USA > Pennsylvania > Change and challenge: a history of the Church of the Brethren in the southern district of Pennsylvania, 1940-1972 > Part 15
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Dr. Morley J. Mays became the tenth president of Elizabethtown College on October 1, 1966. The inauguration was conducted on April
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15, 1967 with Dr. Ewald B. Nyquist, deputy commissioner of education for New York State, as the principal speaker. Dr. Mays taught at Bridgewater College (1941-1946), the University of Chicago and was pro- fessor of Philosophy and dean at Juniata College (1948-1966).
Dr. Mays called for an intensive self- study of the college under the program he designated EPIC (Elizabethtown Plots Its Course). This study drafted a ten-year plan and guidelines for the coordinated growth of the institution. The question of church-relatedness has persisted and the period of rapid change in the Sixties and the Seventies has compelled both college and churchmen alike to seek a redefinition of the relationship between church and college.
EPIC defined the specific objectives of the college. It proposed to remain a liberal arts institution; a religiously-or- iented college; a relatively small college; a college which seeks to preserve individ- ual dignity and personal identity; and a Dr. Morley J. Mays college which seeks to serve a broad range of qualified students. These are objectives worthy of any Christian institution. They are also objectives which commend themselves to a denomination which has been proud of its past and positive in the face of change.
CAMP EDER
For many years the Southern District cooperated with the Eastern District in a joint camping program. Many young people attended the youth camps which were conducted at Camp Conewago on the campus of Elizabethtown College in the 1930s and the 1940s. Others attended Camp Swatara in the 1950s and the early 1960s. Camping in the Church of the Brethren is an outgrowth of a youth conference held at Winona Lake in 1921. This conference was followed by summer assemblies on college campuses. To minister to vacationing youth, Camp Harmony in Western Pennsylvania, Camp La Verne in California and Tunker Moun- tain in Virginia were organized in 1924. In 1925, Camp Mack was begun in Indiana. The Church of the Brethren became a pioneer in church camp- ing.
In the fall of 1943, the Boards of Christian Education in the Eastern and the Southern Districts approached their respective District Confer- ences with a request to purchase a camp site jointly. The purchase was to be financed through voluntary contributions. The conferences granted the boards permission to proceed with the purchase. The original purchase included a weather-beaten house and barn, located on 325 acres of valley and mountain land in Berks County. Many Sunday School classes, Men's Work and Women's Work Organizations and individuals volunteered to raise funds and gave their energies to the task of converting this acreage into a camp site. The Southern District agreed to contribute $2500 as its fair share. For a quarter of a century (1943-1968) Camp Swatara in the Eastern District was jointly owned by Southern and Eastern Districts.
In 1954, the main building at Camp Swatara was erected. In this same year the York Second Church presented a query to the District
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Conference asking for the study of "the possibility of establishing a camp site within the district". The Board of Christian Education studied the problem and reported in 1955. The board disclosed that a survey of the district showed a number of desirable and suitable camp sites. In addition, the distance to Camp Swatara had become objectionable to some district people.6 When the Board of Christian Education made its report, 259 persons from the Southern District attended summer camping at Swatara (1955).
On March 16, 1957, the Back Creek congregation proposed the location of a new district camp at Fairfield, Pennsylvania. A special Elders' Body meeting convened to consider the proposal and to make a recommendation to a special District Conference. Mr. A. W. Geigley, an orchardist of Fair- field of Mennonite background, offered the Church of the Brethren 155 acres of woodland with a stream as an outright gift, provided the land would be used for camping and religious purposes. The Elders of the district looked with favor on the offer and recommended its acceptance to the special conference.
A Camp Site Committee was appointed by the conference. These individuals counseled with Ed Crill, Paul Weaver, Arthur Dean and David Hanawalt concerning the suitaility of the site for camping pur- poses. All were convinced that the Geigley acres would provide "a wonder- ful spot upon which the Southern District can build a great camping program."
Camp Trustees were appointed to be the receivers of the property. This committee was composed of Noah S. Sellers, chairman, Paul Foust, treasurer, Lehman Crist, David Fleming, Joseph M. Long, C. Reynolds Simmons Jr. and Glenn Simpson. The deed for the camp property was formally presented to the camp trustees at the camp site on July 27, 1958. Special notices were mailed to the district congregations inviting representatives to witness the transfer.
When the Camp Committee made its report to the District Conference for the first time, it made the following suggestion:
"We recommend that the name 'Camp Eder' shall be ascribed to our new camp area. The name is suggestive to all our Brethren folk as a 'place of beginnings'. The stream and the tranquality which clothes our site is akin to that of the Eder Valley. The early Brethren sought and received divine guidance as they worshiped and prayed in this early spot, so we hope that your youth and adults will likewise be inspired as they meet God at our Camp Eder".7
In addition to the trustees already named, the first District Camp Committee was composed of M. Guy West, George L. Detweiler, Anna Kepner, Mary Volland, L. Anna Schwenk, Huber Shetter, Paul S. Burk- holder, George Smith and Milton M. Baugher. The task of this committee centered on the preparation of the area for camping. The parking lot was defined and stones were brought to pave a roadway to the camping area. A ford was created across the stream and plans were designed for a bridge. There were meetings with Arthur Dean, the brotherhood architect, to determine the nature of a proposed lodge.
A maintenance and storage building of cement blocks was constructed in 1959. Members of the Men's Work Organization of the Codorus con- gregation painted the building. The storage building was large enough for the storage of tarpaulins and a camp vehicle. A well was drilled to a depth of a hundred feet. This well produced twenty gallons of water per minute. The Mechanicsburg Church offered its assistance in tree clearing. The Buffalo young people offered to aid in the construction of a small building on the premises. Since plans were still being developed, these offers were not accepted.
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The first years were spent in planning. The deed for the property was recorded in the Gettysburg courthouse on September 26, 1958. Plans were considered for swimming and discussions centered on the nature of the central lodge. On May 30, 1960, sixty men of the district met to build twelve platforms, four sleds and eight covered wagons for use during the summer. Women of the district met to prepare a barbequed chicken dinner for the workers. Materials for this work day cost the Camp Com- mittee $1860.
The first experience in camping within the district was conducted in the summer of 1960. A report to the District Conference in the fall said: "The first year of camping at Camp Eder this summer was a small begin- ning but well received." There were thirty-nine youth and children at the camp in this first venture. Campers slept in the covered wagons which had been introduced as sleeping quarters.
The original Camp Committee decided that the type of program at Camp Eder would not duplicate the experiences of Camp Swatara. The committee avoided conference-style camping and decided to concentrate on decentralized, small-group camping. There were also dreams that the camp might be used as a center for many district activities, including the Annual District Conference.
When the Southern District Board was incorporated in 1959, Camp Eder became the responsibility of the new board. The Camp Eder Com- mittee began to look for sustaining funds. Finally, the camping program was included within the district budget, beginning with the year 1958-1959.
Almost from the beginning, the Camp Committee considered erecting some type of lodge. A report to the 1960 District Conference said: "Plans for a central building are being discussed". After conferences with Arthur Dean, plans for a large central lodge were formed. Approval was gained from the district for the construction of this general purpose building. The final plans envisioned a lodge sixty feet by one hundred feet.
When the costs of the proposed lodge exceeded the original estimates, it became necessary to seek financing for the Camp Eder project to the extent of $50,000. On April 18, 1961, at a special conference in the Carlisle Church, the District Board requested permission to present an item which had not been listed on the agenda. When permission was granted, the District Board presented a plan for the sale of interest-bearing general obli- gation bonds to finance the Camp Eder building program. These bonds were to be redeemed over a twenty-year period by budgetary allowances for Camp Eder in the district budget. Permission was granted to print and sell such bonds.
Orville H. Lauver, of York, agreed to sell the bonds for the district. Henry Nelson, a member of the York First Church, assisted in the sales. The bonds were printed in three issues at a cost of $632.24. The complete first issue was sold in the months of July and August, 1961. A total of 153 bonds were sold to ninety-five purchasers from twenty-two congrega- tions. The Hanover Church purchased forty-two bonds totaling $10,800.
Construction was begun on the new lodge in October, 1961. The build- ing was under roof by December. The income from the first issue of the bonds did not cover the cost for furnishing and equipping the building. At a District Board meeting on June 9, 1962, the Camp Committee was authorized to borrow $24,000 on a word pledge from individuals to com- plete the building program and to have the lodge in readiness for the October District Conference. This money was to be borrowed against the sale of the second issue of the bonds in 1963.
David K. Hanawalt agreed to serve the camp on a volunteer basis in 1961 and 1962. The Middle District of Maryland cooperated with the
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Southern District camping program in 1962 by sending fifty-five campers. A total of 179 campers attended the various summer sessions. In this same year, Southern District churches sent 159 campers to Camp Swatara.
Soon after the camp's beginnings, Brethren Volunteer Service units from New Windsor, Maryland began to use the camp for retreats and orientation meetings. These young people contributed many hours of labor toward the development of the camp site.
The Camp Committee never borrowed the money on a word-pledge. When the second issue of bonds was sold, money was made available for additional improvements to the camp site. A walk-in refrigerator and birchwood cupboards were placed in the kitchen area (1963). The Women's Fellowship committed itself to give $10,000 to the Camp Committee for this kitchen project. In 1965, dawn-to-dusk lighting was installed at the entrance of the camp. Folding partitions were placed in the lodge to divide it into sections for more efficient use (1966).
When sufficient preparations were made at the lodge, the Camp Committee planned a program of dedication for it. On September 20, 1964, a service unveiled a plaque which named the building and honored the benefactor. The plaque read:
Geigley Lodge Camp Eder dedicates this lodge to the memory of The Rev. A. W. Geigley Mennonite Minister, Philanthropist and Orchardist who gave 155 acres of land to The Church of the Brethren for spiritual growth through camping.
The District Board approved the name of the new lodge at its June Meeting (1964).
The Camp Committee has experimented with many types of program- ming. It has employed paid counselors and has relied upon volunteer workers. It has fostered weekend Bible Conferences, Camp Convocations and retreats for various district organizations. It has appointed camp managers for the summer and has employed managers by the year. In addition to David and Eloise Hanawalt, Paul Ritchey (1963-1964), Don Trostle (1965), Ronald Boose (1968) and Edward L. Poling (1969) have been employed as managers. Members of the Camp Committee, Paul Crist. Edwin Eigenbrode and Earl Dibert, have also served as camp managers. Sara Swartz served as the Christian Education Director for the camp in 1965-1966.
On May 19, 1968, a Camp Convocation was held in observance of the camp's tenth year. Many of the original Camp Committee members were invited to be present. Robert W. Knechel, who assisted in selecting the camp site, returned to address the assembly on "Patterns in Church Camping." The 1968 Annual District Conference adopted a resolution which requested a separation of the Southern District from all responsi- bility for Camp Swatara.
The Camp Committee has been responsible to the Commission on Christian Education and the District Board. The Camp Committee
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members have been appointed by the Christian Education Commission and have been approved by the District Board. Since its beginnings, the fol- lowing chairmen have served the Camp Committee: Noah S. Sellers (1958- 1960), Richard Haldeman (1961-1963), Elmer Q. Gleim (1964-1969), Samuel H. Flora Jr. (1970) and Walter E. Markey Jr. (1971- ).
The Camp Committee has relied basically on the philosophy developed by the founding Camp Committee. That philosophy centers on the one- to-one relationship between the counselor and the camper. Efforts have consistently been made to secure one counselor for every five campers. The entire program is meant to help an individual develop an awareness of God. The program centers around the philosophy of a modern proverb: "a good teacher leads a man to the threshold of his own mind."
Camp Eder's mission in the district does not lie in its building and improvements, but in its ability to create an awesome appreciation for the marvels of God's creation and to strengthening the feeling of belonging to God's world. The program, in its small-group units, seeks to foster spon- taneous worship experiences as they grow out of meaningful life exper- iences. Men most often worship when life is most real to them. The healing of a broken friendship; the discovery of how to be a productive person; the wonder of how orderly God made the world; the release of an individual from a deep fear-these are all the bases of genuine worship experiences. In this manner Camp Eder assists individuals to discover the truth about themselves and life.
In recent years the camp has secured the part-time services of James N. Poling. Camp Eder and the West York Church of the Brethren have entered into a yoked-pastoral program with Bro. Poling serving the interests of both groups. These services began on September 1, 1969 and have continued to the present. In 1971, the camp reverted to volunteer counselors exclusively. In 1971, fifty-four adults responded by giving a week or more of time to the camping program. William Widdowson, of the Waynesboro congregation, has been a regular volunteer since the beginnings of Camp Eder. He gives his services as a counselor in nature studies.
Much of the success of the program at Camp Eder also depends on the support which has been given by various church groups and the Chil- dren's Aid Society. Since 1968, the Children's Aid Society has been sub- sidizing the work of the camp by grants of money for leadership and scholarships for needy inner city children. The camp has cooperated with the Baltimore Pilot House in bringing inner city children to the camp each year. In addition, it has also been bringing children from urban centers within the district itself. In 1969, youth from the Loysville Youth Development Center were brought to Camp Eder for the first time.
In preparation for the full-time supervision of the camp, the Camp Eder Committee purchased a new sixty-foot trailer for use by the camp manager. In 1972, the committee took steps to secure a year-round resident manager on the camp premises. R. Joel Knepper, of Mount Union, Pennsylvania, and his wife Nancy, began to reside at the camp on June 1, 1972.
Impressive evidences of growth have appeared in the district's camping program since the first Camp Study Committee was appointed in 1955. The camp has expanded its facilities, reduced its indebtedness by careful planning, developed new programs and trained a corps of loyal volunteer workers. The district membership has also been educated to the values and methods of informal camping. These are all milestones on the road to a kind of camping which will pay dividends in new church leadership.
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CHAPTER NINE
SOCIAL WELFARE AND THE DISTRICT
The Church of the Brethren has deep roots in the service ministries. Earlier Brethren recognized the importance the Christian Gospel places on such elementary services as relieving pain, maintaining life, feeding, clothing and offering a refreshing cup of cold water to the needy. Such services have played significant roles in the expansion of Christianity and have been central in the life of the Church of the Brethren. The current age has witnessed a need for expanded social ministries.
The colonial church of Germantown had its "Widow's Home". Chris- topher Sauer, "the Good Samaritan of Germantown", provided housing and care for the sickly and the indigent who arrived from Europe aboard ships. As early as 1812, the Annual Conference went on record as favor- ing homes for widows and children.1 The Annual Conference of 1870 urged the placing of orphan children in homes among Brethren.2 Orig- inally, the social welfare program of the church was primarily centered on caring for one's own. In time, the emphasis was broadened to include anyone who was in need.
The Southern District has continued its social welfare ministry through two major institutions: The Brethren Home and the Children's Aid Society.
THE BRETHREN HOME
The first request for a Home For the Aged came to the District Conference of 1893. A second proposal was made in 1903 when the Antietam congregation requested the district to establish a Home for the Aging. This query was favorably received and action was taken to institute a Home. A Site Committee was chosen after the 1907 District Meeting decided to locate the Home in the Cumberland Valley.
The Site Committee reported to the Mechanicsburg District Meet- ing (1908) that it had purchased the Ames' property close to Huntsdale. This property consisted of three acres of land and a two-story brick building containing eleven rooms and several baths. The committee also purchased an adjoining farm of sixty-five acres. The total cost of both purchases was $6,000. The farm did not prove profitable and was sold in 1917.3
The Home at Huntsdale began with ten residents and was formally dedicated on June 10, 1910. An annex was added to increase the capacty of the Home to twenty bedrooms, three baths, two living rooms, a dining room, a cellar and a pantry. Judge Sadler of the Cumberland County Courts was the speaker at the services of dedication. The first Board of Directors consisted of J. J. Oller, H. Mitchell Stover, C. C. Brown, E. S. Miller, H. K. Miller and John F. Sprenkel Jr.
This first Southern District Home served the needs of the aged for many years. Unfortunately, at 2:00 A.M. on January 27, 1951, a fire was discovered lapping against the walls of the wash house. The residents of the Home were quickly and safely evacuated. The Home was totally ravaged by the flames and the twenty-four residents spent the remainder of the night in homes of the community.4 Many of these residents were removed to other Homes for the Aged or were returned to their nearest relatives for care.
The Brethren Home Board made no plans to rebuild on the site. A committee was immediately formed to investigate a new site with the possibilities for expanded services to the district. The committee found
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a three-story brick structure on eighteen acres of land at Cross Keys near New Oxford, Pennsylvania. This Adams County location was ideally situated along U. S. highway 30 close to the center of the Brethren popula- tion of the district. The grounds were beautifully landscaped with trees and lawn, and a pond covered nearly an acre of the surface. The building had been the Cross Keys Hotel and once had been a barn. Workers at the Home often show visitors a part of the original barn wall concealed behind partitions within the basement. A cornerstone on the original building bears the date "1846". This building was purchased by the Brethren Home Board on June 29, 1951 and renovations were begun at once.
The first resident of the new Home was admitted on October 20, 1952, the day the Home was dedicated. All the former residents of the Hunts- dale Home were contacted and were invited to take up residence in the new Home. Only one of the original residents applied for admittance. Brethren of the Southern District were contacted to determine if there were any who wished to reside at the Home. Forty-eight beds were avail- able. By the middle of March, 1953, the Home was filled to capacity with half of the residents listed as Brethren.
The Brethren Home
The congregations of the district gave their support in many forms. Early District Minutes contain reports of food staples given by individuals and by congregations. One account reads:
"two qt. grapes, 5 doz. eggs, 2 cans evaporated milk, 12 qts. pud- ding, 41/2 gal. bread and butter pickles, 7 cakes Camay soap, cash $3.00."
At the beginning, the Home itself cultivated nine acres of land to provide fresh vegetables for the tables. An early estimate claimed that individuals and congregations were donating about fifteen percent of the total food used at the Home. Congregations found that Harvest Home services were popular ways in which to gather food stables for the Home.
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There are also records of cash contributions made by the churches for the operations of the Home at Cross Keys. An original by-law of the Home stated that it should not be operated for profit, nor should it be operated at a loss. This clause has created the need for occasional assessments against the district churches. Since the Home has served individuals with depleted resources, it has become essential to ask con- gregational assistance.
In December, 1952, the debt of the Home was listed at $110,000. In order to reduce this mortgage, a number of solicitors were appointed in various sections of the district in 1955-1956. A request was presented to the 1955 District Conference appealing for an assessment of $1.00 per member from each congregation to reduce the Home's debts. On Sep- tember 30, 1955, the indebtedness was listed at $84,875. The mortgage was reduced to $36,000 by 1959.
Congregations joined in operating a chaplaincy program. Robert Knechel, pastor of the Gettysburg Church, arranged pastoral visitation at the Home by district ministers. A Schedule of Services was established to involve each congregation of the district in worship and Sunday School Services. Special services were also conducted on Tuesdays and Fridays. This worship schedule has remained virtually intact since it was begun.
On September 1, 1972, Warren Eshbach became the part-time chaplain at the Home. He was licensed to the ministry in the Gettysburg Church and spent eleven years in the pastoral ministry prior to his new assignment at The Brethren Home. His work was planned to supplement the con- tinuing religious ministry of the congrega- tions. The new chaplain is serving as min- ister to the staff and the residents of the Home. He ministers to people who face emotional stress, loneliness and personal problems. The action to establish the chaplaincy is only one of a series of for- ward steps taken by The Brethren Home Board in the past several decades.
The Women's Auxiliary associated with Warren Eshbach the Home has been of inestimable value in supporting the work of the institution. Women from many congregations pay their annual dues and contribute their time to many projects. In 1972, there were sixty-three life mem- bers, 109 associate members and 883 regular members, making a total of 1055 Auxiliary members. This organization has done much to relate the Home to the district and has helped it to maintain the fine reputation it holds among Brethren and non-Brethren alike.
The women of the district churches have made lap robes for the residents, rolled cotton bandages for cancer patients, canned many kinds of fruits and vegetables and provided religious services. They enlarged and finished the chapel (1961) and operated the Gift Shop in the foyer of the Home. They have been responsible for the supervision of the annual August barbeque which first began in 1961. They have made cash contributions to the Home and have purchased equipment as it has been required. They conduct auctions and, most recently, sponsored schol- arships to aid young girls who plan to enter the nursing profession (1972).
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