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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.

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

Contact Information:
Telephone:   1-269-683-4540
FAX:   1-269-683-4315

Contact us at:
THE OLD RUGGED CROSS FOUNDATION, INC.
P.O. Box 41, Niles, MI 49120  (Mailing Address)
269-683-4540; 269-362-4347 (Cell Phone)
www.the-oldruggedcross.org

Visit us (by appointment) at:
THE OLD RUGGED CROSS CHURCH & MUSEUM
61041 Vermont St., Pokagon, MI 49047 (Physical Address)

Electronic mail:
General Info:  orcf@aol.com
Sales:  orcf@aol.com

Website problems:
Webmaster@The-OldRuggedCross.org

Board of Directors:

Chairman of the Board,
Dr. Melchizedek M. Ponniah
Dr. Ponniah is a retired professor from the Department of Communication at Andrews University. Formerly, Ponniah helped to establish the Adventist World Aviation and served as the Vice President for a number of years. He is actively involved in the Pioneer Memorial Church, Berrien Springs, Michigan. Although retired, he is invited to preach in the U.S. and other countries. Dr. Ponniah’s grandfather, from a staunch Hindu family, converted to Christianity in the early 1900s after hearing “The Old Rugged Cross” sung at a revival meeting in Tamil Nadu, India. Although ostracized from his family, his grandfather was trained by the missionaries as a pastor. Dr. Ponniah is a third generation Christian because of this hymn.

President, Robert N. Shaffer
Mr. Shaffer (Bob) served 2 years in the Army National Guard and 4 years in the Air Force before attending and graduating from Lake Michigan College. He retired after 31 years in management with Sears and, more recently, he retired from a career in real estate to devote his full attention to The Old Rugged Cross restoration effort. He is active in local government as a Trustee on the Pokagon Township Board, and Chairman and Secretary of the Pokagon Township Cemetery Board. He has also served on theTownship zoning board of appeals. Bob is a Trustee and active member of the Pokagon United Methodist Church, which began as the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Pokagon in the building that is now The Old Rugged Cross Church. Bob and his wife, Molly, purchased the deteriorated church/barn, now called The Original Old Rugged Cross Church, from a private owner in 1998, and formed the non-denominational Old Rugged Cross Foundation, Inc. for the purpose of restoring it and preserving its history. Bob worked as a volunteer laborer on each phase of the restoration for twenty-one years as Project Director. He currently takes care of maintenance of the buildings and grounds.

Vice-President, Dan Stuglik
Dan has attended Pokagon United Methodist Church and has had a lifelong interest in the restoration and preservation of the ORC Church and all aspects of local history. Dan is the past director of Crystal Springs Camp and Retreat Center and is now the community police officer in nearby Coloma Township, where he has served since 2009. He served as a community police officer/school resource officer for the city of Benton Harbor prior to that. Dan was a member of the West Michigan Crime Prevention Association from 2006-2010 and served as the organization’s president in 2008. He has also served on the Pokagon Township Planning Commission. Dan serves on the board of directors for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Michigan and with the Missions Team for Summit Church in Niles. Dan and his wife Amy look forward to the opportunity to be stewards of a piece of history at the ORC Church for the next generation.

Secretary/Treasurer,
Mary "Molly" Tate Shaffer
Mrs. Shaffer is retired from a career in corporate management and industrial sales. She is an active member of the Pokagon United Methodist Church, serving as chair of the Pastor/Staff Parish Relations Committee and past president of the United Methodist Women. She has served as a member of the Kalamazoo District Leadership Training Team, the Kalamazoo District Evangelism Committee, and a voting lay member-at-large of the West Michigan Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. She currently serves on the Conference Equalization Committee. She is a member of, and has held many offices, including treasurer and Vice Regent, in the Schuyler Colfax Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in South Bend, Indiana, and has served as a director on that board. She has also served on the board of the Key Colony Beach Community Association in Florida, and actively participates in a music ministry both in Michigan and in Florida. She and her husband Bob purchased the historic Old Rugged Cross church in 1998 for the purpose of saving it from imminent collapse, and restoring it to its previous 1875 - 1914 church era appearance. They created and incorporated the ORCF for that purpose. In addition to serving as the foundation’s secretary/treasurer, Molly devotes the majority of her time to fund-raising, giving tours and presentations to various churches and civic groups, as well as the general public. She schedules all events promoting The Old Rugged Cross restoration project. She recently published a book “‘The Old Rugged Cross’ Lives On”, on the history of the church, the hymn and its composer. The book includes more than five hundred pictures and stories related to the historic preservation efforts to save the building and its history.

Assistant Treasurer,
Kevin Young
Kevin is currently employed as Administrative Office Manager and Bookkeeper of Shelton’s Farm Market in Niles, Mich. He has served as Treasurer of Pokagon Township since 2004 and is a member of the township’s Planning Commision. He is a member of the Morris Chapel UMC, serving as their treasurer since the mid 1990’s, pianist, and co-custodian. He is also a member of Morris Chapel’s Pastor/Staff Parrish Relations Committee. He has been a member of the Community Grange #1675 in Sumnerville, Mich. since 1987, holding numerous offices, currently serving as President. He has also held several offices with the Mich. State Grange, including Vice President, Treasurer and Fund-Raising Chairman, and has served on the Mich. State Grange Foundation Board. Kevin is Advisor to the Berrien County (Mich,) Youth Fair Board, is a member of the Finance Committee, co-superintendant of the dairy barn, and volunteers in the Cash Office during the week of the fair. Kevin joined the ORCF board in 2010 and currently assists the treasurer in the record keeping for the ORCF.

Director, Barbara Wood Cook
Mrs. Cook’s career has included more than three decades in business education at the secondary and community college level. She served as Pokagon Township Supervisor for ten years and was secretary of the Board of Trustees of Southwestern Michigan College (SMC) for 26 years. She continues to serve on the SMC Museum Advisory Board, the Cass County Historical Commission, is secretary of the U. S. 12 Heritage Trail Council, Treasurer of Support the Fort (Fort St. Joseph in Niles, Mich.), Vice Chair of the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Committee, Vice Chair of MEANDRS (Meeting the Ecological and Agricultural Needs in the Dowagiac River System) project, and Chair of the Cass County Planning Commission. Barbara is also a member of the Samuel Felt Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and has raised, trained and shown Arabian horses for many years. Her gg grandparents were founders of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Pokagon (now The Original Old Rugged Cross Church). She and her late husband Grafton, who was also a charter ORCF board member, researched and wrote local histories, produced a video tape of the history of Pokagon Township, and have given many oral presentations on various topics of local and national historic interest.