The Old Rugged Cross Foundation (ORCF) plans two early May events supporting restoration of The Original Old Rugged Cross Church.

The 2010 Community Hymn Sing is Sunday, May 2. The Hymn Sing will be at the historic church in Pokagon, Mich.

“We invite everyone to gather informally and sing some of the timeless traditional hymns that many people grew up with in the 1900s,” said Molly Shaffer, ORCF treasurer.  “The congregation chooses their favorite hymns on the spot, for everyone to sing.”

The church’s doors will open at 5 p.m. for informal tours and to see the restoration progress financed by donors’ gifts. The Hymn Sing will begin at 6 p.m.

There is no charge to attend.  A free will offering will support restoration.

The second event will be an Old Rugged Cross benefit at the Stop In Family Restaurant near Barron Lake on Saturday, May 8.

Restaurant owners Dave McCarty and Laura Schaffert will donate several hours’ worth of the restaurant’s profits from food and beverage sales toward the Church’s restoration.  The benefit will run from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

McCarty said he recalls visiting the historic church site with his church group while he was a teenager. He said they wanted to support efforts to restore the church to benefit future generations.

The restaurant is at 1201 Barron Lake Rd. (beside the M-60 bypass), across from the Howard Township fire station.

Additional Hymn Sings are planned for the following dates (first Sunday of the month): June 6, July 4, Aug. 1, Sept. 5, Oct. 3, Nov. 7 and Dec. 5 (singing traditional Christmas carols).

The Original Old Rugged Cross Church does not yet have a heating/air conditioning system, and the windows do not open. Shaffer recommends everyone attending the Hymn Sings should dress in layers that allow personal temperature regulation.

The Old Rugged Cross Historic Site is in Pokagon, one block south of Pokagon Highway, just east of Highway M-51 (half way between Niles and Dowagiac). The site includes the half-acre Old Rugged Cross Memorial Garden.
The Original Old Rugged Cross Church is where the hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross,” was sung publicly in its entirety for the first time in 1913.  It is a Registered Michigan Historic Site. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places at the national level of historic significance.
For more information, contact the ORCF at (269) 683-4540, or P.O. Box 41, Niles, MI 49120. E-mail:  orcf@aol.com. Web site: www.the-oldruggedcross.org.