The Areopagus St. Paul Preaching at the Areopagus by Raphael The Pulpit Stone at LoveJoy United
From Rev. George Humbert
One of the “hidden history” treasures of the former College Avenue Presbyterian Church is a marble stone piece that was imbedded in the pulpit of the church. Some have wondered: how did it get there, who put it there and when was it put there? The story is briefly told on page 30 of “The History of COLLEGE AVENUE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH” 1837-1987 written by Elder Marie Behymer and with the help of many church members.
The corner stone of CAPC had been laid on November 7, 1926 on the 89th anniversary of the death of College Avenue’s first minister, Elijah Parish Lovejoy. The Mayor of Alton, George D. Davis gave a piece of marble from Mar’s Hill (The Areopagus) to be built into the new building (currently standing now). The location of this piece of marble was left up to the architect who imbedded it in the pulpit.
The following is a direct quote from the above mentioned book which quotes from Rev. John N. Morrison, College Avenue’s pastor at the time of dedication of the new building on November 27, 1927: “The Silent voice of symbols is no less an addition to the mood of worship. Imbedded in the pulpit of this church is a small stone taken direct from Mar’s Hill (The Areopagus) where the Apostle Paul delivered that famous sermon recorded in Acts 17. This stone, made holy by the touch of the sainted apostle’s weary feet, is a precious treasure which speaks from the remote past to the masses of the present. May we reverence its sacred presence in this sacred place. For we erect not an altar to “an unknown God” but to the God in whom “we live, and move, and have our being.”