DETROIT LAKES — True Life Assembly of God unveiled the contents of a time capsule hidden away in 1948, and again in 1956, during a special ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 15.
Over the course of the evening, Lead Pastor Trevor Janich revealed the contents of the time capsule between speeches, prayer, food and live music with songs from the era.
The contents of the capsule were placed in four display cases on the church’s stage and draped in black cloth. One by one the cases were revealed, telling the history of the church back to when it began in 1918 when it was known as Detroit Lakes Assembly of God.
Inside the first display were periodicals from 1947 and 1948. Janich noted that periodicals were essential for spreading information prior to the internet era.
“Email, texting and even dialing phones didn’t exist in 1948 … But periodicals like the Pentecostal Evangel, those were the ways that General Council of the Assemblies of God shared their thoughts,” Janich said speaking to the crowd.
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The periodicals were also essential for spreading information about upcoming events and youth activities.
Inside the second box was a newspaper clipping detailing the destruction of Detroit Lakes Assemblies of God’s church in a devastating 1956 furnace explosion. In 1956, following the explosion, the time capsule was removed and additional materials were added, including the article, a photograph and a Bible.
“I’ve had the privilege of leading through a couple of building campaigns and what’s pretty common to do in churches is put a Bible in the corner of a foundation before you pour the concrete and you pray over the property … You know we live in a fallen world and even in a fallen world there are bad things that happen, even to churches and in 1956 the Detroit Lakes Assemblies of God church had a tragedy,” Janich said.
In 1958, a new building was constructed on the same site and the cornerstone was placed with the time capsule hidden away behind it.
Eventually, the congregation would move and the Becker County Museum would occupy their old building.
“If it hadn’t been for the fire I don’t know that we would be here tonight celebrating this thing. So it’s through trials and challenges we can find joy. May we find joy whenever we find trials of any kind,” Janich said.
Members of the church who were alive at the time of the fire spoke in video interviews about the event, recounting their experiences with the church and what it was like to rebuild after the devastating event.
Amid the present-day demolition of the old church building, Janich and other church members searched for the time capsule, eventually discovering it this last summer.
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The third box contained information about mission trips. Janich highlighted the success of the church’s mission trips.
“We are one of the largest, if not the largest sending organizations of missionaries around the world,” he said.
The final box contained a handwritten letter, which was transcribed for easier reading.
“This is what I find as the jewel of the whole time capsule. To me, it is one of the more precious items in there, as they are all precious, but it’s a handwritten letter of sorts …” Janich said.
Janich read the contents of the letter to the crowd. The letter discusses the history of the church up to 1948. It contains names of prominent members, along with important events, meetings and attendance numbers.
“These are the items that were in the time capsule and we’re going to have them on display here in the church for who-knows-how-long, I’m in no hurry to take it down because I love the history of our church,” Janich said.
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