USA > Pennsylvania > Perry County > Churches between the mountains : a history of the Lutheran congregations in Perry County, Pennsylvania > Part 6
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CHURCHES BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS.
ARTICLE V.
OF THE CHURCH MEMBERS.
SEC. 1. No one shall be received as a regular member of this congregation unless by certificate, or as specified in Chap. 4, Sec. 5, of the Formula.
SEC. 2. It shall be obligatory on every member to attend faith- fully to the duties which the Bible enjoins, viz., to lead a holy and blameless life, attend church and the prayer-meeting regu- larly, to be often at the holy communion, and, in short, to per- form all the duties upon condition of which Christ offers life and salvation ; and should any member fail in the discharge of these duties, or disgrace his profession by an unholy walk and conver- sation, he shall first be privately admonished as the Word of God directs, Matt. 18 : 15-17, 1 Cor. 5 : 1-3 ; and if this prove in- effectual, he shall then be cited to appear before the Church Council for trial, and be dealt with according to Chap. 4, Sec. 8, of the Formula.
SEC. 3. Should any member refuse to appear before the Coun- cil when properly cited, he shall, after other expedients fail, be publicly expelled, his name with the charges shall be read from the pulpit, and the whole congregation shall be summoned to kneel and pray that God may reclaim him from the error of his ways.
SEC. 4. It shall be the duty of every communicant to attend the preparatory exercises on the day preceding the communion, and to give in his or her name ; should, however, unavoidable circum- stances prevent such attendance, then he or she shall give the reasons for absence on the day following before the hour of com- munion. A list of the names of communicants shall be recorded in the archives of the church.
SEC. 5. Should differences arise between members of the church, they shall use every means to settle them, and make peace among themselves as soon as possible ; but if this cannot be done, the matter shall then be brought before the Council for adjust- ment at the proper time, and not be deferred to a communion sea-
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CHAPTER I.
son; and when the matter is adjusted by the Council, each member shall be under the most solemn obligation to submit to their decision, unless the aggrieved party can show scriptural and satisfactory proof that their decision was wrong, or he intends to appeal from their decision to the Synod or Conference, in which latter case he shall give the' notice specificd and proceed in all things according to the Formula, Chap. 4, Sec. 12.
SEC. 6. It shall be the duty of every member to contribute ac- cording to his or her ability to the support of the Gospel ; should any one be unable to contribute anything, the name of such an individual shall then be recorded, and he or she shall be entitled to all the privileges of a regular church member, provided his or her walk and conversation in all other respects comport with the Christian character.
ARTICLE VI.
OF ELECTIONS.
SEC. 1. All regular elections for officers shall be held by ballot, and shall take place on the first Saturday of April, and the no- minations shall be made according to Chap. 6 of the Formula.
SEC. 2. Special elections may be held at the option of those who hold them, either by ballot, or by rising, or by taking the yeas and nays, as shall be most convenient.
SEC. 3. The election for a Pastor shall be held according to Chap. 6, Sec. 5, of the Formula.
SEC. 4. In all elections the male- communicants who are in re- gular standing, and those females who are heads of families, shall have a vote, and they shall have the indiscriminate right of ex- pressing an opinion and of voting on all subjects brought before them for decision.
ARTICLE VII.
OF MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS.
SEC. 1. A regular record shall be made by the Secretary of all the members received by baptism, infant and adult, by confirma-
7*
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CHURCHES BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS.
tion or certificate, together with a list of the communicants, deaths, removals, and marriages, an abstract of which shall be annually sent to Synod for inspection.
SEC. 2. A regular record of the proceedings of the Council and congregation, together with the amount of collections and ex- penses, shall be kept by the Secretary, and shall be open for the inspection of every member.
SEC. 3. On communion occasions, members of sister denomi- nations shall be invited to and made cordially welcome at the table of the Lord; but those not in good standing shall have no privi- leges in this church which are denied them in their own church ; in other words, this congregation shall not interfere with or render void the discipline of sister denominations by granting their mem- bers privileges which are denied them by the denomination to which they belong.
SEC. 4. This congregation shall have a Sabbath-school, of which the Council shall always be a committee to act in concert with the Superintendent and other officers in promoting its interests and extending its usefulness.
SEC. 5. The prayer-meeting shall be kept up regularly, and be conducted according to Chap. 7 of the Formula.
SEC. 6. This Constitution shall be binding on us and our suc- cessors ; it may, however, be altered or amended at any meeting regularly called, by a concurrence of two-thirds of the members present, provided such alteration or amendment be proposed to the members for consideration one month before its adoption.
Signed by the Pastor and officers in behalf of the congregation on the 7th day of February, A.D. 1857.
Rev. Philip Willard, Pastor.
Jere. Dunkelberger, Trustees. Saml. Dunkelberger, Elders. Abraham Bower,
Benjamin Reiber,
Daniel Schaeffer,
William Duncan, S Deacons.
Mr. Stephen Losh contracted for the erecting of the new church, and the work was prosecuted without delay.
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CHAPTER I.
The corner-stone was laid on Saturday, the 19th of September, 1857. The ministers present on this occasion were Rev. P. Willard, the Pastor, Rev. P. M. Rightmyer, Rev. D. H. Focht, Rev. I. J. Stine, and of the German Reformed Church, Rev. C. H. Leinbach. On Friday evening previous, Rev. Stine preached in the school-house near St. Peter's Church. As it rained hard on Saturday (the 19th), the exercises connected with the laying of the corner-stone were held in a barn near the site of the new church. At 10 o'clock, A.M., Rev. Focht preached a discourse in the German language from Isa. 28 : 16, and Rev. Rightmyer followed immediately with a sermon in the English language from
- Rev. Willard attended then to the usual exercises on such occasions, and deposited in the corner-stone the following docu- ments : the Holy Bible, the Lutheran Hymn-book and Liturgy, a copy of the proceedings of the General Synod and of the Synod of Central Pennsylvania, one number of the Evangelical Review, one of the Lutheran Observer, one of Der Jugend Freund, one of Der Luth. Kirchenbote, one of the Missionary, Luther's Smaller Catechism, a Catalogue of Pennsylvania College, a sketch of the history of the congregation and a copy of its Constitution, a list of the ministers present, a list of the names of subscribers and the amount each subscribed, a copy of each of the county papers, the names of the church officers, and of the contractors and architects, and some coins and relics !
Rev. Willard had for some time instructed a class of catechu- mens, and on Saturday the 29th of May, 1858, the day preceding the consecration of the new church, the following persons were admitted to full communion by the rite of confirmation :
Jacob Shaeffer,
Emanuel Heim,
George W. Heim,
Benjamin Ziegler, Sarah R. Reiber,
Margaret E. Moore, Elizabeth Sweger.
The new church was consecrated to the service of God on Sunday, the 30th of May, 1858. The Rev. Joshua Evans, of Newville, who assisted Rev. Willard on this occasion, gives the
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CHURCHES BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS.
following account of the exercises connected with the consecration, in the Lutheran Observer, July 23, 1858 :
" MESSRS. EDITORS : Your excellent paper being the chief medium of religious intelligence in our Church, I offer for its columns a brief notice of the consecration, on the 30th of May last, of a new Lutheran church in the Loysville pastorate, situate about five miles east of Loysville, Perry County, Pa. Religious exercises were commenced in a school-house near the church, on Thursday evening, May 27th, and conducted by the pastor, Rev. P. Willard, without assistance, until Saturday the 29th, when the church was opened, and a sermon was preached by Rev. Willard in the German language. On Saturday afternoon and evening, on Sabbath morning and evening, and on Monday morning, the writer (Rev. J. Evans) preached in the English language. On Sabbath morning after sermon, the pastor performing the liturgical service, the church was solemnly consecrated to the service of the Triune God. During the exercises on Saturday and Sunday, the Loysville choir conducted the singing and added much to the enjoyment of the congregation by their sweet and soul-stirring music. The congregation worshipping in this church, formerly worshipped in a Union church-Lutheran and German Reformed; but unwilling to spend more money in Union churches, and feeling the importance of having a house of worship of their own, they determined to build a Lutheran church, and they have completed the work in a manner which speaks well of their wisdom and liberality. The edifice stands on an elevated site, forty feet by fifty-five in size, built of brick and surmounted with a steeple and bell, and presents, externally, a very attractive and imposing ap- pearance for a country church. The interior is finished and furnished in a manner at once neat and convenient. It has an end gallery. A debt of several hundred dollars rested on it when it was otherwise ready for consecration ; but after the sermon on Sabbath morning an effort was made to free it from pecuniary embarrassment, and subscriptions and contributions were so libe- ral that no debt worth naming remained. On Monday, the 31st, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administered to an atten-
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CHAPTER I.
tive and devout congregation. The people of that vicinity are now summoned Sabbath after Sabbath to their attractive and pleasant place of worship, and their faithful pastor is greatly cheered by sceing the work of the Lord prospering in his hands. Rev. Willard has been eminently successful during his two years' labors in the Loysville charge, having added already between two and three hundred members to the church."
The entire cost of Mount Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, was between twenty-three and twenty-four hundred dollars. Rev. Willard had nine catechumens attending his lectures on the Cate- chism during the summer of '58, and it is to be regretted that they were not confirmed before he resigned. Finding the labor of the large charge he served too great for his strength, he re- signed in November, 1858.
This congregation is under lasting obligation to Rev. Willard for the service he rendered it. Not only was a goodly number added to the church and many were revived and converted, but he saved the congregation from plunging into the whirlpool of Union churchism, and secured it a house of its own. After a vacancy of about five months, the
Rev. G. M. Settlemoyer,
having accepted a call from the Loysville charge, commenced his pastoral labors in April, 1859. Soon after he had taken charge, Rev. Settlemoyer commenced instructing a number of persons in the Catechism, and on the 7th of April, 1860, the following were admitted to full communion by confirmation :
John Bower, Lewis Sweger, Mary Cath. Shaeffer.
Miss Esther Bower,
At the same time John Billman was received by certificate. In the fall of '60, Absalom Hull and Mrs. Kripper, and after- wards two or three others, were received by certificate.
Having served the congregation two years, Rev. Settlemoyer resigned in April, 1861. About one-third of the preaching is at
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CHURCHES BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS.
present needed in the German language. Soon the congregation will require German no more.
The congregation was vacant about four months. On the 1st of September, 1861, the
Rev. Peter Sahm,
as Pastor of the Loysville charge, entered on the discharge of his ministerial labors in the charge, and, on the 22d of this month, he preached his introductory sermon here in German from Heb. 13 : 17, and two weeks after in English from 2 Cor. 5 : 20.
In November, 1861, Miss Eliza Dewalt was received as a mem- ber of this congregation by certificate.
Rev. Sahm preaches here once every two weeks, alternately in the German and English languages.
" Oft in danger, oft in woe, Onward, Christians, onward go ; Bear the toil, maintain the strife, Strengthen'd with the bread of life.
" Let not sorrow dim your eye ; Soon shall ev'ry tear be dry ; Let not fear your course impede : Great your strength, if great your need.
" Onward, then, to glory move ; More than conqu'rors ye shall prove ; Though oppos'd by many a foe, Christian soldiers, onward go !"
SECTION III.
LUDOLPH (alias GERMANY) CHURCH, IN SPRING TOWNSHIP.
A number of members in the vicinity of Elliottsburg, then Tyrone, now Spring Township, belonged to the church at Loys- ville, and some to St. Peter's. To either of these churches the distance was considerable. Hence, the members prevailed on the
Rev. John W. Heim
to preach for them occasionally at what was known as Carl's School-house, about one mile and a half east of Elliottsburg. Rev.
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CHAPTER I.
Heim preached at first on week-days at this place, from 1837 to 1840. This school-house stood on a tract of seventeen acres of land, which Henry Ludolph Spark, some fifty or sixty years ago, donated in his last will for school purposes. He was a German school-master, a member of the Lutheran Church, and sometimes preached and administered baptism in this community at the be- ginning of the present century. He had no family. From what we can learn he was a good man, and sought to do good. On these seventeen acres of land, Mr. Spark had a school-house erected, where for many years he taught the children in that neighborhood. He also died here, and lies buried in an old grave- yard, now overgrown with underbrush and small trees, about fifty rods northeast of the church and present graveyard. After Mr. Spark's death, a Mr. Carl taught school here for some twenty years. Hence, it used to go by the name of "Carl's School- house." As the land had been donated for school purposes, after the church was erected on it, the school directors claimed it; but to obviate all difficulties said directors sold, on the 6th of March, 1852, one acre and one hundred and twenty-six perches strict measure, for one dollar, to Jacob Dumm and Abraham Kistler, then the trustees of the church.
Encouraged by the occasional visits of Rev. Heim, the mem- bers in all that region were collected and regularly organized into a congregation in 1840. But as their number was considerable, the school-house was too small to accommodate them. Thus, the necessity of erecting a church was seen by all. This church they built on the land donated by Henry Ludolph Spark, and they therefore called it Ludolph Church. Rev. Heim wrote the follow- ing Church Constitution in the German language :
CONSTITUTION.
In the name of God the Father, of God the Son, and of God the Holy Ghost. Amen. God is a God of order, and nothing can be acceptable to Him, or redound to His glory, unless it be done in the spirit of order, of love and peace. Therefore, We, the Church Council and Church Members, do solemnly obligate
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CHURCHES BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS.
ourselves, on this the 20th day of May, 1841, to observe most faithfully and conscientiously the following Constitution :
CHAPTER I.
OF THE CHURCH, LAND, GRAVEYARD, AND SCHOOL-HOUSE.
Our church, bearing the name Ludolph Church, to be built on the land which Henry Ludolph Spark donated in his last will for the use of a school-house and a school-teacher, consisting of seven- teen acres, situate in Tyrone [now Spring] Township, Perry County, State of Pennsylvania, shall for all time to come be a Union church, and so it shall be used by both religious denomi- nations, namely, the Evangelical Lutheran and Evangelical Re- formed, until, by the mutual agreement of both denominations, the one denomination shall buy the right of the other. And it shall not be allowed at any time, that any other doctrine than our Evangelical Lutheran and Evangelical Reformed, according to the Bible and the Augsburg Confession, be set forth or preached in this church. Of these two religious denominations, the one shall not interfere in the divine worship of the other; but the one shall have divine service on one Sunday, and the other on the Sunday next following, except when there is a funeral on Sunday, and then that denomination which has the funeral shall have the use of the church. [The remaining part of this Constitution is word for word the same as that of the Loysville Church, sec pp. 37-41, and need therefore not be repeated here.]
To the above Constitution, We, the Church Council and Church Members, herewith subscribe our names :
Lutheran Church Council.
David Stambaugh, )
George Beistlein, Elders.
John Shearer, Jr.,
Deacons.
Daniel Rupsomen,
John Shearer, Sen., Trustee. Michael Foose, Treasurer. Daniel Preisler, Secretary.
German Reformed Church Council.
Peter Shearer,
Frederick Dumm, Elders.
Simon Shull,
Jacob Dumm, Deacons.
William Sheively, Trustee.
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CHAPTER I.
The above Constitution has long since become obsolete, and each congregation manages its own affairs according to its own General Synod's Church Constitution.
The foundation work of the church was commenced on the 26th of April, 1841, and on Thursday, the 20th of May following, the corner-stone was laid. On this occasion divine services were held in "Carl's School-house," when and where Rev. Heim preached an appropriate sermon in the German language. If any other ministers were present at the laying of the corner-stone, we have failed to ascertain the fact. The Trustees were the build- ing committee. On account of sundry difficulties, the church went up slowly, and was not ready for consecration till November, 1842. Rev. Messrs. Heim and Leinbach officiated on this occa- sion. Mr. George Wolf did the carpenter work of the church. The edifice is of rough stone walls, about thirty-five by forty feet in size. Inside it has but one floor, no end gallery, and the pews are not painted-all is plain and unadorned; but it is a Union church, or, more correctly, a disunion church. Sometimes it is called Germany Church, because at the time it was erected the German language was almost the exclusive language spoken in that vicinity, and then, as now, a large number of Germans from the Vaterland settled and still settle in that section of Spring Township. The use of the English language begins, however, to prevail.
In the spring of 1844, among others, the following persons were admitted to full communion by confirmation, after they had been faithfully instructed by Father Heim in the Catechism :
Daniel Shoemaker,
Miss Mary Shearer,
Daniel Shull,
Rebecca Shearer,
Martin Stambaugh,
" Susan Shearer,
Jered Nunemacher,
Mary Shoemaker,
William Nunemacher,
« Susan Rice,
John Bernheisel,
Mary A. Nunemacher,
William Foose,
" Susan Bernheisel,
Michael Foose,
" Catharine Bernheisel,
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CHURCHES BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS.
John Beistlein,
Miss Eliza Bernheisel,
William Shearer,
" Susan Foose,
John Souder,
Mary Stambaugh,
George Burkepile,
" Catharine Stambaugh,
Mrs. - Dale,
Ann Burkepile,
Miss Mary Comp,
" Catharine Beistlein,
" Mary Shull,
" Eliza Beistlein,
" Julian Stambaugh.
Some time in the year 1848, Rev. Heim confirmed at this place another class of catechumens, but for want of a record we cannot give their names. He preached exclusively in the German lan- guage. On the 27th of December, 1849, the Lord called him from his labors on earth to rest in heaven. The congregation was then vacant about ten months. Having accepted a call from the Loysville charge in October, 1850, the
Rev. Frederick Ruthrauff
commenced his pastoral labors here. Here, as well as in all the other congregations of the charge, he at once introduced the use of the English language in the preaching of the Gospel. At the communion held on the 10th of May, 1851, the number of communicants was forty-eight. Having for some time faithfully instructed a class of catechumens, on the 15th of May, 1852, the following persons were received by confirmation :
Philip Burkert,
Miss Mary A. Grove,
" Susan Beistlein,
" Mary Ann Spohn,
" Isabella Shoemaker,
Sarah Shoemaker,
Miss Elizabeth Foose,
" Mary Ann Kistler,
" Catharine Frey,
" Susanna Loy,
" Elizabeth Smith,
" Julian Minich.
Having served the congregation as pastor a little over two years, Rev. Ruthrauff resigned in November, 1852. The con- gregation was then without a pastor for about five months. Having accepted a call from the Loysville charge, the
" Rachel Burkepile,
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CHAPTER I.
Rev. Reuben Weiser
commenced his labors here as pastor on the 1st of April, 1853, and served the congregation about two years and a half. He re- signed in September, 1855. We cannot learn from the church record, or from any other source, that any were added to the con- gregation whilst Rev. Weiser was pastor of it. The congregation was again vacant about seven months. Then a call was extended to the
Rev. Philip Willard
by the Loysville charge. He accepted that call, and entered on the discharge of his pastoral duties on the 25th of May, 1856. This indefatigable and zealous minister of the Gospel labored in season and out of season, and the Lord crowned his labors with great success and gave him many souls as a reward for his dili- gence. In February, 1857, during a protracted meeting, the Lord poured out His Holy Spirit on the congregation, when many Christians were revived and many sinners hopefully converted to God. The subjects of this revival were then formed into a class and thoroughly instructed in the Catechism of the Church, and on the 18th of April, 1857, the following persons were received to full communion by the rite of confirmation :
David Grove,
Miss Catharine Rice,
Josiah C. Foose,
Mary Jane Loy,
Samuel Hassinger,
Susan Rempfer,
Samuel Fleisher,
Catharine Spohn,
James G. Messimer,
Margaret Spohn,
" Eliza Spohn,
Hugh Moffitt, Abraham Kistler,
" Catharine Fleisher,
Jacob Kistler,
" Rebecca E. Shoemaker,
David Wentzel,
" Sarah Beistlein,
Abraham Reem,
" Lucinda Wentzel.
Miss Anna Rice,
At the same time the above were confirmed, three persons, whose names were not recorded, were received by certificate. In
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CHURCHES BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS.
the fall of 1857, Rev. Willard met another class of catechumens, and another precious revival was enjoyed, during which a large number yielded their hearts to God. These were still further in- structed for some time, and on the 20th of February, 1858, the following persons were admitted to full communion by confirma- tion :
John M. Smith,
Levi F. Gehr,
James A. Gray,
Mrs. Mary Ann Smith,
John S. Kistler,
Miss Jane F. Kacy,
John Loy,
Sarah J. Kacy,
Henry Spohn,
" Mary Jane Gray,
William Perry,
" Catharine Loy,
Jacob Shoemaker,
" Catharine Stambaugh,
George W. Gehr,
" Sarah Foulk.
Having served the charge and this congregation with such marked success for two years and a half, to the great regret of all, Rev. Willard resigned in November, 1858. The charge was then vacant about five months. In April, 1859, the Loysville charge extended a call to the
Rev. G. M. Settlemoyer,
who, having accepted that call, commenced his ministerial labors here. On the 21st of April, 1860, George Sliuler was admitted to membership by baptism, and Mrs. Maria Boyd and Miss Cless were received by certificate.
Having been carefully instructed for some time, on the 23d of March, 1861, the following persons were received as communing members by the rite of confirmation :
John Reapsoma, Miss Anna E. Shoemaker,
Sinary Wentzel,
" Mary E. Clouser,
Miss Caroline Wentzel, " Elizabeth C. Clouser.
After Rev. Settlemoyer had served the congregation two years, he resigned in April, 1861, and on the 1st of September follow- ing, the
Rev. Peter Sahm
accepted a call from the Loysville charge, and preached his in-
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CHAPTER I.
troductory sermon here on the 22d of September in German from Heb. 13 : 17, and in two weeks afterwards in the English language from 2 Cor. 5 :20.
After the pastor had instructed them in the Catechism of the Church, and being found qualified, on the 8th of March, 1862, the following fifteen persons were confirmed :
George Fleisher, Samuel Ream,
Matilda Reapsoma,
Reuben Shuler, Elizabeth Fleisher,
Elizabeth Shuler,
Joseph Shuler, Elizabeth Rice,
Ann Beistlein,
Michael Loy, Mary Ream,
Mary Wentzel,
John Shuler, Elizabeth Ream, Catharine Kistler.
This congregation still requires that about one-half of the preaching be in the German language. In a letter, Rev. Sahm remarks : "In the fall of '61, before I held my communion meet- ings, I visited the members of my charge, and found that two hundred and four belonged to the congregation at Loysville, ninety to Mount Zion, and seventy-eight to Ludolph's. Since then forty-three have been added to this number in the charge, making at this time (June, 1862) in all four hundred and fifteen mem- bers. Between fifty and sixty persons profess to have been con- verted since I have taken charge of this pastorate, and they were of different ages from fifteen to sixty."
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