Marble Furnace Church of the Brethren remembered.

"Shall we gather at the river?" This familiar question was sung by about 100 people gathered on the bank of Brush Creek in Adams County, Ohio, Sunday afternoon July 25. Shaded from the summer sun by an enormous blue and red tent, they had come to remember Marble Furnace Church of the Brethren and to dedicate the granite monument that would continue to mark its location and celebrate its 125 years of service and ministry.

The congregation had been closed by action of the Southern Ohio District Conference in October 2003 after economic change had ravaged the community and aging and death had taken their toll on the congregation. Dean Bailey, lone surviving member of the church, was determined to see that the congregation would be remembered in a respectful and lasting way. He donated artifacts of historical value from the church to the Brethren Heritage Center in Brookville, Ohio. With the remaining funds of the congregation and the income from the sale of articles of value from the church house, he arranged for the demolition of the building. He then ordered a granite monument, bearing a picture and brief history of the church, to be installed on the site as a permanent memorial.

The service of dedication for the monument included good gospel singing, remembrances by former members and friends of the church, and words of inspiration by Mark Flory Steury, district minister of Southern Ohio. It also included the transfer of the deed for the church property to the township trustees who maintain the adjoining cemetery.

The words on the monument invited those present‑‑and future generations‑‑to reflect not only on the past, but on the present and the future as well, for part of the message it bears is, "...The Brethren have a strong fundamental belief in God as taught by the Holy Bible.... It is hoped that as people pay their respects to their departed friends and family members at the adjacent cemetery, perhaps they will stop and reflect on their own salvation and belief in God." Without a sound, that memorial monument answers the question raised by the old hymn with a resounding "Yes." "We'll gather with the saints at the river that flows by the throne of God."

Source: Newsline 7/30/2004
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