USA > Michigan > The history of the Church of the Brethren in Michigan > Part 19
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gan, in 1907. He was part-time pastor of the Black River church from 1905-1908. He has served a number of churches in Nebraska, Colorado and Indiana. He says that "the com- pensation was adequate under the careful management of Sister Snavely." But, he added: "At other times it took the combined efforts of the family to keep above the water line." He cherishes the happy experiences of fellowship with fellow ministers and brethren and sisters of the laity who helped to carry on the church in Michigan through difficult years. They were strangers when the family moved into the Black River congregation in 1905, having come from the prairies of Nebraska. The church flourished under their ministry there for three years. They left to at- tend Bethany Bible School, Chicago, in 1909. He recalls with much inspiration all the district meetings of Michigan. He relates an incident which took place while he was en route to a district meeting held at Beaverton in 1906. "It being one of the northern churches we all went by train to Gladwin, where we were hauled by wagon to the church, arriving there by two o'clock in the morning. I think I can still count the stumps we hit with our wagon. ... Personal work was one of the subjects discussed. One strong speech cautioned against overdoing such things and driving people cway." He was always willing to sacrifice for the cause of righteousness. In recent years they have lived near Nash- ville, Michigan.
DAVID ELIAS SOWER was born on March 14, 1879, near Ithaca, Gratiot County, Michigan, the son of William H. and Sarah Sower. On May 27, 1908, he was united in mar- riage to Dorothy S. Shafford. He received training at Man- chester College. In January 1898 he united with the church at North Manchester, Indiana. He was called to the min- istry at the New Haven church, Michigan, on September 3, 1898. He was ordained at the Long Lake church, Michigan,
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in August 1911. Most of his ministerial service in Michigan was on the free-time basis. He served the New Haven church from 1898 to 1903 and the Elmdale church from 1903 to 1906. When he left the district he moved to Northeastern Ohio, where he has served in a number of pastorates. He says, "When we moved to Long Lake there were only three members living there that we know about." He served the district two years as Sunday- school secretary and as a mem- ber of the mission board nine years.
CHARLES AMOS SPENCER, the son of Frederick and Emma Spencer, was born on July 14, 1883, at Sterling, Illinois. On December 8, 1907, he was united in marriage to Myrtle Virginia Kindig. He received a public C. A. SPENCER AND WIFE school education, and took one year's training at Bethany Bible Training School, 1921- 22. He united with the church at Dixon, Illinois, on July 15, 1906. The church at Shepherd, Michigan, called him to the ministry on June 29, 1918, and ordained him on September 20, 1922. He has been presiding elder of the Shepherd church at various intervals, and also of sev- eral other churches in the district. For twenty-one years continuously he has been a member of the district mission board. Most of the time he has been responsible for all the district funds. As the efficient treasurer, he works in the interest of promoting the kingdom's program.
ARLIE ALETHA SPINDLER was born at Woodland, Michigan, on November 22, 1884. She is the daughter of
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Elias and Martha BeVier. Her father was a direct descend- ant of Marie Antoinette. His ancestors came to America during the French Revolution. Her husband, Jesse Spindler, died March 5, 1925. Although she is not in the ministry, she is a devoted church worker. She attended Western State Teacher's College, Manchester College, and Northwestern Uni- versity. She has been a school- teacher for twenty-seven years, and has taught at Woodland for the last seventeen years. On Oc- ARLIE SPINDLER tober 19, 1908, she was baptized into the Church of the Brethren at Woodland, Michigan. She had previously been a member of the Church of Christ,
having been baptized when twelve years old. For a num- ber of years previous to 1914 she acted as Sunday-school su- perintendent and taught a class of young people. As an impor- tant leader in district work she served in the position of foreign mission secretary-treasurer for about twelve years.
HARVEY STAUFFER was HARVEY STAUFFER born in Ohio on January 15, 1870, the son of Elias and Anna Stauffer. He was married on February 15, 1906, to Alice Denlinger, who passed away in 1934. In 1893 he united with the church at Arcanum, Ohio. He was elected to the min- istry in Canada in 1904 and ordained there in 1909. From
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Canada he moved to the Shepherd church in Michigan in 1914; here he served as elder and minister from 1915 to 1929, giving all his time free.
OSCAR EVERT STERN, son of Daniel M. and Sarah Furry Stern, was born February 2, 1888, near Exeter, Ne- braska. He married Mary Ellen Barkley of Somerset Coun- ty, Pennsylvania, on October 15, 1914. After finishing his public school work he attended Mt. Morris Academy three years and was a student at Bethany Bible School from 1917 to 1919. He was baptized in 1901 at Arcadia, Nebraska. This church elected him to the ministry on December 4, 1915. He served in the free ministry at the Arcadia church until he left for training at Bethany. His ministry in Michigan was at the Harlan and Marilla churches, which he served as part-time pastor from 1921 to 1924. He was or- dained as elder about 1923 by Brethren Nevinger and Joseph of Onekama. He drove the school bus most of one year to help earn a livelihood. They lived on the Andrew Taylor farm and the rent was free. These were days when church work required much perseverance.
GEORGE E. STONE was born in Northwestern Ohio about 1855. He moved into the New Haven congregation in Michigan about 1880, and was received into the church soon afterward. About 1882 he was called to the ministry. He lived in the New Haven church about twenty years, then moved to Crystal and started the church work there. He gave faithful service to the cause of Christ. It is unfortunate that a more complete account of his life's work could not be obtained, because he was called upon often to give min- isterial care and counsel and his achievements were many.
FRED E. STROHM did not give any facts of his life, but related a few facts about his work in Michigan. While attending Bethany Bible School, Chicago, 1912 to 1914, he
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and his wife heard of the planning for Bethany Hospital. In April 1914 they went to the Battle Creek Sanitarium, Battle Creek, Michigan, where they spent three years in training. Both of them graduated as registered nurses. During their last year in Battle Creek they labored with a few members, including Brother and Sister David P. Schechter, who were in training at the sanitarium also; their efforts resulted in establishing a strong Sunday school in the city. This eventually led to the organization of the Battle Creek church. After serving at Bethany' Hospital in Chicago from 1920 to September 1941 the Strohms moved to Modesto, California.
JOHN R. STUTSMAN is the son of David C. and Barbara Stutsman. He was born in Elkhart County, Indiana, in 1835. He was unable to attend a public school. He made use of his native faculties and acquired the ability to do the work that he undertook. He has no record of his baptism. He was elected to the ministry at the Little Tra- verse church in 1884. He served this church until 1912 as a free minister. He was an elder but the date of his ordination could not be found.
JOSEPH STUTSMAN was born May 5, 1859, in Elkhart County, Indiana, the son of John R. and Nancy Stutsman. What education he has he acquired by himself. He was bap- tized in the Little Traverse church near Harbor Springs, Michigan, in 1883. He was elected to the office of deacon in 1884 and to the ministry in 1907. He served the Little Traverse church for a while and then returned to Indiana. In 1913 he was advanced to the second degree of the min- istry by the Elkhart Valley church of Northern Indiana, where he served in the free ministry. He is living near Goshen, Indiana. At the request for information by cor- respondence, he was able to write a brief note saying, “I hope you may get some good out of what I have given."
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AARON SWIHART was the grandson of Jonathan and Elizabeth Swihart. He was born in Wabash County, In- diana. His father, who was also named Aaron, was a pio- neer preacher in the Walnut Creek church, Indiana. Aaron lived at Brethren, Michigan. He was living here when his father's life came to an untimely end during a visit with them on November 5, 1903. We have no record of when or where he was elected to the ministry. He preached at the Lake View church in Brethren and also at the church in Hart.
ARTHUR E. TAYLOR was born on February 6, 1899, at Huntington, Indiana. He is the son of Andrew W. and Ellen Taylor. He was a small boy when his parents moved to Harlan, Michigan. He was united in marriage on Novem- ber 4, 1920, to Anna L. Williams. He is a graduate of the high school at Benzonia, and has taken training at the Mt. Pleasant Central Normal and for one year at Bethany Biblical Seminary. In 1911 he united with the church at Harlan. He, with his wife and two daughters, Joyce and Grace, moved from their home at Harlan to Flint, Michi- gan, where he has been established in business. He was elected to the ministry at Flint in 1933 and ordained to the eldership in 1940. He served part-time for one and one- half year at the Crystal church by going every two weeks. In addition to the time spent at his business, he was faithful in serving the Flint church as part-time pastor. Brother Taylor also served on the district board of Christian educa- tion as the director of intermediate work for a term of seven years. He was at one time the owner of Camp Little Eden, and it was here that he and Sister Taylor supervised youth camps during several summers. He withdrew as a member of the board of Christian education when he was appointed district fieldworker by the district council of boards in the fall of 1943. He is energetic in his work and willing to share
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ARTHUR E. TAYLOR AND FAMILY
his time in helping and counseling church leaders of all the churches in the district. It is his desire that the churches should advance in missionary activities, in Brethren service work, and in a sound program of Christian education.
JACOB TOMBAUGH was born in Hancock County, Ohio, September 3, 1854, the son of George and Margaret Tom- baugh. He attended public school in Ohio. On June 5, 1879, he married Clementine Bosserman. He united with the church in the Eagle Creek congregation, Ohio. In the fall of 1882 he moved from Ohio to Gratiot County, Michi- gan, and into the Rodney congregation about 1889. He was a minister in that church at the time of his death, July 30, 1922. He was often called upon to preach at other churches in the district.
WILLIAM E. TOMBAUGH, the son of Jacob and Clemen- tine Tombaugh, was born in Ohio on April 11, 1882. He re- ceived a public school education. He married Ida C. Jehn-
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zen on November 17, 1907, and married his second wife, Grace M. Breidenbaugh, on December 31, 1941. He united with the church at Rodney, Michigan, in December 1897. That church called him to the ministry on November 26, 1927. Here he has served as a free- and as a part-time min- ister. He also served the Thornapple church on a part-time basis for twelve months, and is now the pastor of the Elm- dale church with partial support.
HARLEY V. TOWNSEND was born at Woodland, Mich- igan, on December 25, 1886, to John H. and Mary C. Town- send. He was united in marriage to Nellie Naomi Teeter on May 28, 1913. His early train- ing was received in the grade schools and in two years of high school. For two years he was a student at Bethany Bible Training School. He united with the Woodland church on August 20, 1907. Here he was called to the ministry on March 11, 1916, and ordained to the eldership in October 1918. With the exception of about two years while they served in the pastorate of the Loon Creek HARLEY TOWNSEND AND WIFE church, Indiana, Brother and Sister Townsend have served in the pastorate of the Woodland church; between 1925 and September 1941 he served con- tinuously as pastor and elder. He is still the presiding elder. He filled the pastorate of the Sunfield church on part-time support from September 1943 to February 1946. At that time he entered the pastorate of the Battle Creek church to conduct a full-time pastoral program. His lead-
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ership in the district has been thorough and aggressive. He has been moderator of the district conference six times, and is now a member of the district historical committee and the chairman of the district ministerial board, of which he has been a member for a number of years. He has served six times on Standing Committee and has been elder of eight different churches.
J. EDSON ULERY was born on June 22, 1873, at Middlebury, Indiana, the son of Solomon and Mary R. Ulery. He was united in marriage to Sylvia Kindy on August 26, 1897. He graduated from the high school at Middle- bury, Indiana, in 1890. He was a student at Tri-State Normal and at Manchester College. He taught in Canton College two years. He united with the Pleas- ant Valley church, Northern In- diana, on February 22, 1889, and was baptized by his grandfather, J. E. ULERY AND WIFE Elder Joseph Hoover. The Pleas- ant Valley church, Indiana, called him to the ministry on August 15, 1896. His ordination to the eldership occurred at Onekama, Michigan, in 1906. He served three years-1899 to 1902-at the Brooklyn mission in New York. He was elder of the North Manchester church, Indiana, for four years. The remainder of his ministry has been in the Onekama church, Michigan, a part-time pastoral program for thirty-eight years and also service as the elder-in-charge. He has been a trustee of Manchester College since 1917. Brother Ulery has given graciously of his service to the district. He is now one of the oldest active ministers in the district and one of the
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most beloved. From the time he located in Manistee County in 1903 until 1940 he served almost continuously on the dis- trict mission board. He then felt that younger men ought to assume this responsibility. He has been an influence to many young people and his advice and counsel always foster encouragement.
JOSEPH E. VAN DYKE was born at Beaverton, Michi- gan, on September 17, 1903, the son of Archibald and Mina Van Dyke. A graduate of the Beaverton high school, and also of Manchester College, he has taken postgraduate work at the University of Michigan. He united with the church at Beaverton about 1915 and was called to the ministry there in 1922. He is following the teaching profession and does a great deal of writing. Many of his articles appear in the Gospel Messenger from time to time. He says, "My grandfather, Enos Crowel, helped to organize the Beaverton congregation about the time I was born." He is a good church leader.
JOHN L. VAN METER is now serving one of the isolated churches of the district. The son of William and Maggie Van Meter, he was born December 2, 1887, at McBain, Mich- igan. His public school training was received in Missaukee County, Michigan. He was married to Mary Schanty. He was baptized at McBain, Michigan, October 5, 1909, elected to the ministry on May 5, 1923, at the Vestaburg church, and ordained to the eldership at Midland sometime in the fall of 1929. He served the Vestaburg church for four and one-half years, all free-time, and the Midland church thir- teen and one-half years part- and free-time. In May 1942 he with his family moved to the Ozark community. This church is located in the upper peninsula. His service there is on a part-time basis. He is eager to see the church fill its mission.
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DAVID F. WARNER is the son of Lorenzo and Celestie Warner. He was born August 8, 1875, at Greenville, Ohio. He attended the Woodland pub- lic schools, and then pursued further training at Ferris Insti- tute in Michigan, Mt. Morris Col- lege in Illinois, and Bethany Biblical Seminary, Chicago. He married Grace Gnagy. On June 4, 1899, he was baptized at Mex- ico, Indiana. The Sugar Ridge church in Michigan elected him to the ministry on February 20, 1909. His ordination to the DAVID F. WARNER full ministry took place on No- vember 16, 1915, at Virden, Illi- nois. When he was sixteen years old he began teaching at Woodland, Michigan. He spent ten years as a teacher in the Michigan public schools, and one year teaching in the academy at Mt. Morris, Illinois. In the year following he pursued pastoral work, mostly in Brethren churches. How- ever, when he retired because of a nervous disorder, he had been pastor of a community church in Indiana for seven years. He has edited a religious column for three different rural magazines for ten years.
C. WALTER WARSTLER was born at New Paris, Elk- hart County, Indiana, January 30, 1882. He was married to Edith Gouker of Goshen, Indiana, on February 2, 1902. He was baptized May 28, 1907, at the Goshen City church, Indiana. This church elected him to the ministry on Sep- tember 15, 1909, and advanced him to the second degree on November 4, 1910. He was called to serve this church as their first pastor. On October 1, 1912, he and his wife were called to the pastorate of the Grand Rapids church, Michi-
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gan. During the two years that they were here the present church house was built. He has also served these pastor- ates: Auburn, Indiana; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Hunt- ington, Indiana; Los An- geles (Calvary), Califor- nia; Degraff, Ohio; he and his wife are in their seventh year of service in the church at Middletown, Ohio. He received his Bible training at Bethany Bible School and Pittsburgh University. On December 1, 1917, he was ordained to the elder- ship and has been presiding elder of a number of con- gregations. He has served on a number of district boards. He served on Standing Committee at Ames, Iowa, and he was C. WALTER WARSTLER elected to serve on that committee at Winona Lake Conference, but illness prevent- ed him from serving.
HUGH T. WARSTLER was born at Goshen, Indiana, on April 16, 1896. He graduated from high school at Syca- more, Indiana, and has taken further training at Goshen College, Goshen, Indiana; International Business College at Fort Wayne, Indiana; Bethany Biblical Seminary, Chicago; and the New York Central School of Engineering. While young he accepted Christ and was called to the deacon's office at the age of seventeen. A few years later he was elected to the ministry. He has been a schoolteacher, and has served as a pastor in Indiana and Michigan. He has
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been active in evangelistic work. On March 11, 1945, he was ordained to the eldership at the Flint church, Michigan. He has a farm home near Du- rand, Michigan, which is in the Flint congregation.
MOY WAY was born at Can- ton, China, on December 17, 1882. He is the son of Moy Fun and Leong She. He married Leong Bow Jon. There are three children in the family. In addi- tion to his schooling in China, he has spent three years at Bethany Biblical Seminary. In HUGH T. WARSTLER 1908 he was baptized at Bethany. Sister Anna Hutchison was his teacher at Bethany when he was converted. He also pays tribute to Brethren Hoff, Keller and Moyer. The Detroit church, Michigan, elected him to the ministry in 1921. He has been an outstanding leader at this church, and is now the pas- tor of the Chinese church and Sunday school there.
ERVIN WEAVER was born on March 26, 1888, near Bremen, Indiana, to Benjamin and Sarah Weaver. He has attended Man- chester College and Bethany Bi- ble Training School. He mar- MOY WAY ried Hattie Carbiener, October 3, 1911. In June 1899, he united with the church at Bremen, Indiana, and was called to the ministry there in October
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1908. His service in Michigan was at Woodland Village and Sunfield, 1929-31. He has served as pastor of churches in Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana. He speaks of Broth- er Peter Messner as being a great inspiration to him.
STEPHEN A. WEAVER was born in Ionia County, Mich- igan. He is the son of Christian and Semiah S. Weaver. He is a graduate of the Freeport high school. He married Doro- thy Lena Lape on November 28, 1917. He united with the Elm- dale church on August 26, 1910, and was installed into the min- istry there in September 1939. He has served on the district board of Christian education as director of peace, and is now the chairman of this board. He also gave part-time pastoral service to the Thornapple church in STEPHEN A. WEAVER recent years.
SAMUEL WEIMER was born on March 24, 1849, in Som- erset County, Pennsylvania, the son of Jacob and Cristena Fike Weimer. His education was meager or fair for his day. On May 11, 1871, he married Mary Cosner. He was baptized in 1868 at Accident, Maryland. In the fall of 1880 he moved to Harbor Springs, Michigan. He was elected to the ministry in 1881 and ordained to the eldership in 1887. He served as elder and minister at the Little Traverse church, located near Harbor Springs, Michigan, and did evangelistic work. In 1889 he moved to Arkansas, and labored in many churches in the West. His mother was a daughter of Peter and Magdalena Arnold Fike, from whose generations have come more than forty ministers of the
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Church of the Brethren. He passed to rest on July 31, 1935, at the home of his daughter and son-in-law, Nettie and William P. Bosserman. The last year was one of suffer- ing but he was very patient.
CARL HENRY WELCH with his wife and family moved to Michigan in 1945 to serve the Thornapple church. His parents were David and Edith Welch. He was born at War- rensville, North Carolina, on April 12, 1906. His wife's maiden name was Gladys Snavely; she is the daughter of Brother and Sister I. C. Snavely. They were married on June 9, 1934. He graduated from Bridgewater College, Vir- ginia, in 1933. Then for several years he was a high school teacher in North Carolina. In the summer of 1940 he took postgraduate training at the University of Virginia. This was followed by a year of training at Bethany Biblical Seminary. In 1940 he returned to West Virginia, where he taught in high school for two years. He was baptized at the Walnut Grove church in Virginia on September 6, 1920. The Flat Rock church, North Carolina, which was his home church, elected him to the ministry in August 1927. His ordination to the eldership was at the Bailey church, North Carolina, in September 1937. He did mission work in North Carolina for one year-1936-37-serving three churches: Bailey, Upper Brummetts Creek, and Pleas- ant Grove. For two years after this he served as pastor of the Petersburg and Greenland churches in West Vir- ginia. He was living in Virginia when the Thornapple church called him to become their pastor in June 1945. This rural pastorate affords opportunity for a church-cen- tered community program.
HENRY ALBERT WELLER was born in Putnam County, Ohio, on April 26, 1869. Rosa E. Deardorff became his wife on August 22, 1891. He was a Bible student at Manchester
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College for two winters and took three months' work at Bethany. He united with the church at Roann, Indiana, in 1891. The Harlan church, Michigan, elected him to the ministry in 1909, and also ordained him to the eldership. He served the Harlan, Marilla, and Battle Creek churches as part- time pastor. He passed to his reward while serving the church at Battle Creek.
RUSSELL WELLER was born at North Manchester, Indiana, on May 21, 1893, the son of H. A. and Rosa Weller. He received the bachelor of divinity degree at Bethany Biblical Semi- nary in 1931. On August 15, 1908, he united with the church at Harlan, Michi- gan. He was elected to the RUSSELL WELLER ministry on June 4, 1917, and ordained to the eldership on September 1, 1923. He was part-time pastor at Marilla for one year and full-time pastor at Battle Creek for four years. Since taking his training at Bethany he has been teaching school and preaching in Indiana.
JOHN EDWARD WELLS was born on January 26, 1901, at Camden, Indiana, to Edward L. and Lydia Wells. On August 13, 1930, he was united in marriage to Mildred Ger- trude Bell. He is a graduate of the Camden high school. On June 19, 1928, he received a Michigan life certificate for
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secondary schools from Northern Michigan College of Edu- cation. He received the bachelor of science degree from Manchester College on May 27, 1932, and has taken graduate work at Ferris Institute, Michigan State College, and the University of Michigan, from which he received the master of arts degree in educational administration on September 11, 1943. In September 1912 he united with the Deer Creek church near Camden and was called to the ministry at that church in 1919. He served the Fairview church at Alpha, Saskatchewan, Canada, while teaching in the public school from 1924-27. It was at this church that he was ordained to the eldership in 1924. From here he moved to Trout Lake, Michigan (upper peninsula), in 1927 and began teaching in the Dick school in September 1928. In 1929 he was pro- JOHN E. WELLS moted to the principleship of the Roosevelt high school there, and then eight years later became superintendent of the Trout Lake Township unit of schools. During the fif- teen years that he was located here, he served the Ozark church as pastor and elder. This leadership was given freely to the church in addition to his schoolwork. He was also called upon to do evangelistic work in North Dakota, Indiana, and Michigan churches. His faithful ministry was very valuable in a needy community in the upper peninsula of the state. In 1941 Mr. and Mrs. Wells with their two
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