This Bible Stand was made by Harry Welch of Linton, Indiana, and presented to the First Prairie Creek Baptist Church by Mr. and Mrs. Harry Welch on September 21, 1952, at the morning worship service. It carries the idea that we are to take up our cross and follow Him.

The whole top is made with the idea of a scroll of white maple with the ends of the knobs of persimmons. The legs are old black walnut. The sides are carved from imagination from the donor in white oak, with the scripture St. Luke 17:20-21 (when to expect the Kingdom of God in us) and St. John 17:5 shows us that Jesus is going home.

The front which bears the words, "God is Love," has more than 40 pieces of wood in it. The background is white holly, the face of the letters are rosewood from India, and the block the letters rest on is black walnut and the rest is Keo wood of Africa. The back has a background of avadhurs (ava-do-ray) from Africa. The star is from African mahogany with white maple and is the representative of the coming of Christ. The block the cross rests on is black walnut and Koa sides and ends. The cross represents His suffering and Resurrection. The cross is down and challenges us to take it up. The face of the cross is purple eneroth wood, sometimes known as deep purple wood from Africa. The floating scroll with the words "Follow Me" is made from white holly with lacewood from Australia. This is His message to us, "Christ was sent into the world, suffered and died on the Cross and it is up to us to take up His (our) Cross and follow Him."

This stand contains around 200 pieces of wood of eleven different species from four countries, namely, black walnut, holly (white), white maple, persimmons, and white oak from the United States, Rosewood from India, Lacewood from Austalia, Koe Wood, Avadhurs (ava-do-ray), Mahogany, and Purple Eneroth (known as deep purple) from Africa.

MAY WE EVER CHERISH HIS MEMORY, WHAT HE BELIEVED, AND HIS LOVE FOR OUR CHURCH AND KEEP THIS BIBLE STAND DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS IN HIS MEMORY.

Tribute to Harry Welch
By Norah M. Johnson, 1966