September 2005

Happy 130^th Birthday!

Cross Keys United Methodist Church has occupied the present church building for 130 years. Records are practically non existent before the erection of the building in 1875, when a board of Trustees was appointed and started to keep records of meetings. Records have been found dating religious meetings in the area as far back as the late 1700's.

The entire cost of the church was recorded as $3,463.43 and was to be erected on the ground presented by Richard Evans. The church was built by Henry P. Young from Pitman. The congregation has had many names, the first was Chestnut Ridge, because that was the site of the school building where they had been meeting. The next name was Lebanon Methodist Church followed by the Methodist Episcopal Church, The Methodist Church, and now the United Methodist Church, the result of joining with the United Brethren Church.

In recognition of our heritage, the World Wide Communion Sunday, October 2, 2005, there will be two old communion sets that were use in the early years of the church, on display. One is pewter and one is silver and have been preserved by a gentleman who had the foresight to 'rescue' them form the trash. Come to church on October 2^nd and hear the entire story.

On October 16, 2005, Harvest Fest Sunday, we will be honoring the senior members of our congregation. Plan to join with the members and friends at the 11:15 am Service to recognize them. Some are new members - some have been members for a long time. We honor their presence and faithfulness. Plan to be part of a celebration.

August 2005

Remember the 'olden days' before air conditioning? Older members of Cross Keys United Methodist Church probably recall the years in the early 1940's, long before the sanctuary had any kind of relief from the heat and humidity. These were the years of World War II and many products were being directed to the military use. Some items were rationed, others had to be redeemed by turning in the used container. Whether Cross Keys purchased a wood varnish that had not been formulated correctly or it had been on a long forgotten shelf and gone bad, we'll never know.

The varnish was used to refinish the pine pews, this was before seat cushions and the end result was very nice. BUT on the very warm Sunday mornings in the summertime, anything that came in touch with the varnish STUCK! In those days no one wore shorts or jeans to church and the ladies took pride in their flowery dresses and the men wore suits with neckties. Sheets of paper, the bulletins and even cardboard fans given out by the funeral homes stuck. The clothing was pulled off the seats and back with a rather loud ripping noise and it was hoped that there wasn't any varnish stuck to the clothing. In the case of the paper products, it stayed on the pews and it was very sorry sight to see the traces of the unsuccessful attempts to scrape it loose.

In September 1943 a work night was designated and everyone turned out with scrubbing brushes, old rags, scrapers, buckets, and ammonia to remove the sticky stuff. There just wasn't any cure for it but to enlist the help of men and women alike to scrub the pews with lots of 'elbow grease' using ammonia. Today we would have used paint remover, but who knew what was available then and the home remedy was used. The carpets were limited to aisle runners and these were covered with newspapers - no plastic drop cloths then. The droplets that stained the bare wooden floor stayed there as witness of the two or more nights of hard work. There turned out to be many layers of varnish on the pews and when they were finally cleaned off they were attained with a non-sticky varnish and the beauty of the light golden pine was restored.

Eventually used, tall standing fans were purchased from the Pitman Hotel and were placed in the front of the sanctuary. The circulation of air was very welcome but nothing comes without a price. The hum of the fans motors made it hard to hear the minister forcing him to talk louder. Incidentally, the ministers always wore a suit and it was quite an occasion when one declared he had to remove his coat. It was just too hot and for the men in the congregation to do the same. Some men never did remove their coats, it was really considered poor taste.

March 2005

The Basement 1912

The innovation to put a basement under the church structure was obviously that of J. W. Sparks, again seeking to modernize and enlarge the facilities of the little church he loved so much. His foresight was to include a kitchen and serving room as well as space for a Sunday School. The Chestnut Ridge School house was no longer available and probably had not been used for years for Sunday School purposes.

The fall and winter of 1911-1912 must have been busy. The church had to be raised and the soil excavated, probably all done by manual labor. Unfortunately, there were no pictures of this undertaking and very few records. The main source of information were letters sent to S. E. Tombleson by J. W. Sparks from Thomasville, Georgia.

Once again, he used the incentive of self-help, as well as his know how and contacts to obtain materials. He kept S. E. Tombleson on the site as foreman and overseer. While he helped to defray the costs, the parishioners did their part according to their abilities and resources.

There was a Basement Excavation Committee: J. Harper, C. Shuster, C. Nicholson, J. L. Pease, Albert Collins, and G. E. Tombleson. The question is...were these the laborers themselves or just appointed to hire others? Once again, the skills of the parishioners were used as part of their tithe toward the project. This was especially helpful in keeping down the actual cost. Materials and labor came to $624.38.

In the ensuing months there was constant correspondence between J. W. Sparks and S. E. Tombleson regarding the work being done on the church basement. It was obvious that Sparks was keeping his finger on the work as his letters offered detailed suggestions on the finishing of the main room, heater room, and locations of kitchen cabinets, stove, and lights.

1912: As the work on the basement progressed, the congregation was actively getting ready to furnish it for Sunday School facilities. February 2, 1912 the Epworth League purchased new song books for the Sunday School, as well as to help [ay the sexton's salary.

On May 3, 1912, Joseph Giberson was paid $10 for the basement steps and another $14.25 for the front steps, obviously needed now that the basement construction had raised the church building and neared completion.

June 14, 1912: Elmer Crane of Ocean City donated an organ to the basement.

July 1912: The Sunday School Picnic was held at a cost of $6.60.

November 1912: The committee of Rev. S. N. Clark and John C. Curry purchased an unknown number of children's chairs for the basement for $18.99. These little chairs served forty odd years with re-gluing and paint.