Notice the stream of water on the right side of the picture. Also one of the old folding chairs with the wooden seats and metal frame. How many of you have seen this part of the church? If you haven’t, you have really missed an experience.

The thought of a Sunday School class in the basement of our chapel is probably not very appealing to the present young people of CCPC, but several decades of our youth seemingly enjoyed the atmosphere of the River Jordan room.

About 1950 when space was becoming an issue, the Sunday School leaders requested the trustees to let them dig out more of the basement for additional space for a classroom. This was agreed upon and more space became a reality.

Dorothy Roloson Radeugge Rector remembers meeting down in the chapel of the basement in the early 50’s. Jim Chambers spent Sunday School time down in the River Jordan room in the 60’s. Jeff Gale remembers actually being involved in painting the room orange, when they were going to meet in that room in the mid- 70’s. Why did they call it the River Jordan room?

It seems as if there was always a trickle of water flowing through the middle of the floor. Sometimes when it had rained considerably, it would become a steady stream of water, thus the River Jordan room.Benches, stadium style were built along one side of the room as seats. Even a bulletin board was hung on a stud. Dottie Rector remembers Harold Schneider as her teacher when she met in the River Jordan room. Jim and Jeff couldn’t remember who their teacher was. Could it have been Mary Ayres? Mary will always be remembered as one of the most faithful and loving teachers here at CCPC. She dearly loved all her students for the many years she taught. Just ask those individuals who were children here during the decades of the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and they will tell you Mrs. Ayres was their teacher!

I have an interesting memory of my first time that I ventured down in the basement of the chapel. Now, I don’t like basements and never did, yet I wanted to see the River Jordan for myself. One day I got brave, and I turned the light on and ventured down the steps. As I got almost to the bottom of the steps, I glanced over to my right. There, looking up at me, were the chestnut colored, doleful eyes of a brown cow. The cow, in a sitting position, was life size. I will never forget my original shock. Of course, I quickly realized the cow wasn’t real, but it was a startling moment before my mind made the connection that the cow wasn’t actually looking at me. Several other figures from the crèche, that used to be displayed during the Christmas season, on the front lawn, spent the rest of the year in our chapel basement. Don’t go down looking for the cow, or any of the others. They’re no longer there or being used.

One other story that proved kind of funny. Our former custodian, John, had an interesting experience in the basement of the chapel. Late one evening, before locks had been put on the chapel doors, John was checking the building before he left to go home. Now, it was winter and the weather had been very cold. We had even talked about what if someone who was homeless, would find a nice warm place to stay, near the furnace in the basement. Suddenly, John heard a noise coming from the basement. Feeling a need to check it out, John decided to go and look. Turning the lights on, he descended the stairs where he noticed there was a moving shadow on the far wall. He went back up the stairs with the idea of finding some kind of weapon to use as he approached “the shadow”. He found a medal pipe in the custodians’ workroom and returned to the chapel to confront the “motion maker.” As he once again descended the steps he called out to the motion, “Come out and show yourself.” With the pipe raised, he was ready to use it if necessary. Although he could still see the moving shadow, no one appeared. As he went closer he realized it wasn’t any person, it was simply an oscillating fan, that had been set up to circulate the air and help dry out some of the dampness in the basement.

Oscillating fans in the basement, bats in the attic and belfry, and chimney sweep birds making their home in the chimney – our chapel can be a scary place if you use your imagination.