As we enter a time of transition from one pastor to the next, we pause to reflect on the history of our church and on the heritage that God has supplied us with.
In the chapel there is a stained glass window showing Jesus standing at the door and knocking. The window depicts Revelation 3:20 where Jesus tells the church in Laodicea,
This window was one of the windows that survived the fire that destroyed our old church building in December of 2003. This window (and the other two that are with it in our current chapel) was located in the rear of the sanctuary, along the Holly Ave. wall.
Hazel B. Stiles
If you look at the bottom of the window you’ll see an inscription saying that the window was given by Class 22 in honor of Hazel B. Stiles. The inscription is cropped out of this picture.
Class 22 was women’s Sunday School class which met for many years. To say it was a “Sunday School Class” actually minimizes its impact on the many women who were members of this group over the years. It was a “small group,” support group, service group… a very active arm of the church life.
Hazel Stiles was one of the many yet hard working dedicated teachers who led Class 22. She was its teacher for 33 years!
On Easter morning in 1941, it was announced that this window was to be given to the church in honor of Hazel Stiles. In a church history book printed in 1985, Hazel wrote the following recollection of this event:
What a wonderful group to work with, those happy and contented years- the Lord truly blessed us.
One of their projects, however, stands out in my mind. In the Easter morning service on April 13, 1941, Reverend Guice called me to the platform. When I joined him in the pulpit he said, “The members of Class 22 have given in your honor the stained glass window in the rear of the sanctuary, “Behold I stand at the Door and Knock.”
I cannot recall my response, because I felt so humble before my friends.
Is it any wonder Class 22 is very dear to me? What happiness and comfort they have brought down through the years.
– Hazel B. Stiles
About 40 years later, on October 26, 1980, Miss Stiles was honored as a “Golden Year Member” (someone who was a member of the church for 50 years). The following picture shows Hazel being congratulated by Ed Blackman (who recently passed away and joined Hazel on the other side of heaven’s “door.”)
Hazel Stiles, Golden Year Member receiving congratulations from Ed Blackman. October 26, 1980.
