East Cleveland leader. [volume] (East Cleveland, Ohio) 1942-1970, 1957-11-21
Old First In
..AII-Member
Church Hour

AZ another observance in the
shain of events marking the ami
versary of the founding of the
church in 1907, the First Presby-
terian Church will hold a Thanks
giving service at Kirk Auditorium
} Sunday, November oath at IL
o'clock. The sanctuary of the
church, Euclid at Nela aves., is not
, large enough to hold the entire
membership and to find adequate
Accommodations, the congregation
will journey to Kirk.
This will be the second such
service for this congregation and
someone has said, "There will be
a great outpouring of the people
on Sunday if there is not great
down pouring from the skies" 1t
will mean the largest number of
First Church people will be to-
gether in one place at one time
than ever before in it's $50 years.
The Church began in the Nc
Ilrath cabin on August 9th, 1907,
under the leadership of the Rev.
William Wick. The Rev. Mr.. Wick
had been sent out as a missionary
to the wild frontier by the COM
bined action of the Congregational
. and Presbyterian churches in the
East. He discovered a number of
families from Connecticut, New
York and Pennsylvania living in
<the Euclid" section of Cleveland
(now East Cleveland) who were
eager to have a church in their
fuvw homeland. Fifteen of them be-
Icame the founders of the church
and their names are inscribed on
a tablet on the base of the steeple
in the present church. During
q these $50 years the church has
increased nearly a hundred-fold.
The present building is the third
one on the same site. The first one
xwas the log cabin church, 1870
1816.The second one was the West
ern Reserve Meeting House, a
white New-England type church,
a1816-1892. The third one is the
present stone structure which dur
ing the past few years has under
gone extensive revamping.
> In the $50 years the church has
been served by thirteen installed
pastors: DR.. Howard M. Wells, the
present pastor being the thirteenth
~in the long line, having served the
longest pastorate, since July 1926.
AS far as can be learned, this
church, states DR.. Wells, has been
In successful operation on the same
site longer than any industry, en-
terprise, business or social insti-
tuition in Cleveland.
Making up the staff together
with DR.. Wells are: The Rev. Rom
aid X. Willis, assistant minister;
AIRS. Warren K. Blodgett, Director
Of Christian Education; Miss Ruth
Colbey, church Secretary; Mrs.
Warner Johnson, assistant to the
minister; Mr.. Frank Helfrich,
choir director; and Mrs. Michael
Tanno, organist. DR.. William ].
Macleod of Baldwin Wallace Col
.lege is the special preacher, occu-
pying the pulpit once month.
The order Of worship will be as
follows:
. Prelude: Intermezzo (Brahms)
The Introit Netherlands (Tradi-
tin Dutch); The Call to Worship,
the Doxology; Invocation, Lords
Prayer, Hymn: "Come Ye Thank
ful People, Come"
Scripture Reading: Deuterono-
my 8; Anthem: Choral Amen
=. (Franck) Offering anthem: Lift
Up Your Heads o Ye Gates" (from
Handel's Messiah); Hymn: The
Church's One Foundation.
. Addresses: Therefore, G i've
Thanks: Mr.. Willis, DR.. Macleod,
DR.. Wells. Hymn: o Jesus / have
promised. Benediction: Choral
amen Choir; Postlude: Chorale
(Doobl