CGGC ARCHIVES MUSEUM • 700 EAST MELROSE AVENUE
P.O. BOX 926 • FINDLAY, OHIO 45839
JIM MARCKEL, CURATOR • 419-424-1961 X131
Are you unable to visit the Churches of God Archives Museum? Worry not! This page is a virtual self guided tour. You can navigate through our virtual museum by clicking through each Tour Stop. There are a total of 58 Tour Stops along your tour. Please enjoy the rich history of the Churches of God, General Conference.
Start - Curator's Office
Tour Stop 1 Visitors Welcome! Please sign in. Use our registry.
Tour Stop 2 Consider joining the CGGC Historical Society. Your membership is tax deductible — and will help preserve CGGC History & Heritage!
Tour Stop 3 This trip-pix mural by Toledo artist Randy Taylor shows: (L) early CGGC life in the 1800’s (M) church life symbols, and (R) modern church life. You will find it located in our Museum Office.
Tour Stop 4 Seals and logos of the Churches of God, General Conference and its celebrations. You can see how the denominations seal and logo has changed over it’s long history.
Tour Stop 5 Donor Plaques of those who made the expansion & modernization of these CGGC Archives Museum Rooms possible. These plaques list the various levels of Founding Associates.
Tour Stop 6 CGGC Life Members by virtue of donation or recognition. Consider adding your name. Your Life membership of $1000.00 goes to an Endowment Fund to fund the operation of the Archives Museum. Membership may include the donor and spouse.
Tour Stop 7 Enter the main Museum Display Room. This room shows the visual evidence of our church history. Use the Self Guided CGGC Archives Museum Tour Brochure for a complete visit. Hours are Tuesday & Thursday 9am — 1:30pm.
Tour Stop 8 CGGC founder John Winebrenner display – The first comprehensive statement of CGGC beliefs by Winebrenner. “The Church of God has no autoritative constituion, ritual, creed, catechism, book of discipline, church standard, or test-book, which ever God intended his church to have.” Penned in 1844 C.E. (A.D.).
Tour Stop 9 John Winebrenner’s brief life journey, birth to death. John Winebrenner was born in1797 and died in 1860.
Tour Stop 10 J. P. Abraham’s 1891 portrait of CGGC founder John Winebrenner. From c.1922 until c.1979, this picture hung in the Churches of God Central Publishing House. It is the largest and nicest of the artistically drawn pictures of John Winebrenner, denominational founder.
Tour Stop 11 John Winebrenner life – chronology of significant events. Born in Frederick County Maryland John Winebrenner attends Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA for a short time. He establishes the Union Bethel Church of God in 1825. From 1830 to 1860 is active as a preacher, “general missionary,” redormer, editor, printer, publisher, patenter & inventor. September 12, 1860 he dies in Harrisburg, PA.
Tour Stop 12 Adult Pictures of CGGC founder John Winebrenner.
c. 1820 – 1850. Dr. George Ross decribed Winebrenner as tall and slender, about 6 feet high, and very erect. Dignity and solemnity were prominent features in his countenance.
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Tour Stop 13 This featured display changes routinely. At present it displays items from CGGC Navajo Missions. c. 1977 – 1997.
Tour Stop 14 John Winebrenner boyhood home display (200), located in Frederick Co., Md. near Walkersville. These panoramic pictures show the Winebrenner boyhood homestead in Maryland.
Tour Stop 15 Pictures and artifacts from the Winebrenner family in the top display case. Also, a sneak peak at tour stop 59 below.
Tour Stop 16 The last days of CGGC founder John Winebrenner. He preached his last sermon at the 1860 Eldership on sunday May 28th.
Tour Stop 17 1925 CGGC Centennial artist rendition of John Winebrenner’s 1810 boyhood farm home.
Tour Stop 18 John Winebrenner’s first church, log construction, in Harrisburg, PA. (To the right in the picture is his 2nd church he helped to lead/build).
Tour Stop 19 The 1822 Salem German Reformed Church built in 1821-1822 under John Winebrenner’s pastorate.
Tour Stop 20 Parting Memorial Tribute and Eulogy to CGGC founder, Elder, Rev. John Winebrenner (1797-1860). A succeddful reformer and able minister of the word, earnest and signally blest in his efforts to save his fellow men and build the Church of God.
Tour Stop 21 (Top Right Shelf) – CGGC Missionaries Viola and Howard Covers’ miniature India Occupations figurines. c. 1900-styles, Bottom both cases) (Left to Right)– modern Bangladeshi occupational dolls – Missionary Mary White Collection, (Top left case) American Navajo and India Mission field dolls.
Tour Stop 22 (Top)Missionaries Viola and Howard Cover (1912-1947), artifacts.
(Bottom) – First CGGC Missionary Clara Landes (1896-1917), items owned by her or commemorating her service.
Tour Stop 23 Mission Field Idol Worship Items brought back by CGGC missionaries.
Tour Stop 24 The only two CGGC missionaries to die on a foreign mission field.
(TOP) Leah Becker
(BOTTOM) Rev. Glenn Alderson
Tour Stop 25 Tall Floor Window Case: Long-serving CGGC missionary pictures/artifacts displays – 5 featured missionaries.
Tour Stop 26 Missionaries Earl and Donna Sleasman displays – E. Pakistan and Haiti fields.
Tour Stop 27 (TOP) – Longest-serving missionary (51 years) Betty Helwig Biswas and husband Soloman.
Tour Stop 28 More Howard and Viola Hershey (1912-1947) missionary artifacts and mementos.
Tour Stop 29 (Top) – Missionaries to Bangladesh (Vic-1974), and Haiti (1980’s-2000’s), (Bottom) Missionaries to E. Pakistan (1960-1965), Rev. Melvin and Joanne Summy and daughters.
Tour Stop 30 Current Museum Room Featured display – Note captions and themes.
Tour Stop 31 (Floor Case) – Jim and Leone Wallace missionary display.
Tour Stop 32 (Three-panel wall displays) – Outstanding/long-serving/ or key 19th and 20th century CGGC missionaries.
Tour Stop 33 (Middle) Aaron and Lousia Myers missionary display (1912/1918-1940).
Tour Stop 34 & 35 (Top) Early 1900’s (India) missionary hats – both male and female-worn.
(Setting on bottom shelf) – Two missionary nurse displays, on missionary doctor display, and Clara Landes – first foreign missionary display.
Tour Stop 36 Eight-plaque display – unusual CGGC facts, personalities, events and stories. (See themes of each).
Tour Stop 37 CGGC Celebration and commemoration plates, cups, and mementos.
Tour Stop 38 (Opposite side of 37) – CGGC Celebration and commemoration plates, cups and mementos.
Tour Stop 39 John and Mariah Hickernell pastoral pictures, artifacts, furniture, and household effects – typical of the type found in 1800’s CGGC parsonages.
Tour Stop 40 Tom and Charity Hickernell pictures and Information. At age 21 Tom was assigned to the “Ohio Circuit” holding revival meetings in W. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Tom and his wife established their home near Mendon, Ohio.
Tour Stop 41 John and Mariah Hickernell hutch and household items – typical 1800’s parsonage items, especially PA.
Tour Stop 42 Rare Books Room – The Rare Books Room displays may only be seen with official personnel present due to the sensitive nature of the books within.
Tour Stop 43 Rare CGGC books of and by its leaders. (Winebrenner Theological Seminary permanent – loan Collection).
Tour Stop 44 History of the CGGC Central Publishing House, its publications and activities, Harrisburg, PA.
Tour Stop 45 Significant contributors to preserving CGGC history and heritage display of leaders.
Tour Stop 46 (TOP) – CGGC early editors of The Church Advocate and predecessor The Gospel Messenger (1835-1939).
(Bottom) – The Church Advocate editors – (1939-present).
Tour Stop 47 (Left) – White House visit by then E.PA. Conference leaders with then President Gerald Ford at the time of the CGGC 150th Anniversary Celebration.
(Right) – The Whole Harrisburg area church delegation visit on the 1975 occasion of the 150th CGGC bi-centennial celebration visit, arranged by CGGC Pastor and Congressman Tennyson Guyer seen with black hair in both photos.
Tour Stop 48 (Top) – 1953-Present WCSC / CGWM leadership display. Key dates in CGGC Women’s ministries. Starting in 1848 becoming a denominational subdivision of service in 1953. A comprenshsive History was compiled by Barbara Binkley to celebrate their Golden Jubilee in 2003.
Tour Stop 49 (Top) – WCSC founder Grace Pierson and current logo.
(Bottom) – WCSC / CGWM artifacts display.
Tour Stop 50 CGGC auxiliary organizations’ Logo displays.
Tour Stop 51 CGGC 100th Anniversary 1925 Centennial Celebration at Harrisburg, PA.
Tour Stop 52 John Winebrenner life, location and ministry photos taken in 2002 Harrisburg, PA – area. Photos taken by Jonathan Binkley. (See both sides of 8 Panel display).
Tour Stop 53 C. 1979 CGGC Church Center in Findlay. Architects early drawing of the proposed structure.
Tour Stop 54 CGGC Church Center for Ministries 1980 ground breaking shovel. The Church Center was rededicated and named The Wilkin Center for Christian Ministries.
Tour Stop 55 Barkeyville Academy Display Board. (1881-1906)
Tour Stop 56 Archive material categories each marked by the hanging placards: Church Camps Missions Winebrenner Seminary
Tour Stop 57 Past Historical Society News Magazines -free to visitors. The News Magazines are compiled and editied by Jonathan Binkley and distributed twice a year. Become a member and sign up to receive your copy.
