USA > Pennsylvania > History of the Church of the brethren of the Eastern district of Pennsylvania > Part 34
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THE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN.
The supervision of these Sunday Schools is given into the hands of the Sunday School Advisory Committee. This committee is organized according to the following consti- tution :
CONSTITUTION OF LOCAL SUNDAY SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
I. Object:
I. To inspire.
2. To guard.
3. To direct.
II. Field:
I. The entire Local District.
2. With all its resources.
III. Formation:
I. Five members.
2. Named by official Board, confirmed by open council.
3. Except the beginning, one to be nominated every year for three years.
IV. Qualifications:
I. Sound in the faith.
2. Organizing ability.
3 Same as delegates to Annual Meeting or to accept such.
V. Duties:
I. To discern all the Sunday School resources and needs of the district, and to endeavor to meet them.
2. To decide places and number of Sunday Schools, if more than one.
3. To organize any new Sunday Schools where needed, and wisely give any and all necessary assistance.
4. To advise all Sunday School officers and teachers with regard to any improvements that may be made, or thus mutu- ally to consider.
5. To make full report of the Sunday School work, and when properly accepted, such report to be sent to State Dis- trict Sunday School Secretary.
6. To hold Sunday School meetings quarterly in harmony with Annual Meeting Minutes, Ans. Article 7, p. 158 of A. M. Minutes, 1897.
7. To make the Sunday School a nursery to the Church, en- deavoring to further the Sunday School cause, and to keep
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the entire work in harmony with the teachings and simplicity of the Gospel.
8. To organize themselves with rules to be confirmed by official Council.
9. To gather and compile statistics.
a. Giving No. of pupils in each and all schools in church.
b. Number of members' children not in any of the Brethren's Schools.
c. Number of members' children in other Sunday Schools.
The following Rules and By-Laws to further govern the work of this committee were adopted in 1908:
RULES AND BY-LAWS OF THE LOCAL SUNDAY SCHOOL COM- MITTEE OF ELIZABETHTOWN CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN.
I. Officers.
The officers of this Committee shall consist of Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer.
II. Duties of Officers.
I. The Chairman shall preside at all business meetings of the Committee; he shall represent the Committee in general supervision of all the Sunday Schools in the Elizabethtown district, and also serve as a member of the Library Committee of each Sunday School.
2. In the absence of the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman shall perform the duties of that officer.
3. The Secretary shall keep a full record of the proceedings of all business and public meetings, present the same for ap- proval, and when approved, record them in a minute book; he or she shall perform all other duties common to this office.
4. The Treasurer shall have charge of all moneys of the Committee, and shall pay all expenses incurred, when so ordered by the Committee.
III. Business Meetings.
I. This Committee shall hold its regular business meetings on the first Wednesday of each month, unless otherwise agreed upon by the Committee.
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2 Special meetings may be called at the request of the Chairman.
IV. Quorum.
Three members of this Committee shall constitute a quorum, one of the three to be the Chairman or Vice-Chairman.
V. Order of Business.
The order of business shall be as follows, subject to such change as the Committee may decide :
I. Prayer.
2. Reading and approval of minutes.
3. Unfinished business.
4. Miscellaneous business.
a. Report of officers.
b. Report of out-post Sunday Schools.
c. Election of officers in January.
d. Arrangement of programs for the April and October public meetings.
e. Organization of Sunday Schools.
f. Reports to be presented at Spring and Fall Councils. 5. New business.
The Sunday School Advisory Committee originally con- sisted of three persons : a deacon, a lay brother and a lay sister. The first committee appointed, March 6, 1903, was J. H. Kline, H. K. Ober and Elizabeth Myer. In June, 1908, the committee was enlarged to five members without any restrictions. The following have served on this com- mittee :
I. J. H. Kline, 1903-1904.
6. D. C. Reber, 1908-
2. H. K. Ober, 1903-1905.
7. I. W. Eshelman, 1908-
3. Elizabeth Myer, 1903- 8. Martha Martin, 1910-II.
4. A. G. Longenecker, 1904-12 9. Elizabeth Kline, 1911-
5. Nathan Martin, 1905-10. IO. J. G. Meyer, 1912-
This committee makes a statistical and general report of the condition of each Sunday School under its oversight annually and in a large measure deserves credit for bringing about the following marks of progress in Sunday School work :
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I. Superintendent of Primary Department since 1907.
2. Teacher Training class since October, 1908.
3. Home Department since September, 1909.
4. System of Grading and Promotion since 19II.
5. Two local Sunday School meetings annually since 1907.
6. Monthly Teachers' Meetings, 1912.
The first class in teacher training, consisting of Martha Martin, Laura Hess and Ada Leicht, was graduated in 1910 with E. E. Eshelman as teacher. The second class consisted of seven ladies taught by Lydia Stauffer and was graduated with public exercises in the church in 1912. The third class taught by Martha Martin consists of eight per- sons and graduated in 1914. The superintendents of the Primary Department were Mrs. G. N. Falkenstein, Mrs. B. F. Wampler, and Elizabeth Kline. Elizabeth Myer was the first Superintendent of the Home Department and is the present incumbent. There are three organized adult Bible Classes in the Elizabethtown Sunday School.
GENERAL MEETINGS.
The District Meeting of Eastern Pennsylvania was held in Elizabethtown in 1902. The first Ministerial Meeting of the same district was held on November 21-23, 1893. Both these meetings were held while Elizabethtown was yet a. part of the Chiques Church. Since the organization of the Elizabethtown Church, the Ministerial, Sunday School and Missionary Meetings of Eastern Pennsylvania were held at Elizabethtown on November 1, 2, 1905, and October 30, 31, 1907. The Local Sunday School and Missionary Meetings of the District were held here July 4, 1907, July 5, 1909, and July 4, 1912.
MISSIONARY ACTIVITY.
A healthy missionary sentiment exists in this church fos- tered by missionary teaching in Sunday School, preaching and Reading Circle. The annual missionary offering ranged from sixty-three dollars to $127, half of which was given to home mission board and the other half to the world-
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wide work. The total missionary funds thus raised in the twelve years by solicitors amounted to $1,048. This does not include about $200 given toward the building of the Harrisburg Church, nor the Annual Conference offering. The congregation contributed between four and five thou- sand dollars to the Brethren Home at Neffsville, $450 to the erection of the Orphanage at the same place, and $32,300 to Elizabethtown College.
In 1906 the question was asked, " Will the Church support a foreign missionary if funds can be raised?" The church said, "Yes." In June, 1907, a plan for raising money to support a foreign missionary was adopted. At the close of each council meeting, a collection of envelopes previously distributed to the members is lifted. The matter of sup- porting a brother or sister in the foreign field by this church after having been repeatedly agitated, was decided Decem- ber II, 1913, by authorizing the official board to find a suit- able person to be approved by the church at a future time.
PASTORAL VISIT.
The pastoral visit was made by Elder S. R. Zug from 1905 to March, 1911. Then Elder S. H. Hertzler was asked to make it. The work of the Elder in charge is espe- cially arduous because of the college being located here. Elder Hertzler has been paying an annual pastoral visit to the teachers and students of the college with a view of bring- ing about cooperation and unity in church and school, and through these means a cordial relation has been established that has been very helpful in maintaining the observance of those practices of the church which most colleges of the Church of the Brethren have lost.
MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS.
Since the election of J. H. Kline to the ministry, the office of treasurer of the church was ably filled by A. W. Martin. The temperance committee of the church consists of D. C. Reber, Martha Martin and J. Z. Herr.
The missionary committee is composed of Martha Mar- tin, Elizabeth Hoover, John Buffenmyer, Anna Wolgemuth.
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In March, 1913, the following committee was appointed to provide better accommodations for the growing needs of the Sunday School in town: S. H. Hertzler, D. C. Reber, John M. Gibble, J. H. Eshelman, Jos. G. Heisey, Addison Buch and Tobias Hoffer. This committee's plan was adopted December II and Jos. G. Heisey, John M. Gibble and D. C. Reber were appointed to execute it.
Bishops of the Elizabethtown Church: (I) S. R. Zug, 1902-1912; (2) S. H. Hertzler, Assistant Elder, 1904-12; (3) S. H. Hertzler, 1912.
On June 4, 1914, C. C. Madeira, Levi Mohler, and D. C. Reber were ordained elders. Ordination commitee : S. R. Zug, J. H. Longenecker, and John Herr.
D. C. REBER.
CHAPTER VII. BIOGRAPHICAL.
A. PETER HUMMER.
Peter Hummer, the first minister living in what later became the White Oak Church, resided about three miles west of Manheim. He had a brother, Hannes Hummer, not a minister, who lived about two miles northeast of him, in a direct line, whose wife was Veronica Heffelfinger, a sister to the wife of Elder Johannes Zug.
We have no data as to when Peter was baptized, or elected, and about all we have of his life and family is given in connection with his work under head of the activities of White Oak Church.
B. CHRISTIAN LONGENECKER.
The biography of Christian Longenecker, the next min- ister in White Oak Church, is given as fully as we can give it, in connection with his work, under White Oak Church, with this exception, that his father, Hans, was a brother in the church in 1739, who had five sons we know of, Hans, Jr., Peter, Christian, Henry and Ulrich, who were all members, except Peter we know not, but his wife was.
C and D. JOHANNES ZUG AND ANDREAS EBY.
The biographies of these Elders are given so fully under the head of the White Oak Church, that we deem it super- fluous to add much more.
These are all the ministers the White Oak Church district ever had prior to 1800, and were elected in the order here named. Andreas Eby died in 1798, age unknown, and Elder Zug died in 1821, in his 90th year, and is buried in the family graveyard, on the home farm, where his father
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
and mother were buried, about 60 years before, and where his son Joseph, in the fall of 1821, and his grandson Andrew, in 1824, were buried,-four generations. The in- scriptions on the gravestones are almost entirely worn away by age and weather, so that some of their descendants erected a new wall around the graveyard, now belonging to them by deed, on record about 40 years ago, and erected a large granite stone, with the inscription of all on, in memory of loved ones gone before. An illustration of said new granite stone, which weighs about 21/2 tons, is herewith given, all in the rough, but on the side of the inscription.
E. HENRY GIBBEL.
Henry Gibbel lived a little south of Manheim, and was elected to the ministry about 1810. When he was ordained we know not, but he served on Standing Committee in 1814. He died in 1825, and is buried on his farm.
He had no children, but they adopted his brother's daugh- ter, who was married to Andrew Hoerner, who got the farm. After them, their son-in-law, Cornelius Kreider, had it, and after his death, their son John Kreider had it, and is living there now. Andrew Hoerner was a deacon in the church.
F. DANIEL FRETZ.
Sometime between 1812 and 1822 the White Oak Church had two elections for ministers, just in what years we know not, but the result was the election of the following, in the order named :
DANIEL FRETZ AND JACOB HALLER.
Elder Fretz had charge of the church in 1822. He was married to Jemima Sullivan, of Scotch descent. He lived about 21/2 miles northwest of Manheim, adjoining land with Elder C. Longenecker, and he, in connection with Abraham Longenecker, a son, were the executors of Elder Longe- necker, who died in 1808.
He was a shop carpenter, turner, and undertaker. He
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wrote many wills, always in German, which, when probated, had always to be translated. He had three sons and three daughters, all dead now, and all died outside of the father's church. They belonged to other churches, but had faith in their father, as a Christian, and at his funeral selected Dan. 12 : 3 as a text.
Elder Fretz was a devout Christian, a ready and fluent speaker, always in German. In council he was ready to give expression to his views, but always in a mild way, so that he had many friends, and few enemies,
When he became older his mind gradually failed him. He said some things, and after a few moments he would repeat the same, having forgotten that he had said it, and so in his preaching. His voice was naturally weak, and in his preaching his sympathies were sometimes aroused, which caused him to weep. Then his voice was hardly more than a whisper.
In the spring of 1864, the writer, with another Brother, paid the church visit to Elder Fretz. He was sitting up in his room. His youngest son lived with him, in a small one- story house, which, with the surroundings, and no doubt the attention he received, was not at all inviting. Yet he was, like John on the Isle of Patmos, "in the Spirit," and did not notice material things around him; for he repeatedly said: "There is nobody in the world that has it as good as I have. When I need anything, it is brought to me, and I need not worry about anything." He often repeated the poet's language : " Ich weisz ich musz von allem los, eh' ich in deinem Friedenshoosz, kann bleiben ohne wanken."
In going away from his place our conclusion was, that while his mind and body were strong, he worked himself, through the merits of his Redeemer, into Heaven, and now, when both fail him, he is there, waiting for his transition into the spirit world, there to enjoy the full fruition of his labor in life.
In his preaching he would often say: "We have three principal enemies to contend with, viz .: The Devil, the world, and self ; and when we have once conquered self, then the other two cannot affect us much."
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
In the summer of 1864 he died in his 89th year, and is buried in the family graveyard, by the side of his wife, who preceded him about 20 years.
When he was about 65 years old, he and his son Daniel were out riding on horse-back, and they had occasion to go through a field, when the son got off and opened the bars. The father rode through. When the other horse was led through, he turned around and kicked, fracturing Elder Fretz's leg below the knee, which was not set properly, and healed crooked. This caused him to limp, and made walk- ing a task for him all the rest of his life.
G. JACOB HALLER.
Elder Jacob Haller lived about a half mile east of Man- heim, on the same little farm where his father, Jacob Haller, lived. He was born, and elected to the ministry, and died, in each case, but shortly after Elder Fretz, and always lived and labored in the same church, except a few years when it was divided, and afterwards merged again. This is our reason for taking the two together in giving their biog- raphies. Each of them labored in the ministry for about 50 years, nearly the whole time together. They lived only about three miles apart, and were never known to disagree.
Elder Haller was not a fluent and entertaining preacher, but his remarks were always to the point. He was some- times hard to understand, and would frequently use parables and allegories, so that many hearers might have had occasion to say, like the people in the Savior's time, "explain unto us the parable."
When Elder Haller was old, he related, in conversation, his experience in the ministry. When he was elected it made him feel good that the church had so much confidence in him; but when he came to meeting, he was expected to preach, and when he had made the attempt in the morning, he would go home, and in looking over his effort, and seeing the many imperfections, he would be placed upon the rack of torment all that afternoon, because of which he knows that he stayed away from meeting more than a hundred
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times ; but when he was older he got over that, and said he would try to redeem some of his lost time.
He had a sister, married to a man named Smith, whose son Joseph was married to Elizabeth, a daughter of Elder Haller (first cousins), who both lived in the Lost Creek Church, in Juniata County, Pa., about 80 miles from Elder Haller's home, to whom he made frequent visits, always on foot, having no horse. He made those visits when over 80 years old, so on one visit a brother of Lost Creek Church said to him: "You are reputed to be rich, and we cannot understand why you always walk so far." His answer was: " Yes; I am rich, but I own no horse. I am content, and godliness with contentment is great gain,-the greatest wealth a man can have in this life." On his trips he visited and rested along the way.
He was twice married. His first wife was Elizabeth Gibbel, a daughter of Jacob Gibbel, and she died young. He afterwards married Polly Kinsey, who also died long before his death. She was a daughter of Jacob Kinsey, and a granddaughter of Johannes Zug.
He had one son Joseph (who was weak-minded, but en- tirely harmless) and four daughters, viz. : Elizabeth, before mentioned; Mary, married to Jesse Heslet; Barbara and Katie, both single, who kept house for him until he died.
When he was old, he related his experience in his con- version. He and his wife were under conviction sometime, but labored against it in different ways, to no purpose. So one Saturday evening they went to a dance in Manheim and spent the night in a frolic. This only made matters worse, so they yielded, and in two weeks later they were baptized, having in the meantime changed their mode of dress to the order at that time prevailing in the church. This they did as a precaution against drifting back again into their former life.
Sometime in the late summer of 1865, he was bitten by a dog, in the hand, which developed into blood poisoning, which, after much suffering, caused his death in November, 1865, in his 88th year, and is buried in the Gibbel grave-
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yard, less than a mile southeast of Manheim where his two wives are buried. Thus ended the lives of two (the other being Elder Fretz) of the most noted, as well as the most consecrated Christian Elders of the Church of the Brethren of their time. Peace to their ashes !
H. CHRISTIAN LONGENECKER, SECOND.
He was born in Warwick Township in Lancaster Co., in 1791. He was a grandson of Christian Longenecker, the first Bishop of White Oak Church, and the only child of his father, Solomon. He was married to a Miss Becker, with whom he had four sons and four daughters, viz .: Peter, Christian, Emanuel and Abraham; Elizabeth, married to John Minnich, who afterward became a deacon; Barbara, married to Christian Brubacher, who was later elected minister ; Leah, married to Henry Zimmerman; and Rachel, married to Abraham Kreider,-all dead now. He was elected a minister about 1828.
In conversation once, in a company of Brethren, he said he never was angry. When the others expressed surprise, he said there was one occasion when he had a horse that balked, and refused to work, he felt a little different. If that was not anger, then he was never angry.
He was the only Brother in all the surrounding churches, that wore a full beard, at that time, and when he was urged to change, he said it cost too much. He explained the cost this way. His conscience required him to wear a full beard, for some time, but he did not want to appear odd from his Brethren; so one day a choking spell came on him, without any known cause. He thought he was dying. There he vowed that if God would spare him, he would obey his conscience. The spell passed, and now it was up to him to pay the vow. He was ordained about the year 1841, and in 1855 he died in his 64th year. He is buried by the side of his wife, who preceded him, and on the same block with his father and mother and grandfather, in the cemetery at Longenecker's Church, near Lititz.
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I. DAVID GERLACH.
David Gerlach united with the church young, and was elected to the ministry in 1837. Some years later, he married Sister Catharine McGinn, and moved to Mount Joy, where they lived all their subsequent life.
He was one of a family of five sons and one daughter that we know of, viz. : Henry, John, Jacob, David, Samuel, and Mattie; three of the sons, and the daughter, were mem- bers of the church. It is not known whether the parents belonged to any church.
Elder Gerlach was ordained in 1856, and immediately placed in charge of the White Oak Church, rather under Elders Fretz and Haller. The latter said: "Another may willingly have the line, if he is allowed to keep a hold of the brakes."
He was an eloquent preacher of the whole truth, yet he would handle his subjects in such a way as to give no offense, even though some would disagree with some of his - views. He was known to say that he cannot eat, or sleep well if he knew that some truth-loving soul was grieved by anything he did, or said.
His kindheartedness sometimes would lead him to do evil, that good may come. As an instance, the church de- cided a case by a large majority, according to advice of Annual Meeting, but some Brethren were sorely displeased. At the next council he brought it up again for reconsidera- tion. The result was the same as before, but still failed to satisfy all; so he brought it up the third time with the same result, when he stood up in council, declaring that under the circumstances he cannot carry out the decision, because of opposition, not because he was opposed, but because he could not muster up courage enough to quell the opposition, though he had the body of the church to back him up.
During the first ten years of District Meeting, from 1867, he served six times as Moderator, and five times on Stand- ing Committee.
In 1879 Elder Gerlach died in his 68th year, and is buried at Kreider's Church near Manheim. The text used at his funeral was his own selection, I Cor. 15: 58.
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
J. JOHN S. NEWCOMER.
Elder John S. Newcomer, of Mountville, Lancaster County, died May 20, 1902, aged 92 years and 20 days. The deceased was blind for over three years. In his younger days he served several years as a deacon in the Church of the Brethren and was then elected to the ministry which office he held for about fifty-seven years. However, during his later years he could not serve owing to his ad- vanced age. Funeral services were conducted by Elder B. Z. Eby and the home ministers from 2 Tim. 4: 5-8.
H. E. LIGHT.
K. SAMUEL R. ZUG.
Ancestry .- Ulrich Zug and wife, whose maiden name was Bachman, came from Switzerland about the year 1727 and settled in Lancaster Co., Pa., where they raised a family of six sons and two daughters.
They were Mennonites, but in 1742 he was baptized to the Brethren Church. He died in 1758.
John or Hannes Zug, one of his sons, was born in 1731, and was baptized in 1749. He married Anna Heffelfinger about 1758, was elected to the ministry 1770, and was or- dained as an Elder in 1780 by Martin Urner and Christopher Saur. He died in 1821 in his 90th year. They had four sons and four daughters. One son Joseph, about the year 1821, while overheated took a cold plunge bath, took sick, and died, aged about 51 years. He was married to Barbara Eby, and they had four sons and one daughter. One of his sons Benjamin Zug was born July 12, 1802. He married Elizabeth Ruhl in 1824. They were baptized about the year 1828. He was elected to the office of deacon in 1848, and died in 1886, aged 83 years. She died in 1892 at the age of 90. They had five sons and two daughters.
Birth and Early Life .- One son, Samuel Ruhl Zug, the subject of this sketch, was born February 29, 1832, and was reared on the farm. As was customary in those days, farmers' boys were not expected to go to school before the holidays, especially not when they were old enough to work.
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When frost set in, causing other outside farm work to cease, then getting in the winter's supply of firewood was in order. This was made ready for the stove, by hand with ax and saw. Threshing at that time was not finished in a few days by steam and separator, but by the slow process of treading out the grain on the barn-floor by four and six horses guided by a little fellow that sat astride the leader. This continued for weeks, Saturday being the cleaning up day. Rye usually was thrashed with flails.
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