USA > Pennsylvania > Berks County > Reading > The history of St. Stephen's reformed church, Reading, Pennsylvania, 1884-1909; by the Rev. Thomas W. Dickert > Part 1
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GENEALOGY COLLECTION
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02221 4511
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THE HISTORY OF ST. STEPHEN'S REFORMED CHURCH READING, PENNSYLVANIA 1884-1909
BY THE REV. THOMAS W. DICKERT, A. M.
ILLUSTRATED.
Reading, Pa. I. M. Beaver, Publisher. 1909.
COPYRGHT, 1909, BY REV. THOMAS W. DICKERT
1386400
TO THE MEMORY OF THE FIRST PASTOR AND THE DEPARTED MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED.
PREFACE
A T a special meeting of the consistory November 11, 1908, the pastor was instructed to prepare a history of St. Stephen's Reformed Church, covering the first twenty-five years of its existence, closing March 16, 1909. Some time after the cele- bration of the twenty-fifth anni- versary we set to work upon the task, contem- plating the compilation of a volume of about three hundred pages, to be completed some time during this year.
As we proceeded with our work it became exceedingly fascinating, and the material began to accumulate to such an extent that we felt the need of condensation. In spite of our efforts in this direction the work went far beyond the proportions originally contemplated. If we could rewrite the volume, we should no doubt make some omissions and apply the process of condensation still more strictly. A large part of the book was in type before we realized how far we were going beyond the original plan, and it was too late to make such omissions as might
VI
PREFACE
not have destroyed the completeness of the book, nor did we wish to cut out too much of the material in the latter half of the book for fear we should not do justice to the organiza- tions that have done so much for the welfare of the congregation and have been so large a part of its life. Though the book may be more bulky than is deemed necessary for the chron- icling of the history of so young a congregation, we hope it has the virtue of symmetry and fair- ness, doing justice to all that are concerned.
Although the time and labor bestowed upon the book deprived us of some of our recreation and interfered somewhat with our pastoral du- ties, we rejoice that we could complete our task, which has proven a labor of love, and we hope the perusal of the book by the members of the congregation will in part compensate them for any apparent neglect on our part, and will bind pastor and people still more closely together.
We believe that this volume will become more and more valuable as the years go by, and that it will be read with fascinating interest by both young and old. The younger members ought to be deeply interested in the early strug- gles of the congregation, and the work that was
VII
PREFACE
done by the faithful pastor and people who bore the burden and heat of the day when founda- tions were laid and when sacrifices were made. Many of these earnest workers have gone with their pastor to their eternal reward. The older members ought to rejoice as they observe the progress that has been made during the brief history of the congregation and the great work that has been here accomplished.
The perusal of a history like this will con- vince any one that missions pay. When the first pastor began his labors, he received three hundred dollars a year toward his salary from the Home Mission Board. In six years the congregation became self-supporting. The in- vestment of the Home Mission Board was con- siderably less than two thousand dollars, and the amount contributed for benevolence alone by the congregation during the first twenty-five years of its history is fourteen thousand dollars, which is a fair return on the investment.
We were fortunate in finding some material bearing upon the preliminary history, for which we are indebted to a report written by Mr. Ja- cob B. Fricker. The minutes of the consistory have been very carefully kept and reflect credit
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PREFACE
upon the faithful secretaries who had them in charge. We regret that we cannot say the same of the secretaries of some of the other organiza- tions. The early Sunday School records are lost, and a great deal of valuable information could not be obtained through this carelessness. The early minutes of the Missionary Society and the Christian Endeavor Society were not available, and the reports of these organizations are not as complete as we should like them to be.
We took great pains to have all the dates and figures absolutely correct, and followed care- fully all the records available. We believe that the statements in the book are all reliable and may be depended upon by future historians. We noticed a few typographical errors after the matter was printed, but these are readily de- tected and do not affect the value of the con- tents.
We beg to acknowledge our indebtedness to the present secretaries of the congregation, the Sunday School and the other organizations of the church ; to Mrs. C. S. Gerhard for papers, photographs and information furnished ; to William J. Lowe for the loan of photographs and other help rendered; to Rev. Andrew H.
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PREFACE
Smith, Charles H. Gerhard, Rev. Henry Y. Sto- ner and Mary E. Schoenberger for information given ; to Miss Sallie R. Kline for looking up the files of " The Reading Eagle"; to Mrs. Mil- ton J. Coller and Mrs. Lemon H. Hertz for pa- pers and records furnished ; to the printer, en- graver, and binder and their employees for their many courtesies; and to the members of the consistory for their encouragement and support. READING, PENNSYLVANIA,
December 20, 1909.
3 1833 02221 4511
CONTENTS
PAGE
Preface
V
CHAPTER I.
Preliminary History
17
CHAPTER II.
The Organization of the Congregation
29
CHAPTER III.
The Development of the Congregation.
37
CHAPTER IV.
The Incorporation of the Congregation
51
CHAPTER V.
Preparing for Larger Things.
63
CHAPTER VI.
A New Church
77
a CHAPTER VII.
A Period of Sorrow
109
CHAPTER VIII.
A New Pastor
129
CHAPTER IX.
An Era of Prosperity
169
CHAPTER X.
The Twenty-fifth Anniversary
191
XII
CONTENTS
CHAPTER XI.
The Pastors of the Congregation.
209
CHAPTER XII.
The Consistory
231
CHAPTER XIII.
The Members of the Congregation
239
CHAPTER XIV.
The Sons of the Congregation.
287
CHAPTER XV.
The Sunday School.
303
CHAPTER XVI.
The Church Organizations
329
CHAPTER XVII.
Statistics 389
ILLUSTRATIONS
The New Church
PAGE
Frontispiece
The Old Church
29
Rev. C. S. Gerhard, D. D
37
Interior of the Old Church
44
The Seal of the Church
51
The Property of the Congregation in 1897
75
Interior of the New Church
77
Rev. Thomas W. Dickert
129
The Pipe Organ
156
The Bell
172
Interior View of Church on Twenty-fifth Anniversary .. 191
Memorial Tablet to Rev. C. S. Gerhard, D.D
198
The Consistory
,231
The Sons of the Congregation
287
The Sunday School Room 303
The History of St. Stephen's Reformed Church
CHAPTER I PRELIMINARY HISTORY
E VERY organization has a prelimi- nary history, a period of prepa- ration, which is often hidden in obscurity and difficult of clear and definite recital. Such a period of preparation, of rather long dura- tion, preceded the organization of St. Stephen's Reformed congrega- tion. It had its real origin in one of the earli- est Reformed mission Sunday schools in Read- ing, which was organized in 1864 and was known as Emanuel's Sunday School.
Its first home was the old one-story public school house on the northwest corner of Tenth and Washington streets, where its sessions were held for a number of years with Mr. John N. Bowman as Superintendent. After the erection of a small frame chapel on Tenth street, between Washington and Walnut streets, the school took up its abode there, and was for some time con-
2
18
ST. STEPHEN'S REFORMED CHURCH
ducted as a German and English Sunday school with Mr. Martin Goodhart as Superintendent. The German portion of the school was turned over to the German congregation and afterward discontinued. The English portion of the school was continued as Emanuel's Sunday school and, after the sale of the chapel prop- erty, was transferred to the public school build- ing on Tenth street, between Washington and Walnut streets, where it continued until De- cember 23, 1883, when it was removed to the newly-erected church building on the south- west corner of Ninth and Greenwich streets and reorganized as St. Stephen's Reformed Sunday School. In addition to the two men- tioned above, Emanuel's Sunday School had the following Superintendents during its history of nineteen years : Jonathan Dorwart, John W. Ranch, Jefferson Snyder, esq., John C. Hoffe- ditz, Dr. J. G. Grosscup and Thos. D. Bausher.
We regret that we cannot follow in detail the history of Emanuel's Sunday School during the first fifteen years of its history, when it had a somewhat checkered career, but in the fall of 1879 a movement was set on foot which ma- terially affected its future history and kept it
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PRELIMINARY HISTORY
alive until it found a permanent home and field of labor. A committee was appointed by the Reformed Sunday School Association, Septem- ber 14, 1879, " to present a plan or system as to the best way to reach the neglected children of our city." The committee acted promptly, and in a few days had prepared its report, which will be given in full in the chapter on the Sun- day school, where it more properly belongs. This committee recommended the division of the city into four districts, each of which was to be under the supervision of one of the four Reformed churches in the city. St. Paul's Me- morial Reformed Church was given jurisdiction over Emanuel's Sunday School and the north- eastern district, which included the section of the city north of Penn street and east of Sev- enth street. Under the fostering care of its spiritual mother the small Sunday school began to flourish, and in due time became one of the leading Sunday schools of the city.
In accordance with a previous understand- ing between the pastors of the Reformed con- gregations in the city a meeting was held in the office of Daniel Miller on May 11, 1882, attended by the following representatives of
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ST. STEPHEN'S REFORMED CHURCH
these congregations, who had been delegated by their respective pastors : First Reformed Church, Daniel Dillon and Aaron Leas; Second Re- formed Church, James T. Reber and Jacob H. Stein; St. Paul's Memorial Reformed Church, Daniel Miller and Jacob B. Fricker ; St. John's Reformed Church, Solomon Hartman and H. Minker. Zion's Reformed congregation (Ger- man), which was engaged in organizing a con- gregation and in securing a building of its own, was excused from taking part in the proposed enterprise.
The above committee organized by unani- mously electing James T. Reber as president and Jacob B. Fricker as secretary. At a sub- sequent meeting Jacob H. Stein was elected treasurer. The object of the meeting was then stated, namely, to consider the purchase of a lot and the erection of a suitable building which might be the home of a new Reformed congre- gation to be organized some time in the future, Before adjournment the members of the com- mittee were instructed to ascertain the prices of lots which in their estimation would be suitable locations for the erection of a church. In less than a week the committee reconvened and vari-
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PRELIMINARY HISTORY
ous locations were reported on by members of the committee. The report which seemed most acceptable was that made by Mr. Fricker, who said he had previously been offered the lot on the southwest corner of Ninth and Greenwich streets, and had thought of buying it for him- self. Although he had secured the refusal of the same for himself, he said he was willing to hand the bargain over to the committee for church purposes if they thought the lot a desir- able one.
The offer was accepted and the lot, 77 by 110 feet, was purchased for $3600. The presi- dent appointed Jacob B. Fricker and Jacob H. Stein a committee to have a proper deed made, Daniel Miller a committee to secure a loan, and Jacob H. Stein a trustee to hold the property and to give a suitable mortgage on the same. The lot being larger than necessary, in the esti- mation of the committee, a portion on Ninth street, 16 by 80 feet, was sold for $600 .* A mortgage for $3000 was placed upon the prop- erty with interest at five per cent.
* This lot, with improvements, was repurchased by the congrega- tion in 1897 for $2900.
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ST. STEPHEN'S REFORMED CHURCH
At the subsequent meetings of the commit- tee some or all of the pastors, Drs. B. Bausman, C. F. McCauley, H. Mosser, J. W. Steinmetz and L. K. Derr, were in attendance. Mr.
Fricker was appointed to ascertain the cost of a substantial brick building, about 35 by 60 feet in size. At a meeting of the committee held May 22, 1883, it was decided that the name of the new church should be St. Stephen's Re- formed Church of the City of Reading, and that a subscription fund should be immediately begun for the purpose of building a suitable church. The following committee was appointed to solicit funds for the purpose : James T. Re- ber, Jacob H. Stein, Daniel Miller, Joseph A. Leinbach, Daniel S. Klein and Jacob B. Fricker. Messrs. James T. Reber, Jacob B. Fricker, Solomon Hartman and Aaron Leas were ap- pointed a building committee to supervise the erection of the new church. Plans for the church were submitted from time to time, and on July 30, 1883, the building committee was instructed to make a contract with Mr. William R. Shatell to begin at once the construction of a building 35 by 70 feet with the understand-
23
PRELIMINARY HISTORY
ing that the same be completed not later than November 1, 1883, at a cost of $2580.
The corner stone was laid on Sunday after- noon, September 2, 1883. The service, which was largely attended, was opened with the sing- ing of Psalm 118, third part. Dr. B. Bausman conducted the opening service and offered " the corner-stone prayer." Dr. C. F. McCauley laid the corner-stone, into which the following ar- ticles were placed : The Holy Bible, a Hymn Book, a Heidelberg Catechism, a copy each of " The Reformed Church Messenger," "The Christian World," " Die Reformirte Kirchen- zeitung," " Der Reformirte Hausfreund," and a brief historical sketch of the church to date. Dr. H. Mosser delivered an address. Dr. L. K. Derr announced the closing hymns and pro- nounced the benediction.
While the building was being erected, the friends of the enterprise sought a minister who should take charge of the interest and become the pastor of the congregation which was to be organized. The Rev. C. S. Gerhard, then pas- tor of Trinity Reformed Church, Columbia, Pa., was chosen and entered upon the work Novem- ber 1, 1883. The Reformed churches of Read-
24
ST. STEPHEN'S REFORMED CHURCH
ing erected the building and promised to raise the larger portion of the pastor's salary until the congregation should be able to assume the obligation. An appropriation of $300 per an- num was voted by the Home Mission Board to help pay the pastor's salary. The following item from the report of the Rev. Theodore Ap- pel, who was then Superintendent of Home Mis- sions, will be of interest :
"For some time past a movement has been on foot to establish an English mission in the northern part of the city of Reading, which move has the prospect of being successful. The members of the Reformed churches in the city purchased the ground for a church, and on the first Sunday in September the corner stone of the new building was laid. The building is to be of brick, 35 by 75 feet, and is to be handsomely arranged in the interior. All the expenses are to be paid by the Reading churches. The Rev. Calvin S. Gerhard has been commissioned to take charge of this new interest, and, Providence permit- ting, will enter upon this new field of labor about the be- ginning of November. There is room for more Reformed churches in Reading, as her population is increasing rap- idly, and Reformed people are constantly moving into the city from the country. With Mr. Gerhard's pastoral ex- perience and ability as a preacher it will not be long, it is believed, before this new movement results in a flourishing and useful church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The larger portion of the salary needed for the support of the pastor will be raised by the Reading churches."
The new church was dedicated with appro- priate services on Sunday afternoon, December
25
PRELIMINARY HISTORY
30, 1883. The services were attended by mem- bers of the Reformed churches in Reading and other persons residing in the neighborhood. The pulpit was occupied by Rev. B. Bausman, D. D., pastor of St. Paul's Memorial Reformed Church, and Rev. C. F. McCauley, D. D., pas- tor of the Second Reformed Church. Among the other ministers present at the service were Revs. H. Mosser, D. D., J. W. Steinmetz, D. D., L. K. Derr, D. D., F. W. Dechant, C. W. Le- van, and the pastor, C. S. Gerhard. The choir of St. Paul's Memorial Reformed Church sang "Shout the Glad Tidings."
Rev. J. W. Stein- metz, D. D., pastor of St. John's Reformed Church, read the Scripture lesson and offered the prayer. Rev. C. F. McCauley, D. D., de- livered a brief address, in which he referred to the Sunday School out of which the new church grew, and expressed the hope that St. Stephen's would become a blessing to the community. Rev. B. Bausman, D. D., spoke of the signi- ficance of the church, dedicated to holy uses, where we can come from the cares and trials of life to meet our Maker. He expressed the be- lief that St. Stephen's Church was a symbol of the unity of the Reformed people of Reading.
26
ST. STEPHEN'S REFORMED CHURCH
After remarks by the pastor, Rev. C. S. Ger- hard, who thanked the people of Reading for their generous contributions to the church, the dedicatory service was held, closing with the " Gloria in Excelsis" and the benediction.
On December 23, 1883, the Sunday preced- ing the dedication, Emanuel's Sunday School was transferred to the new church and reorgan- ized as St. Stephen's Reformed Sunday School, with Thomas D. Bausher as Superintendent and Daniel S. Klein as Assistant Superintendent. The Sunday school marched down from the public school building on Tenth street, with Rev. C. S. Gerhard, T. D. Bausher, Milton J. Coller and Andrew H. Smith heading the pro- cession, followed by the other fifty-four men, women and children, who composed the sixty charter members with which St. Stephen's Re- formed Sunday School was organized.
The new church contained seats for about four hundred persons. It was a modest brick building without a tower or vestibule, but it was dear to the hearts of the devout worshipers who gathered there to form the nucleus of St. Stephen's Reformed congregation.
27
PRELIMINARY HISTORY
The first regular service was held in the church on Sunday evening, December 30, 1883, when Rev. C. S. Gerhard preached his first sermon in the new edifice. His text was Psalm 90 : 12, " So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Among other things he said :
"Under one view it may seem that as a church and congregation we are to-day making an absolutely new beginning. And yet this is not really the case. This new movement has lived for years in the hopes and prayers of the Reformed people of Reading. This church is the monument of their liberality, their church enterprise, and their love for the cause of Christ. May none of their ex- pectations be disappointed. On the other hand, may their fondest hopes all be realized."
After this Rev. Mr. Gerhard conducted ser- vices regularly in the new church, and engaged in missionary work with a view of organizing a congregation as soon as possible. For several months a German sermon was preached every other Sunday morning, but the experiment re- vealed the fact that German was not required, and its use was discontinued and the congrega- tion was organized on an English basis.
The building committee made their final re- port on March 4, 1884, in which they explained some of the changes which had been made in
28
ST. STEPHEN'S REFORMED CHURCH
the original plans. The cost of the completed building, as altered, was $2901.87. In addi- tion to this $769.27 was spent for furnishings and miscellaneous work, making the total cost $3671.14. In concluding its report the com- mittee says, " We have not done as well as we would have liked to do, but did what we could, and now hope and trust the building will stand many years, and that it may be the means of bringing many souls nearer to our blessed Mas- ter."
THE OLD CHURCH.
CHAPTER II THE ORGANIZATION OF THE CONGREGATION
S T. STEPHEN'S Reformed congre- gation was organized on Sunday, March 16, 1884, with fifty-seven charter members. It was the sixth Reformed congregation in Read- ing. The following is a list of the charter members, all received by certificate of dismission, given in the order in which they were recorded in the original church register :
Mrs. Jennie Hertz, Mrs. Amanda H. Kinsey, Milton J. Coller, Hettie Kline, Frank M. Lash, Daniel S. Klein, Mrs. Mary A. Klein, George Rocktashel, Mrs. Ida C. Rock- tashel, Charles B. Mull, Mrs. Ellen A. Mull, Jacob Timey, Mrs. Clara J. Timey, J. Fred. Gerhard, Mrs. Emma C. Gerhard, Mrs. Amanda Lerch, Mrs. Ellen M. Sollenberger, Mrs. Ellen Bower, Daniel Bucher, Susan Bucher, Mary Bucher, Annie Bucher, G. Frank Bard, Mrs. Annie C. Bard, Mrs. Mary Bucher, Edwin C. Gerhard, Mary E. Ger- hard, Levi M. Marks, Mrs. Elizabeth Marks, Mrs. Marga- ret Breneiser, Abraham Eisenberger, Mrs. Elmina Eisen- berger, Rosa Greenwald, Emma Greenwald, Sylvester Greenwald, Henry Y. Rhoads, Mrs. Mary R. Rhoads, Mrs. Catharine Seyfert, Edwin Fisher, Jacob Zechman, Jose- phine Fasig, George Noll, Alfred M. Ruth, Mrs. Louisa S. Ruth, Elmer S. Ruth, Charles J. Ruth, Bernard Mengel, Daniel C. Roth, Mrs. Frances S. Roth, Mrs. Anna M. Burkert, Mrs. Emma Woodworth, Mrs. Susan Getrost,
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ST. STEPHEN'S REFORMED CHURCH
Alexander Schlottman, Mrs. Catharine Schlottman, Sam- uel Palm, Mrs .. Emma M. Palm, Mrs. Emma E. Gerhard.
Seventeen of these original members were on our church roll at the time of our twenty- fifth anniversary, March 16, 1909, namely :
Mrs. Jennie Hertz, Mrs. Amanda H. Kinsey, Mrs. Het- tie Rohrbach (nee Kline), Mrs. Mary A. Klein, J. Fred. Gerhard, Mrs. Amanda Lerch, Mary Bucher, Mary E. Ger- hard, Abraham Eisenberger, Mrs. Rosa Frantz, Charles J. Ruth, Daniel C. Roth, Alexander Schlottman, Mrs. Catharine Schlottman, Samuel Palm, Mrs. Emma Palm, and Mrs. Emma E. Gerhard.
The first one to be received by confirmation was Mr. Calvin Deininger, who was confirmed on his sick bed, March 15, 1884, the day before the congregation was organized, and passed away the following day, when the organization of the congregation was effected. During the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the congregation, which was also the twenty- fifth anniversary of Mr. Deininger's departure from this world, his daughters, Florence and Edith Deininger, placed a magnificent bouquet of cut flowers upon the altar to his memory.
The first meeting of the newly organized congregation was held in the church, March 16, 1884, with Rev. C. S. Gerhard presiding, for the purpose of nominating and electing the
31
ORGANIZATION OF THE CONGREGATION
officers of the congregation. Daniel S. Klein was secretary pro tem. The nominating com- mittee consisted of Frank M. Lash and Edwin C. Gerhart, who presented the following candi- dates : Elders, Daniel Bucher and Daniel S. Klein ; deacons, Milton J. Coller and G. Frank Bard. These men were unanimously elected by acclamation to the respective offices. At a special meeting of the congregation held July 13, 1884, Samuel Palm was elected by acclama- tion as an additional deacon.
The consistory organized March 24, 1884, by electing Daniel S. Klein as secretary and Milton J. Coller as treasurer. The sexton's salary was fixed at $1.50 per week. On April 6th Miss Sallie Westley was elected organist of the congregation and Sunday school at a salary of fifty dollars a year, and Lemon H. Hertz was elected sexton. The latter position had been temporarily filled by J. L. Smith, who resigned March 30, 1884.
Thus equipped the young congregation en- tered upon its promising career, and from these small beginnings wonderful results have been achieved, so that at the end of twenty-five years
32
ST. STEPHEN'S REFORMED CHURCH
the congregation numbered 1160 members and the Sunday school 1285 members.
Surely the Stephen-like faith of the found- ers of the congregation was justified, and the Holy Spirit, who inspired Dr. Bausman and the Reformed people of Reading to conceive the project and the sainted pastor of this con- gregation to undertake the work, accompanied it with His sanctifying presence and brought it to its present attainments, more than realizing the fondest hopes of its progenitors.
On April 6, 1884, the consistory ordered that the money for the support of the pastor be paid monthly, and the envelope system was adopted for receiving these contributions.
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