CRYSTAL SPRINGS — The Crystal Springs Community Church will celebrate its 85th anniversary this Sunday with special guest singer, Aaron Green.

Sunday School will begin at 9:45 a.m. with the anniversary service beginning at 11 a.m. A meal will be served afterwards. The church is located at 602 Harris Street in Elkins, and the anniversary service is open to the public.

This year, Green, of Aaron Green Ministries, will be joining the service as part of the 85th anniversary festivities.

“(Green) is going to be singing and giving a message,” Larry Ferguson, a lifelong member of the  Crystal Springs Community Church, told The Inter-Mountain. “He’s from southern West Virginia.”

A resident of Peterstown in Monroe County, Green, according to his website, travels most of the East Coast and into the north-central United States, “sharing the good news of Jesus through song and through the Word Of God.”

The Crystal Springs Community Church’s origins can be traced back to the Crystal Springs Sewing Circle, which formed in 1919, a group created to lend helping hands in the community when called upon, with such charities as holding a box supper to help raise $50.88 for a new bell for a local school house, according to historical records.

The Circle’s membership increased through the years, requiring them to meet in the local school house. When the students were sent to city schools, the group purchased the property lot for $30 to serve as the home for future meetings. Circle members agreed to help sponsor the erection of a church on the lot, breaking ground on the project in 1939. This original structure is used today to house Sunday School classes.

The first sunrise service at the church was held on an Easter morning, outdoors by a fire with six people present, according to historical records.

A dedication service took place on April 16, 1940 and included the teachings of Reverend H.L. Koontz, who served in the church for decades, and Reverend Andrew Gardner, as well as performances by the United Brethren Church, the Wheeler’s Orchestra, the Crystal Springs Trio and more.

In 1943, an additional room was built for $450 to compensate for the growing number of children attending Sunday School at the church. The church continued to grow, and on Easter morning in 1954, officials broke ground on an expansion and remodeling project, transforming the building into its current structure.