Charles Wesley conducted the first worship service for the congregation of Christ Church in 1736. Incredibly, Christ Church continues its ministry, serving as an outpost of GOD's Kingdom to this very day, so Sheila and I went inside their building to check it out.
A wonderful member of the church was in the sanctuary. She was nearly as kind as our 1st Impressions volunteers at GCC! She not only turned on some lights so I could take this picture, she also told us stories about the history of her congregation.
One of the stories of Christ Church stirred me.
I'll tell you the tale, as I can recall it, from the notes I made during our brief visit. This is the historical account as it was given to me ...
During the Civil War, Christ Church's building was destroyed by occupying Union troops. The congregation struggled but a devoted young man dedicated his life to rebuild the church as a memorial to his beloved wife.
Anson Green Phelps Dodge, Jr. was 20 years old and filthy rich when he married Ellen and took her on a honeymoon trip around the world. Sadly, she ate contaminated food in India. But before she died, Anson promised her that he would never leave her side. So he put her body in a sealed ebony casket and brought her back to St. Simons Island. He stayed near her casket and crossed the ocean in the hold of the ship so he could keep his promise to his wife.
Dedicated to Christ and serving GOD as an Episcopal priest, he rebuilt Christ Church. The building was finished in 1884 and Anson put Ellen's casket in a vault under the altar where he preached. (Apparently, this guy was one of the original "Promise Keepers.")
Years later, Dodge married Anna Gould. They had a son. When the boy was three years old, he went outside after a worship service at Christ Church and climbed up into a horse-drawn cart. That startled the horse and it bolted, tragically overturning the cart and killing Dodge's son, Anson III.
Dodge focused his grief and started an orphanage for boys that operated on St. Simons Island until 1956.
Heart problems were difficult to diagnose in the late 1800's so nobody realized Dodge had a bad heart until he suddenly died. He was only 38 years old when his weak heart failed him. His wife Anna honored his wishes and immediately excavated Ellen's casket. She placed the bodies of Anson and Ellen in a crypt and buried them, side-by-side, in the Christ Church cemetery.
Proverbs 12:22 - The Lord hates those who tell lies but is pleased with those who keep their promises.
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