Hidden piece of Sterling church’s history now sees light of day

STERLING – A piece of history for the First United Methodist Church in Sterling is one step closer to being seen after decades in seclusion.

A stone marker for the Broadway Methodist Church in Sterling was placed on the building when it was built in 1856. In 1902, fire damaged the spire and the mrker went into storage as repairs were made to the building.

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The original stone plaque for the church was put into storage in the bell tower many years ago. Needing the help of some young men, the stone was finally retrieved from the cramped space. (Alex T. Paschal)

Longtime janitor Ken Heerdt has had plans to move the stone and get it back on display for 20 years.

“We thought about hiring a crane to take it out through this window, but then we figured we’d have to get up there and seal it from the outside,” he said.

Church leaders opted to hire a local moving company, Eric’s Moving Services, to do the literal heavy lifting. The squad of strapping young men hauled the precious relic down to street level in no time.

The church, founded in part by Sterling founder Hezakiah Brink in 1838, turns 186 years old this year, and soon will have a special piece of history on display out front of its Broadway address.