First Church of the Resurrection

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First Church of the Resurrection
Front of church, photographed from outside
Church exterior in 1997
40°47′51″N 81°22′12″W / 40.7975416°N 81.3699945°W / 40.7975416; -81.3699945Coordinates: 40°47′51″N 81°22′12″W / 40.7975416°N 81.3699945°W / 40.7975416; -81.3699945
Location901 Tuscarawas Street East, Canton, Ohio
CountryUnited States
DenominationNon-denominational
Previous denominationUnited Church of Christ[1]
ChurchmanshipEvangelical
Weekly attendance<120 weekly
Websitewww.firstchurchcanton.com
History
Former name(s)
  • First United Church of Christ,[1][2][3]
  • First Evangelic and Reformed Church,[3]
  • First Reformed Church,[2][4]
  • Jerusalem's Reformed Church[3]
StatusChurch
Founded1810[2][3]
Founder(s)Rev John Peter Mahnenschmidt[2][3]
Dedication1862[2][3][4]
DedicatedOctober 5, 1862[2][3][4]
Associated peopleBezaleel Wells[3][4]
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architectural typeGothic Revival[5]
GroundbreakingSpring 1861[3][4]
Construction cost$7,000[3]
Specifications
Capacity450
Number of floors4
Number of towers1[3]
Tower height28 feet[3]
Number of spires2
Spire height145 feet (44 m); demolished in 1948[3]
MaterialsStone,[3] wood, brick
Bells2[3] (English-style, full-circle ringing[3])
Tenor bell weight1,800 pounds (820 kg)
Clergy
Senior pastor(s)Dr. Bruce Mont[2][6]
Laity
Director of musicCatherine Coblentz[6]
Organist(s)Seth Kenyon[6]
TreasurerTina Copeland[6]
Religious education coordinatorPatty Neidert[6]
Youth ministry coordinatorJordan Schlabach[6]
First Church of the Resurrection, listed as First Reformed[5]
First Church of the Resurrection is located in Ohio
First Church of the Resurrection
Coordinates40°47′51.15″N 81°22′11.98″W / 40.7975417°N 81.3699944°W / 40.7975417; -81.3699944
Websitewww.firstchurchcanton.com
Part ofDowntown Canton Historic District
NRHP reference No.82003647[5]
Added to NRHP9/28/1982[5]

First Church of the Resurrection is an historic church at 901 Tuscarawas Street East, Canton, Ohio,[2][7] which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[2][5] The church was dedicated, and its sanctuary completed, in 1862.[2][3][4]

History[]

In 1810, the Union (Reformed and Lutheran) Church was built.[4][8] Two years later, its Sunday school began.[8] In 1843 a choir was formed,[8] and in 1862 the present church was built.[2][3][4] In 1866[2][4] or 1871,[4][8] English-language services began. The church's ladies' aid society was founded in 1979.[4][8]

In 1897, it incorporated as the First German Reformed Church.[4][8] The following year, a Sunday-school addition was built and the church was remodeled.[2][3][4] In 1903, its Women's Missionary Society was founded.[4][8][9] Three years later, the Andrew Carnegie Fund paid half the cost of a new organ.[3][4][8] In 1916 the church was again remodeled,[3][4][8] and in 1926 and 1927 a parish house, educational center and social hall were added.[2][3][8]

The parish house was destroyed by fire in 1937.[3][8] Three years later, the church's name was changed to the First Evangelical and Reformed Church.[8] In 1941, a new parish house was built on the old site.[3][8] Its name was again changed to the First United Church of Christ in a denominational merger with the United Church of Christ in 1959.[2][8]

In 1966, a new Fratelli Ruffatti organ was installed,[3][8] and four years later a Bach musical festival was presented.[8] The 901 Food Pantry began distributing food to the local community in 1978.[8] The following year, the Karl Koepke Memorial Chapel was dedicated.[3][8] In 1982 the church was listed on the National Register for Historical Places,[2][8] an outdoor lighted sign was built and the west parking lot opened.[3][8]

A new six-ton, 1,600-pipe Kegg organ was installed in 1993.[2][3][8] From 2002 to 2005, a new office wing, classroom and meeting area were built.[2][3][8] In 2005, the church severed its ties with the United Church of Christ and became the independent First Church of the Resurrection.[1][2][8] The Shepherd's Garden was dedicated in 2007,[3][8] and traditional and contemporary worship services began.[8] Handel's Messiah was performed in 2008,[8] and the church celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2010.[2][8] All services are now conducted in English, rather than German.[2]

  • Two churches side by side

    First Church of the Resurrection (left) and First Lutheran Church, both on the National Register of Historic Places[2]

  • Black-and-white photo of the church, with two spires

    The church in 1890, with the new parsonage[4]

  • Pews, chairs and a large pipe organ

    Church interior in 1917[4]

  • Pews, stained-glass windows and a choir loft

    Church interior in 2010

  • Wide-angle photo from the choir loft

    Another 2010 view of the interior

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "Canton Repository: Lydia Cooper 90th birthday". The Repository. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Goshay, Charita. "Canton Repository: First Church to celebrate 200th anniversary". The Repository. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad The History of First Church 1810–2010 (DVD). MilePost Productions. 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Bollinger, Rev Theodore (1917). History of the First Reformed Church of Canton, Ohio. Cleveland, Ohio: Central Publishing House.
  5. ^ a b c d e "National Park Service, National Register Digital Assets 82003647".
  6. ^ a b c d e f "FirstChurchCanton.com: First Church of the Resurrection: Our Staff".
  7. ^ "Stark County Auditor – Parcel 28044".
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Membership at First Church of the Resurrection (Media notes). Canton, Ohio. 2016. pp. 7–9.
  9. ^ Herman, John (1883). Acts and Proceedings of the Ohio Synod and the Reformed Church in the United States. Dayton, Ohio: Reformed Publishing Co. p. 7.

External links[]

Media related to First Church of the Resurrection at Wikimedia Commons

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