Local News

Church to reveal cornerstone contents

Photos

Marc Valero | Highlands Today
Published: September 7, 2012

SEBRING - Gene Trumble and Bob Rapp brought tools to The First United Methodist Church in Sebring recently in an attempt to uncover two cornerstones.

Since the church is celebrating its 100th birthday this year and Joann Springer found information about the cornerstones in the church archives, Trumble and Rapp had their work cut out for them.

They first tackled a marble slab implanted with concrete, mortar and plaster from 1953, the year the present sanctuary was built. They loosened the slab and reached inside and found a galvanized metal box with its top soldered closed.

The box was sawed open and Senior Minister A.C. Bryant and his wife, Kathy, were among the first to view the contents, which were well preserved.

The men went back to work to locate another box that the church archives indicated would contain items from 1916.

Using a hand jack hammer, Trumble and Rapp were able to swivel a marble slab far enough to reach inside and retrieve another galvanized box. It was opened and everything was inside just as it was listed in the archives.

It's like a time capsule, but in a church it's called a cornerstone, said Nancy Hensley. "You put important papers in there or pictures or whatever you want to and have it opened about 100 years later."

Pastor Bryant, with a group of church members, met Tuesday to finalize plans for a "Cornerstone Opening" for the congregation at 10:30 a.m., Sept. 16 in the courtyard between the sanctuary and church office.

The plywood that is covering the openings will be removed to reveal the hiding place from which the metal boxes were retrieved.

Also, attendees will be able to see the contents of the boxes during the ceremony that is expected to last about 30 minutes.

The items, along with additional pieces, will be put back in the cornerstones, which will be closed Jan. 13 to start another 100 years of church history.

mvalero@highlandstoday.com (863) 386-5826