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Man's 1948 creation followed divine plan
By SCOTT TAYLOR HARTZELL © St. Petersburg Times, published May 9, 2001 ST. PETERSBURG -- On Easter Sunday 1948 near Lake Maggiore, worshipers beheld a replica of God's first supposed home on earth. Moses Tabernacle in the Wilderness and its 23 figures filled the Lake Vista Chimes Sanctuary, 2701 13th St. S. Before the unveiling, the Rev. H.G. Baldwin said, "Everything in the sanctuary has a meaning." About 3,500 years ago before, the Bible says, God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle, saying, "Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst." Stirred by the account, Baldwin began five years of labor in 1943 to create the shrine that would become an inspirational mecca for 22 years. "Constructed in the material form to be observed in the spiritual form, it created a spirit of awe," said Lon Cooper, who helped record Baldwin's lectures. Baldwin's shrine stands today at the Mennonite Information Center in Lancaster, Pa. "About 35,000 see it yearly," said Wes Newswanger, 62, the center's director. Baldwin ministered in Ohio and West Virginia before coming to St. Petersburg in 1925, six years after his wife's death. Baldwin, then 40, was a pastor and established the successful Baldwin Awning Company. He bought property in the 1930s near Lake Maggiore. From rock extracted from the lake, Baldwin built a home where he held Baptist services. The sanctuary on his property is partially constructed of Maggiore stone, and Baldwin followed Biblical instructions to build the shrine. On March 28, 1948 at 2:30 p.m., guests entered the sanctuary and beheld the tabernacle's door, five golden pillars draped with blue and scarlet curtains. Beyond the pillars, the Table of Shrewbread and its 12 loaves of unleavened bread embodied Israel's 12 tribes. Seven golden candlesticks more than 5 feet high represented God's seven churches. "A profuse use of metals and fabrics, jewels and colors" highlighted the shrine, the Evening Independent wrote. From the rear, burning incense rose to God's Throne from the Golden Altar. The veil behind the altar led to the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. The Ark held replicas of the Ten Commandments and the finger God used to write them. Baldwin, about 5 feet 5, donned a 20-pound robe and stood among life-size statues of priests while explaining the tabernacle's meaning. "He wanted to make it as real as possible," said Cooper, who helped record Baldwin's lectures. Chimes heard 2 miles away beckoned worshipers at 3 p.m. every Sunday. From Christmas to Easter, people gathered there daily, and church services were held in the basement. Baldwin never charged admission during his lectures. Donations were accepted. "It was like a tourist attraction," said Jettie Ruth Bryant, 62, seated inside Baldwin's sanctuary, now the New Beginnings Community Church. After Baldwin's death in 1955, his three daughters carried on his work for more than two years but sold the property in 1959 to the First Mennonite Church of St. Petersburg for $43,000. The church's pastor, the Rev. Ray Himes, continued the lectures. From 1962 to 1967, yearly attendance ranged from 5,000 to 5,900. Contributions reached $3,183.50 one year, wrote the Rev. Paul Zehr, who lectured on the shrine from 1965 to 1970. By 1970, the lectures and regular services had overburdened the church. That fall, the shrine was sold for $2,000 to the Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions, moved to Lancaster, and stored for four years. The shrine reopened for viewing at the Mennonite Information Center in May 1975.
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