USA > Pennsylvania > Lebanon County > Kleinfeltersville > Centennial celebration of the organization of the first conference of the Evangelical Church : held at Kleinfeltersville, Lebanon County, Pa., September, 25-26, 1907 > Part 1
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CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 1807-1907
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CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
Of the Organization of the First Conference of The Evangelical Church
Held at Kleinfeltersville, Lebanon County, Pa., September, 25-26, 1907
Ev. Winited "h of
289.939 .. S54 32,528 €.
Published by order of the Board of Publication of the United Evangelical Church. J. H. SHIREY and S. L. WIEST, Editors and Publishers.
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united Theological Seminary
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HOUSE IN WHICH FIRST CONFERENCE WAS HELD, A, D. 1807.
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OUR CENTENNIAL
The one hundredth anniversary of the organization of the first annual conference, at Kleinfeltersville, Pa., was first sug- gested by Rev. D. G. Reinhold, of the East Pennsylvania Confer- ence, some time previous to the General Conference of 1906. The local congregation petitioned the General Conference, held at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to arrange for such a centennial celebra- tion, and the latter passed the following resolution :
"WHEREAS, There has been submitted to this body a 'me- morial' from the Kleinfeltersville class, of the East Pennsylvania Conference, praying that the United Evangelical Church may, in some appropriate manner, recognize the organization of the Evangelical Association at that place in the year 1807; and
WHEREAS, The house in which the first Annual Conference was organized in that year is still standing at that place, and Rev. Jacob Albright, the founder of the Church, both died and was buried there the year following ; therefore,
Resolved, That we recognize the propriety of such a celebra- tion, and would recommend the observance of the centennial of the ecclesiastical organization of the Evangelical Association, with which the United Evangelical Church stands vitally con- nected in her origin.
Resolved, That the matter be entrusted to a committee of ar- rangements, said committee to be composed of the Corresponding Secretary of the Missionary Society, three persons each from the East and Central Pa. Conferences and one person from the Pitts- burg Conference, and that the delegations of the three Confer- ences designated choose their committeemen during the session of this body, and that they meet and organize before the close of this Conference, and make arrangements for a place and time of meeting to arrange the program and fix date for said centennial celebration.
Resolved, That said committee shall, in connection with the local celebration also devise and publish a plan for the obser- vance of said centennial, throughout the bounds of the Church;
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and, furthermore, that these centenary celebrations be made the occasion of missionary rallies, and that collections be taken for our foreign mission work."
The committee appointed to carry out this action of the General Conference were J. H. Shirey (Chairman), S. L. Wiest and A. J. Brunner of the East Pennsylvania Conference; A. Stapleton (Secretary), U. F. Swengel and J. W. Slothower, of the Central Pennsylvania Conference; W. M. Stanford, of the Pittsburg Conference, and B. H. Niebel, Corresponding Secre- tary of the Missionary Society. This committee formulated a program and selected the 25th and 26th of September, 1907, as the time for the centennial services. Their program was credit- ably carried out, and the attendance at, and the interest and en- thusiasm in, the services exceeded all expectations. A conserva- tive estimate, based upon the registration of those in attendance, was 750. There were representatives present from two countries -the United States and China ; from four states-Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois and Kansas ; from six annual conferences- East Pennsylvania, Central Pennsylvania, Pittsburg, Illinois, Kansas and Des Moines ; and from at least 66 towns and cities.
The services at the grave of Jacob Albright, founder of the Church, in the evening twilight of the last day, were deeply im- pressive.
The offering for the China Mission exceeded one hundred dollars.
So notable was the occasion, so inspiring the services and so valuable the addresses, that the Board of Publication of the United Evangelical Church, at its annual meeting on October 8th and 9th, 1907, appointed the undersigned to prepare this Souvenir. It is by this means that the memory of this celebra- tion, and especially the able and historically important addresses delivered, are to be handed down to succeeding generations.
We reprint herewith the program, and the names of those who registered, and the addresses, except that of C. Newton Dubs, D.D., which, much to our regret, we could not secure. In addition to that which appears in the program, it is of interest to note that the singing was a marked fea- ture of the exercises. Many of the old hymns and cho- ruses, so popular with "the fathers," were sung from the "Violi." Special music was also rendered by Rev. W. H.
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Christ, the Glee Club of Albright College and the choir of the First Church, Lebanon.
Rev. A. M. Sampsel had charge of all the exercises, except- ing the last service, at which Rev. J. H. Shirey presided.
The local pastor, Rev. W. F. Schofer, deserves grateful recognition for his efficient and gratuitous services in providing transportation and entertainment for visitors.
The following, by Rev. A. Stapleton, M. S., D.D., which ap- peared in The Evangelical of October 16th, 1907, under the cap- tion, "Whence Came Our Evangelical Fathers," is of so great historic value that we take this means of bringing it again to the attention of our Evangelical people, and of preserving it for those who shall come to our standard in the years to follow :
The great Palatine emigration to Pennsylvania was caused by civil and religious oppression. In 1706, Rev. Joshua Kocher- thal, a pious minister of Lindau, Bavaria, went to London to in- terest the English nation in behalf of his oppressed and afflicted countrymen. He was given assurances of help by Queen Anne, William Penn and other influential people. Returning to the Palatinate, he published a small pamphlet giving an account of the promises and prospects accorded him relative to the emigration of the Palatines to America.
This pamphlet and other agencies aroused a great interest, and was the beginning of the German Exodus to Pennsylvania. In 1708, Kocherthal led the first Palatine colony, consisting of 54 persons, down the Rhine, and proceeded to London, where ar; rangements were made to settle them in America. They were the pioneers of a mighty host, as within two years upwards of thirty thousand Palatines had reached London and thrown themselves on the generosity of the English people.
In the Spring of 1709, Kocherthal, with his original colony, was transported to New York and located on the Hudson. After settling his people, he returned to London, and with the help of the English government organized the greatest colonial expedi- tion that ever left the shores of Europe. The colony consisted of about three thousand people, and they shipped in seven trans- ports. They left England in the Spring of 1710. Misfortunes of all kinds befell them. They were buffeted by fierce storms and
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driven far out of their course, their food and water supply failed them, and sickness broke out. After a voyage of six months, during which they lost several of their vessels, and nearly half of the people, they reached New York and were located up the Hudson River.
The New York authorities did not treat the poor refugees with kindness and fairness, and this soon reached their country- men camped at London, as well as in the Fatherland. It was this that deflected the immigration to Pennsylvania, and led to the creation of a new German nation, known as "the Pennsylvania Germans."
Most of the Palatines on the Hudson River forsook their holdings and relocated in the Mohawk and Schoharie Valleys, where they were assigned lands by the chiefs of the Mohawk Indians. Even here they were not free from the oppression of the New York authorities, who sought to compel them to pay for the land already confirmed to them by the Indians. This led them to their last great strike for tranquility. Some Indian friends who were acquainted in Pennsylvania told them of. a region called by them "Tulpehocken," a land of beauty, abound- ing in gushing springs and fruits. Led by these Indians, in 1723, the first party of Palatines came to this region through the wil- derness. They were followed by the second colony in 1727, and later by others, until nearly all the orignal Hudson River colon- ists were re-elected in "Tulpehocken."
This region in a general sense is the great Lebanon Valley. A little below our Albright College, at Myerstown, the refugees built their first churches in 1728-Lutheran and Reformed. The Millbach Valley is an arm of the Tulpehocken, and was settled by the Schoharie refugees. In the list of survivors who came with Kocherthal in 1710, I found the name of Jacob Becker and John Henry Zeller. With the rest, they came overland through the wilderness to the headwaters of the Susquehanna, floated down that stream to the mouth of the Swatara, where Middle- town now stands. Becker bought land in the Millbach Valley from a previous owner. The date can not be ascertained, but the patent is dated 1737. This land is still mostly held by descen- dants. The Beckers were Reformed. The grandchildren con- stituted the most important family connection in the early history of the Albright church. In the house of Samuel, the conference
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was organized in 1807. In the house of George, Albright died in 1808. In the homes of three other brothers original classes were formed.
Jacob Becker, when he first arrived from Schoharie prior to 1730, first settled where the Zeller house now stands. This he relinquished, and John Henry Zeller took the place, and in 1745, built a house-fort over a splendid spring, gushing out of a rock. This house was built as a protection for the settlers against the hostile Indians. It is built of heavy stones. The windows are high up, and so narrow that a person could hardly get through. During the French and Indian War (1754-1760), the settlers often gathered here for protection. John Henry Zeller was a prominent member of the Reformed Church. He died at an advanced age in 1756. He was the ancestor of a noble posterity, many of whom were ministers. Several branches became Evangelicals. From this stock descends the wife of Bishop H. B. Hartzler. The old Zeller home is about a mile from Sheridan, and only a few years ago was sold out of the family by Monroe Zeller, the eighth generation.
J. H. SHIREY, .S. L. WIEST.
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THE KLEINFELTERSVILLE CHURCH, in which the Centennial Services were held.
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PROGRAM OF THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION AT KLEINFELTERSVILLE, LEBANON CO., PA.
SEPTEMBER 25 AND 26, 1907.
Wednesday Evening, 7: 30.
Conductor of Exercises-Rev. A. M. Sampsel, Presiding Elder of Harrisburg District, East Pennsylvania Conference.
Leader of Music-Rev. A. J. Brunner, Pastor of Harris Street Church, Harrisburg, Pa.
Organist-Rev. E. H. Romig, Pastor at Pottsville, Pa.
Opening-Devotional Exercises, led by Rev. J. H. Shirey, Pre- siding Elder, Reading District, East Pa. Conference. Introductory Address, by Rev. A. M. Sampsel, of Reading, Pa. Address-Subject, "The Development of the United Evangelical Church," by Rev. B. H. Niebel, Harrisburg, Pa., Corre- sponding Secretary of the Church Extension and Mission- ary Societies.
Closing-Singing and Prayer.
Thursday, September 26, 10 A. M.
Opening-Devotional Exercises, led by Rev. J. D. Shortess, of Lemoyne, Presiding Elder of the Carlisle District, Central Pennsylvania Conference.
Address-Subject, "The Genius and Spirit of Our Church Life," by Bishop H. B. Hartzler, D.D., of Harrisburg, Pa.
Address-Subject, "Our Church Polity," by Bishop William F. Heil, of Highland Park, Il1.
Closing Exercises-Singing and Prayer.
Afternoon-2 O'clock.
Opening-Devotional Exercises, led by Rev. G. S. Smith, of Hia- watha, Kansas, Presiding Elder of the Kansas Confer- ence.
Address-Subject, "Rev. Jacob Albright as Evangelist and Founder," by Rev. A. Stapleton, M. S., D.D., Pastor of St. Paul Church, York, Pa.
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Address-Subject, "Our Mission Work in China," Rev. C. New- ton Dubs, D.D., Superintendent of our Mission work in China.
Closing Exercises.
Evening at 6 O'clock.
Twilight Services at the Grave of Jacob Albright.
Addresses by Rev. C. S. Haman, of Reading, Pa .; Rev. A. E. Gobble, A. M., D.D., Professor in Albright College, Myerstown, Pa .; Rev. S. L. Wiest, Publisher, Harris- burg, Pa.
7: 30-Exercises in the Church.
Opening-Devotional Service, led by Rev. L. Dice, Pastor at Ransom, Pa.
Address-Subject, "The United Evangelical Church Was Or- ganized in Accordance With the Will of God," by Rev. R. Dubs, D.D., LL.D., of Harrisburg, Pa., Editor of Die Evangelische Zeitschrift.
Address-Subject, "Our Future as a Church as Forecast by the Lessons of the Past," by Rev. W. M. Stanford, A. M., D.D., of Harrisburg, Pa., Editor of The Evangelical.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY REV. A. M. SAMPSEL, CONDUCTOR OF EXERCISES.
Wendell Phillips, one of America's greatest, if not the great- est of her platform orators, used to electricfy his audiences, in this and other lands, with his lecture on "The Lost Arts." If he did not succeed in convincing his generation that wisdom would not die with them, he left them no room for doubt that it did not begin with them. Men who lived and wrought millen- niums before were the heroes of most marvellous, yea, almost incredible achievements. Secrets were known to them which the keenest intellects of our modern days have thus far failed to un- lock. But when all has been said, when full account has been taken of all that they did, or could do, and contrasted with the mighty achievements of the present day, it must be admitted that
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for all practical purposes the "Arts" which are lost, are not to be compared with the discoveries and inventions of the last one hun- dred years. These years have brought more changes than all the ages preceding.
And what is true in the physical and intellectual world. is scarcely less true in the church. The changes, alas! not all for the better, which the century has brought to our church would make it almost unrecognizable to those who laid her foundation a hundred years ago. Think of the toils and self-sacrificings of Albright, and Walter, and Miller, and the rest of them, as they travelled on horse back over vast territories, passing through great forests and over high mountains, and preaching in farm- houses, and barns, and cabins, and under the open heavens to the few the great message committed to them, and compare it all with the great inheritance into which we have come and which we are enjoying to-day !
But while these almost incredible changes, along many lines, have taken place, the great fundamentals which gave success to the fathers, remain absolutely unchanged. The burning enthu- siasm, the holy fervor, the absolute assurance of their divine call, and their sublime faith in the power of the Gospel are as essen- tial now as they were then. Our message may be presented in somewhat different garb, but the message is the same. The uni- versality of sin, the all-sufficiency of Jesus as the Saviour of all who thoroughly repent of their sins, and by faith accept Him as Saviour and Lord; the necessity of obeying the divine voice and living in fellowship with God through Christ in order to main- tain, and grow in, the life spiritual, need to be emphasized no less now than then.
If we have come here only to celebrate the work of the fa- thers, to congratulate each other upon what they wrought and we have achieved,-if that be all-and not that we may catch anew the inspiration which burned in their hearts, and be baptized again with the power through which they battled and won, we might just as well have saved the time and expense of coming here. Shall we not pray that as a result of this meeting, we may go forth to proclaim with all the emphasis that characterized their message the necessity of a thorough repentance, and a radical conversion-"through and through into eternal life"- and to hold up to the people, as the glorious privilege of every
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believer, complete deliverance from every sin-a present, per- sonal, perfect salvation in Jesus Christ ?
Nor must we forget to keep aloft for ourselves and for all our people the highest standard of ethics. When we fail there our glory will be gone and the reason for our continued existence will have departed. To maintain this standard a faithful obser- vance of the means of grace, the reading of the Word, secret and family prayers, and attendance upon the prayer meeting and the other services of the sanctuary, is unqualifiedly essential. It is- to be feared that in some of these things we, as a church, are far from following in the footsteps of the fathers. Too many, if report be true, have no altar for God in their home, and a large proportion are seldom or never found at the prayer meeting and the other services of the sanctuary. There ought not to be an Evangelical home anywhere where family worship is not held every day; and all our people need the prayer meeting, just as- much as our fathers needed it. May the services of these days bring to us all a mighty baptism of the old-time fire, consecration and power, and may our churches everywhere be set aflame therewith !
But my time is up, and I take great pleasure in introducing to you as the speaker of the evening, the Rev. B. H. Niebel, Secretary of our Church Extension and Missionary Societies. It is most fitting that he should be the first to address us upon this occasion. Ninety-eight years ago-just two years after the Conference whose centennial we are here to celebrate-his grand- father, Henry Niebel, who later became the second presiding elder of the church and a man of great influence and power in her early history, was licensed to preach the Gospel. From that day to this the church has never been without a Niebel in her ministry. Bro. Niebel's father, like his grandfather, gave the services of a long life to preaching the Gospel in our church, and he himself entered the ranks as a young man more than a quarter of a century ago. We are glad to have him among us, and pray that the divine blessing may be upon him as he brings us the message to-night.
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COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS APPOINTED BY GENERAL CONFERENCE.
1. J. H. SHIREY, Chairman.
2. A. STAPLETON, M.S., D.D., Secretary.
3. S. L. WIEST.
4. U. F. SWENGEL, D. D.
5. B. H. NIEBEL.
6. W. M. STANFORD, D. D.
7. A. J. BRUNNER.
8. J. W . SLOTHOWER.
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THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNITED EVANGELICAL CHURCH
ADDRESS BY REV. B. H. NIEBEL, CORRESPONDING SECRETARY OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY AND OF THE BOARD OF CHURCH EXTENSION.
The scope of my subject begins with the taking of the name "United Evangelical Church." A brief historical reference to the origin and adoption of this name will therefore be in order.
Unfavorable court decisions made it evident that we would be necessitated to take a new name. The name United Evan- gelical Church originated with Bishop Dubs. It was first men- tioned by him privately at the session of the East Pa. Confer- ence in 1894. Here the probable necessity of a change in name was discussed, and the name United Evangelical Church, was finally agreed upon, in case there should be a new name required. The matter was next presented to the Central Pa. Conference at its session, which also agreed to this name. Pittsburg Con- ference did likewise.
The Illinois Conference had previously adopted the name "Regular Evangelical Association," in 1893. Fortunately it had been discovered prior to the time of their session of 1894 that an injunction would be served by the "other side" of the church controversy to prevent them from transacting business under the name Regular Evangelical Association. Fortunately also, that conference had adjourned the previous year under the follow- ing resolution :
Resolved, That we now adjourn subject to the call of the Bishop and the presiding elders at the time and place appointed by them." Pursuant to this resolution, Bishop Dubs and the pre- siding elders called a session of the Illinois Conference at Bar- rington, Ill., to meet at two o'clock p. m., on Wednesday, the day before the usual time of meeting. After devotional services, and the organization of the conference, and the reception of a report from a largely attended laymen's convention ; the subject of a new name was made the order of the business. After some discussion, the following action was taken:
"We, the members of the Illinois Conference of the Regular Evangelical Association in conference assembled, and upon prop-
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er and prayerful consideration, deem it prudent and promotive of the interests and prosperity of Christ's kingdom to adopt the following :
WHEREAS, The change in our church and conference name one year ago at the opening of the annual conference session in Freeport, under unexpected assault by litigation, and without any notice on the part of our opponents of the so-called majority, giving but little time for deliberation in the matter ; and,
WHEREAS, We deem the name then adopted insufficiently distinctive for the best interests and the highest degree of de- nominational prosperity, and lacking in that quality which repre- sents our organization distinctly to be a Christian denomination or church, and not an undefined "association,' and thus meet a want that has long been felt among our people; therefore,
Resolved, That we change our present name of the Regular Evangelical Association to United Evangelical Church.
Resolved, That we the Illinois Conference of the Regular Evangelical Association, shall hereafter be known by the name of Illinois Conference of the United Evangelical Church.
This then was the first formulative action and adoption of the name United Evangelical Church.
When the General Conference met at Naperville, Ill., on Nov. 29, 1894, a committee on the status of that General Con- ference, and its relation to the Philadelphia General Conterence was appointed. This committee consisted of a minister and a lay- man from each of the six conferences there represented, as fol- lows :
East Pa .- B. J. Smoyer and J. G. Mohn.
Central Pa .- Jacob Hartzler and I. S. Frain.
Pittsburg-G. W. Brown and M. B. Templin.
Illinois-D. B. Byers and J. F. Schlosstein.
Des Moines-B. H. Niebel and N. R. Clift.
Ohio-A. Swartz and W. A. Ferguson.
I will quote only the first item reported by this committee and adopted by the General Conference.
"We, the so-called minority of the Evangelical Association of North America, but now by action of annual conferences here represented, the United Evangelical Church, which name we hereby ratify and adopt as our denominational name; have all along held the attitude of loyalty to the constitution or discipline
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of our church; and have stood unflinchingly for principle law and order regardless of any and all adverse circumstances."
Thus we became the United Evangelical Church. May we ever be in spirt and in effort what this name indicates.
I am to speak of the development of this body of Christians. The term development means: "An internal or subjective expan- sion or progress toward a more perfect state, gradual growth or enlargement."
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