"I'd heard of 'WWJD?', of course," Hunt said. "Everybody's heard of that. But I had no idea it started here."

That changed soon after she joined Central Congregational United Church of Christ, 1248 S.W. Buchanan.

Hunt found out it was Sheldon who was behind the oft-used phrase, which he coined in his best-selling novel "In His Steps," first published in 1896.

She also learned Sheldon was one of the most famous ministers of his time, known worldwide for championing a social gospel message while serving two stints as pastor of Central Congregational church for about 30 years, from the late 1800s to early 1900s.

At 3 p.m. Sunday, Hunt and other church members will debut a new book featuring a previously unpublished collection of 70 poems written by Sheldon while he served the congregation.

The book, which has 146 pages, is titled "Communion Hymn Poems by Rev. Charles M. Sheldon, 1890-1917."

Hunt said she stumbled upon the poems after joining the church and quickly became fascinated by them.

"In an alcove section in the sanctuary, I noticed the Charles Sheldon section hadn't been touched in months," Hunt said. "So I started to clean it up."

In the process of straightening the collection of Sheldon memorabilia, she ran across a collection of poems the pastor had penned for use during communion services the first Sunday of each month.

The poems, which dated to the early 1890s, were to be sung to the tune of familiar songs in the Pilgrim Hymnal, which the church used.

Some of Sheldon's poems that Hunt found were published as bulletin inserts. Others were hand-written on paper that practically crumbled in her hands, she said.

The writings were placed in acid-free scrapbooks, where they are now preserved.

But Hunt wasn't finished. The poems in the scrapbooks would be seen by only a few people.

So Hunt launched a plan to publish the poems in book form as a fundraiser for the church.

Soon, others in the church joined in the effort.

The poems were transferred to a computer by church secretary Janet Nyfeler.

Mark Ralston, another church member and art teacher, contributed a drawing for the book's cover.

The book, which includes a foreword by Garrett Sheldon, great-grandson of the Rev. Charles Sheldon, has been printed and will be available for purchase at Sunday afternoon's event for $15.

Hunt, an editor at Topeka-based Mother Earth News, said she had a sense of satisfaction in not only preserving some of Sheldon's work but also sharing them with others in the Topeka community.

The poetry book's release coincides with the 120th anniversary of Sheldon's first sermon at the church, which he preached in June 1889.

Sheldon continues to be best known for "In His Steps" and the "WWJD?" phrase, which was popularized on wristbands in the late 1990s.

Because the church publication in which "In His Steps" first appeared wasn't copyrighted, the novel was in the public domain. It has remained in continuous publication for more than 100 years.

In spite of more than 30 million copies being published in dozens of languages, Sheldon and his heirs didn't receive royalties from book sales.

Accumulating wealth, however, never was a priority for Sheldon, who would dress in old clothing and mingle among the downtrodden in Topeka to get a better feel of their plight.

His family recalled how Sheldon would give away his last dime to a stranger in need.

"He wasn't arrogant in any way," Hunt said. "He was very humble."

The Rev. Sherry Triggs, pastor of Central Congregational Church, said she has found out more about Sheldon since coming to the congregation about four years ago.

The new book, she said, is different from any of the others that have been written by — or about — Sheldon to date, she said.

"It's so unique," Triggs said. "Of all the things that Charles Sheldon wrote and that people wrote about him, this is a very unique publication."