A new bronze plaque has recently been installed at Heritage Hall Museum, the original Lakeside Methodist Church, founded in 1875.
Due to the efforts of the Rev. Dr. Norman E. Dewire, former Director of Religious Life at Lakeside, and Dakota Harkins, former Director of Education at Lakeside and the Heritage Society, Lakeside Chautauqua initiated the process to be designated as a United Methodist Heritage Landmark.
The General Commission on Archives and History petitioned the United Methodist General Conference in 2020 to designate five historic sites as official Heritage Landmarks. This petition passed on April 30, 2024, making Lakeside one of only 54 places in the United States with this distinction.
Lakeside Chautauqua owes a debt of gratitude to Dewire and Harkins for initiating this project and to Peter Stephens for his efforts to complete the project following the long delay due to the COVID pandemic.
The plaque was formally presented to Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, Resident Bishop of the Ohio Area of the United Methodist Church, by the Rev. Dr. Charles Yoost, Lakeside’s Religious Life Outreach Coordinator, at the Community Worship Service in Hoover Auditorium on May 25.
Bishop Jung responded: “I am pleased and honored to receive this designation and this plaque in recognition of Lakeside’s heritage as a United Methodist Landmark, its current witness, and its future vision for the spiritual enrichment of all of God’s children.”
Then the congregation offered this unison prayer: “Almighty God, as our ancestors in the faith gathered on the shore of Lake Erie to dedicate these grounds to the making and nurturing of disciples of Jesus Christ, so we honor their efforts this day. We give you thanks for their witness and their love for you. As we re-dedicate this sacred place and these hallowed grounds to your honor and glory, we re-commit our lives to the message of God’s love as demonstrated in the life, death and resurrection of our Savior. Continue to bless all those who participate in the work of this thin place, where heaven and earth come near, and we sense your presence and power among us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”
