Cass County MI Archives Photo Place.....Calvin Community Chapel Church And Cemetery May 27, 2006 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Marshall H. Sanders, Jr. sanmarjr@sbcglobal.net July 21, 2006, 3:40 am Source: Marshall H. Sanders, Jr. 2/2 Photo can be seen at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/cass/photos/calvinco2506nph.jpg Image file size: 71.0 Kb A History of Calvin Community Chapel The Calvin Community Chapel was organized April 3, 1928, at the Town Hall of Calvin Center. Fifteen dollars was collected for the purpose of securing a Charter from Lansing. Attorney Asa K. Hayden, assisted in the initial organization. H. Clyde Wade acted as Chairman of the meeting. Rosella Wade served as Secretary. The choir members were: Essa Byrd, Winifred Lawson, Rosanna Wilson, Gertrude Hawks, Arthur and Nellie Lawson, Goldie Coker, Corinne Byrd, Esther Wilson and Mable Reynolds. At a later date sixty members took their membership from the Calvin AME churches (Mt. Zion and Bethel) and this newly formed nondenominational church was started. There were nearly 100 charter members. The first religious services were held May 13, 1928, at the Primrose Gleaner Hall, by Rev. Allen Peavy, of Dowagiac, MI, who later became the first pastor. In May, 1929 a committee chaired by Gilliam Hawks along with Artie Williams and George Allen secured from Martha Jane Day, the building site for the permanent Chapel. This parcel of land was 3.6 acres and cost $360. The membership raised money for the Chapel by preparing dinners, giving concerts and plays. During construction men of the church used teams of horses with scoops to remove dirt for the basement. Logs were furnished by different members. The windows and door frames and arches were made by the Clarence Lawson family. In 1930 stones were hauled to he building site. Ladies of the church and children gathered stones from a pit near Williamsville. Members and friends gathered stones from their fields. Special stones treasured by members of the community were brought to the masons and placed in prominent places in the front of the building. The stone work of the church was completed by November 1, 1930. The total proceeds collected to finance the building construction was $6,462.97. The total indebtedness was $1,655. In order to help with the debt, forty-five members pledged to pay $1.00 per month on the debt. The expertise of the members of the chapel, in the field of carpentry, masonry, plastering, decoration, plumbing and electrical work, greatly reduced the cost of construction. The labor cost was minimal. On June 14. 1932 the church auditorium was first used for services. The community has been exceptional to have men and women who so willingly shared their talent to the glory of God. The Calvin Community Chapel is a lasting monument to the vision, hard work and sacrifice of those charter members. The Calvin Community Chapel is currently active. The Chapel and Cemetery is located on Mt. Zion Rd. 1/4 mile east of the intersection of Calvin Center Rd. and Mt. Zion Rd. in Calvin Center, MI. Additional Comments: Source: Excerpts from the Fiftieth Anniversary (1928-1978) of the Calvin Community Chapel Booklet created and compiled by Esther R. nee Wilson Sanders Wingfield Sanders Transcription Team Transcribers: Rose C. Thompson, Maurice W. Sanders, Sharon A. Simeon and Marshall H. Sanders, Jr. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/cass/photos/calvinco2506nph.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 3.9 Kb