My great-grandfather, William Henry Dickinson, was from a family that was not particularly religious. Somewhere along his travels, however, early in his life, someone shared the gospel with him and his life was forever changed.
The group photo, below, shows William at the cornerstone laying ceremony of DeGroot Methodist Church in Newark, New Jersey, in 1911. DeGroot Methodist Church was built in 1879 on land given by Mrs. Ann DeGroot. A second church was built in 1911. In the photo, the cornerstone is being laid and William Henry Dickinson was present. He was about 12 years old. According to the note, it was around this time William accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. From high-school he attended Bethel Bible Institute in Newark and succeeded in becoming a Reverend for the Assemblies of God churches. He helped build and also pastored several churches in New York and New Jersey over the course of his life, relocating his family each time. He was not interested in establishing his treasures or real estate on earth. His sights were set on a greater destination and he was dedicated to spreading the gospel so others would know their Creator and Saviour. He, his wife, and children, all served the Lord faithfully their entire lives and many of his descendants are still firmly rooted in the faith.
*Photo from collection of William's son, James I. Dickinson.
Today, the building is 104 years old and the cornerstone is still in place, shown in the Google Maps image below.
Update 2/4/2022:
The following record was found in the United Methodist Church Records for DeGroot Methodist Church:
Source: Ancestry.com. New Jersey, U.S., United Methodist Church Records, 1800-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Original data: Church Records. Greater New Jersey United Methodist Church Commission on Archives and History, Madison, New Jersey.
For more about Rev. William H. Dickinson and his family, see the Dickinson page.