The Old Rugged Cross Foundation Inc.

RESTORATION OF A HISTORIC LEGACY

The Old Rugged Cross Historic Site

The Old Rugged Cross Foundation, Inc. (ORCF) is a multi - denominational board of seven volunteer directors who are dedicated to raising the funds required to restore The Original Old Rugged Cross Church in Pokagon, Michigan, where the final completed version of Rev. George Bennard's hymn "The Old Rugged Cross" was first sung publicly in 1913.

The church was built in 1862 as a 28' x 60' hops barn. In 1876, when the hops industry had failed to thrive, the barn was sold to the local Methodist Episcopal congregation in Pokagon, who had previously been meeting in each other's homes. They took out a $3,000 loan and renovated the well-built barn into a church, adding a 30-foot, two story section which served as kitchen on the main floor and Sunday School classrooms upstairs. Painted glass windows and a bell tower with a large brass bell were also added. The church became The First Methodist Episcopal Church of Pokagon, Michigan.

The church's pastor in 1913 was Rev. Leroy O. Bostwick. He invited his friend Rev. George Bennard to assist with a series of revival meetings beginning in January 1913. Rev. Bennard brought with him a new hymn he had begun writing in Albion, Michigan. He completed the hymn while staying at the parsonage in Pokagon and performed it one evening at the revival. He then taught it to the choir. Four members of the First Methodist Episcopal Church choir sang it from Rev. Bennard's penciled notes, accompanied by their pianist and a violinist. This was the first time the newly completed hymn had been publicly performed, causing this old church in Pokagon, Michigan to become known world-wide as the birthplace of "The Old Rugged Cross".

In 1915, two years after "The Old Rugged Cross" made its public debut, the congregation purchased the Baptist Church across the street and sold the old church the following year to a local farmer, who returned it to its original barn status. He removed the rotting floor boards from the sanctuary, and used that once Holy place to house cattle. The raised platform, where the old pump organ and pulpit had once stood proudly, was then used as a hay mow, while the old kitchen was used for storage.

For the next 82 years, it remained privately owned and fell into a state of disrepair to the point of imminent collapse. The 9" x 9" oak sill beams rotted, allowing the walls to roll off their foundation onto the ground, where their 2" x 8" supports also began to rot. The combination brick and fieldstone foundation began to crumble and, under one wall, listed at a 15-degree angle, threatening to give way and pull the entire structure with it.

THE OLD RUGGED CROSS MEMORIAL GARDEN

In 1997, the Pokagon United Methodist Church (PUMC) purchased the property behind the old church and began creating a garden. At the same time, they began planning a celebration of the 85th year since the hymn had made its debut in the old church, to be held in September 1998. Neighbors and friends began helping with both projects and soon formed The Old Rugged Cross Association (ORCA), an all-volunteer, multi-denominational group, with the purpose of creating and maintaining a garden as a tribute to Rev. George Bennard and his hymn "The Old Rugged Cross", but more importantly, honoring our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

As the property was being cleared for the new garden, the group received a letter from Stan Beikman, professor of urban landscape design at Andrews University, asking if he could use the garden as a class project. Upon hearing the garden committee's resounding "Yes!", he assigned the project to six senior students. Their assignment was to design a half-acre garden using the words of the hymn and any Biblical or spiritual symbolism they wished. Each student presented their designs to the committee, who chose things from the various designs. Stan Beikman then incorporated all the ideas into one plan, which was then followed in the creation of The Old Rugged Cross Memorial Garden. Visit the "Site Pictures" to see how the garden is progressing.

The state of the old church became a matter of prayer at each meeting and attempts were made to purchase the old building, but to no avail. Finally, in July 1998, the owner of the old church agreed to meet with members of the ORCA. As other members prayed, a group of three met with the owner and, after three hours of negotiations, the owner agreed to sell the old church.

THE OLD RUGGED CROSS FOUNDATION, INC.

As the ORCA had no money, except that which had been designated for the creation of the garden, a couple from the ORCA purchased the old church and donated it to the Pokagon UMC until they could form The Old Rugged Cross Foundation (ORCF) and obtain their own 501(C)3 tax exempt status.

The Old Rugged Cross Foundation was founded and incorporated in 1998, and is made up of seven volunteer board members from four different denominations. The ORCF first obtained a 99-year lease on the old church and then began raising funds for the restoration. The foundation received 501(c)(3) non-profit status from the IRS, and in December 2002 was able to purchase the old church back from the Pokagon UMC for the sum of $1. The old church is now officially owned by the ORCF, with no one church or denomination having control. As the hymn belongs to the world, its birthplace also belongs to the world.

OUR MISSION

The Old Rugged Cross Foundation, Inc. was formed for the purpose of saving and restoring the old church where the hymn made its public debut, and preserving the history of the hymn and its author. Once restored as closely as possible to its 1913 appearance, the church will serve as a museum, preserving the history of the hymn and the community. The museum will be useful for historical research and the sanctuary will be available to rent for weddings and special services.

^{RESTORING THE OLD CHURCH}

The Old Rugged Cross Foundation, Inc. hired architect, Dr. Stanley Bell of Berrien Springs, Michigan, and plans got under way to restore the old church. The original estimate to complete the restoration effort was $1.5 million, and was later increased to almost $2 million.

Reconstruction efforts began in September of 2000 by removing the old, crumbling foundation, replacing the rotten sill beams with new oak beams and cabling them to a series of underground concrete piers surrounding the perimeter of the building. The walls were straightened, the building squared, and a new temporary steel roof was installed to prevent further deterioration to the interior of the building. Many structural repairs were then made. The interior of the sanctuary and the kitchen were cross-braced to prepare the building for phase three, which was going to include temporarily moving the building onto the adjoining lot while a full basement was dug and poured. That phase was estimated to cost $237,000.

The cross-bracing steadied the building for the next six years while volunteers raised funds to continue with the restoration. In the Spring of 2007, the ORCF board decided to abandon the idea of the full basement, acknowledging it had been the board�s idea to have a full basement and not God�s plan. The board further decided to begin spending some of the funds raised toward the basement to create and install a new bell tower, to dig and pour a concrete crawlspace under the church, including a new permanent foundation, and to replace the wooden shutters with Lexan windows. All of these things were accomplished in 2007, with the exception of the foundation under the West wall, which will be completed in the Spring of 2008.

In addition to the above accomplishments, new wooden siding (duplicating the original wooden boards) was applied to the East and North exterior walls as needed. The siding for the West and South walls has been purchased and will be installed in 2008, as funding for the labor becomes available. Also, in 2008, if funding allows, a new wooden sub-floor will be installed in the sanctuary. This will be the first time since 1915 that the sanctuary has had a floor.

The next major phase of restoration will include repairs to the soffit, fascia and roof, and will replace the temporary steel roof with cedar shingles, like the original church roof. There is currently no ceiling in the sanctuary and the steel sheets can be seen from inside the building, as the original roof boards deteriorated and disappeared over the years of neglect.

YOUR HELP IS URGENTLY NEEDED

God has led us in this effort, as He led us and many other volunteers of all denominations to help create The Old Rugged Cross Memorial Garden behind the old church.

As people come from across the country and from countries all over the world to visit this historic site, they marvel at what Christians from many different churches and denominations can do when they join together to work on one of God's projects.

As of January 3, 2008, more than $447,500 has been raised toward the restoration of the old church, much of which has paid for the above repairs and restoration process. Of this amount, less than $12,000 has come from grants.

We praise God for His people's generosity. As our grant requests have not been successful in raising large sums of money, we continue to depend on the generosity of our supporters. It seems to be God�s plan to have His people restore His church, but we continue to apply for grants and pray that someone will be touched by God with the spirit of giving to His project.

Will you join us in this most worthy effort and partner with God on one of His projects where He is already at work?

Please donate as the Lord leads you. If you are able to give generously, we pray that you will do so. If you can only give a few dollars, it too will be appreciated. If you are unable to give any financial support, we ask you to please put this project on your daily prayer list.

Donations may be sent to:

The Old Rugged Cross Foundation, Inc. (ORCF)

PO Box 41, Niles, MI 49120

WOODEN CROSSES

If your computer does not show you buttons on this site, which take you to our other sections, please know that we are now making 2 � inch wooden crosses from the lath which was removed from inside the church. Each cross is numbered and has a corresponding Certificate of Authenticity and a small square nail, also from the old church. A donation of $20 for each cross plus $2.00 for shipping and handling may be sent to:

The Old Rugged Cross Foundation, Inc.

PO Box 41

Niles, MI 49120

We invite you now to visit the other areas of this site and to contact us with any suggestions you may have.

May God richly bless you all.

Questions or comments Email us.

Gifts may be sent to:

The Old Rugged Cross Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 41
Niles, MI 49120

Or you can make a donation to our PayPal account online; Credit Cards are also accepted.

If You are not a member of PayPal You can Join through the Link above

You may reach the foundation by phone at 269-683-4540. We are a 501(c)(3)
IRS tax exempt organization, which makes your gifts tax deductible.

If you cannot or do not wish to make a donation, would you at least PRAY for the
success of this venture and email this site to all of your friends?

Thank you and God Bless you!

The Old Rugged Cross Foundation, Inc.

Contact Information:

Telephone: 1-269-683-4540
FAX
1-269-683-4315
Postal address: P.O. Box 41 Niles, MI 49120
Electronic mail: General Information: orcf@aol.com
Sales: orcf@aol.com
Webmaster: kecksliq@comcast.net

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Updated 09-03-2008