USA > Illinois > Brethren in northern Illinois and Wisconsin > Part 7
USA > Wisconsin > Brethren in northern Illinois and Wisconsin > Part 7
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30.00
Samuel Berger
10.00
John M. Miller
25.00
Samuel Shafer
10.00
Adam Shaw, work
25.00
John Stover
5.00
Daniel Long, work
25.00
Samuel Stover
5.00
Elizabeth Newcomer
20.00
Abram Toms
5.00
Andrew Hitt
20.00
Solomon Nalley
5.00
John Hitt
20.00
Samuel Click
5.00
Robert Hitt
20.00
John Barnhizer
5.85
Total
$902.85
Cost of meetinghouse
$900.00
Cost for lumber for fence and gate
24.00
Cost of stove and pipe
37.00
Lamps
6.00
The meetinghouse was finished and the first service was held in it in the fall of 1860. Enoch Eby of Waddams Grove was in- vited to speak first in the services. He began his discourse and after a few minutes of rather blundering remarks, said, "I can- not preach," and, stepping from behind the table he sat down. Others continued the services. Afterwards, when asked to ex- plain the incident, he replied, "If I had felt as humble when I entered the pulpit that day as I did when I sat down, I could have done better."
It was in this neighborhood that the first three love feasts in Ogle County were held in the barn of John Price, Sr., while the members were yet a part of West Branch. After 1910 for a num- ber of years no services were held in it. But in recent years it was used regularly for Sunday school under the supervision of the American Sunday School Union. Though its doors are now closed large numbers can testify to the spiritual and uplifting power that spread from the Salem meetinghouse in years gone by.
Shannon (1875)
For the beginning of the Shannon congregation we go back to 1851 when Isaac Lutz and family, new arrivals from Pennsyl- vania, settled at Shannon on land they had purchased without seeing. The country, however, was not wholly new to them for Mrs. Lutz had three sisters living near Lena. These sisters were: Sarah, wife of Isaac Myers; Lydia, wife of A. H. Lutz, who
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was a cousin of Isaac Lutz; and Nancy, wife of Enoch X. Myers. Five miles west of Shannon was the Cherry Grove group of members. Thus the new settlers were not left to themselves. In the late sixties Dr. S. H. Sprogle came to Shannon and in 1869 bought land adjoining the village. Others settling in the neigh- borhood were Levi Shirk and Frances McNutt in 1870 and Sam- uel Lahman in 1871. These families became the nucleus for the future Shannon congregation.
In 1870 Henry Martin of Cherry Grove began holding monthly meetings at schoolhouse No. 9. By May 1874 the mem- bership adjoining and east of Shannon, having increased in numbers, asked the Cherry Grove congregation for the privilege of calling a meeting to see what could be done towards building a meetinghouse. The request was granted and the meeting was held in the schoolhouse. Such was the zeal for a meetinghouse that $1,850 was subscribed for that purpose. All this was re- ported at the council meeting on June 1. Cherry Grove was favorably impressed, decided to erect a new meetinghouse and appointed a building committee consisting of Elias Forney, Sam- uel Lahman and S. H. Sprogle. Soon after this Sprogle re- signed and Isaac Lutz was appointed in his stead.
Without delay the committee got busy; the house was erected, John Leonard being the builder. That very fall Enoch Eby de- livered the first sermon in it. Struck by the substantial material and workmanship of the building he said in his discourse, "This house is so well built you could safely fill it with wheat." The men who razed it sixty years later said that Bro. Eby had not exaggerated in the least. It seems that this first sermon was not a dedicatory sermon, for a later record of the church min- utes states that David Rittenhouse dedicated the house on De- cember 17, 1875. This may have been due to the fact that the congregation was cut off from Cherry Grove and fully organized on November 16, 1875.
The new house and the new organization were not without their problems. There was considerable dissatisfaction because the building committee had gone into debt, and because the congregation was divided as to the location of the ministers' stand. Some insisted that the old method of seating should be followed. Others insisted that the pulpit be placed at the end of the auditorium, not at the side, and that the seats be placed
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crosswise. Today we would not quibble about such a problem but to many of that time it was a serious "departure from the old paths" to abandon the long table and long bench for the preachers, and do away with the two entrances, one for the men and one for the women. The opposition sensed in these changes a trend towards following other denominations, and a day when the sexes would be sitting together and perhaps only one preacher in the pulpit.
When they first met to consider building they subscribed one thousand eight hundred fifty dollars. As usual, costs ran higher than they had at first figured. Although the building committee had less than two thousand dollars on hand they built on and obligated the congregation for three thousand five hundred dollars. Then as now money talked-and so did those who insisted that the committee had no right to contract such a debt. The matter came to a head at a council meeting at Cherry Grove on April 10, 1875. Fortunately Daniel Fry, who was al- ways for conciliation, was present. He advised them to submit their differences to a committee. His advice was accepted, and a committee was appointed. The committee, composed of D. E. Price, Enoch Eby, Jacob Hauger, David Rittenhouse and Samuel Haldeman, chosen from five congregations, met April 20 but discovered that the financial matter had been settled by Cherry Grove at the council of April 10 when she authorized the trus- tees to sign a promissory note to the building committee for the deficit. The committee was able to suggest ways of settling other matters acceptable to all concerned.
All differences having been satisfactorily adjusted, on No- vember 13, 1875, Cherry Grove, in council assembled, voted on a separate organization. The vote stood at one hundred three for a separate organization, thirty against and seven neutral. The organization having been agreed upon, the division of the debt was next considered. By mutual agreement Cherry Grove assumed eight hundred sixty-seven dollars and Shannon three' hundred ninety dollars and seventy-seven cents. Evidently the sums were prorated according to the membership. Three days later, November 16, the Shannon group met and effected an or- ganization. Elders present were Daniel Fry, Martin Myers, Michael Bollinger, D. E. Price and Henry Martin. Officers elected were: foreman, Lemuel Hillery, minister in the second
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degree; deacons, S. H. Sprogle and R. F. McCune; treasurer, Samuel Lahman. The following August Hillery resigned as foreman, suggesting that an elder be chosen. D. E. Price, who was present, was chosen and took charge.
When the Annual Meeting of 1879 adjourned there was no call for the meeting of 1880. Shannon sensed the situation, and in council on July 1, D. E. Price presiding, favored calling for Annual Meeting, and having the District Mission Board call a special district meeting to make the necessary arrange- ments. The district meeting issued the call and asked the churches to underwrite it to the extent of $2,000. Shannon showed her interest by borrowing $100 for this purpose on De- cember 26.
Two Shannon ministers should be especially mentioned: Lemuel Hillery, known for his ability to meet a situation, and David Rowland, known for his long service in the free ministry at Shannon. Hillery was a student of the Bible, had a strong voice and was positive in his statements. He frequently asked his congregation for a text, as he always spoke extemporane- ously. Once a local minister of another denomination, when Hillery asked for a text, suggested, "And Balaam saddled his ass." That text would have floored most ministers, but not Hil- lery, who accepted it and immediately announced his outline, making a personal application: "1. You are Balaam. 2. Your salary is the saddle. 3. Your congregation is the ass." Then he delivered a scathing invective against the salaried ministry. While one must admire his skill one need not approve his mis- application of the text. David Rowland was called to the min- istry in the Shannon congregation in 1881, was ordained in 1891 and from that time was the main preacher for Shannon until he went to California in 1922. He was a good farmer and a successful business man and gave his time freely to the ministry.
Shannon served its day well, though never a large congre- gation. When organized there were sixty-seven charter mem- bers. In 1882 the membership was eighty-two, the largest in its history. Services were discontinued in 1932 and on June 21, 1936, the congregation decided to disorganize, to deed the lot to the cemetery association, the members to dispose of the fur- nishings as they saw fit and to give whatever was left, including the meetinghouse, to the Board of Administration of Northern
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Illinois and Wisconsin, on condition that the house be wrecked on the ground. On July 22, 1936, the last meeting of the re- maining members was held in the home of Frank Heisler, at which time W. E. West, elder, and William McNutt, clerk, were authorized to issue letters to all the members, twenty in number.
That fall under the direction of the Men's Work of the dis- trict the house was wrecked, the lumber graded and sold at pub- lic auction, netting $761.02 after deducting an expense of $52.38. Of this amount the Board of Administration appropriated $600 to liquidate in full a debt of $1,074 on the Stanley, Wisconsin, church property. Thus did Shannon serve the church even when it ceased to be an organization. Had the property been sold on the wall, it would have netted only $250, according to the best offer made. Those who managed the winding up of affairs at Shannon and the Men's Work deserve the thanks of the entire district for the wise way in which all was done.
Lanark (1878)
In 1876 some members were in business in Lanark; others had settled in town after retiring from the farm. During the summer J. H. Moore, M. M. Eshelman and J. T. Myers began publishing the Brethren At Work, the first issue being dated September 14. This new enterprise brought other members within the town limits. The growing membership in Lanark raised the question of a meetinghouse as many thought the Cherry Grove house too far away for their regular services. In 1876 they voted favorably towards erecting a meetinghouse; the project to be financed largely by Cherry Grove members re- siding in Lanark. With a new house in which to worship and with the ministers and membership brought in because of the Brethren At Work the group grew. There was rejoicing when the day of dedication of the new meetinghouse was announced, though little preparation was made for a dedicatory sermon and a formal dedication. Let J. H. Moore tell that story, as he played an important part in the act:
When the day of dedication for the new structure came, Nov. 26, the room was crowded to the walls. The mayor of the town was there. One of the members of the State legislature, who lived near, was present. Representatives from all the adjoining churches helped to make up the
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audience. The preachers filled a long, well-constructed seat behind the stand at one end of the room. The building was without a platform for the preacher. The devotional exercises were impressive and the singing inspiring. After prayer Brother Henry Martin, the elder in charge, turned to me, and in a voice that could be heard all over the room said: "Brother Moore, it is expected that you should preach today." That was the first intimation that I had concerning the delivery of the dedication sermon. Thinking that it might possibly turn out about that way I had prepared for the occasion. In those days of simplicity it was no unusual thing for a minister to be called on for a sermon without any previous notice. Say what you will about the lack of what we now call system in the pulpit arrangements, those were glorious days and the believers got a whole lot of good out of the services.
Those who know Bro. Moore have not the least doubt that the sermon was strong and well adapted to the occasion. And those who know the record of the Lanark congregation know that it has contributed not a little to the vital activities of the district and the entire brotherhood.
With so many living in and near Lanark there developed a desire for a separate organization although it was not shared by the entire Cherry Grove membership, which at that time was near the two hundred fifty mark. There was much gossip on the subject. Each side had its supporters. The elder was not willing to put the question before the council for a vote. When finally it was put before the council on June 20, 1878, fifty-eight favored the new organization and forty-three were against it. The organization having been settled the division line was the next order of business. Cherry Grove was loath to give up much of its southern territory. Three lines were proposed, the final solution being that Straddle Creek, a short distance north of Lanark, should be the dividing line for the two congregations. This gave Lanark one hundred thirteen members and left "about one hundred and thirty for Cherry Grove."
On August 19, 1878, Martin Myers and J. J. Emmert met with the Lanark congregation and helped them organize and elect the officers. Isaac Rowland was chosen treasurer and John H. Peck, clerk. Next they decided to elect three trustees to hold the property. The elders reported that in the voting one brother had received a majority while three others each received the same number of votes. That raised the question of how to se- cure the other two trustees. They resorted to the lot. Three slips of paper were prepared, each drawing one. The one re-
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ceiving the blank paper was dropped. The three trustees were D. F. Eby, Isaac Rowland and Jacob Arnold. At the time there were two ministers in the congregation, J. H. Moore and Samuel J. Peck, neither being in the eldership. J. H. Moore was unan- imously chosen "overseer."
The spirit of the new congregation is shown by two actions: At the time of organization a missionary offering of more than thirty dollars was lifted, and in September of 1877 S. H. Bashor held a series of meetings which resulted in twenty-five acces- sions by baptism. He was then single but was married in 1879 and was called back for a second meeting. During this second meeting, his wife, who was not a member, without telling him of her intentions, came out as one of the converts. This was a most touching scene for the entire audience.
Lanark pioneered in Sunday-school activities. In May of 1878 a school was organized with M. M. Eshelman as superintendent, D. F. Eby as chorister, J. H. Moore as teacher of the men's Bible class, M. M. Eshelman as teacher of the older women's class and S. J. Harrison a little later as teacher of the young women's class. These three teachers were all from the Brethren At Work staff. Prayer meetings were held in the private homes, but be- cause some considered prayer meetings worldly and so opposed them, they were not announced at the Sunday services.
Feeling the need of more helpers the church met in council under the guidance of Enoch Eby and J. J. Emmert on Septem- ber 18, 1878. David F. Eby and John Peck were called to the deaconship and M. M. Eshelman to the ministry. In January of 1880 again the church met and ordained J. H. Moore as elder, advanced M. M. Eshelman and called S. J. Harrison to the min- istry. In 1881 the Brethren At Work plant was moved to Mount Morris. This weakened the official and lay leadership, from which condition it did not recover until I. B. Trout became pas- tor in 1895.
When the first ministers of the organized Lanark church failed to "line" the hymns, advocated Sunday schools and prayer meetings and abandoned the custom of having the deacons read the Scripture lesson, there was considerable opposition to these "advanced" steps. When the division of the eighties came cer- tain ones in Lanark imbibed some of the "Progressive" ideas held by a number in the Milledgeville congregation. As the
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years passed from time to time the dress question was a great disturber of Lanark's peace. Some withdrew fellowship and united with the Progressive organization that dates from July 14, 1884, when thirty charter members, under the direction of H. R. Holsinger, formed the Bethlehem Brethren church, the first Progressive Brethren congregation in the district. Others were disfellowshiped for failure to conform to the church order of dress.
When I. B. Trout became pastor he did practically all the preaching. Becoming also editor of the Sunday-school literature he received most of his support from that source. Under his able leadership church troubles were forgotten, the membership was increased much by baptisms, the old church house was pulled down and a large one adapted to present-day needs was erected. During the twenty years of his pastorate he was the outstanding preacher of the section regardless of denomination. In his pulpit ministrations he was oratorical, logical, analytical, apt at illustration and on occasion scorchingly invective. After years of effective service he fell under the judgment of the church and transferred his membership to the Brethren Church.
Since 1895 Lanark has been under the pastoral system of ministry. For many years P. F. Eckerle, minister and elder, worked in the bank and was elder of the church. This gave the congregation a stability that helped absorb the shocks that are sometimes felt when pastors are changed frequently. When I. D. Leatherman took up the pastoral duties of Lanark the church was again back on the system of long-term pastoral service.
The Aid has been active, though for a number of years they kept no records. Their records for the past twenty years show that their contributions have averaged about $150 annually. In- come has been derived from making articles for sale, quilting, knotting comforters, selling useful household articles, holding pastry and food sales and serving lunches. Birthday gifts have also increased the income. Among the objects of their philan- thropy are Women's Work, missions, Brethren Home, hospitals -Bethany and on mission fields-flood sufferers, church budget, and flowers and fruit for shut-ins.
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Pigeon Creek (Oak Grove, 1881)
Although this congregation is located in the Southern Illi- nois District, a brief account is entered here because our dis- trict for a time labored in this territory. District meeting of 1875 considered the proposition of sending four ministers, two at a time, to Woodford County to conduct services. The matter was deferred for one year, the congregations in the meantime being consulted as to their attitude.
The district meeting of 1876 acted favorably and decided that every four weeks two ministers should answer the call for preaching in this territory. Rock River (Franklin Grove) was to go first and the other congregations should each take their turn. This was a beginning but it did not work out well. The following year district meeting selected Lemuel Hillery to spend one year with the members at Pigeon Creek, the churches to bear the expense through the district treasurer. But this was new and the money came in slowly. However, this was an ad- vance step in missions, so showed progress.
Interest grew and in 1881 the congregation was organized with thirteen charter members. In 1883 an acre of ground was secured and a meetinghouse was erected. Later the activities were transferred to Oak Grove, though locally it is commonly known as Bricktown. This house was destroyed by fire on June 3, 1939. On December 17, same year, a new and bet- ter house was dedicated, the sermon being delivered by Otho Winger.
Because the members lived mostly within the bounds of Southern Illinois and because the meetinghouse was in that district, Northern Illinois withdrew from the territory in 1893, since which time the southern district has had full control.
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First Church, Chicago (1889)
Who the first member to live in Chicago was may never be definitely known. We do know, however, that in 1869 Dr. Peter Fahrney, country doctor of Polo, Illinois, settled with his family in Chicago, where he later became widely known through his proprietary medicine which made him a millionaire, possibly the first and only brother to amass such wealth. Peter Fahrney and wife, Mary, were members of the Church of the Brethren, and their spacious home, given to the Chicago church, enabled the congregation to purchase the house in which it now wor- ships. It seems that in the early seventies the Brethren held some meetings in a Winebrennerian church, though the records are not clear as to when and where.
In 1883 B. A. Hadsell, a layman, was engaged in the clothing business at 164 Market Street, specializing in "plain clothes." It was his interest in the church that led to some meetings and later to a church in Chicago. A few scattered members were discovered as a nucleus. These assembled at 3525 South Street on January 31, 1885. Here J. G. Royer, accompanied by D. L. Miller, then a layman, held a few meetings. The interest was such that the meetings were continued each Sunday forenoon. The place of meeting shifted to 900 West Madison Street, and again to a hotel parlor near Adams Street, where a Sunday school was organized with about a dozen present. The officers were J. G. Royer, who acted as superintendent, teacher, secre- tary and treasurer. Knowing him as we do we may well believe that he was also the chorister. There were further changes of location. In the winter of 1886 the place of meeting shifted to an office on La Salle Street and soon to a lodge hall on East Monroe. In the winter of 1887 the place was on the third floor at 25 East Adams, where they held their first love feast with thirteen at the Lord's table. In the fall of 1888 they rented the Christian church on Oakley Avenue north of Jackson Boule- vard, where they continued to hold afternoon services for three years.
With a regular place of meeting and regular services the outlook improved. Naperville, in which congregation the Chi- cago members held their membership, and the district meeting acted favorably towards the request for a separate organization
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for the Chicago group. On March 3, 1889, three stalwart elders, D. E. Price, Daniel Dierdorff and J. G. Royer, met with the mem- bers and effected an organization. J. G. Royer, who had largely been responsible for the direction of the Chicago activities, be- came the first elder, W. R. Miller and Nathan Spare were in- stalled in the deacon's office and S. D. Humphrey was elected treasurer. Twenty members were present who were entitled to vote. Two others were there, but without their letters, and two more, who desired to be listed as charter members, were absent. Besides these there were not a few members residing in different parts of the city. In June the church decided to elect a min- ister. W. R. Miller and Nathan Spare each received the same number of votes. Lots were cast and Miller was declared elected. For a time he continued in his grocery business but later gave his full time to the ministry. His support came partly from the congregation and partly from the mission board, while his brother, D. L., followed with a generous contribution. About 1891 J. G. Royer held a series of meetings as a result of which J. Will Shively and William H. Greenawalt were baptized. Both of them later were called to the ministry.
The district meeting of 1890 directed the mission board to set up a program to help build a meetinghouse for the congregation. The board apportioned $3,000 among the several congregations. Two lots were purchased at 20 Park Avenue for $1,500 but later were sold at the same price. A German Baptist congregation offered its property at 1523 Hastings Street for sale. This was purchased, and by a strange coincidence the name on the build- ing, without any change of the lettering, served the new con- gregation very well. The total cost of the building, when ready for service, was $4,721.92. The sources of this fund were: the Chicago congregation, $405; Illinois congregations, $3,025.42; Mary Geiger of Philadelphia, $300; General Mission Board, $500; donations through the Gospel Messenger, $491.50. Miller con- tinued his pastorate for fifteen years, resigning in 1904. During his period of service he received sixty-four into fellowship by baptism. When he closed his labors the membership was about one hundred. The church was long known as the Hastings Street Mission.
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