Bristah, James W.
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IN MEMORIAM
As it does to each of us,
death recently claimed the
Rev. Jam es Bristah. Previous
commitments made it impossible for me to attend his
memorial service, so I want to
· his
at least write a word~
memory.
1() 1
Not long after I s6'/ '
assigned to Central Ch urch,
Detroit, I made his acquaintance and we became steadfast friends, a friendship that
laster over 40 year s. When an
opening on tl1e staff of Central Church occurred, I asked
him for a recommendation of
a person to fill it. His suggestion was the Rev. Charles Sutton, which I followed up, and
Charles became a beloved
member of Central's staff an d
a dear friend of mine.
Jim was the executive secretary of the D etroit Conference
Board of Social Concerns, of
which I was chairman for a
n umber of years. H e arranged
once for Dr. Martin L uther
King Jr. to speak at a meeting
of the board. It was a memo. rable moment for all of us.
Bertrand Russell once
wrote an essay on "The
Human Good Men Do." One
of Russell's characteristics of
the "good" man was that he
always supports the governm ent. Jim Bristah refused to
support the government when
it ordered him to kill other
m en . He was a conscientious
objector. So was I; I shared his
conviction but lacked his
courage. Whetl1er you agree
wit11 him or not, you have to
respect a man who would go
to prison rather than repudiate h is beliefs.
Oh, he had his failings. So
do we all. "Let him tl1at is
without sin cast the first
stone." A monument to Jim's
m emory is "Swords Into
Plowshares," t11e p eace center
be founded and fat11ered.
"Blessed are the peacemakers." And blest have been
those who knew and loved Jim
Bristah .
-The Rev.James H. Laird
Boyne Falls, Mich.
(Ed. note: R ead a complete
obituary on page 16.)
THE REV. DR. JAMES
W. BRISTAH died July 6 at
Bon Secours Cottage Hospital
following a stroke. Born Sept.
17, 1918, in Me dicine Hat,
Alberta, Canada, his family
moved to Detroit when he was
nine months old. He was a lifelong resident of m etropolitan
Detroit. He earned a B.A. from
Albion College and was a graduate of C olgate-Rochester
Divinity School, Rochester,
N .Y., where he m et Emily
Josif. They _were .m arried in
194 7. Dr. Bristah was an
ardent advocate for pe~ce and
social justice all his life. H e
served churches at Warren and
D etroit: St. Luke's. In 1955 h e
became the first executive secretary of the Board of Christian Social Con cerns of the
D etroit Conference. H e was
appointed Detroit East D istrict
Superintenden t in 197 1. In
1977 he became executive secretary of the United Methodist
U nion and church extension
con sultant for the Detroit
Conference. H e retired in
1982. In retirement he became
actively involved as fo under
and director of the Swords Into
Plowshares Peace Center and
Gallery in Detroit. He is survived by his wife, Emily Go)
and their four grown daughters
and spouses: Christine Bristah
and Jeff Patrick of Anchorage,
Alaska; Cheryl Bristah and
Bob Robison of Portland,
Ore.; Gayle Bristah and Ken
Faba of Grand H aven, Mich.;
and Pamela Bristah and David
Wright of Wellesley, Mass. H e
is also slirvived by two sisters,
Mrs. Harland F erra/o and
Mrs. Lois Tanner. 9'/ 6(()I
UMs celebrate the life
'lj&jvl ·
of peace activist J!!n Bristah KATHY GOOLIAN
MCA staff reporter
Jim Bristah was a lifelong
advocate for peace and justice.
"You use the word 'peace' with
justice, because without justice, there is no peace," said the
Rev. Edwin Rowe, pastor of
Detroit:
Central
United
Methodist Church, where a
celebration of life was held for
the Rev. D r. James W. Bristah
on July 14.
T he Rev. F ran k Leineke
said, " He was a tremendous
prophet of peace ... H e h elped
us see things we really didn' t
want to see. We want to turn
our heads at the cries of the
poor and· the call for commitment to world peace and racial
Dr. James a nd Jo Bristah, founders of Swords Into Plowjustice."
shares Peace Center and Gallery, pose with a copy of
Michigan Area Bishop Eugene McCarthy's collected poems when the former presLinda Lee said, "Swords Into idential c a ndidate spoke there.-mca file phow!Kathy Goolia11
Plowshares (Peace Center and
Gallery) was synonymous with wrote: " For 16 years (as first
tions that were a part of his
Jim. It is where he focused
executive director of the
faith underst~nding. He ~erved
much of his energy, time and Detroit Conference Board of two years in the Federal Prison
care. He leaves a legacy for
Christian Social Concerns) he
at Milan as a conscientious
each of us as Christian United gave creative and courageous
objector in World War II."
Methodists:
· leadership to all of us.
Bristah was deeply involved
"Integrity: he spoke the
"We were sensitized and
in the Civil Rights movem ent
truth and his focus was clear.
informed about the Christian
in Detroit and the anti-war
His passion never wavered. All
responsibilities in the causes of m ovement during Vietnam. He
were connected by his faith
peace, racial equality, economserved in m any leadership
and faithfulness to Jesu s ic justice, political integrity,
positions within the M ethodist
Christ. Jim Bristah was a masenvironmental preservation,
Church and on ecumenical
ter of connection."
councils.
conflict resolution, alternative
Retired
Bishop
Jesse ~olutions to international conSwords Into Plowshares,
DeWitt said, "Jim is my broth- frontations other than war, the which Bristah founded in
er in faith. We were called to be
need to help people addicted
1985, is one of the few art galbrothers through Jesus Christ.
to drugs and alcohol and the leries in the world devoted to
We walked the streets of struggle for equal rights for
relating art to peace and nonviDetroit together. Jim suffered
olence.
women.
for Christ and for us. No sacri"Jim lived a life that exemAt the time of his death he
fice was too great."
plified these human values and was organizin g a D etroitIn a written tribute to Bris- was willing to pay the price for
Windsor chapter of the Fellowtah which each congregant unpopular causes and posit
ship of Reconciliation.
received, Bishop DeWitt
C?hrcJncJhgical cYeis!tJtp ifthe 62!fo ifcJcrmes CW. O@ristah
September 17, 1918 - July 6, 2001
September 17, 1918
Born in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
1919
Moved to Detroit, Michigan with hi s family
1936
Graduated from Redford High School
1940
Received B.A. from Albion College
Served time in Federal Prison in Milan as a
conscientious objector in World War II; he was
paroled to Edwin McNeill Poteat who was
president of Colgate-Rochester Divinity School
at that time.
1947- 1957
Married Emily Josif Fathered four daughters:
Christine, Cheryl, Gayle, Pamela, and one son,
Nels, who died at age 2
1948
Graduate of Colgate-Rochester Divinity School
Rochester, New York
1948
Served as pastor at First UMC in Warren
1953
Served as pastor at St. Luke's UMC in Detroit
1955
Appointed the first Executive Director of the Conference
Board of Christian Social Concerns
1968
Received Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from
Albion College, "for making practical the Christian
faith in terms of the social concerns ofthe world."
1971
Appointed District Superintendent for the Detroit
East District
1977
Appointed Executive Secretary of the United
Methodist Union ofDetroit and Church Extension
Consultant
1982
Retired from active ministry
1985
Founded Swords Into Plowshares Peace Center
and Gallery at Central United Methodist Church J ,:;> e-ri'C.D ,,--
2001
Made his transition from this life
Rev. Frank R. Leineke
The Meditation
Farnily and Frieods
Words of Celebration
The Road Not Taken
Mary Eldridge, Reader
Poem
Concluding Hymn
0 Brother Man, Fold to Thy Heart
Welwyn, composed
by Alfred Scott-Gatty
Poem by John Greenleaf Whittier, Quaker
Benediction
Organ Postlude
Robert Frost
Rev. Frank R. Leioeke
Rev. Edwin A. Rowe
Improvisation
Dr. Edward Maki-Schramm
Minister of Music
E. Maki-Schramm
Interment ofAshes
The clergy and family ofJames W Bristah will proceed to the Memorial Garden
immediately following the postlude for a brief service for the interment of ashes.
All other guests are invited to enjoy refreshments on the secondfloor immediately
following the postlude.
In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to the Swords Into Plowshares Peace
Center, 33 East Adams, Detroit, MJ 48226 or to the Fellowship ofReconciliation, Box
271, Nyack, New York 10960.
For a family mem01y book, we'd love to
have your memories and stories about
Jim. Please send them to:
Cheryl Bristah
3333 Northeast .JO'~o Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97212
cheJylb@hevanet. com
FAMILY PARTICIPATION SHEET
James
Full legal name of one being remembered:
Date ofBirth:
9/17/18
Spouseof:
Emily Ann Josi f ( 'Jo')
~Ierner
Bristah
7/6/2001
Married: 54 years years .
Date of Death:
--~~==~--------------
This is on
the second sheet at t ached. Below is answer to who will be there
I will certainly be there for the·service, and am quite sure ·
from
one daughter, who lives in ~1ichigan, will too. That's Gayle
family .
Mar1e Bristah (all four kept their last name) and she teaches
Information for the short Statement to be read during the service: Words of celebration
spec i a l e d i n r~ us keg on h i gh s c hool .
coast to coast:
The ot he r.5 a r e , 1 i t e r a 11 y ,
Massachusetts, Oregon and Alaska.
If member of a clergy family, please list known appointments in Detroit Conference;
OR if lay person, please list church membership and conference/district areas of service & years.
Name of person/s designated to come forward during the service (and relationship to deceased)
____,_E..u.m.L. Oi. .l~y'-. '_,.Ju.o._'---LBL.J.r_.i. . s.._.t
. ......a.....h..____________ Please reserve 2orl seats for family &
friends.
If you or members ofyour family are unable to attend this service, we hope you will contact a
friend who may participate in the service on the family's behalf. Who will this person be:
Name:
------------------------------ Telephone: --------------------Address:
----------------------------------------------------------Who should I contact if additional information is needed: Relationship :
Name:
Address:
Gayle Br i stab
502 Lafayette
Telephone:
Grand Haven
~11
daughter
616/842-2698
£~9417
Please feel free to write additional comments on the back ofthis form .
Please return this information sheet to me as soon as possible. A stamped return envelop is
enclosed for your convenience. If you have questions please call me.
AJice Sheffield, Memorial Service Coordinator
1413 0 Wagon Wheel Court, Chelsea, MI 48118
Telephone: (734) 475-9348
E-Mail: ajsheffield@worldnet .att.net
Words of Celebration for the service: Obviously, these
are personal - perhaps whoever is doing that part of the
service would like to write their own.
Jim's personal concern about and involvement in the
social issues that challenge us all were life-long. This
steered his life.
Not only his, but mine and those of
our four daughters. So it continues, even after his death.
That is a lot to be grateful for, and to make its
importance even more personal: It prompted me to say,
many times through our lives, ni'm so grateful you are
the father of my children.n
James W. Bristah
9/17/18 - 7/6/2001
I will certainly be there for the service, and am pretty
sure one daughter will be. She lives the closest, in
Grand Haveni MI. Her name is Gayle Bristah (all fou r
kept their ast name!) and she teaches in high school
The others are coast-to(special ed) in Muskegon.
coast, literally : Massachusetts, Oregon, Alaska.
My statement:
Jim's personal concern about social issues that confront
us all were life-long. Not only his life, but mine and
the lives of our daughters,so it continues, even after
his death. That's a lot to be grateful for, and to
make its importance even more personal, it prompted me
to say, many times throughout our lives, "I'm so glad
you are the father of our children."
-~
Detroit" Annual Conference
The United Methodist Chu.rch
Information for Memoirs
Name ______J~a~m~e~s~~~W~e~T~n~e~r____________~~~~--------~B~r~i~s~t~a~h_________
(first)
·(middle)
(maiden) ·
(last)
Birth date _ _9_1_1_7_/_1_8____ Birth place ___r1-=e_d_i_c_i_ne_H_o_t_..:.,_A_l_b_e_rt_a_,'---C_a_n_a_d_a_ __
Fi'rst and last nameS of parents
Date of admission
. Chester .J. Br j· stalL..~ - Th!Jsne 1do We roe r
l94R
to the
-------------
Detroit Annual Conference
Conference
~------------------------------
Worren .lst '4R-53; St~ Lu ke ' s . Detroit, '53 -55; Appointed
lst txec. Dir. of Conf. Board of Christian Concern ~ '55- 71 ~ East Detroit
Di st . Superindent '71-77; Exec. Sec~ of Un ite d Meth . Union of Detroit
~ Ctm rcl'l Ext ens 1 on Con s u I tant ' 77 to ret 1 cement I 982
Date of death 7 / n/ 01 . Place of death
Detroit**
Age at death 82
Congreg_ationsserved
.
.
Please enclose a copy of an obitu~ry and a pictUre . Th_e picture will _be returned.
.
.
.If you wish
to (l.d9 information that is not printed. in the obituary-, please do so below.
.
. .
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.
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,
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. .. .
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Christian Advocate
In the 70's and
O's
.
tf (qf..s-)
Honorary Doctorate of Divi n j ty from Al hi on Call ege 1,;"@fi£)
fot'makinq practicar the Christian faith in terms of the socia l
concerns of the world'
_Ho!lors/awards
Survivors/relationship
2 sisters:
Harland Fer raro, Florida ... Lois
------------~r~a~n~.n~e~r~,~w~e~s~t~.l~a~n~a-,-r~
·1 ~r---------------------
Emily 'Jo' Bristah
1510 Chateaufor~t~~-~~D~e-t~r~o~i~t~
Mu1_4_8
_2~0~7-----------Phone · (3~) 393!, . 1437
This information...,;,as provided.by
Addre~
**
Bon Secou r ~ , Hospital, .Grosse Pointe
.·
James Werner Bristah
9/17/18- 7/6/01
Rev. Bristah founded the Swords Into Plowshares Peace Center and Gallery at Central United
Methodist Church in Detroit in 1985 . Jim' s personal concern about social issues that confront us
all were life-long. Not only his life, but mine and the lives of our daughters, so it continues, even
after his death. That's a lot to be grateful for, and to make its importance even more personal, it
prompted me to say, many times throughout our lives, "I'm so glad you are the father of our
children."
Memorial Service Committee
I am enclosing a copy of the poem Edwin McNeill Poteat
wrote about the trial of Jim and other conscientious
objectors, in Cleveland, Ohio (1944). Poteat later
agreed to be Jim~~~~i7er when Jim was released from the ede 1 pr·
in Milan, Mi., after
being there for 2 years.* oteat was then President
of Colgate-Rochester Divinity School(Baptist).
this is my P.S. (you don't need to use it): CRDS
was a Baptist seminary and, being of Baptist parents,
I became a Methodist after marrying Jim 'because
Methodists needed all the help they could get'
I was attending CRDS but instead of finishing &
graduating, I got my "Mrs." degree -- and never
regretted it.
~*Jim
often said that was the best education he had
'-( (z
\~ 1 P»- ~t
C. 0 Ttta[
ftere is -rheyfnce alfack-rPbedjulje ;rfJtects
7fte fauls austere/ tnjfezt~ft inttnt,
'f?uft'n_g a5 immaterial ittCOillflttJtt;
~
The uJprJ1_CfJJtsdence_ ~J~Izich tfie ftJJI! sus;ecr5.
Here ffznled Ju5tlce Jfttk her scales wt!!stek
TP lia!ance rfuth; but Justice ne11er s/lw
7ht stern, exact lntfUitlestfttiY
'&dressed by JUerq andt e Other Cheek.
ffere stands tfu Utlztmt smifznj{y to Walt
'f/Jr .tHan t/J ¥tak tfie t'mJJtPfattnf Jlbrc{---So con tltn0 so hont5t; so absurd,
:1ft sto?s to tas.te Ius itter 'Rub/con .
.>tnl hears aYPtce say: .JtJ 13eMrerf5on.
~'fdwtn .M*i[[ f'otea:t
to Atr5. 13rtstali0 1.. JJ~"/Jt
Poteat wrote this poem ahout the trial of Jim and 5
other CO's who were sent to federal prison in ~1ilan , MI.
TUESDAY,
JULY
10,
2001
James Bristah: Man of conviction sought peace
BY JEANNE MAY
fRf.F. PRESS STA ff WRITF.R
The Rev. James W. Bristah
was an activist for peace and social justice all of his adult life starting when he was drafted in
Detroit into World War II.
A pacifist, he was a conscientious objector and was sent to
federal
prison
for two years
for refusing to
serve.
"Prison was
the best education I ever had,"
he told his famWhile
ily.
locked up, he
protested the
treatment of African-American
Rev. James
prisoners, and
Bristah
after the war, he
headed south to the mill towns,
where he helped textile workers
organize unions.
A Methodist minister, Mr. Bris. tah was executive secretary of the
Board of Chr-istian Social Concerns for the Detr·oit Conference
of the United Methodist Church.
He founded the Swords Into Plowshares Peace Center and Gallery
in Detroit, one of the few art galleries in the world to relate art to
peace.
He died Friday at Bon Secours
Hospital in Grosse Pointe after a
4 >-\
stroke. He was 82 and had lived in
Detroit since he was an infant.
He graduated from Redford
High School and received a bachelor's degree at Albion College and
a divinity degree at Colgate-Rochester Divinity School in Rochester, N.Y., where he met Emily Josif. They were married in 1947.
After returning to Detroit, he
became a minister at the First
United Methodist Church in Warren. He served there from 1948 to
1953, then at St. Luke's United
Methodist Church in Detroit from
1953 to~ , 1 :r'l"'·
After that, he worked for the
Detroit United Methodist conference, and retired in 1982.
But he never really stopped
working.
"Just befol'e he was hospitalized, he and Mom and a group of
people were organizing a local
chapter of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, which is a national
peace group, so he was working to
the very end," his daughter Christine Bristah said Monday. "He
loved humankind, appreciated
beauty, yet understood darkness
and challenged all to tit into the
world by ch a nging the space
around us."
His other three daughters also
had loving m~mories of their father:
• Cheryl Bnstah: "My dad loved
plants and wildlife. Our home had
I'OW after row of beautiful African
violets he nurtured. One of his
favol"ite pastimes was to feed the
birds in his backyard and then
watch them enjoy their meal."
• Gayle Bristah: "My father was
very serious about the purpose of
a person's life - that it should be
used to make the world a better
place. . .. He also had a wonderful sense of humor. . . . The lighthearted humor and the sense of
purpose balanced each other."
• Pamela Bristah: "My father
loved music. A piece he especially
loved was Schubert's Ninth Symphony. He told me once that he
heard it while driving our family. . . . It was night, and everyone
else in the car was asleep. The
dark trees rushing past, the road
disappearing under the tires of
the car and the flow and surge of
the last section of the symphony
all combined for him to feel as
though he were flying."
Besides his wife and daughters,
survivors include two sisters.
Friends may call from 5:30 to
7:30 p.m. Friday at the Swords
Into Plowshares Center, 33 E. Adams. A memorial service will be at
11 a.m. Saturday at Central United
Methodist Church, 23 E. Adams,
Detroit.
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True believer devotes
life to peace 'and. juStice
.
DETROIT
Jim Bristah the way who was waiting to be
believes in · peace; 'hlWays has, · executed. "It was really an incredalways \\:'ill. Naturally, everyone ible experience. You learn a lot
else· says they do, too. Yasser . about' sociology and psychology in
'Arafat, . Ariel Sharon, even those prison," he chuckled.
who start wars pay .lip service to
For awhile, he was sent to solitheir devotion to peace. But, to put tary confinement in the "hole" .for
it mildly, · he· walks th~ walk.
. protesting unfair treatment for his
He's marched with · Martiri fellow prisoners.
·
Luther King, Jr., been arrested,
He survi~ed. Eve~tually, he went'
been jailed, done time in .a fed~ral on to become one of the first white
pen, all of- it,
· · ' ~
·
b e·c au s e he
prisoners to voluniariiy share 'his
thinks war js \
cell withl a black convict. When he .
-"just p 1 a in
got' out, he was determined to
wrong.
·
spend his life working for ju_stice--:
. And when he'
"racial justice, economic justice,
war and_,peace.'?
h d d0
t~ing ~~s~~e}i;
Which is ' what he did. He intestarted an art
grated his church .staff b~fore that
gallery. La.st
was fashionable. He worked forthe
week, · 82 years
poo'r and downtrodden, · married
,Jo, the daughter of Baptist ·misyoung, he was .
on hand for the
siom~ries who was born in Burma,
premiere of a
and ~aised four daughters. ' ·
new exhibit at
· He remembers sittmg on a stage
the museum he
with Martin Luther King, Jr., when
· founded, his. Sw_or<is Into Plow- he came to rehearse his "I Have A
shar~s Peace Center and Gallery, ·Dream" speech in D'etroit, a few· .
k b r
h
't · 1n · h
at 33 East Adan:i!-: at Woodward
near the heart ~ff(Iowntown. The wee s elore e gave 1. m nas . ·exhibit, "Visions of Peace: Chi!- ington. That's when he was still
dren's Peace Art," is impressive; eJ!:plaining to som~. .w.ho Dr. King
hundreds of images .created by was.
·
.
children in · schools across Mich, Later, when Dr: ·K ing was
igan and Ontario.
.
assassinated, he became 'chairman . ,.
. But ·.swords Into Plowshares is of an interfaith committee charged
even more special. Supported in with preventing further violence ..
part by Detroit's _majestic!lllY . Day~ later, Pamela, the youngest
Gothic, 150-year -old Central .. ~f h1s four daught~rs, &ot arreste?
United Methodist Church · it is one m Royal Oak for Violating a prohlof a handful of galleries dedicated bition against sta&ing a ·peaceful .
to supporting anti~war . artists of protest. As a mmor, . she ' was
conscience. It has hosted natioQ- released to her father's custody,
ally acclaimed exhibits celebrating which he fo~nd amusing, since he
peac.e and chronicling man's inhu- . was' under .arre's t for 'the same
thing.
manity to mari. ·
Fifteen years ago, t~e Rev.
"I don't know ·what I. ever did to
James ··'W: ~rista)l was retir~g - get such wonderM daughters/' he
af~e~ a lifetime as . a. Methoc!ist
said, shaking his head. His eldest
mm1ster, t~e. v~st m~Jonty ?f wh1ch daughter, · Christine, was in elehe ~pent m a SI?ec1_al ass1gnm~nt- mentary school r-ot long a~r the
d~d1cated to soc1al 1ssues.. Durmg
height of the J:\icCarthy I:ed scare,
~1s last .s.ummer, he was mvolved . when a teacher announced that
m a pro~ect where people created Memorial Day was coming,' and it
pea~e hbbons to m?rk ~he 40th was an occasion ' to honor our
anmvers?ry of ~he Hirosh1ma and .. nation's soldiers. Christine raised
Nagasaki bombmgs.
.
h'e r himd.
'
Her ·daddy h~d gone to .jail to
That ~oncept ev?lved mto . the
gallery. . I thought 1t wa_s an 1d~a avoid killing people she told the
.
' .
. ·
whose time had come," Mr. Bnlltab said. Ironically, he's proud that teach~r, and she tho':'.ght that 11t
for most of his life he hasn't been was tune to honor her father, .too.
·'IWo months ago, . m,ost of his .
. in step with the tirites. Back in his
youth he was in the seminary friends wondered . if he'd even
·when World War II came.
make the gallery's ·next show. A
For him all war was immoral
sudderi stroke fe~ed him in De- . '
but as a ~eminarian, he qualified cember, impairing his. b;ilance and
for an automatic defernienL Yet speech. But if they thought that
special treatment didn't seem fair would. perman€i!ntly slow him
to him. He'gave up his deferment; down, they were -wrong. Just
decJared himself' a conscientious before the show opened, I got the
objector, and was sent to a c~mp ih courage to ask something I had
Ohio to do alternative·service. This long wondered about. Vietnam, my
wasn't- an easy step to take. While generation's war, was one thing.
avoiding the military was th17 thing But the pure devil of Adolf Hitler
to do in many circles during Viet- and the Nazis was something else.
nam, it was highly unpopular, to
Had h~ ever had second
say the le~st! after Pearl f.Iarb?r· thoughts about opposing that war?
Yet even ns~g severe so~1al d1~- Jim Bristah looked at me. He is,
~pprova~ wasn ~ en~mgh. Wlth. mll- after all a believing Christian "I
hons dymg worldWide, Mr. Bnstah
. '
.
. ·
·.
thought he ought to endure the can m ~ 0 way Imagme Jesus usmg
consequences of .his convictions. a mac~me gul_l, m~ch less an at~m .
He deliberately ran away to De- bomb, he sa1d. I m. not sure I ve
troit, mak,ing no effort to avoid met anyone more smcere.
capture.
}acf> Le~~enberry, a m ember of
Th~y sent him to federal prison
flw journalism faculty at Wayne
in Milan for almost two years, .,,
l nin•nitr i11 Ht•troit all(l The
where, by standing on his toilet, he llt.ul• •mfmdsmtw ~t·rirt•s m issues
ould see another prisoner across
111tl I" "I'''' ;, Ui.-llif.:ml
7v/4~
g}Ak.
Lf/, I ~6' I
MCA WHO'S WHO 9'/17//9t~o
Jim Bristah, MCA correspondent, joined the Westlawn
Methodist Church in Detroit at age seven. His uncle was
pastor there.
"I thought I wanted to be a doctor," Jim said, " but
began to have my doubts." After his freshman year at Albion College, he decided to become a minister, out of a
service motive.
"I saw three of the world's great problems: war and
peace, racial injustice, and hunger and poverty. As Chris.......,"-'....:=.._. tians we needed (and need) to be making our influence
felt. "
After a year at Chicago Theological Seminary, he waived his student exemption and became a conscientious objector, serving in C.O. camps and two
years in prison. When the war ended, he was paroled to sem inary at Colgate
Rochester Divinity School, Rochester, New York. There he met his wife , Jo,
who was considering a religious education program. They were married in
1947. Jim and Jo's four daughters are " scattered to the four winds": Christine in Anchorage, Alaska; Cheryl in Portland, Ore.; Gayle in Grand Haven ,
Mich.; and Pamela in New York City.
" I thought it was healthy to go to other denominations' schools," Jim said.
His chief concern for the church now is that it take the world seriously, instead of looking internally at its own structure.
After serving the Warren church and inner-city St. Luke's on the border of
Hamtramck, Jim served as executive secretary of church and social issues
on the Detroit Conference staff from 1955-71. He then became Detroit East
District Superintendent. In his last five years he was executive secretary of
the UM Union and worked for the conference in new chu rch development.
In his "retirement" Jim is director of Swords Into Plowshares Peace Gallery, raises African violets and collects stamps, while Jo continues to do voice
recitals.
Dr. James W. Bristah
to be speaker at 9j~P
UMU annual banquet 7
Jim Bristah , founder and coord inator of
the Sworas Into Plow Shares Peace
Center, will be the keynote speaker at the
annual meeting and banquet of the United
Methodist Union which will be held on October 15 at Birmingham First UMC. His
theme will be: "Peace, A Christian Verb. "
Dr. Bristah has served in many different
capacities in the United Methodist Church.
He was pastor of Warren First UMC from
1948-53, pastor of Detroit St. Luke's from
1953-55, and served on the Board of
Christian Social Concerns from 1955-71.
In 1976 he became the executive director of the United Methodist Union and
served until his retirement in 1982.
In addition to his involvement with the
Peace Center, Jim is chairperson of the
sub-committee on peace affairs, historical
observance committee, Michigan Sesquicentennial and is director of the Detroit
Methodist Conference Credit Union .
He has several published articles to his
creclit, and a book about Henry Hitt Crane
which was published in 1986.
0
Our
Church~s ·
IN MICHIGAN UNITED METHODISM IN MICHIGAN UNITED METHODI
5/)-f;j~£
Soprano Jo Bristah Performs the Classics
By Laura Deming, MCA Contributing Editor
Soprano Jo Bristah sang a recital April
28, at Central UMC in Detroit. She designed the program herself of Haydn,
Schubert, Schumann, Vaughan Williams,
Head, Beach , Barber, and Rorem songs
and was accompanied by Thomas M.
Kuras, who is organist at St. Joseph
Catholic Church in Detroit and who is Jo's
voice teacher and vocal coach.
, Jo began voice lessons after her
children were almost grown. " It amazes
me and pleases me that I can do this ,"
said Jo. " It is both recreation and a
challenge and it's kind of neat to discover
you cari do some of these things later in
life. '' With the help of her coach and a dictionary, she translates songs but then
learns to sing them in their original
language.
Jo is familiar to many in the Detroit Conference, for over the past ten years some
of her solo engagements have included
recitals at the Detroit Annual Conference's
Minister's Spouse's Luncheon , and
several other places. Jo played the part
of the witch in " Hansel and Gretel" and
the queen in "Once upon a Mattress ," productions at Central UMC. She has
sung solos with Schola Cantorum , a community chorus that performed at Music
Hall , Rackham Symphony Choir performing Handel's "Messiah," and Dearborn's
German Master's Chorus in Bach's B
Minor Mass. For three seasons Jo sang
with the Michigan Opera Theatre Chorus.
In addition to performing the classic, Jo
has sung popular and classic music for
Cabrini High School in Allen Park, where
Marilyn DeGraw, last year's Annual Conference music director, taught. Jo has also
entertained the Detroit Conference Credit
Union 's members at their annual dinner.
Presently, she is a member of Rackham
Symphony Choir and Central UMC 's
choir.
Jo and her husband , Jim, a retired
United Methodist pastor who rem ains active in the Detroit Conference Credit
Union , make their home in downtown
Detroit and are active lay people in Central UMC's ministry.
0
REV . J AMES . \.J . BRISTAH
REV. JAMES W . BRISTAH of Detroit, a Hl40 a lumnus of Albion Co ll eg-e
and exec utiv e secr eta r y of the Detroit
Conference Boa rd of Chri stia n Social
Cctncerns . will be awa r ded the doctor of
Receive
Dr. J ames Bristah
Superintendent, Detroit
East District
Mr . Bris tah
di vinity d e~re c by hi s a lma mater a t t he
com mencement ex!!ycises, J une 2, in Albion. 5 - .:2. 3 - 6 !{
Dr . .Jam<'s W. Bris tah (left), director of
t he Board of Christian Social Concerns
of the Detroit Conf<'rcnce of t he United
Met hodis t Church, and His hop Dwi ght E .
Loder of the l\lic higan A rea of the United Methodist Church, were reci11ient s of
honorary deg ree.s f rom A lbion Colleg"e
during com menr<'ment cere monies .June
2. Dr. Rri sta h receh·cd a doctor of di\'in ity rl egree, as did Bis hop Loder. Dr.
Bristah is a J9.l0 gradua te of Albion Colleg-e aml Bis ho11 Loder is a trus t ee of the
College. Albion Coll ege's president, Dr.
Lou is W. Norr is, ci ted Dr·. Bristah as a
"meanin g fu l a d,·ocate of t he world-wide
dim ens ions of t he Chris tian commun ity
. . ." Dr. Norris sa id in his citation on
Bis hop Loder that he is a " wise leader
of a generation seek in g to fi nd meaninl!'fu l s pirit ua l and mora l land marks .. ."
Dr. James Bristah will be appointed
superintendent of the Detroit East District
su cceeding Dr. Merle D. Broyles who
completes the regular six-year term. In
1955 Dr. Bristah was appointed Director
of the Detroit Conference Board of Chris tian Social Concerns and also recently
has been functioning as the conf-erence's
Program Director on a part-time basis.
Dr. Bristah joined the Detroit Conference
in 1940 and served pastorates a t Warren
and Detroit St. Luke's before becoming
Director of the Social Concerns Board.
His office is located at Area Headquarters
which has given him wide experience in
the organizationa l and administrativ-e affa ir s of the chu rch.
J-
r.
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h
REV. J Al\lES W. BRISTAH of Detroit, a 19-10 a lumn us of Albion College
and executi\·e sec reta ry of the Detroit
Confer e nce Board of Chris ti an Socia l
Concern!', will be awarded the doctor of
•- r
Mr. nris tah
divinity degr ee by his a lm a ma ter at the
c<;>mmencement exercises, Jun e 2, in A lb tOn.
DRISTAH, JAM£5-(T. , Oet.• 1 !)4~ ; F~
1950).
1948 Warren; 1953 Detroit: St.
Luke' s ; ! 955 Dir. Conference Do~rd of
Chr istian Socia l Concerns. Home: 134
Rhode Island. ll ighland Parle 3. Pb. TO
i -3723. Office : SOO Fra:1cis Palms Bldg.,
!:;droit. P b. WO 1- 83~0.
·"' ·
...
...
Special guests at the Bristah retirement celebration were· Bishop J
d A
DeWitt, Jim and Jo Bristah, Bishop Edsel and June Amme:~~. aQ
/;j:,ip1_
Jim Bristah Honored for
42-year Ministry b_y 309
ByEdDuncan
{d;#/E~
LIVONIA (MCA)-Dr. James W. Bristah was honored by 300
well-wishers at a special reception and banquet arranged by the
United Methodist Union of Detroit held at livonia's Roma Hall on
September 30, 1982.
Among the guests were Bishop and Mrs.
Edsel Ammons and Bishop and Mrs. Jesse
DeWitt. Rev. and Mrs. Robert Smith and
Mr. and Mrs. Bernie Shashaguay represented
the West Michigan Conference, while other
guests from the Detroit Conference and the
Metropolitan Detroit area made the scene
reminiscent of a combination adjourned
annual conference and council of churches
meeting. Jim 's immediate family, including
sisters, wife Jo, a nd four daughters from
New York City, Grand Haven, Portland,
Ore., and Anchorage, Alaska, brightened the
occasion.
When Bristah was finally allowed to
~ peak, after all the special presentations,
speeches, and resolutions, he stated that the
three most difficult things to do are: "Climb
a barbed wire fence, kiss a girl leaning away
from you, and say something meaningful at
your retirement." He then proved himself
wrong and moved the group by illustrating
tion o f Central UMC presented by pastor
David Kidd; a year's subscription to the Wall
Street Journal ("so Jim can come out of the
closet and not read it surreptitiously behind
the Michigan Christian Advocate") by the
United Methodist Union; and a check for
$1,555 from the Bristahs' friends presented
by Grovenor Grimes.
A general question of what Jim Bristah
will do now that he is retiring was raised by
several people. Genera lly, the response was
th at he really was not going to be allowed to
fully retire. As one speaker said : "Methuselah didn't retire, Noah didn ' t retire, Moses
didn' t retire, the prophets didn't retire, the
Apostles didn't retire, John Wesley didn't
retire, a nd Jo Bristah isn' t retiring!"
The programs given to those attending
included the follo wing biography:
·
James Werner Bristah was born in
Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, but has
been a life-long resident of Metropolitan
Jim Bristah's family came from far and wide for his retirement celebration. Ken and Gaylt
Faba [Grand Haven], Cheryl [Portland, Ore.], Pamela [New York City], Jim and Jo Bristah
Christine Bristah and Kevin House [Anchorage, Alaska].
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Christine Bristah and Kevin House [Anchorage, Alaska].
the moment with verbatim quotations from
three short poems by Robert Frost that are
.among his .favcfriles. '""H"e -equated- the past
with The Road Not Taken; the present with
Once By the Pacific; and the future with
Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening.
The evening was a combination of celebration and remembering; of honoring and
humor. Bishop Jesse DeWitt, a close
personal friend and also a representative of
the general church, struck a n :sponsive chord
with the words: "I know none who can stand
more firmly, and feel more sensitively, than
Jim Bristah. " A number of speakers
commented that the composition of the
group gathered was an eloquent testimonial,
with different ages, races, theological
persuasions, faiths, and classes represented.
Special speakers included: Rev . Dan
Krichbaum representing the mayor and
community; William DaLee, president of the
United Methodist Union; Mel Ravitz from
the Detroit City Council; Bishop Jesse
DeWitt representing the general church; Mrs.
Nelda James representing laity; and Bishop
Edsel Ammons representing the Michigan
Area. Rev. Robert Ward fr.om First UMC,
Birmingham was toastmaster, and the
chancel choir from Detroit Central UMC,
where Jim and Jo attend, sang selections
from The Sound of Music.
A variety of special presentations were
given to Bristah. A special resolution from
the mayor and Detroit City Council caused
Dan Krichbaum to comment that there was
at least one thing Mayor Coleman Young
and Mel Ravitz could agree on. Other
presentations included: a resolution from the
Equal Justice Council from Phil1ip Mayberry; a large sombrero from Eduardo
Cartes and the congregation of El Buen
Pastor; a framed State Senate Resolution
#579 by Charles Arnold; a framed poem,
"The Road Not Taken," from the congrega-
Detroit.
H e was graduated from Redford Higt
School in 1936, from Albion College in 19'"
(magna cum laude with a philosoph)
major and a biology minor) and was receivec
on trial into the Detroit Annual Conferenc«
that same year. Chicago Theological Semi·
nary, Colgate-Rochester Divinity School anc
Wayne State University were the settings fOJ
further studies, earning for him a B.D. anc
MA. Jim received a Honorary D .O. Degre(
from Albion College in 1968 for making th(
Chris tian faith practical in terms of social
concerns in the world.
It was while at Colgate-Rochester that he
met his wife, Emily Josif (Jo), daughter of
Baptist Missionary parents. (She was born in
Rangoon, Burma.) They have
four
daughters, Christine, Cheryl, Gayle, and
Pamela, who now Jive in Alaska,. Oregon,
New York and Michigan.
Jim was intentional about serving the
larger church but he did serve First church,
W arren (I 948-53), and St. Luke's, Detroit
(1953 -55). In 1955, he became executive
secretary of the Board of Christian Social
Concerns for the Detroit Annual Conference
and held this position until 1971 when he was
appo inted Detroit East District superintendent. In 1977, Jim took o ver the duties of
executive secretary of the United Methodist
Union of Greater Detroit and the Detroit
Conference Staff Church Extension Consultant. In these roles, he has administered five
loan funds.
Additional activities include work with
the Credit Union, and a long list of community activities dealing with the meeting of
human needs. Peacemaking has always been
a top priority, no matter what his job for pay.
A fitting climax and closing for the
evening was the benediction, when all present
rose and sang the hymn: "This Is My Song."
\ variety of special presentations was made at the Brist.a h celebration. Here Jim tries on a
sombrero from the E l Buen Pastor con2re2ation.