LifeStone’s New Lobby

LifeStone Ministries wants to take you on a journey; a journey that started more than 120 years ago.

On January 5, 1895, in Annandale, New Jersey, the Reverend Mr. Musselman and seven women from his church began a home missionary ministry that is now known as the Gospel Worker Society. “Gospel Workers” was the name by which the women missionaries had come to be known. The purpose of this ministry was twofold: to reach people who were not reached by the churches in their communities and to encourage people to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior from sin. They fulfilled their ministry through missionary meetings, daily colportage work (distributing religious tracts and literature), tent meetings, and saloon work. Missions were set up in gospel-neglected towns, and their number increased as the ministry grew.

In 1907 the Herald Publishing House and the Gospel Worker Society moved from Pennsylvania to new headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. The organization needed to be more centrally located and also needed much more room. For a few years, the fifteen-building complex on the corner of West Seventh Street and Jefferson Avenue was sufficient. In 1922, after much expansion and several name changes, what had begun as the Herald Publishing House came to be known as Union Gospel Press.

The Union Gospel Press publishing house was more than a printing facility, it was a home. The building became the headquarters where the Gospel Workers lived, ate, fellowshipped and worshipped the Lord. The Reverend Mr. Musselman conducted chapel services for the missionaries of the Gospel Worker Society. His words of encouragement, explanation of the Scriptures, and practical illustrations were helpful to the Gospel Workers. They were zealous in their faithfulness to the mission and to the publishing ministry. He often reminded them to remain loyal to the Lord and to His work. In an effort to try to bring this history to life, LifeStone Ministries has been creating a small museum in our lobby that offers a glimpse into the early years of our ministry. We wanted our visitors to be immersed in the life of a Gospel Worker in the 1920’s to 1930’s.

When you first enter the LifeStone Office, the main wall in front of you is a three-dimensional reproduction of the Union Gospel Press headquarters. The gate is made with three layers to give an actual dimension to the front gate which closely resembles the original entrance. The windows were designed to be actual windows so you can look in and see some Gospel Workers hard at work editing and printing our materials.

On the adjacent wall, we created a “day-in-the-life” of a Gospel Worker. You will see a custom-made dress that was made to the exact specifications of a Gospel Worker dress. Next to the dress, we have displayed the day-to-day items that the Gospel Workers would have used in their normal daily functions, including a Bible from 1885.

Besides the daily items, on the opposite wall we have displayed historical items that include: early printer parts, tools, books and personal effects of our workers. You will notice that we also decorated the lobby with period furniture, phone and even a fire extinguisher! We hope you will come out and see our fun lobby and learn a few things about our rich ministerial history.