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This is From the Archives, where we present something from our extensive collection of archival photos, records and all manner of materials dating back to when the church was First Methodist Episcopal, to First Methodist, to Church of the Savior, to St. Paul's to Crossroads.
This week's archives item is our first rerun.
We first ran this bulletin as an archives item last year without realizing that it would match a Sunday this year in both date and liturgical occasion.
This bulletin is from Sunday, May 17, 1914, 112 years ago. And yes indeed, that was also Ascension Sunday that year, as it is this year, Sunday, May 17, 2026.
And how did they mark the occasion of Ascension on that day in the sanctuary 112 years ago? Since they listed nothing else specific in the morning service, like what Scripture they used or what the sermon was about, the only real clue we have is that the choir director, one William E Strassner (listed on the back cover, along with organist "Mrs Henry Hageman"), decided to have the choir sing the anthem Send Out Thy Light by Charles Gounod (based upon Psalm 43: "Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.")
Since on Ascension, Jesus literally ascends to Heaven in the sky (Acts 1), preachers and church musicians often focus on something to do with light on that Sunday. So it's either an appropriate and intentional choice or a remarkable coincidence that they sang that particular anthem in our sanctuary on that Sunday 112 years ago.
When this bulletin was first presented as an archives item last year, it was pointed out that the various church groups were given interesting or even dramatic names back then: Standard Bearers, the Queen Esther Circle, the King's Heralds, etc.
Though not nearly as excitingly named, our weekly Sunday morning breakfast, our men's prayer group, our Gibbs food ministry, our Village ministry, our Crossroads Community Action and even Canton For All People are the modern versions of the same kinds of things those church members were doing 112 years ago: celebrating the same liturgical occasions like Ascension, and also providing a place of community for Christians while being a place from which to serve the greater community.
It's always interesting to think about what people centuries ago might have thought about the future, and what future people will one day think of us. But as long as there is a church on this corner in this city, then the past, present and future are all connected here through tradition, worship and service.
(Click to open a PDF in a new window.)
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