For 100 years, the black metal box laid in the cornerstone of Weldon United Methodist Church.

This evening, the box, missing a key, was removed and opened, bearing gifts to current members from the members of the congregation a century ago.

“It’s exciting,” member Beth Collins said as she and other members waited for Ernest Twisdale to carefully remove the bricks of the cornerstone so the box and a 100-year-old letter beside it could be opened. “It means a lot to me. We have a lot of good memories and we want to keep it going for the next 100 years. That’s why we’re going to put items in it for the next 100 years.”

Beverly Twisdale, left, watches as the Reverend Sue Owens looks at a

Bible contained in the capsule.

Beverly Twisdale also watched with anticipation. “It’s very touching.”

Beverly Twisdale was on the committee that compiled the history of the church, which this Sunday will celebrate its hundredth anniversary at its current location on Washington Avenue.

Through her committee work she learned the first church was built on the Roanoke Canal in 1854. The second location was on Third Street until the members realized they needed a larger church.

The Reverend Sue Owens said today was a special day as she and members got to look at the contents of the box, some of which were known through church records.

As Ernest Twisdale pried the box open, members were treated to the various items members placed inside it, including a small tray with the photo of the Reverend S.E. Mercer on it.

A box with a dime glued to it contained a small Bible. There were postcards of the church, its members and committees. There was a copy of the Raleigh Christian Advocate and a copy of the Roanoke News, which was published in Weldon.

Owens was pleased. “The way it’s been preserved over 100 years in that box. The people had a vision of what a facility like this should be in 1910. They were committed, dedicated people. To God be the glory, all of it.”

The box and some of its contents.

The items will be displayed Sunday for the anniversary celebration and then will be permanently displayed.

Owens already knows two of the items that will be placed back in the cornerstone for the next members to open 100 years from now. “One of the things we had made was a DVD of the church’s history and a special program.”