WS Chronicle

Goler Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church just wrapped up its yearlong 75th anniversary with the burial of a time capsule.  The capsule dedication service took place right after this past Sunday’s morning service on March 18. 

The idea of the time capsule came to Linda Riggs, church member and president of archive society, several years ago.  She says they decided to wait until there was a milestone year to put her idea into action.

“The 75th year was perfect because in 25 years, they will be celebrating 100 years, and we thought that would be the ideal time,” said Riggs.  “As we celebrated the 75th anniversary all year long, this was a culmination of bridging the gap between the 75th and 76th anniversaries.”

The church initially wanted to have the burial of the time capsule in December of 2017 but due to inclement weather they rescheduled it until last Sunday. 

There were a myriad of items the church decided to include in the capsule.  Enclosed were various historical papers about the church, including programs, financial records, history of senior pastors and special events, to name a few.

“This represents a labor of love from a lot of church members and the support of our pastor,” said Annette Wilson, co-chairperson of anniversary celebration committee.  “We cannot say enough about Reverend Ruff. Even though he has only been with us for 10 years, he is very supportive of us preserving our history.

“History is so important because you can’t know where you are going if you don’t know where you came from,” she continued.

Wilson and Riggs say it’s very important to them that they “bridge the gap” between the younger generation and the old.  They feel the only way to ensure the younger generation is aware of what came before them is they maintain a sense of history at all costs.

The church buried the capsule in the front of the church facing the street. They will place a marker above it to commemorate the occasion.  Twenty-five years from now the capsule will be dug up on the 100th anniversary of the church.

“This is just another indication that we are doing what God would have us to do because of the fact the sun is shining so bright today,” said Wilson.  “For me to be a part of preserving our history, I am ecstatic and I’m truly blessed.”

“I watched the old church burn down over there in 1942 because I lived only a block away from it, so for us to be here is a blessing,” said Norman Dunlap.  “Right now a lot of people join these mega churches, but it’s good for the young people to be here where the pastor knows them and they get a sense of history.”

The young people were intentionally inserted into the program Sunday afternoon.  The hope is that many of the young men who helped shovel dirt on top of the capsule will be the same ones to uncover it 25 years from now.