"Old Rugged Cross replaced" from the May 11, 1967 Door County Advocate
A NEW CROSS was raised at Friends church Tuesday, the site of the first singing of the popular hymn The Old Rugged Cross. Sturgeon Bay Utilities crew assisted with the heavy work of removing the old cross and swinging the new one in place. —Harmann
Old Rugged Cross replaced
While there is nothing for the Christian which can replace the Cross or even the hymn The Old Rugged Cross, the visual symbol of the old rugged cross was replaced Tuesday at the Friends church in Sturgeon Bay.
Time and weather had taken its toll of the wooden beam replica of the Cross of Christ and for reasons of safety it was decided to take down the old one which had rotted at the base and install a duplicate.
The original marker was erected and dedicated Aug. 10, 1947 in honor of the hymn, its author and the fact that the favorite hymn of millions was first sung at the Friends church in West Sturgeon Bay Jan. 12, 1913.
The debut of this song marked the end of a two week long series of evangelistic meetings by the Rev. George Bennard and his song leader, Rev. Edward E. Mieras.
The organist who played the hymn for the first time was the late Mrs. Pearl Berg, who served faithfully for many years after that as the organist of Friends church.
Chris Hanson built the original cross. Also on hand to help erect the original cross was Gus DeBroux, not a member of the congregation of Friends church. He lives across the street from the church now and was on hand as a spectator Tuesday afternoon as the old cross came down and the new cross of heavy beams was swung into place by a crew from the Sturgeon Bay Utilities.
Chester Jensen and Mr. McLeland constructed the present cross of heavy 8"x12" fir beams, heavy bolts holding the crossbar to the 16 foot high upright.
The site of the cross has been a mecca for many visitors to Door county, most of whom have enjoyed since their childhood the old favorite hymn, The Old Rugged Cross.
A stone path half-encircles the landscaped grounds alongside the church and an open carved Bible at the base of the memorial carries the 14th verse from the sixth chapter of Galatians: "God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ."
A brass plate at the lower part of the cross gives the words to the hymn and the name of the author and circumstances under which it was first sung. The first two to sing it in public (as a duet) were the Rev. George Bennard, author, and his music director, the Rev. Edward Mieras, accompanied by Mrs. Berg.
The Rev. John Baxter was pastor when the first cross was erected. Western fir timbers were donated by the Smith Shipbuilding Co. Peterson Boat Works donated the mahogany wood for the Bible and the lettering and carving was done by Ernst Dombrowe, noted woodcarver and former Sturgeon Bay resident.
At the time of its erection its care was in the hands of the Old Rugged Cross commission composed of Rev. John Baxter, pastor of Friends church; Rev. Otto Philipp, pastor of Sawyer Methodist church; Rev. Carroll Nichols, secretary-treasurer, and pastor of Sturgeon Bay Nazarene church; Rev. A. J. Hulbert, pastor of Sturgeon Bay Baptist church; Henry Maples, one of the first to sing the hymn in a quartet at the Friends parsonage; Sumner J. Harris, editor of the Door County Advocate, H. R. Holand, founder of the Door County Historical Society; and Chris Hansen, chairman of the board of trustees of the Friends church and erector of the first cross at Friends church.
It is a soul searching and moving experience to see modern power equipment raise in minutes a heavy cross, one similar to the one under which our Lord staggered down a dusty road nearly two centuries ago.
While the dimensions of the original cross at Calvary may not be exactly the same as those of the cross at the Friends church, it is not hard to imagine our Lord, slowly and laboriously carrying his heavy cross up the rocky, winding path to the top of the hill outside Jerusalem.
Authorities vary as to whether Christ was nailed to the cross as it lay on the ground and the two lifted together, or whether the cross was already in place and the victim lifted up and then nailed in place through his hands and feet.
Regardless of which was the case, as the Friends' cross swung into place in the cool spring air Tuesday afternoon it was not hard to visualize the agony He must have suffered on that original cross, on that first Good Friday when our Lord transformed the cross from a symbol, of despair and lost life to one of hope and eternal life. — FB
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
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