USA > Pennsylvania > Change and challenge: a history of the Church of the Brethren in the southern district of Pennsylvania, 1940-1972 > Part 23
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Various organizations and many individuals have been active in sup- porting Korean orphans and a native church worker of Nigeria. The Upton people in 1966 began to assume responsibility for regular services at the Franklin County jail several times each year. On the fourth Tues- day of each month, the Shank's membership furnishes the evening meal and brings a message at the Rescue Mission in Hagerstown, Maryland. In 1955-1956, Galen A. Heckman and his wife hosted a German exchange student at their home.
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Upton Meetinghouse
Shank's Meetinghouse
The first Sunday School in the life of the church was conducted at the Brandt's house in 1892. Sunday School organizations were formed at the Upton house (1893) and the Shank's house (1902) soon afterward. In 1947, Daniel Haldeman helped the congregation to start its first Vaca- tion Bible School. Although it began originally as a morning school, the time of the meeting was changed to the evening and has remained so ever since.
Since 1940, the Brandt's Church has had three Sunday School super- intendents: Nathan Lehman, Galen Heckman and Donald Ryder. At the Shank's house, Earl Martin, Ellis Stahl, Glen Haldeman, Homer Mussel- man, Dale Martin and David Stahl have served as superintendents. At the Upton house, Ira Hawbaker, Roy B. Hawbaker, Nelson Wilson, Paul Negley, Myron Hawbaker, Martin Musser and Fred Myers have been superintendents.
The young people of the various church houses have organized them- selves into a group known as the Shining Light. These youth conduct their
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own conference each year in one of the meetinghouses in addition to their regular meetings.
The Back Creek congregation cooperates with a camp meeting which has been conducted for many years at the Rhodes' Grove United Brethren Camp grounds. Many people travel great distances to attend this con- ference. The purpose of the conference is to strengthen the teaching of the Bible.
The congregation continues to conduct two-day Lovefeast and Com- munion services. These services are rotated among the three church houses so that each house provides a setting for the services once in eighteen months. The service begins at 10:30 A.M. on Saturday and is followed by a noon meal for the worshipers at the host church house. A service is conducted in the traditional self-examination manner in the afternoon and in the evening, the Lovefeast and Communion is reverently observed. The services are concluded on Sunday at noon.
The deacon body of the churches cooperate in the preparation of the Lovefeast and assist in the services of baptism. At the Brandt's house, the following deacons have served since 1940: David Hawbaker, Edgar Martin, Milton Baldner and Paul Sollenberger. The Shank's house has been served by Jacob Oberholzer, Jacob Weaver, Clyde Shipp, Keller Hart- man, Daniel Haldeman, Paul Musselman, Earl Martin, A. G. Zook, Ira Hawbaker, Dale Martin, Homer C. Musselman and Merle Spangler. At the Upton house, John Grove, Nelson Wilson, Roy B. Hawbaker, Paul Negley, Garnet Myers, D. H. Stouffer, Orville Wilson and Spencer Whit- more have ministered as deacons. Honorary deacons include D. H. Stouf- fer and D. M. Haldeman.
Each church house conducts evangelistic meetings annually. The Brandt's house has maintained a list of evangelists extending over the past fifty-one years.
In 1958, the congregation joined with the brotherhood in celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the church in Germany. Reuel Pritchett of White Pine, Tennessee, a noted historian of the denomination, was guest at the Upton house for the occasion.
In 1956, the Upton house was remodeled. A raised pulpit was placed at the south end of the building, replacing the long table which had been at the east end. The raised seats at the ends of the church were placed on a floor level with the other seats of the auditorium. The Upton people purchased the used pews of the Chambersburg Church and installed them.
In 1960, the basement of the Upton house was remodeled. Sunday School rooms were added, rest rooms were formed and sinks and cupboards were installed in the kitchen to assist in the preparation of the Lovefeast and Communion services.
The Upton trustees purchased an additional tract of land from the Samuel Shindle farm adjoining the church property (July, 1970). On June 5, 6, 1971, the Upton house celebrated its 100th anniversary by con- ducting a series of weekend services. In December, 1971, a Planning Com- mittee was formed to consider the future building needs at the Upton meetinghouse. Attendance at the church services over the past three decades has tripled.
The Shank's house has seen many property improvements. In 1948, a cement porch was added to the church to protect the original foundations of the building. In 1951, a new oak floor was laid over the old church floor. The ceiling supports for the building were removed and the pulpit was moved from the east side to the north side of the sanctuary. A nurs- ery was added to the church. The interior of the sanctuary was redec- orated at a total cost of $1,682.60 for all improvements.
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In 1954, the Shank's house installed an oil furnace with heat ducts. This new heating unit replaced a hand-fired pipeless coal furnace. In 1958 three Sunday School rooms were partitioned in the church basement by the members of the church at a cost of $665. Further improvements were made in the basement in 1959 by the addition of cabinets and a double sink.
Between July and September, 1962, the interior of the church was remodeled. The walls were furred and the ceiling was covered with tile. The work was done by members at a cost of $1,014.66. In 1966, an addi- tion was made to the original building, extending forty-two feet by twenty- two feet. Rest rooms were installed and a nursery was constructed. A well was drilled and the church converted its heating system to electricity. One half acre of land was donated to the church for use as a drain field. This was a gift of Annie Foreman. The total cost of these improvements was $32,000.
In August, 1964, the congregation acted to change the John Shank dower of 1887. This $1,000 dower was lifted from the land and was re- placed by a $3,000 perpetual trust fund at the First National Bank in Greencastle. The original dower was established at an interest of six percent per annum to provide funds for repairs to the church house and to place fences on the Shank "Mansion Farm". This dower was changed because it prevented a clear title to the many lots which were being sold from the original farm. The dower made the collection of interest in the future virtually impossible.
Brandt's Church
On May 10, 1964, the Brandt's people met for a ground-breaking ceremony. In September, 1964, a cornerstone laying ceremony was con- ducted for a new church structure. On Palm Sunday, April 11, 1965, the first services were held in the new church building. The new structure was erected across the road from the original native limestone church of 1853. The total cost of the building project was $104,740.61.
On January 30, 1972, the congregation at Brandt's celebrated the liquidation of its $45,000 indebtedness with a mortgage-burning ceremony. David B. Hawbaker and Milton H. Baldner, church trustees, and Samuel Hawbaker, minister, were assisted in the service by Ronald Petry of the Brotherhood Stewardship team and J. Stanley Earhart, Southern District Executive Secretary.
BELVIDERE CONGREGATION
The Belvidere congregation is new to the district. It is an outgrowth of the changes which occurred when the First Church of the Brethren of York decided to relocate in the East End of the city. The Belvidere
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membership was part of the West York Fellowship which decided to return to the original church site at Belvidere and King Streets. An impartial survey of the portion of the First Church membership which desired to remain in the West End found ninety families who objected to the East End site because of traveling distances and some theological differences.
When the District Board learned of the desires of these families, it took action to determine the need for church extension in the western portion of the community of York. A committee of five persons surveyed the needs and decided that opportunities were open for church extension in the Greater West York area. The number of families who wished to remain at the original worship center at Belvidere and King Streets was substantial. These people believed the site, with its facilities and poten- tial for growth, should not be abandoned. Their interpretation of the simple life and other theological positions helped to bring them to their decision to remain.
A vote was taken on April 9, 1967 in the West York Fellowship group to determine whether there was interest in returning to the site vacated by the First Church of the Brethren. Although sixty-seven voted to return and forty-four voted not to return, the motion failed to achieve the required two-third majority.
BELVIDERE CHURCH
In the meantime, those who voted to relocate at Belvidere and King Streets took action to purchase the property from the First Church of the Brethren. The group also proceeded to secure a charter as a congre- gation of the Church of the Brethren. The District Board advised the group that it should first seek authorization from the Southern District Conference before it asked for recognition through the local courts.
At the suggestion of the District Board, the group meeting at Belvi- dere and King Streets petitioned the 1967 District Conference to be recog- nized as a congregation and to be known as "the Belvidere Church of the Brethren". The District Conference acted favorably on the petition and the new group was granted fellowship status. The new fellowship was entrusted to the supervision of the Commisson on Church Extension, with Donald E. Miller as the presiding elder.
The membership of the new congregation was composed of people who had been members of the First Church of the Brethren. The eighty- six charter members returned to a building in which many of them had worshipped for many years and to a site which had been used as a Church
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of the Brethren since 1884. By 1968, the District Conference granted con- gregational status to the Belvidere Church.
The congregation is organized under a Church Board with three com- missions. The Commission on Nurture fosters the educational and wor- ship and fellowship aspects of the church's life. A Witness Commission directs the evangelism, missions, social action and ecumenical phases of the church's ministry to the world. A Commission on Stewards maintains property and the financial life of the congregation. The Church Board is composed of commission members and is chaired by the church moderator. Moderators who have served have been Donald E. Miller (1968-1969) and Murray P. Lehman (1970- ).
Joseph M. Baugher and James Oberdick
The preaching ministry is scheduled for a year at a time by Joseph M. Baugher and Paul E. Ritchey, both of whom are ministers of the con- gregation. The interest has remained enthusiastic and the attendance averages consistently high. Guest ministers provide much of the preach- ing for the congregation and Bro. Baugher and Bro. Ritchey care for the visitation-counseling ministry of the church. Guest ministers in recent months have included Henry Bucher, Carl Ziegler, Earl S. Kipp, Harold S. Martin, Elmer B. Hoover, Bruce E. Anderson and Donald E. Miller.
The Belvidere Church has promoted a number of interesting services. The Churchmen's Quartet of Harrisonburg, Virginia has visited for three special ser- vices. Harold S. Martin has shown slides of his 1972 trip to the Holy Lands. In 1970, the church sponsored a German- speaking service with Ammon Merkey as the guest leader. The order of service, hymns, Scripture, prayer and sermon were all given in the German dialect.
The Lovefeast and Communion service is held twice each year. It is preceded by the self-examination service at the morning worship service. The congregation then meets in the traditional Lovefeast and Communion service in the evening. This service is prepared by the deacons, dea- conesses and ministers of the church. The
Paul Ritchey
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deacons and their wives are: Jacob and Thelma Zellers, Ralph and Velma Chronister, James and Ruth Oberdick, Robert and Thelma Oberdick, Ivison Jr. and Virginia Doll and Joseph and Ethel Caplinger.
A Women's Work Organization meets regularly to prepare relief goods and clothing for the American Indian Bible Mission of Farmington, New Mexico. In recent years, the women have made comforters, coverlets and clothing for use by the Indians of Southwestern United States. Various organizations have also supported the York Rescue Mission. Once each quarter, the church is responsible for the service at the mission and the meal is prepared by members of the church.
The building which is used by the new congregation was purchased from the York First Church in 1967 for $42,500. The Belvidere congre- gation has improved the building by painting, redecorating, repairing the roof and by adding draperies and furniture.
THE BLACK ROCK CONGREGATION
According to M. G. Brumbaugh, the Black Rock congregation is the oldest Church of the Brethren west of the Susquehanna River. George R. Prowell, the York County historian, insists the Brethren were the first of any groups to form church organizations in the county. The Black Rock Church was organized in Manheim Township in Southern York County by twenty Brethren settlers in 1738, just thirty years after the denomination has its origins in Germany and only nineteen years after the Brethren landed in Philadelphia.
These early Brethren named their congregation the "Little Cone- wago". The name was later changed to "Upper Codorus". It continued under this geographical title until it adopted the present title in 1963: "Black Rock Church of the Brethren", the name by which it is best known in the community.
Among the first members of the original congregation was one named Michael Tanner (Danner). The York County historian described him as a man of marvelous insight, ability and integrity. Highly esteemed by all the people, his influence extended far and wide. He was born near the old historic city of Manheim on the Rhine River in Germany. When he settled in Southern York County, he became the owner of a large tract of land. So highly regarded was he by the public that when Manheim Township was formed, the Lancaster County Court honored Michael Tanner's request to name the township "Manheim" in honor of his native German city. Later, when York County was separated from Lancaster County (1749), Michael Tanner was appointed one of the five commis- sioners to lay out the boundaries of the new county.
For nearly 150 years, the membership of the congregation worshiped in homes of members and conducted their Lovefeasts in barns. Many homes were constructed with folding doors to enlarge rooms to accommo- date the worshipers. The host family would provide meals and lodging for guests who arrived the day prior to the services. Hospitality was an elemental grace of early Brethren. Worship services were held in rotation over the extensive district in at least sixteen houses or barns.
Lovefeasts and District Meetings were held in large bank barns, some of which continue to stand within the bounds of the congregation. One barn stood to the east of the present church site, but was destroyed by fire in recent years. The farm house owned by Stanley Baugher still retains the large folding doors which were opened to accommodate public worship services in past centuries. A few such houses remain within a radius of eight miles of the Black Rock Church. Farms owned by George
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Rohrbaugh, William Sheets and George Brownwell were also used for worship by the church in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Before church houses were erected, some members of the congrega- tion worshiped in church houses of other denominations. Andreas Miller is buried in the Roth's Trinity Reformed Church cemetery in Jackson Township, York County. A member of the Little Conewago congregation, he died on October 12, 1835 and is buried in a section of the cemetery which is marked in German dialect. He is buried next to his first wife, Anna Danner (1768-1808) and his second wife, Elizabeth Utz, who died in 1860.
The first meetinghouse was erected in 1876 on land which was pur- chased for $50 from Henry Hohf. A substantial brick building, seventy feet by forty-five feet, was built at a cost of $3,500 after the money had been subscribed by the membership. The upstairs portion of the church was arranged to accommodate the people who arrived by railroad in the community of Black Rock. They came on special coaches provided by the Western Maryland and the old Bachman Valley Railroad. These rail coaches would arrive on the occasion of Lovefeasts and would remain for several days while the members of the church attended the services.
Others who arrived by carriage and buggies were entertained in homes of community members. Noah S. Sellers recalled how thirty people once slept "in the little stone house on the hill" above the church where he lived as a child. These people would march from his home to the church in the morning for worship.
In 1927, the original meetinghouse at Black Rock was remodeled at a cost of $5,000. The elevated floors at the east and west ends of the sanctuary were removed, new pews were installed on sloping floors, and the pulpit was placed at the west end of the building. A new heating plant was also installed and the sleeping quarters in the upper floor of the church were replaced by classrooms.
The membership of the congregation lives chiefly in York County, Pennsylvania and Carroll County, Maryland. To serve this widely scat- tered membership, many other meetinghouses were erected. The Beaver Creek house, the Wildasin schoolhouse, the Pleasant Hill house and the Stoverstown house are now part of the Pleasant Hill congregation but were once owned by the Black Rock Church. In 1906, when Pleasant Hill became an independent congregation, the Black Rock Church purchased the Melrose house along the Baltimore Pike in Maryland. After the division of the congregation, the Black Rock Church had a membership of 200 persons.
The Chestnut Grove house, used by the congregation until 1965, was built in 1885 on land owned by Aaron Baugher. It was formerly the site of Shue's schoolhouse, which dated from 1819. The Church of England built a schoolhouse on this site in order to conduct worship services and to promote education. The present Chestnut Grove house is a brick building fifty feet by thirty-six feet in size. It adjoins a small cemetery which contains the remains of many early Brethren. An adjoining prop- erty of three acres of woodland was purchased by George M. Baugher and was donated to the Black Rock Church in order to prevent its use as a public picnic grounds. The Chestnut Grove meetinghouse is located three- fourths of a mile south of Jefferson
From 1738 until October 1, 1956, the Black Rock congregation was served by the nonsalaried ministry. The church in all of these years was under the care and supervision of presiding elders. Aaron Baugher served for eighteen years in this capacity in the early part of the nineteenth
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Chestnut Grove Church
century. He was succeeded by Edward S. Miller, who served the congre- gation for a quarter of a century. Aaron S. Baugher served as the pre- siding elder until 1937, when he was succeeded by Noah S. Sellers. Bro. Sellers served the congregation as elder for twenty-four years.
When he retired from his teaching position in the community in 1956, the congregation requested Bro. Sellers to became the part-time pastor of the church. He served in this capacity until April 1, 1960. The congregation honored him and Lillie Baugher Sellers with a special "This Is Your Life" program at his retirement from the active ministry. His ministry began with the Black Rock congregation in April, 1918.
Aaron S. Baugher, of Lineboro, Maryland, was honored by his family and the congregation on his eightieth birthday on February 7, 1947. Born
Noah and Lillie Sellers
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near Jefferson, Pennsylvania, in 1867, he was married to Lydia Buser in 1886. To this family thirteen children were born. Nearly all of these children became educators.
In addition to these moderators, the church has also been served by Henry E. Miller who served in the nonsalaried ministry in the congrega- tion from 1938 until 1960. Gerald Smith, a layman and a teacher of history in the Westminster High School, became the congregation's first lay moderator in 1972, succeeding Bro. Miller.
When the brotherhood was celebrating its 250th anniversary, the Black Rock congregation was enjoying its 220th year of existence (1958). An inaugural service on January 5, 1958 announced the anniversary year to the congregation. The Southern District Conference interrupted its regular rotation to honor the congregation with its meeting. During the year, the membership voted to enter the Anniversary Call program. Noah S. Sellers reported concerning the success of the program:
"We had twenty-two teams of missioners. Approximately sixty percent of the members signed a commitment and seventy-two per- cent are going to use weekly envelopes."
The year 1959 marked the beginning of a new era in the life of the church. On May 10, 1959, J. Vernon Grim was present from the district to take a vote on whether the congregation would enter the pastoral ministry. "The decision was made by ballot with a good attend- ance present", the report stated. The membership voted to seek for full-time pastoral guidance. On October 15, 1959, the church assembled in council to call Earl K. Ziegler from a pastorate in Middle Pennsylvania to serve the Black Rock Church.
Earl K. Ziegler was a graduate of Elizabethtown College and Bethany Biblical Seminary. He and his family moved into the new parsonage provided by the congregation. In preparation for a pastoral program, the congregation purchased land from Henry Warner in 1959 and com- pleted a parsonage on the property to the east of the church (April, 1960). A service of dedication for the new electrically-heated home was held on May 15, 1960. The parsonage cost the church $32,000.
Harold Z. Bomberger, the Regional Executive Secretary, and J. Vernon Grim, installed Bro. Ziegler into the pastorate on April 1, 1960. Under his aggressive leadership, the congregation grew and required additional Sunday School and church facilities. Plans were drawn for a new building and, on March 28, 1965, the cornerstone for the new building was put into place.
Black Rock Church
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Charles Bieber and Mary Beth Bieber
The building committee was subdivided into five parts. A Special Gifts Committee was added to care for memorial contributions. More than thirty people were involved in the planning for the new structure.
The original building, which was built ninety years earlier, was renovated into a Christian Education wing, with a thirty-two foot addi- tion placed in front of the old church. A new sanctuary with a seating capacity of five hundred persons was erected to the north side and adjacent to the original meetinghouse. The cost of these improvements was $202,282. Special services of dedication on October 9, 10, 1965 brought Dr. Paul M. Robinson to the church for its celebration. A week of services followed with guest leaders Harvey Schlichter, Joseph M. Long, Curtis W. Dubble and Dr. Norman J. Baugher bringing messages.
Like his predecessors, Earl K. Ziegler was active in the life of the district and the brotherhood. He and his wife Vivian showed unusual leadership in the field of family education and contributed articles liber- ally to The Gospel Messenger and other magazines on family life themes. Earl also served as the Director of Family Life Institutes in the district and in the region. He conducted four tours outside of the United States, all of which involved some members of the congregation and of the district. He conducted a summer tour to Ecuador for the Church of the Brethren; a tour to the Holy Land (1968), a tour around the world (1970) and a tour to Scandanavian countries and Russia (1972).
The interest of the Zieglers in Christian Education extended into the life of the Black Rock congregation. In 1961-1962, a college level Chris- tian Education course was given by Virginia S. Fisher in the church. It made Brethren history as a pioneer effort in bringing college level courses to persons who were actively engaged in teaching in a local church. Members from the Shrewsbury, Codorus and Hanover congregations joined in this successful school.
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