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Cover Story Faithfully preserving X/1111111l nat ' ons spiritual fl ■ ■ B ■ B ■ w - ■., . iSgg^A by JNI ART I ATTOHN ; < orilrihtrt'm<> Editor .... & . ,' •.. , M ■ "■' Volunteers lovingly maintain the North Trinity Lutheran Church (above) in North Dakota and are working to save the First Methodist Episcopal Church (below) in Pokagon, Mich., where the popular hymn "The Old Rugged Cross” was first publicly performed in 1913. "t-vs - /■ ■■l:' . a P&- . ■ «yk^,- ,i ?Wj. ■:xfo&*fsljgn Wtb* ( ObF flk -.' «> 'dt >' .*fs^L j ■ “ .£. •' | ‘3(3SS& V A ** BL / 4l £§§? XAh 'TP^^SUSBi^gjsEß^^ I pi MjBHHMEI wwi wf l ». *9 r ’ I I II % ? v, «;•,': 1-;v 1 11 1 9 mn^B Courtesy of The OidfiUgged Cross Fvunddtion, Inc. Tugging the rope on the bell at North Trinity Lucheran Church in Walsh County, N.D., Kenneth Johnson lis tens reverently as the soul-satisfying tone drifts across the vast prairie. "Since 1 was a teenager, I’ve been ringing the bell," says Johnson, 82. “A lot of memories are attached to this church." Johnson's memories of faith and family are as tightly woven as the fibers of the bell’s old rope. His grandfather was an early member of the church—commonly known as the Swede Church—built by Swedish immigrants in 1893, and he fondly recalls his grandmother and mother cleaning the church windows with vinegar-water each spring and stitch ing quilts for the church's annual summer auction. Although regular Sunday services ended in 1953, Johnson and a half dozen other volunteers have maintained the white clapboard building for more than half a century. “There’s no worse eyesore than a church falling down,” he says. Across the nation, historic preservationists and faithful volunteers are rallying to save Americas aging houses of worship. Some churches are being revived for annual get-togethers and religious services, while others are getting a second life as community centers, concert halls, homes and museums. Page 16 •www.americanprofile.