First Church of the Resurrection is an historic church at 901 Tuscarawas Street East,

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes an ...

, which is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The church was dedicated, and its

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

completed, in 1862.

History

In 1810, the Union (Reformed and Lutheran) Church was built. Two years later, its

Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

began. In 1843 a choir was formed, and in 1862 the present church was built. In 1866 or 1871, English-language services began. The church's

ladies' aid society Ladies' aid societies or soldiers' aid societies were organizations of women formed during the American Civil War that were dedicated to providing supplies to soldiers on the battlefield and caring for sick and wounded soldiers. Over the course of ...

was founded in 1979. In 1897, it incorporated as the First German Reformed Church. The following year, a Sunday-school addition was built and the church was remodeled. In 1903, its Women's Missionary Society was founded. Three years later, the Andrew Carnegie Fund paid half the cost of a new organ. In 1916 the church was again remodeled, and in 1926 and 1927 a parish house, educational center and social hall were added. The parish house was destroyed by fire in 1937. Three years later, the church's name was changed to the First Evangelical and Reformed Church. In 1941, a new parish house was built on the old site. Its name was again changed to the First United Church of Christ in a denominational merger with the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximately 4 ...

in 1959. In 1966, a new

Fratelli Ruffatti Famiglia Artigiana Fratelli Ruffatti (''Ruffatti Brothers, Family of Artisans'') is a manufacturer of pipe organs based in Padua, Italy. History In 1940, Antonio Ruffatti and his two brothers founded the firm of Famiglia Artigiana Fratelli Ruffa ...

organ was installed, and four years later a Bach musical festival was presented. The 901 Food Pantry began distributing food to the local community in 1978. The following year, the Karl Koepke Memorial Chapel was dedicated. In 1982 the church was listed on the National Register for Historical Places, an outdoor lighted sign was built and the west parking lot opened. A new six-ton, 1,600-pipe

Kegg KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) is a collection of databases dealing with genomes, biological pathways, diseases, drugs, and chemical substances. KEGG is utilized for bioinformatics research and education, including data analysis i ...

organ was installed in 1993. From 2002 to 2005, a new office wing, classroom and meeting area were built. In 2005, the church severed its ties with the United Church of Christ and became the independent First Church of the Resurrection. The Shepherd's Garden was dedicated in 2007, and traditional and contemporary worship services began. Handel's ''Messiah'' was performed in 2008, and the church celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2010. All services are now conducted in English, rather than German. File:First Reformed and First Lutheran Churches.jpg, alt=Two churches side by side, First Church of the Resurrection ''(left)'' and First Lutheran Church, both on the National Register of Historic Places File:First Reformed Church in 1890.jpg, alt=Black-and-white photo of the church, with two spires, The church in 1890, with the new parsonage File:Interior of the First Reformed Church in 1917.jpg, alt=Pews, chairs and a large pipe organ, Church interior in 1917 File:First Church of the Resurrection Sanctuary in 2010 A.jpg, alt=Pews, stained-glass windows and a choir loft, Church interior in 2010 File:First Church of the Resurrection Sanctuary in 2010 B.jpg, alt=Wide-angle photo from the choir loft, Another 2010 view of the interior

References

External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places Churches completed in 1862 Churches in Canton, Ohio Churches in Stark County, Ohio Evangelical churches in Ohio National Register of Historic Places in Stark County, Ohio Tourist attractions in Canton, Ohio