Area man visits Old Mariner's Church in Detroit

I had the privilege and the unique opportunity to attend a church service, followed by a guided tour, of the beautiful and very historic Old Mariners' Church in downtown Detroit on Sunday, December 15, 2024, with my friends Devin and Samantha Ellsworth, who I was visiting in Monroe, Michigan, that day. This church was made famous by legendary Canadian singer and song writer Gordon Lightfoot when he mentioned this church in the lyrics of his #1 song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which became his signature song when it was released in 1976, a year after the actual sinking of the Edmund Fitgerald in Lake Superior on that tragic day, November 10, 1975. As the lyrics go and I quote, "In a musty old hall (Lightfoot eventually changed musty to rustic after he visited the church after the tragic event occurred) in Detroit they prayed in the Maritime Sailors Cathedral. The church bells chimed, till they rang twenty-nine times, for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald." As a lover of history with a keen interest in the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald itself and as a fan of this particular song by Gordon Lightfoot, I had always wanted to visit this famed church, which was founded in 1842 as an Anglican, but independent house of worship. Located at 170 E. Jefferson Avenue near the entrance to the Detroit – Windsor Tunnel and in the shadow of the former Renaissance Center (today GM's corporate headquarters), the Old Mariners' Church was moved one block from its original location on Woodward Avenue to its present location on E. Jefferson Avenue in 1955, when it was then renovated and where it has remained ever since. When I first contacted representatives of the church back in late-November telling them that I would like to attend a church service there, that I was a history lover / historian, a fan of Gordon Lightfoot's and wanted to write an article about the church and my forthcoming visit there for the Norwalk Reflector, they called me back and cordially agreed to my request to attend a service on December 15th, followed by a guided tour afterwards. When Samantha, Devin and I first entered the beautiful church that Sunday morning, we were immediately met and greeted by the gracious Lindsay Bateman, who is the Director of the church's Sunday School program and has been involved with this program for the past 30 or so years. After we were led to our beautiful hardwood pews near the front of the church by Ms. Bateman, the three of us couldn't help but be impressed by the church's magnificent interior with its gorgeous stained-glass windows throughout. During the church service itself, I found myself totally mesmerized by the sounds of the choir and the pipe organ that were only magnified by the church's very fine acoustics. Immediately following the church service, Lindsay Bateman took the three of us on a very interesting tour of the church, which included a visit to the mezzanine where the pipe organ is located and which provided terrific views of the sanctuary from above. There were two things that captured my attention right away and which I found to be especially interesting while I was there. The first was the unique mariners cross, which is the official symbol of the Old Mariners Church. It is found in and on just about everything inside and outside of the church. The second was being informed that Gordon Lightfoot himself actually sang and performed his song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald in the church itself and had attended a church service there on another occasion. According to Ms. Bateman, the congregation averages between 20 – 25 people for the 8:30 am service on any given Sunday and approximately 50 or so people for the 11 am service. She indicated that the church is also supported spiritually and financially by a large number of Friends and Supporters throughout the year who may or may not be able to attend church services on any given Sunday depending on where they live. During our tour, I also had the opportunity to speak with the lovely Sue Richardson, who has served as one of the church's ushers for the past 1 ½ years, ever since Reverend Todd Meyer came onboard. According to Sue, the church's hardwood pews and carpeting were all redone in 2023 and the beautiful pipe organ was repaired and given a face lift between 2001 and 2007. Before departing the Old Mariners' Church that afternoon, Devin, Samantha and I were offered a few light refreshments and snacks in the small reception area and were given nice little goodie bags by Lindsay to take home with us before we headed outside to take some pictures of the church's exterior with its famed bell tower, which was added in later years. It was an extremely meaningful, interesting and wonderful experience for me personally and I am certain it was for Samantha and Devin as well. This planned visit to Detroit's Old Mariners' Church proved to be well worth the two-hour drive from Norwalk for me to get there and to do / experience this.