USA > Ohio > The Church of the Brethren in northeastern Ohio > Part 2
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It is natural that the Akron church, which was one of the early mission churches, would be interested in missions. Under the direction of the D. H. Kellers and with the help of the M. D. Nehers, a survey of the Eastwood community was made in May 1927. The survey showed that out of eighty-three homes not more than twelve families went to church anywhere. The first service held was an organization meeting of a ladies' aid on July 1, 1927. On July 10, in the evening, a Sunday school was held at the Neher home on Cooledge Avenue, with an attendance of fifty-three. Sister Keller preached a sermon following the Sunday-school session.
On July 29, 1927, the Akron City church at a morning service raised eight hundred fifty-three dollars toward the purchase of a property on Darrow Road. A house on the property, converted into a church, was dedicated on January 15, 1928, with an attendance of one hundred thirty-three.
As the attendance increased it became evident that a larger building was needed. The Akron church gave five hundred dollars to build an addition to the front of the building. This was done before Easter in 1929. During 1929 there were twenty-seven baptisms.
In November 1930 another five hundred dollars was given by the First church to build a wing on the south side of the building. During a revival meeting earlier in the year, thirty had confessed Christ. With the help of the Akron church, a
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B
The Old Akron First Church
The New Akron First Church
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love feast was held on December 9, 1932, the attendance being seventy-one. Eastwood became an organized church on December 9, 1932. The Akron First church contributed a total of forty-five hundred dollars to the work at Eastwood during the first six years.
Other deacons elected who have not already been mentioned are G. A. Mishler, Ervin Sausaman, Joseph Mullett, Paul Meyers, Floyd E. Diemer, Edward Shanafelt, E. A. Bittinger, Charles Isner, Fred Burtoft, S. E. Fausnight, Elson Fry, Elmer Brown, Eugene Petry, Frank Clopper, Landis Shoop, Cecil Bittinger, Simon Summy, Clair Summy, William Cable, Wilmer Zimmerman, Chalmer Carns, and Wilbur Harshbarger.
The church building was improved by being remodeled and redecorated in 1945.
A new parsonage, located at 358 Selden Avenue in Firestone Park, was purchased in the fall of 1955. In the spring of 1957 the church property, including three houses on Coburn Street, was sold to a Church of God (Negro) congregation. The final service in the church was held on April 28, 1957, in the form of a homecoming, with William Beahm as the speaker.
A four and one-half acre property was purchased at 1812 Marigold Avenue in Firestone Park. From May 1957 to February 1958, services were held in the Firestone Park elementary school. The new church building was occupied in February 1958 while work was being completed on the first wing. It includes an educational building, an office, a pastor's study, a kitchen, and a large fellowship hall which is being used as a sanctuary until the second wing is built. This building was dedicated on June 7, 1959.
THE AKRON SPRINGFIELD CHURCH
In the early days, when Ohio was still a young state and the work of the church here was still in its infancy, there were fewer congregations with far larger territories than now. As the work of the church grew and the number of Brethren increased, it became necessary that these large congregations
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be broken up and more church houses be built so that members of a congregation would not have to travel so far to reach a church as they had been doing.
In 1868 the Nimishillen congregation was divided into three new territories: East Nimishillen, West Nimishillen, and Springfield. The elders present at this division, held in the old East Nimishillen church house, were Daniel Peck, Jacob Snyder, and Henry Kurtz.
In the years immediately following the division, services for members of the Springfield congregation were held in schoolhouses and in the homes of Brethren John Royer, John B. Mishler, Henry Young, Frederick Young, Solomon Keiser, Joseph Mishler, and Jacob Kurtz. The only elder living in the territory at the time of organization was Joseph Mishler. Ministers were David Young and John B. Mishler; deacons were Solomon Keiser, Henry Young, Jacob Kurtz, and Jacob Mishler, Sr. George Carper was elected to the ministry in 1872 and advanced in 1875. In the latter year John B. Mishler and David Young were ordained to the eldership.
The first church house in the congregation was erected in 1871 on land donated by the Mishlers.
The 1886 district meeting was held in the Springfield church. David Young was elected to represent the Northeast- ern Ohio District on the Standing Committee at the Annual Conference. Brother Young was also the assistant moderator at this meeting.
A teacher in the schoolhouse across the road from the church, Simon R. Garver, at that time not a member of any church, organized a Sunday school in 1887 after consultation with some of the Brethren. The original intention had been to organize the school in the church, but the opposition of some members was quite intense. The opposition, however, was soon dissolved, and, with Brother William Bixler as superin- tendent and Israel Young as assistant, the school became a regular part of the church.
A missionary committee was organized in the church in 1804. It added a new dimension to the congregation's life.
On October 10, 1896, Jacob B. Mishler was advanced to the second degree and George Carper was ordained to the elder- ship. Samuel C. Young and Joseph Mishler were called to the deaconship on August 8, 1897. Deacons elected prior to 1897
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were Abraham Kurtz, Jacob G. Mishler, William Lutz, and Samuel Young. In May 1901, Henry Weaver, Reuben Young, Henry Kurtz, and Alvin Holl were elected to the office of deacon. William Bixler and Menno S. Young were elected to the ministry November 8, 1902.
Ministers from the Springfield church carried the mission work into Kent and Akron. Reuben Shroyer preached and held a series of meetings in the Logtown schoolhouse about a mile and a quarter from the church. Because of conflict in the time of services, the work in Logtown was discontinued. A Sunday school was organized there in 1920. A church house was built in Kent in 1904 and a Sunday school was organized in 1905. Serious consideration was given to closing the Kent church in 1918. At the appeal of the members of the congrega- tion living in Kent, the work there was turned over to the district mission board. Akron also was placed under the super- vision of the mission board.
Menno S. Young, the first church clerk, was elected on May 13, 1905. William Bixler and Menno S. Young were advanced in the ministry November 11, 1905. Samuel A. Kreiner was elected to the ministry February 10, 1906. Jacob G. Mishler was ordained to the eldership on November 9, 1907, and Brethren Kreiner and Shriver were advanced on August 12, 1909.
The church building was remodeled in 1910. In the same year the Christian workers society was organized. Charles Kurtz was elected to the ministry December 17, 1910, and advanced August 8, 1914. A temperance committee was organized February 17, 1912. On June 22, 1912, Eli Mishler and Harvey Kurtz were elected to the deaconship.
William Bixler and Menno S. Young were ordained to the eldership August 14, 1915. On the same day Tolman H. Fernald of Cleveland, who was planning to move to Waldboro, Maine, was authorized by the Springfield congregation to preach. Brother Fernald was advanced November 10, 1915.
An aid society was organized on March 16, 1916, the board of Christian education on August 10, 1918, and a pastoral board in 1919. Samuel Kreiner and Charles Kurtz were ordained to the eldership November 1, 1919. On the same day Frederick Young and Ira Young were elected to the deaconship.
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The first pastor to serve the congregation was Charles L. Wilkins. Brother Wilkins had the oversight of the church from September 1, 1923, to February 1928. Orin Ingold was called to the deaconship on May 16, 1925, and Newton Robenstine on May 21, 1927. A parsonage was constructed in 1928 on land donated by R. F. Carper.
Chester H. Petry held the oversight of the church from June 1, 1928, to January 1, 1935. Elder Petry had been licensed to the ministry July 18, 1931. On January 9, 1932, it was decided to use a piano in the church service.
Leonard R. Holsinger became the pastor on June 1, 1935. In 1937, eight classrooms were added to the church house and other changes were made in the structure.
Russell Young was elected to the office of deacon on July 17, 1939, and installed into that office on December 23, 1940. On the same day, Stanley B. Noffsinger was ordained to the eldership. Merl Cordier and John I. Kurtz were consecrated July 8, 1945, and made deacons January 17, 1947.
The men's work was organized in 1947.
On December 10, 1947, it was decided to remodel the church building. Church Building Counselor C. H. Deardorff of Elgin, Illinois, was called to assist in drawing up the plans. The structure was extensively remodeled, a basement was dug under it, and a new heating system was installed.
Dale A. Young was licensed to the ministry in July 1949 and ordained to the full ministry September 16, 1951. He is now the dean of men at Manchester College, North Manchester, Indiana.
James Burtoft and Roger Ingold, elected to the office of deacon on August 7, 1951, were installed on March 10, 1954. At a regular council meeting held August 5, 1956, Glenn Hawk and William Young were elected to that office; they were installed soon afterward.
After serving the Springfield congregation faithfully for twenty years, Brother L. R. Holsinger terminated his pastorate in August 1955. Brother Jacob T. Dick, who had recently returned from Brethren service work in Germany, was our pastor from that time until August 1960. Kent E. Naylor was called to this charge, assuming his responsibilities on September 1, 1960.
The growth of the church during this last decade has made
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its demands for more rooms and better facilities. At a regular council meeting, February 1, 1956, it was decided to employ A. Wayne Carr to direct a fund-raising campaign. Two committees were appointed during 1956 to study and make recommendations concerning the project of building; Irene Holsinger Kurtz (Mrs. John I.) was appointed chairman of the planning committee and Harry Kurtz chairman of the building committee. Arthur Dean, of Elgin, Illinois, the church
The Akron Springfield Church
building counselor for the Brotherhood, was employed to draw and submit plans for a new sanctuary and church-school rooms. After several plans had been submitted and careful considera- tion had been given to the plans and the costs, it was decided to break ground for a new sanctuary on August 26, 1960. Completed in August 1961, the building was dedicated on October 1, 1961, with Paul M. Robinson, president of Bethany Biblical Seminary, preaching the dedicatory sermon. The sanctuary will seat five hundred people. There are eleven rooms for Christian education and a pastor's study. A carillon of twenty-five English bells was donated by R. F. Carper in memory of his parents, Brother and Sister George Carper. The use of symbolism is found in the rose window at the front
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of the church, which features the "Four Gospelers," and in the symbolic portrayal of the Holy Trinity in the three tower windows.
During the last decade the following men were licensed to the ministry: March 10, 1954, Ronald Lutz; May 20, 1956, Anthony van den Doel; September 8, 1958, Donald Ebie. The first two were ordained to the full ministry on April 29, 1959. Brother Lutz is at present the minister of Christian education in the Washington, D. C., Church of the Brethren. Brother Van den Doel is a missionary in Nigeria.
At a Sunday morning service in March 1960, it was announced to the congregation that Brother and Sister Roger Ingold had accepted a call from the General Brotherhood Board to mission work in Nigeria, Brother Ingold to become the executive secretary of the District of Nigeria. He had been active in this congregation as a church-school teacher, church-school superintendent, and church clerk.
For the past decade Charles Kurtz has been the historian for the Springfield congregation.
THE ALLIANCE CHURCH
The First Church of the Brethren of Alliance had its beginning in prayer meetings. Brethren who had moved into Alliance from the Freeburg, Reading, and Science Hill communities desired to continue worshiping in the manner of the Brethren. The homes of the Brethren and interested neighbors of other denominations were the scenes of these first prayer meetings in Alliance.
As neighbors and friends began worshiping with the original group, the need for a church school arose. The school was organized the first Sunday of June 1923 in the auditorium of the Liberty Street school. John R. Hoffman was elected superintendent, Edwin Garman assistant superintendent, and Miss Gretta Stoffer secretary.
The needs of the increasing membership, however, demanded an organized church. Under the leadership of Brethren J. I. Byler, John Kaylor, D. F. Stuckey, M. M. Taylor,
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Albert Harrold, and other ministers, the group met to worship in the schoolhouse. In 1924 J. L. Mahon was secured and installed as the first pastor.
At the Freeburg council meeting of April 30, 1924, the Alliance group asked for a church home. A formal petition calling for the organization of the new congregation was presented to the council meeting on May 16, 1925. The Freeburg congregation chose M. M. Taylor to represent it on the committee to make the division of the Freeburg church property. A. I. Heestand represented the Alliance group, and Samuel Holl was the third, disinterested member.
D. F. Stuckey was elected presiding elder of the new church, G. M. Heestand church clerk, and Robert B. Garman treasurer. The first trustees were G. M. Heestand, Edwin F. Garman, and Mary E. Swallen. The first ministerial board, consisting of Edwin C. Garman, G. M. Heestand, and John R. Hoffman, was elected at a business meeting held June 6, 1925. A finance committee, a welfare committee, and a committee to prepare the dinner which was to be held in connection with the dedication of the church building were appointed.
At this meeting the committee which had been appointed to divide the Freeburg property made these recommendations: (1) that all the money in the treasury be divided equally between the two congregations; (2) that all real estate remain the property of the congregation in which it was located; and (3) that Freeburg aid Alliance in starting the work "as much as she can cheerfully and willingly do." The recommendations were accepted by both congregations.
It was also recommended that the small Science Hill congregation, west of Alliance, should consolidate with the Alliance group. This was done.
At a meeting in the home of Edwin F. Garman on January 2, 1926, a committee consisting of John R. Hoffman, Edwin F. Garman, and G. M. Heestand was appointed to study the problem of the erection of a building. A second committee, made up of D. F. Stuckey, Edwin F. Garman, John R. Hoffman, and M. M. Taylor, was appointed to investigate and make recommendations for a site and for the financial details involved. At the same meeting Edwin C. Garman and G. G. Heestand were elected to the deaconship and were installed by J. L. Mahon.
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By March 8, 1926, the investigating committees were able to report that the church building owned by the Immanuel Reformed church could be purchased for five hundred dollars and that a site was ready. The congregation decided to purchase the building and have it taken down and rebuilt on the selected site.
The cornerstone of the building was laid June 27, 1926. J. L. Mahon, A. I. Heestand, Albert Harrold, and Abram Replogle of Cleveland participated in the service. The
The Alliance Church
construction proceeded rapidly. However, the frame structure was destroyed by a cyclone just before the roof was to have been put on. Refinancing of the project was necessary. The three trustees, therefore, made arrangements with the First National Bank of Alliance to borrow twelve thousand dollars, security tendered being the personal notes of the trustees and the blanket note of the membership.
The women feeling the need for organization to carry on their specialized activities, the first ladies' aid of the church was formed on June 30, 1926, at the home of Sister J. L. Mahon. The officers were Mary E. Swallen, president; Mrs. J. L. Mahon,
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vice-president; Helen Garman, secretary; Ida Gwynne, treasurer; and Mary Antram, corresponding secretary. One of the first projects of the new organization was the making of table covers and other equipment for the communion service.
The church house was formally dedicated on the afternoon of October 17, 1926. Otho Winger, president of Manchester College, was the principal speaker. It was announced at the dedicatory service that the total cost of the two lots and the building was $21,713.12.
On October 19 of the same year, S. S. Shoemaker of Hart- ville began evangelistic meetings. The resignation of J. L. Mahon, who was leaving Alliance, was accepted at the council meeting on January 8, 1927. The ministerial board recommend- ed Oliver Royer as his successor. It was also decided to ask the General Mission Board, Elgin, Illinois, for financial support in order to meet the additional obligations incurred by the de- struction of the original building. This board sent M. R. Zigler to plan a financial program of mutual agreement. Plans provid- ing that the General Mission Board would pay the interest on the note for five years if the congregation paid two thousand dollars a year on the principal were announced on July 2, 1927. (The General Mission Board paid the interest until January 1940, the agreement being renewed each year.) At this meeting it was also announced that Robert B. Garman was resigning as treasurer, a position which he continued to hold until January 1, 1930, when Hiram R. Heestand was elected.
The financial responsibilities of the congregation becoming more difficult as time passed, the Northeastern Ohio mission board was asked for assistance in supporting a pastor. The board agreed and continued to help until the debt was paid off in January 1955.
Oliver Royer undertook full-time pastoral duties on October 1, 1927. During his ministry the congregation and the community were led in evangelistic services by J. Edwin Jarboe, Charles Flory, D. R. McFadden, Ira Long, and J. Perry Prather. In order to accept a pastorate in Southern Ohio, Pastor Royer resigned on July 3, 1935.
From June 19 to 21, 1928, the district Sunday-school convention was held in the Alliance church. In November of that year an institute for teachers and church-school officers was conducted.
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Hiram R. Heestand was elected to the deaconship on October 6, 1928.
J. W. Fyock became the part-time pastor on September 1, 1935. During his years here various interests were forwarded. He encouraged a broader understanding of other religions and other peoples. Outstanding in this program were the sermon by Rabbi Lyons of the Temple of Israel, Alliance, and the singing of the local African Methodist Episcopal choir. The district young people's conference was held in our church on Labor Day, 1936, Paul H. Bowman being the guest speaker. Under the leadership of Scoutmaster R. N. Antram, Troop 58 was organized with nine boys; during the five years of the troop's existence, every boy over twelve who was a member of the church was a scout. A new office, that of financial secretary, was created; R. N. Antram was elected to it on January 1, 1939. Evangelistic services were conducted by George G. Canfield, Oliver Austin, and B. M. Rollins. The ladies' aid was reorganized for more effective work.
Brother Fyock's pastorate was terminated on December 31, 1940. John A. Buffenmyer then ministered to us until August 1942. John W. Detrick was secured as supply pastor in October 1942, and was installed as regular pastor on April 4, 1943. He was graduated from the Oberlin School of Theology with the Bachelor of Divinity degree in June 1945. Accepting an appointment by the 1946 Annual Conference to the China mission field, he concluded his pastorate on August 31, 1946.
The church debt having been reduced to thirty-five hundred dollars plus interest by January 1, 1943, plans were made by the finance board whereby the remaining obligation could be paid off in three years. The voluntary response of members and friends was so encouraging that the finance board decided that the debt could be liquidated by Easter, 1944. That morning the indebtedness was two hundred fifty dollars; the offering received was just over four hundred dollars. President Vernon F. Schwalm of Manchester College delivered the address at a special service on May 14, 1944, which included the burning of the note- a climax to eighteen years of struggle and sacrifice.
The subdistrict promotional conference was held in the Alliance church on December 11, 1943.
In keeping with the general trend of the Brotherhood as
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expressed at the 1943 Annual Conference, our congregation voted on April 2, 1944, to participate in the Ministerial and Missionary Pension Plan.
During the summer of 1945 a new heating unit was installed in the church house at a cost of twelve hundred dollars.
J. D. Zigler became our pastor on September 1, 1946. At this time the district mission board purchased a house at 945 South Freedom Avenue to be used as a parsonage. After some remodeling it was ready for occupancy.
The next year some improvements were made in the church plant according to plans made by C. H. Deardorff. The baptistry and the pulpit were rearranged and much of the building was redecorated. At the rededication services held on November 2, 1947, Rufus D. Bowman, president of Bethany Biblical Seminary, was the speaker.
Paul Penrod and Vernon Huston were elected to the deaconship on October 19, 1947.
The 1950-1951 budget called for another cooperative effort to rid the church of the new debt incurred by the remodeling. A slogan, "A Mile of Dimes in 1951," was accepted. The church windows were offered for family dedication.
The twenty-fifth anniversary services started the evening of October 14, 1951, and continued all week. October 25 was named as Twenty-fifth Anniversary Sunday. On that day the windows were dedicated to the honor of the church's founders, and the note was burned.
On October 12, 1952, Brother and Sister Leo Stuckey and Donald Myers were elected to the office of deacon.
Pastor Zigler tendered his resignation at the October 1955 council meeting, to become effective August 31, 1956, but continued until August 31, 1957. Richard C. Overly of Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania, was called to fill our pulpit beginning September 1, 1957; he remained until August 31, 1960. During his pastorate, Brother and Sister Chester Blanchard, Brother and Sister J. D. Unkefer, and Brother and Sister David Stuckey were elected to the deaconship. Under the direction of Miss Winifred L. Trupp, a youth choir was started; continu- ing to the present, it adds much to our worship services.
Because of the financial status of the church, it was decided that in 1960 the church would join with the Reading church to employ a pastor. Loren Frantz was called to
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minister to these charges. This arrangement was terminated at the end of one year, however, when Brother Frantz resigned. At this time, Arno Holderread was called to serve the church on an interim basis, which he very ably did. He remained until May 31, 1962, at which time Verne Henry Leininger, a Bethany Seminary student, came as a summer pastor.
Under the capable direction of the treasurer, Shirley (Mrs. Herbert) Zigler, and the financial secretary, Miss Grace Stanley, the church is going forward financially. A new gas furnace has been installed for the safety and the comfort of the congregation.
Since 1954, Winifred Trupp has served the church as clerk. At the July 1962 council, the church accepted a constitution which was the result of many hours of research and discussion by the constitution committee, composed of Mrs. Herbert Zigler, chairman, Miss Trupp, and Hiram R. Heestand. It had been felt for some time that the church needed a compiled list of rules and guides, which might be easily accessible to anyone who inquires.
THE ASHLAND DICKEY CHURCH
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