5/23/65

Scripture: Read Psalm 107: 1-32.

Text (King James version) Psalm 107: 32; “Let them exalt him [the Lord] also in the congregation of the people.”

This is a significant day in the history of our church. You recall that three years ago, in 1962, we celebrated the centennial of First Congregational Church. On March 27, 1862, the First Congregational Church of Grand Rapids, Wisconsin, was duly organized by a formal ecclesiastical council called for that purpose. The names of ten people were entered on the first membership roll.

The little congregation grew in numbers and zeal. And in 1864 the cornerstone was laid for the first House of Worship. At “2 1/2 o’clock” on the afternoon of August 25th, the congregation and members of the Lemonweir Convention of Congregational Churches and Ministers met, in a solemn service of worship and Holy Communion, went in procession to the site of the building, laid the stone, and concluded the service with the doxology and apostolic benediction. The text of the sermon preached that day in 1864 was: “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, --- Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, But Christ is all, and in all.” [Colossians 3: 11].

One hundred years later, in the fall of 1964, we went in procession from this church house and, led by minister and choir and building committee, set a stone at the corner of the first unit of our new church home. The sermon, “Loyal to the Future,” was based on the text: “One generation shall laud Thy works to another and shall declare Thy mighty acts --- Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and Thy dominion endures throughout all generations.” [Psalm 145: 4, 13].

That first house of worship, begun in 1864, was completed in 1865 and was opened to the young frontier community as a house of prayer for all people. It served the Congregationalists for something like 35 years. It still stands, for it now serves the Christian Science congregation. Now, one hundred years after that first meeting house was completed, we expect to be completing a new house of worship and fellowship, and the fourth home of the Congregational Church in this city. The second house used by this congregation, for a much shorter time, has recently been taken down to make way for a new commercial development on the west side of this city.

In 1910 the cornerstone of this stone building was laid. In 1911 the congregation moved into this meeting house. The pastor, The Rev. Fred Staff, preached a sermon with the theme: “What Mean These Stones?”, based on the story of Joshua and the children of Israel crossing the Jordan River. [Joshua 4: 6]. For more than a half century this building has housed a congregation determined to “serve the Lord.”

Now in 1965, one hundred years after completion of the first church edifice of this congregation, we are again on the move. We purpose (weather permitting) to conclude the last service to be held in this building by going, today, in processional, to temporary quarters in one unit of the new building which will be our next church home. (1) This is a day of historical significance. (2) It is also a day of nostalgia. These walls have housed uncounted people at worship, many occupying approximately the same pew Sunday after Sunday. Here young and old have been baptized, have been received into church membership. The celebration of marriage has launched many new homes.

The very first service within these walls was a wedding, on October 18, 1911. On that day, Caroline Garrison became the wife of Rogers Joseph Mott, a full month before the completion and formal dedication of the church edifice. Mrs. Mott still lives in this community and worships at service with us. Yesterday, the last wedding to occur within these walls was celebrated when Judith Ann Brown became the wife of Gary Martin Bowman.

Here, many families have gathered for the tender rites of memory for their dear departed. Here, people have found comfort and inspiration and renewal at worship. Here they have reconsecrated themselves to finer living as they received the symbols of our Lord’s broken body and shed blood at His table. Here we have been lifted, refreshed and inspired by splendid music. Here the Word has been faithfully preached and taught.

Your pastor joins some of you in grateful memory of high points of living in this church home. Two of my children were baptized here. All five of them were trained for church membership in church school and pastor’s classes and were received into the fellowship of this family of the church universal. One was married here. The final rites for one member of our household occurred here. Here was baptized a grandchild. Here have we helped to arrange a meeting of our State Conference, meetings of our Association of Churches, and youth rallies. Here we witnessed the ordination of a young minister of our staff, and the installation of our present assistant minister. It is a precious heritage of memory.

But it is vastly more than woodwork, windows and stone. It is life that not only remembers but looks ahead in intelligent and enthusiastic anticipation. We look ahead with appreciation of those whose sharing and generosity have made possible a new church home for us and for generations yet to come. We are glad for the memorials and bequests, for the pledges and gifts of all who belong in the “book of builders.” We are joyful over the prospect of more room and finer facilities for worship and teaching, for the possibility of excellent music within and without new walls. We expect that the “new” will soon become “familiar,” and will be made precious by the events that will transpire in an adequate house. For we are not just a collection of people gathered for a little while like attendants at a Fair. We are a congregation of Christian folk constituted as a family of Christ’s church. We shall continue to exalt God in the congregation; to praise Him in the assembly.

For the fourth time in the history of the congregation we are moving to a new house. We are going under circumstances that will, for a time, be severely inconvenient. This we shall accept in the eager anticipation of being, after a few months, entirely at home in the new house.

For many years, the children of Israel suffered the sore inconvenience of wandering from place to place in a wilderness. But they continued to be a worshipping congregation. Without a temple, they worshipped in a tent. They trusted in God to lead them --- and He did lead them!

The choir anthems of this morning express our mood, our praise to God -- “Alleluia;” our confidence that the Lord speaks to us, as He spoke to David; our expectation that God will dawn upon us “like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes the grass to sprout from the earth.”

Our final act in this more-than-half-century-old house is the reception into our household of faith a class of young people to be confirmed in church membership; our welcome to those who will join us by transfer of their member; our celebration together of the Supper of the Lord in corporate communion in Christ’s spirit.

We shall continue to gather together each Sunday morning for worship, even in temporary quarters, and on July 1st, only 6 weeks from today, we shall expect to gather again about the Lord’s table in the regular quarterly communion. We expect to continue in Christian fellowship with one another and to glorify God in the congregation!

Let our anticipation, our patience, our eagerness, our faith praise the Lord. “Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord; Praise ye the Lord!” [Psalm 150: 6]. And let us continue to exalt His name together.

Amen.

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Delivered in Wisconsin Rapids, May 23, 1965. (Last service in the stone church.)