USA > Pennsylvania > Berks County > Reading > The history of St. Stephen's reformed church, Reading, Pennsylvania, 1884-1909; by the Rev. Thomas W. Dickert > Part 7
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Resolved, That we bow in humble and trustful submis- sion to the will of an all-wise and all-kind Providence, with the firm assurance that He doeth all things well, and that all things work together for good to them that love God.
Resolved, That in our departed brother we recognize a man of exceptional character and worth; an able leader, a wise counsellor, a profound scholar, a progressive theo- logian, an efficient minister of the Gospel, and a consci- entious and devoted Christian; that we testify to his life of eminent usefulness and service, his loyalty and devo- tion to the literary and benevolent institutions of the Church and efficient representation on its various boards; his broad and liberal spirit, and his earnest activity in promoting the spiritual life and progress of the commu-
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nity in which he lived. We feel certain that such a life cannot be without its posthumous influence, and that the currents of life which he started here will not have spent their force on this side of eternity.
Resolved, That we extend our sincere sympathies to the bereaved family and household, and also to the congrega- tion which he organized and served as pastor for nineteen years.
Resolved, furthermore, That a copy of these resolutions be sent to the bereaved family, to the consistory of St. Stephen's Reformed Church, and that they be published in the various papers of our Church.
C. E. SCHAEFFER, C. E. CREITZ, H. H. RANCK, Committee.
MINISTERIAL ASSOCIATION OF READING.
The Ministerial Association of Reading, Pa., assembled in special session on Friday, October 31, 1902, adopted the following memorial tribute to the Rev. Calvin Seibert Gerhard, D. D., and ordered that it be spread upon the minutes of the Association, and that a copy be furnished the bereaved family, and that it be published in the news- papers of the city :
The Ministerial Association of Reading, Pa., has learned with profound sorrow of the death on October 29, 1902, of the Rev. Calvin Seibert Gerhard, D. D., a brother minis- ter dearly beloved by us, and a faithful and devoted mem- ber of our Association.
We recognized in Dr. Gerhard a man of more than or- dinary attainments. To his life work in the Christian ministry he brought excellent natural endowment, a finely cultured mind and a heart warm with the love of Christ, all of which he fully consecrated to the service of his di- vine Lord and Master.
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While we sorrow that our brother has departed this life, we rejoice in the life he lived among us, in the work he wrought and in the influence which will abide. The son of a minister of the Gospel, his more than thirty years of service in the Christian ministry attest the fact that he was an "able minister of the New Testament, approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth."
The crowning work of his eminently useful life was the organization and development of the St. Stephen's Re- formed Church of this city. From a mission, without a church building, through his untiring devotion and inde- fatigable energy, it has grown, in comparatively few years, into one of the largest congregations, with one of the largest Sunday schools of this city, worshipping in one of the most modern, beautiful and well equipped church edifices, every part of this splendid sanctuary bear- ing the impress of his careful oversight and wise judg- ment. This church will abide as his best monument, and will perpetuate his godly influence to future generations. Arduous and multiplied as were his duties in connection with this large and influential church, his labors and in- fluence were not confined to it alone.
As a citizen he was interested in everything that tended to the welfare of the community; as a member of the School Board of the city from 1885 to 1888 he was efficient and highly esteemed; as a preacher, though devoid of sensationalism, his lips were never closed nor his voice silent on questions relating to the moral welfare of the community. With the courage of his convictions in an. earnest loving manner he presented the truth, and his public influence through it will abide.
He thought much and profoundly upon the great sub- jects of the Bible. The author of a work on "Death and the Resurrection," this faithful preacher died in full hope and confident expectation of a blissful immortality and a glorious resurrection.
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To his sorrowing church and his sorely bereaved fam- ily we tender our sincere sympathy and pray that the Comforter may abide in their hearts, who is the witnesser of the glorious Gospel our brother so efficiently preached, and who is also the earnest of the inheritance incorrupt- ible and undefiled.
B. T. CALLEN, JOHN G. BOOKER, W. R. TEMPLETON, Committee.
SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD.
At a meeting of the Prudential Committee of the Sun- day School Board of the Reformed Church, held in Phila- delphia, November 13, 1902, the following resolution was adopted, and I was instructed to send a copy to you:
In the death of the Rev. C. S. Gerhard, D. D., this Board loses a most valued member, one to whom more than to any one else the Church is indebted for the or- ganization of the Board in 1887 and for the successful in- auguration of the general Sunday school work. He served as its president from 1887 to 1893. He attended all the meetings of the Board and the Prudential Committee, of which he was an invaluable member. Faithful and inde- fatigable in all work committed to him, a judicious and wise counsellor, a brother kindly and large-hearted in his views and dealings, we mourn his loss and place on rec- ord our appreciation of the splendid services rendered by him in the cause of Christian education and training through the Sunday school work of the Church. And we extend our heartfelt sympathy with our earnest prayers to his family in their great sorrow. May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ comfort and bless, and inspire others to follow the example of our beloved brother in his devotion to the general work of the Church.
With sincere sympathy, cordially yours, RUFUS W. MILLER, Secretary.
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BOARD OF HOME MISSIONS.
The Executive Council of the Board of Missions of the Reformed Church in the United States, at this its first meeting since the departure of our beloved brother, Rev. Calvin S. Gerhard, D. D., hereby puts upon record its ap- preciation of his faithfulness in service, his sound judg- ment and safe counsel, his warm-hearted sympathy with our missions and missionaries, and his deep interest and valuable aid in the work entrusted to this body.
We find from the minutes that the late Rev. C. S. Ger- hard, D. D., served on the Board of Missions from Decem- ber, 1877, to December, 1881, and from November, 1889, until his departure from the scene of his labors to the "Father's House on High." During these seventeen years of service he endeared himself to the members of the Board, and by them was also held in high esteem.
Mingled with our sorrow is the pleasure and gratitude with which we note that he was present at the last regu- lar meeting of this body, held in Lancaster on September 29. "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
We extend to his widow and sons our Christian sym- pathy, being thankful at the same time that their afflic- tion is tempered by the knowledge that he whom they mourn, commanded by his virtues, talents and labors the esteem and affection of the large number of persons who came within the circle of his acquaintance, and that his memory will be cherished with peculiar affection by the large and flourishing congregation in whose service he spent the greater part of his faithful ministry.
By order of the Executive Council in session at Harris- burg, Pa., November 25, 1902.
Attest: ELLIS N. KREMER,
[SEAL]
Secretary.
Wright, Phila
Thomas W. Dickert-
CHAPTER VIII A NEW PASTOR
T HE first pastor of St. Stephen's Re- formed Church was a far-sighted man. Long before the end of his earthly career came he had admo- nitions of its approach, and began to prepare for it. His chief con- cern was not for himself, but for his congregation. He was deeply concerned for the welfare of the congregation to which he had devoted the best part of his life, having been its pastor for almost nineteen years, and he felt constrained to assist the con- gregation in the choice of a pastor, although he did not coerce them in the matter, but left them free to choose for themselves.
We feel that the best account we can give of the choice of a pastor is that given by Dr. W. D. DeLong, a deacon of the congregation, in his contribution to the Chapter in " The Life of the Rev. Calvin S. Gerhard, D. D.," entitled "Dr. Gerhard as a Pastor," from which we quote the following paragraphs :
"When the proposition of a candidate for the active pastorate was in order, we found that he had given the
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matter a great deal of thought and earnest prayer. In- deed, we discovered that, at the very beginning of his failing health, he had watched the career of a certain young man and had him preach for us a year before for the purpose, as we now believe, of getting the members of St. Stephen's to see and hear him. During his retire- ment in the Pocono Mountains he sent for this young man to have an interview with him in regard to his pro- posed plans. Upon his recommendation of the man for the place, he remarked, 'After serious consideration of each probable candidate for the place, my mind would al- ways revert to the one upon whom my choice had fallen as best fitted for the position.'
"In consequence of his knowledge of the man, and in deference to his wish, we invited Rev. Thomas W. Dick- ert, pastor of Solomon's Reformed Church at Macungie, Pa., to preach trial sermons. He made a favorable im- pression upon the congregation and was duly nominated by the consistory. At the time of the election, Dr. Ger- hard did not bring any pressure to bear upon the mem- bers, but advised them to vote according to their convic- tions, and took pains to have the ballots so prepared that there would be no difficulty in making an intelligent choice, and no doubt as to the expressed wish of the peo- ple. As a result of the ballot, Rev. Mr. Dickert was elect- ed, and entered upon his work on November 1, 1902. The wisdom of our choice under the guidance of Dr. Gerhard has since become fully evident."
Rev. Thomas W. Dickert, pastor of Solomon's Reformed Church, Macungie, Pa., preached the following trial sermon to a large and apprecia- tive audience, including the pastor emeritus, on Sunday morning, September 21, 1902 :
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"I am the good shepherd; and I know my own, and mine own know me, even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and they shall become one flock, one shepherd."-St. John 10 : 14-16.
In*these few verses our Savior presents to us an ideal word-picture of Himself, of the Church and of the world. The more you contemplate the picture, the more deeply will you be impressed with its beauty and its sublimity.
In my endeavor to help you see and understand the picture in its fulness, I shall divide the text into five dis- tinct parts, giving you a keyword for each one of them.
I. GOODNESS. "I am the good shepherd." Jesus is not a thief. A thief comes to steal. He came to restore · that which was stolen. Jesus is not a robber. A robber comes to kill and to carry off booty. Jesus came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. Jesus is not a stranger, because they know not the voice of strangers. He is not a hireling. The hireling beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf snatcheth them, and scattereth them.
In sharp contrast with all these-the thief, the robber, the stranger, and the hireling-Jesus stands forth as the Shepherd-the good Shepherd.
None of you would for a moment dispute His goodness, therefore it will not be necessary to produce argument to establish it. The Lord is my Shepherd, and He is a good Shepherd.
Since we have a good Shepherd, we should also be good sheep. This point needs emphasis. We should firmly re- solve to become better day by day, more like the Shep- herd. Ask yourself : Am I a good sheep? Am I as good as I ought to be? Am I worthy of my Shepherd?
Some of the characteristics of good sheep are: A strong and living faith in God, a childlike and unwavering trust
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in the Father, a bright and cloudless hope in the future, a warm and pure love for God and man, a consecrated and sanctified life, valiant and heroic action in life's great battle, patient and persevering endurance of the trials of life, the faithful performance of duty, the assurance of immortality, and the certainty of a place in the Home of many mansions in the world that is to come.
To become like the good Shepherd, you must walk with Him, like Enoch walked with God; you must talk to Him face to face, like Moses talked with God; you must be much in His presence, and commune with Him day by day. Some day you will fall asleep to this world and awake in glory; then you will be like the Shepherd, for you shall see Him as He is.
II. KNOWLEDGE. "I know mine own, and mine own know me, even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father."
The Shepherd has a perfect knowledge of you. He knows where you live, how you look, and what you do. He knows each one by name. He knows all about you- your thoughts, words and deeds; your temptations and strivings; your faults, weaknesses, and sins; your sor- rows, afflictions, and pains; your longings, aspirations, and efforts; your achievements and failures. To Him all hearts are open, all desires known, and from Him no se- crets are hid.
It is a comforting and a solemn thought that He knows all.
It is comforting that He knows what you need, and can help you; that He knows what you suffer, and can console you; that He knows how you struggle, and can save you. Others may misunderstand you, but He under- stands you perfectly; others may despise you, but He loves you; others may judge you falsely, but He judges you rightly.
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It is a solemn thought that He knows all your hidden faults and secret sins-that you can keep nothing from Him.
You also know the Shepherd. You have been taught to know Him from your very childhood. When you lisped your first prayer at mother's knee, you spoke to Him. In the home, in Sunday school, in the catechetical class, in your reading of the Bible, in the services of the sanctuary -you learned to know Him better and better. Yet you are not as well acquainted with Him as you can be and want to be. Your knowledge is still imperfect, you still see in a mirror, darkly. You must use all the means of grace He has provided, and you will know Him better day by day. Some day you shall know Him fully, even as also you have been known, for you shall see Him face to face.
III. LOVE. "I lay down my life for the sheep." He loves His sheep with a perfect and holy love. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." He saved others; Himself He could not save. If He had saved Himself, He could not have saved others, and could not have become the Savior of the world. In His great sacrifice became manifest His inex- pressible love for mankind, which made Him the Savior of the world.
He says to each one:
"This have I done for thee; What hast thou done for Me?"
He loves you. Do you love Him as you ought? How do you manifest your love? Are you prepared to lay down your life for Him? He does not require your death, but He desires you to give yourself unto Him-in body, soul, and spirit; with talents, riches, and possessions ;- as a living sacrifice.
You can best show your love to the good Shepherd by living your daily life for Him, however simple it may be,
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only so it be true and useful, and wholly consecrated to Him.
IV. ALTRUISM. "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice."
There are two kinds of sheep: those within the fold and those without the fold. Altruism means that those within the fold desire and strive to bring those without to the enjoyment of the same blessing that they enjoy.
You are in the fold. Did you ever stop to think how you got into the fold? When our Savior uttered these words the flock was small. Then your ancestors and mine belonged to the large number of "other sheep" who were yet without the fold. And how were they brought in? Through the Apostles whom Jesus sent out to preach the Gospel to every creature. They were obedient to His command, and bore witness to Him at Jerusalem, in Ju- dea, in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. If these Apostles had not obeyed the Master's command, had not loved the sheep in the wilderness, had not preached the Gospel to our half-wild and ignorant and uncivilized ancestors, where should we be to-day? What should we be?
They were brought in, and for that reason we were born and brought up within the bosom of the fold.
But not all are within. The words of the Savior are just as true to-day as they were nineteen hundred years ago. He still says: "Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice." His command comes to us: Go, make disci- ples, baptize, teach! Shall we be less obedient than were His first disciples ?
Let us rejoice that we are within the fold, but let us not be indifferent to those without-at home and abroad. The number within is large, very large; but the number
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without is twice as large. Each one within the fold ought to assume the responsibility of bringing in two that are without. In this way the evangelization of the world in the present generation could easily be accomplished. "Them also I must bring." They will be brought; and if it be without your help, it will be your loss. "They shall hear my voice." If you do not help to bring it about, you will lose the blessing.
V. UNITY. "And they shall become one flock, one shep- herd."
There can be only one flock, because there is but one Shepherd. There are many denominations and sects in the Christian Church, each one having its own peculiari- ties and characteristics.
Apparently the Christian Church is divided into many folds; but these divisions are only external, and the dif- ferences are merely superficial; fundamentally they are all one, the Shepherd unites them all into one great spir- itual flock.
As many rivers, each with its special features and characteristics, carry their waters into the ocean, where they all become one and indistinguishable, so the many denominations, each with its peculiarities and distinc- tions, carry their stream of humanity into the great bo- som of eternity, where all differences and distinctions will disappear, and where all will be one flock, surrounding the good Shepherd. May you and I be among the num- ber. Amen.
In the evening Rev. Mr. Dickert preached on "The Bible and the Daily Life, or The Se- cret of Success." His text was Joshua 1: 8, "This book of the law shall not depart out of
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thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do ac- córding to all that is written therein : for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."
At a special meeting of the consistory on October 5, 1902, it was decided to tender a call to Rev. Thomas W. Dickert to become pastor of the congregation. The following call was forwarded to Mr. Dickert :
To the Rev. Thomas W. Dickert :
At an election for Pastor held in St. Stephen's Congre- gation on the fifth day of October, A. D. 1902, you were duly elected to that office; and in accordance with the instructions given us, we, the Elders and Deacons of the aforesaid congregation, do hereby unite in solemnly call- ing you to the pastoral office as above mentioned, and af- fectionately urge upon you the acceptance of our call. The duties which will be required of you are those which usually belong to the pastoral office, and are specifically set forth in the Constitution of the Reformed Church in the United States.
To encourage you in the discharge of the duties of your important office, we promise you, in the name of the mem- bers of the congregation, all proper attention, love and obedience in the Lord; and in consideration of your servi- ces, and that you may be relieved of temporal cares as far as possible, we do obligate ourselves in their behalf, to pay you for your support the annual sum of one thousand dollars ($1,000), in monthly payments, so long as you shall continue our Pastor.
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In witness of the above transaction and obligation, we do hereunto subscribe our names this fifth day of October in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and two.
MILTON J. COLLER,
LEMON H. HERTZ,
JOSEPH R. ROTH,
CUVIER G. GRUBE,
HIRAM K. RITTER,
W. D. DELONG,
J. FRED. GERHARD,
SAMUEL P. FAUST,
Elders.
A. M. WEYANDT,
THOS. Z. BRIGHT,
Deacons.
Rev. Mr. Dickert sent the following letter of acceptance to the consistory :
To the Consistory of St. Stephen's Reformed Church, Read- ing, Pa .:
DEAR BRETHREN : The call to the pastorate of St. Ste- phen's Reformed Church, tendered me by your body, has been duly considered, and I have concluded to accept the same, my pastorate to begin on November 1, 1902.
With the help of God and your hearty co-operation, I trust that we may be enabled to further the interests of the kingdom of God upon earth.
Very sincerely yours,
THOMAS W. DICKERT.
MACUNGIE, PA., OCT. 12, 1902.
On Sunday morning, November 9, 1902, the Sunday after Dr. Gerhard's funeral, the new pastor preached a memorial sermon on "A Self-Sacrificing Life," which is given here in full :
" Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."-John 15: 13.
Love is the greatest thing in the world. Its import- ance is set forth by the three masters of Christianity.
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Peter says: "Above all things have fervent love among yourselves." John says: "God is love." And Paul says : "But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love."
Love is an abstract term and has no significance ex- cept as it is exemplified in the life of an individual per- son. God is love, and man made in the image of God must be love in so far as he is Godlike.
Love in exercise expresses itself in giving. "God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have eternal life." God so loved that He gave. Whoever loves truly will give freely whatever is worth giving and worth receiving. The best gift any one can give is himself or herself-life, possessions, talents, all.
Jesus bears evidence to the truth of this statement in the words of the text, " Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
The greatest thing in the world is love, and the great- est love in the world is that which manifests itself in a self-sacrificing life.
You will readily understand how I get my theme from the text. In order that I may stimulate each one of you . to lead a more self-sacrificing life, I shall endeavor to ap- ply the text and theme to the daily practical life of a few representative classes of persons.
I. JESUS. The highest type of self-sacrificing life ever lived upon earth was that of our blessed Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.
I shall not attempt to be wiser than His sainted follow- ers to whom we owe the few glimpses of His perfect and holy life, by attempting to speak of that of which they are silent, the thirty years of preparation for His great work; but the glimpses we have of Him when twelve years of age, when He said to His mother: "Wist ye not that I must be in My Father's house?" justifies me in
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saying all that I wish to say of that early period, that I believe it was a period of self-sacrificing love and devo- tion to His heavenly Father and His earthly parents and friends.
But during the recorded period of His life, during the three years of His public ministry, every word and every deed, every parable and every miracle, bears testimony to the fact that He led a self-sacrificing life-that He lived not for Himself, but for others. I care not where you open the four Gospels, wherever they speak of Jesus they give evidence of His love. He never did a selfish act. He always lived for others. He made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, the lame to walk, the dead to live. He comforted the sorrowing, be- friended the friendless, blessed the little ones, helped the needy, forgave the sinful, and saved the lost. He went about doing good, but He had not where to lay His head, and often was alone with His God. He denounced sin, hypocrisy and worldliness in every form, but was always ready to forgive the penitent.
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