
rise n to a new place of im portance and prom inence. This has
heen due not only to the steady increase in the amount of
le isu re tim e, but also to the fa c t th a t people are n o t as
fatig u ed a t the end of th e ir day* s work as form erly. There
appears to be a growing tendency among the churches to
develop and provide re c re a tio n a l a c tiv itie s fo r th e ir c lie n ta g e .
I. THE PROBLEM
Statem ent of the problem . I t was the purpose of th is
study (1) to a sc e rta in to what extent the churches of the
W ilshire D is tric t were developing re c re a tio n a l program s;
(2) to determ ine the reasons fo r which the churches have
estab lish ed these program s; (3) to discover whether or not
these church programs have s a tis fa c to rily f u lf ille d the
re c re a tio n a l needs of th e ir c lien ta g e; and (4) to in te rp re t
the so cial value of these re c re a tio n a l program s.
Im portance of the stu d y . Since the average person has
a g re a te r proportion of h is tim e a v a ila b le fo r le isu re than
2
ever before, i t was f e l t im portant to discover how th is
le isu re timew as being used. A p ro fita b le use of le isu re
time in w orth-w hile re c re a tio n a l a c tiv itie s can do a g reat
deal to enrich p e rso n ality , b u ild ch aracter, and develop
m utual understanding. These above named o b jectiv es have
unquestionably been a p art a t le a st of the church*s objec­
tiv e s . Such a study as th is was, th ere fo re , considered as
im portant to the churches and to those in te re ste d in the
progress of so c ie ty .
I I . DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED
The church. The church was considered as a so c ia l
in s titu tio n although i t is m aintained p rim arily fo r re lig io u s
w orship. As a so c ial in s titu tio n , the church includes
rec rea tio n as a p a rt of i t s fu n ctio n s.
R ecreation. nR ecreation has reference to a c tiv itie s
which re -c re a te body and mind, re su ltin g in the re sto ra tio n
of one's exhausted powers through re la x atio n from the more
serio u s p u rsu its of life.**^ I t involves p a rtic ip a tio n , e ith e r
a c tiv e or passiv e, in a c tiv itie s which are engaged in fo r
th e ir own sake. The s p ir it of play should be p resen t in a ll
re c re a tio n a l a c tiv itie s , which should give pleasure in
^ M artin H. Neumeyer, L eisure and R ecreation (New York;
A. S. Barnes and Company, Incorporated, 1&36), p. 146.