[Photograph 2012.201.OVZ001.10064]

Photograph used for a story in the Oklahoma City Times newspaper. Caption: "Some two thousand nights ago Grace Rescue Mission opened irts doors to the down-and-outers who call the nation's skid-rows home. To celebrate those 2,000 nights of providing spiritual assistance and lodging to wanderers from all over the World, special services were recently held at the crowded mission....And in the pulpit for the milestone sermon was the person who established the mission. Rev. W. E. Cook, veteran Naptist minister and for the last 18 years at the Downtown Baptist church delivered the sermon..."For over four years now we've been in compeltition with the booze-halls of Oklahoma City. We can't say we've closed any down - but we've gotten a few of their customers," said Mr. Cook. Forty men a night find a warm handshake and a spiritual lesson (photo tag: When the nightly gatherings at Grace Rescue mission sing out with "The Old Rugged Cross," not even the nearby noisy beer taverns can compete. Rev. Cook is at the pulpit.)