USA > Pennsylvania > Change and challenge: a history of the Church of the Brethren in the southern district of Pennsylvania, 1940-1972 > Part 22
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The charismatic movement has been a reaction to the growing formal style of worship in the institutional church. Those who have adopted the Spirit-filled approach to Christianity demonstrate an enthusiasm which Christians have often envied in their Christian heroes and have longed for in their prayers. The energy and vigor of these people is exemplary.
The present movement, sometimes extreme in form, is a response to the formal, stilted-style of modern church life. A vital Christianity seeks new forms and often expresses itself through the categories of an age. It did so in the beginning through the Logos and the world-wide vision of apocalyptists. It did so in the Reformation through the concept of sacraments. We may properly expect continuing new experiences and expressions of the Christian faith as people search for the living God in their time.
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In Cumberland County, a few members of the Church of the Brethren associated themselves with the John Birch Society. This organization claimed 60,000 members nationally in 1970. The movement was organized on December 9, 1958 in Indianapolis, Indiana, by Robert Welch, a New England candy manufacturer. The Blue Book of the Society indicates that the organization was begun to cope with the Communist conspiracy within the nation. One of its statements says:
"We believe that the continued coexistence of Communion and a Christian-style civilization on our planet is impossible. The struggle between them must end with one completely triumphant and the other completely destroyed. We intend to do our part, therefore, to halt, weaken, rout and eventually to bury, the whole international Com- munist conspiracy."3
The Society is generally regarded as an extreme rightist movement. From its beginnings it has conducted an arrogant campaign of accusation against church and national leaders. Confusion and insecurities within conservative ranks about the changes in our society lie at the roots of the new radicalisms of the age. The radicalism of the John Birch Society has been ready to discard the constitutional processes and civil liberties in order to "save the American way of life from Communism". The movement represents a new kind of religious-political Fundamentalism.
If there are movements which tend to separate people from the church, there are others which seek to express themsleves within the church con- text. These movements prefer to remain Brethren, recalling the denom- ination to some forgotten beliefs or practices. Two such movements within the Southern District are the Brethren Revival Fellowship and the Brethren Peace Fellowship.
In 1957, several Brethren appeared before the Standing Committee at the Richmond Annual Conference to discuss their concerns about changes which were coming into the denomination. These concerns highlighted the decline of evangelism and the loss of membership by the denomination. There were also fears about the church's increasing identification with ecumenical Christianity and the possible loss of distinctive Brethren practices. There were additional anxieties as the denomination seemed to move away from the authority of the Scriptures. Although the Stand- ing Committee heard these concerns, no action was taken in response to them.
In 1959, a loose-knit organization known as the "Brethren Revival Fellowship" was formed at the Ocean Grove Conference. A Steering Committee was chosen shortly thereafter. It was composed of Linford Rotenberger, W. Hartman Rice, Ralph H. Jones, Murray P. Lehman and John M. Geary. In later years, Donald E. Miller, Milton L. Hershey, Joseph G. Moyer, Howard J. Kreider, Kenneth H. Hershey, James F. Myer, Olen B. Landes and Harold S. Martin served as members of the Brethren Revival Fellowship Committee.
The Fellowship has published the Brethren Revival Fellowship Witness pamphlet on a quarterly basis since 1969 to keep Brethren aware of its concerns. This group of Brethren, comprised of elders, ministers and laymen, decided to make its witness heard within the church and not apart from it. It has expressed disenchantment with the liberal influence of all phases of the church program, the denomination's affiliation with the National Council of Churches, the stress on social action without corres- ponding stress on personal regeneration, and the decline of emphasis on evangelism and soul-winning in the church. One of the statements of the Fellowship asserts:
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"There seems . . to be a shift away from the emphasis on the Bible as the 'textbook' for life . .. This shift in emphasis away from the authority of the Scriptures is a basic concern of the Brethren Revival Fellowship".4
The Fellowship has remained church-centered and speaks out to preserve the original principles of the Anabaptist faith. It has perpetuated itself with an organization of elected officers and has conducted its own annual meetings. Such meetings have been held in the Conemaugh Church, Western Pennsylvania, Indian Creek and White Oak Churches in Eastern Pennsylvania, the Rhodes Grove Camp grounds in Southern Pennsylvania and the Mill Creek Church in Virginia. These meetings are characterized by messages, worship, reports, open discussions concern- ing issues and the consideration of resolutions for positive action.
Much of the opposition of the movement is directed against character- istics associated with "the American Church". When the English-speak- ing denominations gained ascendancy in American life, the American Church was born. This church became progressively involved in political and civic life. It reached out to stress social movements and reforms. It developed interdenominational agencies such as the Y.M.C.A. and the Y.W.C.A., the Sunday School movement and the Social Gospel movement. In the twentieth century, the American Church has expressed itself through such agencies as the International Missionary Council, the International Council of Religious Education, the Federal Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches.
The Brethren Revival Fellowship has stressed the preservation of Biblical values for modern life, and seeks a return to the evangelical faith associated with the denomination's earlier life. It does not directly associate itself with the Fundamentalist movement as such. W. Hart- man Rice once observed that the Fellowship tries to be "fundamental without being fundamentalistic".5 Harold S. Martin's new volume, Sermons on Eternal Themes, returns to basic Biblical preaching, stress- ing the doctrines associated with this evangelical faith.
One of the strengths of the Brethren Revival Fellowship movement resides in the nation's own rootedness in Protestant orthodoxy. In many quarters in recent decades there has been a growing revulsion at the lax personal and social standards of morality in our secular society. There has been discontent with the emptiness and meaninglessness of the age. There has been a resurgence of elements associated with the evan- gelical faith and a turning from the kind of radicalism associated with the 1960s. There has also been a turning from the dominant social Christianity of the past decades to an emphasis on individual renewal.
Part of the strength of the movement also inheres in the pietist traditions of the denomination. The churches which have their roots in European and American pietism have traditionally stressed personal piety and purity of life. Pietism has developed strong interest in restoring primi- tive Christianity to the church.
The Brethren Revival Fellowship has won extensive followings in many congregations of the brotherhood. By its literature and its preach- ing, the movement has begun to make its own contributions to Brethren life and thought. It has awakened many church members to the need for effective evangelism in the present age. It has become a source of infor- mation for Brethren who are interested in trends within the denomination. It has acted as a loyal opposition movement to some trends within the church, keeping alive the right of dissent within the denomination itself.
Another movement of dissent within the district centers in the Brethren Peace Fellowship. This organization was born in a general
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meeting on March 13, 1970 at the Madison Avenue Church with ninety persons in attendance. James N. Poling, aware of the great number of Brethren Volunteer Service workers residing within the district, believed these people desired some instrument by which to continue their peace witness. A Steering Committee was formed with James Poling, Doris Large, Steve Haller, Janice Custer, Jacob L. Miller, Jr., Pam Barkdoll and Nancy Lefever as members.
This fellowship of Brethren has regularly sponsored conferences, fellowship meetings and specific peace activities. It represents in many ways the revival of Anabaptism and its emphases. This is not the first time the Church of the Brethren has witnessed the rise of such associa- tions. In 1932, Dan West organized a movement known as "One Hundred Dunkers For Peace". When the Annual Conference of 1935 formed "Brethren Peace Action", the slogan was changed to read: "Two Hundred Thousand Dunkers For Peace".
These earlier movements have been short-lived. Modern movements have taken their rise in reaction to the Vietnam War and to the consensus stand of the church in relation to war. New organizations hope to under- take the kinds of projects customarily avoided by the churches. The Peace Fellowship regards itself as a "voluntary association of members of the Church of the Brethren in Southern Pennsylvania" which seeks to strengthen the historic peace witness of the denomination. It is non- creedal but has a basic commitment to the values of peace and brother- hood based on the revelation of the Scriptures.6 It seeks to promote such goals as the following:
1 .- Faithfulness to Jesus Christ and to his teachings;
2 .- A return to a life-style characterized by love and respect for all peoples;
3 .- Opposition to all war and the taking of human life;
4 .- Support and fellowship for those who choose to take a stand against war;
5 .- Information concerning the materialistic and the militaristic influences of the world; and
6 .- Positive alternatives to war and violence.7
Prudence Lenharr, a member of the Waynesboro congregation, served as the peace field worker for the Southern District in 1972. A former Brethren Volunteer Service worker and a member of the Brethren Peace Fellowship, she has promoted discussions and counseled with youth on the issues of war and peace. She has visited with many congregations of the district and has stimulated thought concerning the deeper needs of men in the light of the Christian faith.
Members of the Peace Fellowship have maintained interest in organ- izations and movements for peace beyond the denomination. In 1972, "Peace Pilgrim" visited the Greencastle Annual District Conference and spoke concerning her pilgrimage for peace. Without organizational sup- port, she walks until someone gives her shelter and offers her food. She has very few possessions beyond what she wears. Her "spiritual growing up" began in 1937 when she took her vow of simplicity and agreed to accept no more than what she needed. She demonstrates enthusiasm and energy as she walks for peace.
In its two years of existence, the Southern District Brethren Peace Fellowship has provided the opportunity for Brethren to witness to Christ's teachings in ways which have not been found in most congrega- tions. The emphasis on loving "even our enemies" is a return to the convictions of the Brethren founders and to the roots of the Christian heritage itself. At least 150 Brethren have participated directly in the
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sharing and the activities of the Fellowship since its formation. Many of its members feel a sense of responsibility to witness in the local congrega- tions where Christians are still found earning a living by producing weapons and by practicing the arts of war.8
Wherever there has been a gap between profession and practice, opposition groups have risen to express their views. These groups stand as a challenge to a church or a society which tends to ignore its heritage. A strange paradox has emerged in our time. An age which has witnessed violence and struggle has returned to a deep admiration for pacifism and gentleness. In this era, the nation has seen the rise of a consensus against war on a scale not previously known.
The Standing Committee delegates of Southern Pennsylvania reported in 1968 concerning the number of movements within the denomination:
"The vitality of some traditional Brethren principles was noted in the activity of the Brethren Peace Fellowship, the Brethren Action Movement and the Brethren Revival Fellowship. Each has demonstrated a willingness to work for its objectives within the brotherhood, thus conceding that they place a greater value in dialogue with each other than a separation and dis-fellowship."9
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN CONGREGATIONAL HISTORIES
These histories are sketches of the life of the congregation and are not meant to be exhaustive. Although written by the editor, each has been reviewed by a member of members of the congregation and has been amended at the suggestions of these reviewers.
ANTIETAM CONGREGATION
The Antietam Congregation was organized in Franklin County in 1752. Members of the Church of the Brethren were searching for lands on the frontier and had come into the region of the Marsh Creek and the Antie- tam Creek. John Price (Preis) emigrated from the Indian Creek congre- gation of Eastern Pennsylvania in 1751. Others, who had lived as tenant farmers in Europe, were eager to take up lands in America and came into the Valley of the Conococheague. People from Switzerland, Germany and Ireland joined in settling the lands in the area now known as Antrim, Quincy and Washington Townships.1
These early German settlers were interested in family-sized farms and intensive agriculture. Benjamin Rush once observed that the German farmer had an interest in agriculture as a way of life as opposed to com- mercial enterprise. In the 1790s, the Germans continued to move into the rich lands at the southern end of the expansive Cumberland Valley. Among these were members of the Church of the Brethren, some of whom were related to the original founders of the denomination in Germany. These people established a style of living which has continued to charac- terize the agricultural life of the region.
The first church building in the congregation was erected in 1795. John Price purchased a large tract of land about one and one-half miles north of the community of Waynesboro. The Antietam congregation served a vast area embracing the greater part of Franklin County, Pennsylvania and Washington County, Maryland. By 1830, a second church house was built to care for the growing needs of the settlers. A third structure, cur- rently in use, was erected in 1892. As the congregation grew in numbers, other meetinghouses were erected. By 1872, the congregation had five houses of worship: Prices', Snowbergers', Amsterdam, Welty's and Waynes- boro. By 1919, it was the largest congregation in the brotherhood.
This congregation, like others of the Southern District, has been the mother of many others. From the original Antietam congregation have come the Manor (1800), Welsh Run (1810), Ridge (1836), Back Creek (1850), Beaver Creek (1858), Falling Springs (1866), Hagerstown (1893), Chambersburg (1910), Waynesboro (1922), Shippensburg (1924), Broad- fording (1924), Long Meadows (1926), Greencastle (1930), Welty's (1934) and Rouzerville (1949) congregations.
The Prices' meetinghouse adjoins a plot of ground containing the Old German Baptist Brethren house of worship. In 1881, this group separated from the Church of the Brethren to form an ultra-conservative group. At that time about four thousand Brethren separated from the main body because they objected to Sunday Schools, Academies, evangelistic meet- ings and the salaried ministry. These Old Order Brethren continue to worship in separate meetinghouses, although their number in the nation has been reduced to less than three thousand in fifty scattered communi- ties.2
Although the Antietam congregation was the largest in the brother- hood in 1919, so many new congregations have been formed from it that by 1940, the number of meetinghouses had been reduced to two. The
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used to conduct preaching services and Sunday School classes. Lovefeast services were held twice per year, usually in May and in October. Council meetings were also biannual at the call of the Official Board of the con- gregation. The Official Board is composed of elders, ministers and deacons of the congregation.
Antietam Congregation: Prices' Church
The first Sunday School was formed at Prices' in 1893 after the new brick church was built. However, at that time, the Sunday School was chiefly a summer venture. It met for short durations from the period from 1893 to 1903. A request came for a Sunday School in 1910 but no action was taken until a Sunday School organization was formed in 1914. Since 1940, the following brethren have served as Sunday School super- intendents: Wilbur Kline (1940-1943), Clarence Hartman (1944-1948), Fred Rice (1949), Ralph Hoffman (1950), Chester H. Seilhammer (1951- 1953), Mitchell Embly (1954-1960), Raymond Oberholtzer (1961-1967) and Burnell Rice (1968- ).
The Antietam congregation has continued the practice of the non- salaried ministry. The local congregation is organized with an elder-in- charge of all church functions. He has served as a leader and as a sta- bilizing influence in the church community across many years. He visits, counsels and administers the program of the local church. Part of his responsibility consists in establishing the preaching schedule for the church membership. Where there are a number of ministers, the preaching re- sponsibilities have been shared. Since 1940, the following have served as moderators of the congregation: M. Carroll Valentine (1932-1945), Otho J. Hassinger (1946-1949), Jacob L. Miller (1950-1953), the District Ministerial Board (1954-1955), W. Hartman Rice (1956-1958), Donald E. Miller (1958- 1971) and Henry Hunsberger (1972- ).
In the past thirty years, these ministers have provided the preaching and visitation for the church: H. Mitchell Stover, who was licensed on November 1, 1898, served until his death in 1951. He also edited a paper called the Antietam Messenger in the 1940s. His preaching responsibilities took him into many of the meetinghouses of the congregation in the many
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Rouzerville meetinghouses and the Prices' meetinghouse were regularly years he served. In addition, Walter A. West and Willis M. Rice assumed their regular preaching assignments from the time they were licensed to the ministry on May 4, 1929.
W. Hartman Rice was minister and moderator of the Antietam con- gregation (1952-1958). He was baptized, licensed and ordained by this congregation. For three and a half years he served in Civilian Public Ser- vice work during World War II and was a member of the Commission on Ministry and Evangelism for the district.
The membership of the church thoroughly discussed the interest which some people had in developing a salaried ministry program for the church. On November 8, 1951, the official council voted against the pastoral minis- try and ballotted strongly to continue with the free ministry scheduling.
Kermit H. Strite was licensed to the ministry at Prices' on July 20, 1958. Howard A. Whitacre, of the District Ministry Commission, took the vote of the congregation. Kermit was ordained to the ministry on Janu- ary 3, 1960. He has been active in the work of the ministry since his licensing.
In addition, James William Esh, Marvin Lee Priest and Darryl Gene McClain have provided preaching ministries to the congregation. Marvin Priest was licensed on December 15, 1968. Darryl Gene McClain, an or- dained Wesleyan Methodist minister, was licensed to the ministry of the Church of the Brethren on June 7, 1970. In June, 1972, he resigned his ministry in the Church of the Brethren.
Prices' Church house has been the site of several interesting events during the past three decades. A Peace Conference for youth was held at the church on November 18, 19, 1950. S. M. Lehigh and J. H. Cassel were guest leaders for the occasion. On October 26-27, 1965, the con- gregation hosted the Annual District Conference. At this time, eighty- eight delegates from thirty-six congregations assembled to conduct their meeting and to pass on the business. Jacob L. Miller served as the mod- erator for the conference and Robert Byerly and Dan West were guest leaders.
The Antietam congregation has served Franklin County for a period of 178 years (1795-1973). On March 16, 1969, the membership met to rededicate the Prices' meetinghouse. Henry Hunsberger brought a message of rededication for the congregation. The building was remodeled in 1967- 1968. New pews were added, the ceiling of the sanctuary was lowered, Sunday School rooms were created and a cloak room was constructed.
The driveway for the church and the parking area was macademized. New stairways to the basement were constructed and carpet was installed on the floor in the hall, the stairways and the Nursery areas. Concrete walks were replaced in the front of the meetinghouse and the grounds in front of the church were landscaped. Some of the expenses for these repairs were defrayed by a gift from Clarence and Anna Dick of Waynes- boro and from the Clyde Fahrney estate. The church is debt-free.
THE BACK CREEK CONGREGATION
In the fertile farmlands of the lower Cumberland Valley lie the three church houses which comprise the Back Creek congregation. In the days before the Civil War, the Brethren began to farm these lands close to the Conococheague River. Many of these original Brethren must have seen the signal fires flash from the South Mountain to the Tuscarora to indi- cate safe passage for slaves as they were assisted in their escape from the Southern slave owners. In 1850, the Brethren organized a new congre- gation in the valley close to the Back Creek.
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Ministers of the Back Creek Congregation
Kenneth Frey
Charles R. Martin
C. S. Showalter
Garnet H. Myers
Duane L. Hawbaker
Roy B. Hawbaker
Samuel Hawbaker
Samuel G. Parmer
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The Brethren built their first church house of native limestone on land owned by David and Elizabeth Brandt. The Civil War hindered any further church expansion until 1870-1871, when a second church building was erected on land just north of the village of Upton. A third church house was built on a pattern like the Upton house in 1871 on land owned by Elder John Shank just southwest of Greencastle. In 1972, these three meetinghouses provide a place of worship for 319 members.
On September 19, 20, 1953, the Brandt's Church celebrated the cen- tenary of the completion of the old original stone church. Jacob L. Miller, of York, was the guest speaker for the occasion. The original Brethren met for several years in the spacious homes of some of the members before the church house was completed in 1853. At this early date the church was known as the "Back Creek Congregation of the German Baptist Brethren Church".
Since its beginnings, the Back Creek congregation has been served by the nonsalaried ministry. Moderators have usually been chosen from per- sons living in or close to the congregation. These men have provided unusual leadership as the church has ministered to the religious needs of the community. Since 1940, the following moderators have advised, administered and guided the congregation: M. B. Mentzer, A. M. Nis- wander, E. B. Wingert, Roy B. Hawbaker, and Clarence H. Showalter. Edward B. Wingert served as moderator from 1947 until 1964. The church council took action to honor him and Samuel Hawbaker as hon- orary ministers in their retirement.
Ministers who have provided preaching, visitation and counseling for the membership include Clarence H. Showalter, Roy B. Hawbaker, Glenn A. Heckman, Samuel G. Parmer, M. B. Mentzer, A. M. Niswander, E. B. Wingert, Charles Martin, Norman Dentler, Edgar Landis, Kenneth Frey, Garnet Myers, Marlin Bricker and Duane Hawbaker. Daniel Haldeman was elected to the ministry but has not served. In 1972, there were eight active ministers serving at the three church houses.
The Women's Work organizations at the three meetinghouses have remained active, meeting once per month for fellowship and work. They have made comforters, wrapped bandages, made soap for relief, canned fruits and vegetables, made bedspreads and bureau scarves for the Chil- dren's Home at Carlisle and The Brethren Home at Cross Keys.
The congregation has also been involved in a number of Brethren Service projects. During the 1940s and the 1950s, the several church houses raised funds for Heifers For Relief. Samuel Parmer showed slides of his experiences in Europe where he had gone on a cattle boat. Milton Hershey, of Manheim, Pennsylvania, visited with the congregation in 1954 to share his experiences on a cattle boat. In 1954, some conscientious objectors from the Mont Alto Sanatarium visited at the Upton house.
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