Cape church receives 200-year-old pulpit for bicentennial celebration

In 1809, William Williams organized the first Methodist class west of the Mississippi after moving to Southeast Missouri from Kentucky. The first meeting was held in the location now known as Old McKendree Chapel near Jackson.

Around the same time in a woodshop in England, a carpenter crafted oak slats and boards into a pulpit.

Two hundred years later, Methodists in Southeast Missouri are celebrating the bicentennial of Methodism in the area, and the carpenter's creation will be where the Rev. Jeff Long of Centenary United Methodist Church will deliver his sermon to mark the occasion.

The pulpit, given to Long by the Rev. Robert Souders of Caseyville, Ill., made a long journey before arriving Monday at its new home in Cape Girardeau. It spent well over a century circulating in churches in England before making the trip to the U.S. in 1967. Upon its arrival in Chicago, it spent years in an antique dealer's storage facility. Then it traveled to Colorado, where it was again stored with a collection of antiques.

"I was the pastor at St. Matthew United Methodist Church in Belleville, Ill., for 37 years," Soudesr said. "In 1992, we were building a new sanctuary to celebrate our 25th anniversary. One of our church board members dealt in antiques and met with another dealer in Chicago, who led him to the podium. It was presented to my wife and me for the 25th anniversary."

Jeff Long, left, and Jim Sanderson try to pull pulpit stairs out of a trailer as Jason Kopf and Dave Wiant push from within Monday evening, September 20, 2009, at Centenary UMC in Cape Girardeau. The historic oak pulpit and stairs were brought from Illinois for a celebration of 200 years of Methodism in southeast Missouri. The stairs and the pulpit each weigh several hundred pounds. (Kit Doyle)

Souders preached from the podium until his retirement this year. His replacement didn't want to keep the podium because he is more of a "meanderer" during sermons. Souders said. It was time to find the podium a new home.

Long said he is excited to have the pulpit in time for the bicentennial.

The podium has weathered 200 years well because of the care taken in its original construction and in its travels. After its arrival in the United States, stairs were crafted by the St. Louis Step & Chair Co. to match the podium.

"Once they cleaned it up, it looked as if it were newly constructed," Souders said. "We felt that the podium's history and that of Methodism in Southeast Missouri paralleled so much that giving the podium to Pastor Long was the best way to help them celebrate this wonderful anniversary."

Sunday's service at Centenary United Methodist Church will be at 8:45 a.m., with the podium in its new home. There will also be a special service to celebrate the bicentennial at Old McKendree at 3 p.m., with music from the Eric Scott Quartet starting at 2 p.m.