Detailed History of
St. Paul's United Church of Christ
As the 1730’s dawned, the New World,
America, became the object of the dreams of many of the persecuted
class of Europe. The colonies in turn expanded and grew in order to
meet the needs of the floods of immigrants. They came from all nations:
Great Britain, France, the Netherlands. German immigrants especially
those from the Pfaltz region, otherwise known as the Polatinends, came
in huge numbers to what would later become known as the Lehigh Valley.
Here, nestled in the furtive region between the Delaware and Lehigh
rivers, these sturdy people, most of whom had indentured themselves to
work on the farms of rich landowners in order to pay their fare across
the Atlantic, began their new lives.
They brought very little with
them. Most arrived with only their family, their language and customs,
their craft, and their religion. Between the Puritan dominated New
England colonies, and the Roman Catholic haven of Maryland, lay the
true bastion of religion toleration under the law to which these
Germans flocked: Pennsylvania, Penn’s Woods.
Once here, these kindly people
set up primitive religious worship in their homes using Bibles and
hymnals carried by hand from the old country. The church was yet the
only strong tie to the lives they left behind in Germany, and it
sustained them as they struggled against the hardships that their new
life presented.
By 1752 the population of what is
today Lehigh County had reached 2000 people, mostly of this German
heritage. Several individual churches had sprung up around the valley
including Mennonite, Lutheran and Reformed congregations, yet no one
governed body coordinated the efforts of these separate religious
groups. The county continued to develop in this way, no longer the
untamed frontier of 1730, but by now a well established agricultural
area. Allentown, the largest town in the district, quickly became the
meeting place for merchants and craftsmen from throughout Northampton
County, as it was then known.
Some miles west of Allentown, on
the road to Reading, lay the oldest town in the community, Trexlertown,
founded in 1729 by Peter Trexler. After he purchased 138 acres of land,
many of his fellow immigrants, looking for limestone valleys similar to
the German polatenid, joined him here. The oldest road in the county
began at Jacob Trexler’s Public House in 1736. Later, in 1753, the road
from Easton to Reading, which at that point was little more than a
trail, ran through Wescosville and Trexlertown. In time, traffic grew
heavy as settlers came West from New York City to find open farm
country. Only a few hundred yards from this road in 1772, a
congregation began to talk of erecting a proper church building.
As early as 1747 on June 25th,
the Dutch reformed missionary Reverend Michael Shodler, active in the
spiritual needs of the new county, visited the congregation here. In
1749 when he found himself unable to respond to the congregation’s
request that he perform communion in Trexlertown, Shodler sent the
Revered Philip Bame in his place. At this point all record of religious
activity in the town disappears, only to resurface again in 1772.
By this time the sons and
daughters of those who had received communion from Bame wrote to King
George III of England requesting a charter for a union church to
encompass the needs of both reformed and Lutheran Christians in
Trexlertown. At last, after almost 50 years of lay instruction in
private homes, the people of the town would receive their sacraments
from ordained members of the clergy in a house of worship constructed
of their own hands.
The union church had begun in
Germany as a political decree by the religious leaders of oppressive
regimes that ruled the independent German states. In the un-united
Germany, rulers of tiny kingdoms grouped the followers of Luther, found
mostly in the Eastern states and those of John Calvin that populated
most of the Western German states along the southern Rein river
together in one building. These rulers, still often loyal to the Pope
in Rome, hoped that the Protestant movement would simply die out if the
two groups were left to quarrel among themselves. But when the two
groups came to America, the union church was adopted as a tradition
begun in the old country. Additionally, the utilization of one building
by two congregations proved more economically feasible to the poor
immigrant Dutchmen. And so when George III transferred some land from
Joseph and Susanna Albrecht to four trustees of the two groups, he
intended that such a building be raised on the premises.
Revolution swept through the
countryside however, and the plans were put on hold. Men went to war to
fight the British crown and its unfair laws of taxation. The existing
Zion Reform Church in Allentown and the Emmaus Moravian church were
used at this time as emergency military hospitals. When the men of
General Washington marched into battle, members of the Trexlertown
congregation marched with him. Finally, on September, 3, 1782, the war
ended in far away Yorktown, VA
Then on May 26th 1784, four
trustees from each congregation adopted resolutions to build on the
spot assigned. According to these resolutions 12 children, six from
each group, placed the four old grains; wheat, rye, oats, and
buckwheat, along with a bottle of wine, the church’s constitution and
the creed of each domination into the cornerstone of the building.
Children did the job so that no criticism might be passed by an enemy
of either congregation as if one of these two congregations tried to
seek advantage over the other. In the same document, it was stated that
reform would always appear first in the name of the church and that
this too should have no effect on how one congregation was viewed in
relation to the other. Thus, the relationship of the reformed and
Lutheran congregations began.
Building progressed smoothly
through the summer and fall of 1784 however, during the construction,
Joseph Schwalm, a mason, fell to his death from a wooden ramp leading
to the roof of the structure as he carried a load of bricks on a
handcart. He was laid to rest aside 70 sons of the American
Revolutionary forces in the adjoining cemetery. Following the
completion of the interior, the 46 by 60 foot structure was consecrated
for holy worship by the Reverend John H. Helfrich of the reformed
church and the Reverend J. Casper Dill of the Lutheran congregation on
April 17, 1785. Services commenced in the building along with a
schooling program for the congregation’s children in order to serve the
community.
A system of democratic government
with all members being allowed to express their individual views, in
addition to the election of reformed and Lutheran trustees, served as a
shining example of the democratic traditions for which the members has
fought just three years before. The church stood this way until 1879
when a steeple was erected on the north side of the church. An 1100
pound bell was placed in the new steeple in order to toll the various
services performed by the St. Paul’s Union church. The building’s
steady presence provided the emotional comfort of an expanding area and
town and it stood for 138 years casting its shadow on the cemetery
below.
Throughout this time, the
reformed congregation was served by only six pastors and two organists,
all of whom established the tradition of long and loving service to God
and community within those four walls and beyond. The members of the
Sunday school and union choir provided their services each week for
over 100 years. Finally, however, the congregation began to out grow
the structure by the side of the road. Under the leadership of pastors
M. H, Brensinger of the reformed congregation and the Lutheran D. C
Kaufman, the two bodies voted on April 17th, 1922 to build a
new structure at the same spot for an estimated cost of $75,000. The
final service in the old church was a union service held on May 28th,
1922 by both pastors. On Memorial Day of the same year, the old
structure was razed to the ground in order to make room for the next
generation of St. Paul’s Union church to serve the area.
Though no structure stood at the
corner that had been it’s home since 1785, the congregation of St.
Paul’s continued its services proving that a church is much more than
merely mortar and brick. St. Paul’s held services in the Grange hall of
the rural community while the new church building took shape. Sunday
school classes during the construction, attended by children of both
congregations, took place in the Trexlertown public school building.
Meanwhile, in the ground where the old wooden structure had once stood,
a glorious new building arose. Descendents of the PA German craftsmen
that had built St. Paul’s union church on that plot in 1784, unloaded
scores of trucks loaded with native stone cut from the nearby quarries
of Seisholtzville. Begun on June 24th 1923, with a
cornerstone laying ceremony similar to that which had taken place
almost 140 years before, the new church grew up under the watchful eyes
of the congregation as well as the members of the surrounding community
throughout the year 1924.
Then, on March 22nd, 1925, the
congregation of St. Paul’s union church once again gathered by the side
of the road in celebration. This time the reverends Brensinger and
Kaufman consecrated the church building for holy worship. The
dedication celebration lasted for an entire week with choirs from
neighboring churches assisting in the services. Each evening after
supper, the members of the congregation would gather in the church for
a service, leaving their horses in the stables which stood in back of
the old cemetery along Church lane. The final service of the
celebration took place one week later on March 29, 1925. The union
service was led by both pastors and attended by both congregations. For
many years afterward, as had been done in the past, each pastor led a
service every other week. Members of both congregations attended both
the Lutheran and reformed services, and often the chapel had to be
opened to accommodate the overflowing crowd. Once each month, Sunday
worship was conducted in high German (Hoch Deutsch) in keeping with the
heritage of St. Paul’s founders. St. Paul’s was once again a vibrant
and spirited church which continued to grow.
In October of 1929, however,
depression gripped the nation as the stock market crashed, leaving St.
Paul’s with a $110,000 mortgage on the new building. Though the entire
nation felt the effects of the collapse, the members of St. Paul’s,
mostly self providing farmers, weathered the storm well. They realized,
however, that their church needed them now more than ever. While
services continued every Sunday, the congregation banded together to
find new sources of revenue for the church. The first ice cream and
strawberry festivals came to Trexlertown. Picnics along church lane and
oyster suppers became part of the church calendar. New groups sprang
up, including the quilting group, who through the sales of their goods,
raised enough money to buy a new organ for the church. The women’s
guild and men’s brotherhood, originally intended to be study groups,
became service organizations ministering to the surrounding community.
A new group, the young people’s society became active in 1932 and
donated the bulletin board that still stands in the front yard of the
church. Electricians and carpenters donated their services to the
church when the building needed repair. Because of the efforts of the
congregations of St. Paul’s, the church survived the depression and was
there to provide comfort to the people of Trexlertown when even bigger
clouds appeared on the horizon.
Before long the United States
and members of St. Paul’s were fighting in far flung places around the
globe. Attendance at St. Paul’s increased during the war, families
praying for husbands, and fathers and sons to return home from the war
filled her pews each Sunday. Reverend Althouse took time out each week
to write a cheerful note to the members of the church stationed
oversees during the conflict. Pageants and plays put on by the children
of the church kept those on the home front entertained during the war
as well, with members donated their talents to ensure the productions’
success. Throughout the lean years of the depression and the dark days
of World War II, the church by the side of the road remained a constant
in the lives of the citizens of Trexlertown. Just as they had given
their talents and time to it in it’s time of need, so the church gave
comfort and relief to them in a time of great uncertainly and worry.
Friends made in the church could
be counted on for support and love; they were friends for life. It was
into this tradition of nurturing and caring that a new generation was
born to the church. For the coming of Reverend Robert Titus in 1953,
the youth movement in St. Paul’s began. Under his leadership, the youth
fellowship comprised of both the Lutheran and reformed youth, came into
being. Together the youth of both congregations began to form the
backbone for a new era for the history of the church. However, things
would never be the same for the post-war St. Paul’s.
Beginning in the 1950’s the
Lutheran church, beginning to feel that the union format was an idea
whose time had passed, began having trouble finding pastors who would
serve such an organization. In 1955 the two congregations voted to keep
separate financial records, the first sign of separation within the
church. Ten years later in 1965 it was decided to hold two services per
Sunday rather than maintaining the alternating pattern which had been
in existence as long as anyone could remember. The move prompted the
disbanding of the union choir as each congregation provided its own
music. The parishioners, eager to save the traditional system called in
a consultant to study the situation. Two forces were at work now in the
church. In many of the older families in the church, one parent was
Lutheran and the other reformed. To the children it made no difference
since each Sunday both parents had gone to the same service. Naturally
people felt attached to the building in which they had spent all of
their spiritual lives. However, the newer families that moved into the
area following the war to take advantage of the opportunities of the
Lehigh valley had to offer could not understand the old traditional
ways of the German union church. In 1967 the vote was finally taken to
dissolve the union church of Trexlertown, however the traditionalists
won and the union format remained.
Even during the pain of
separation, the church did not fail to move forward. In 1968, services
were first broadcast to the Mosser home so that older members of the
congregation as well as other guest of the home could still “attend”
St. Paul’s on a weekly basis. Also, in the mid 1970’s the interior of
the church was remodeled to fit the changing needs of the congregation
and community that now played host to Air Products and Mac Trucks. New
faces intermingled with those that had been raised at St. Paul’s and
they soon found out what long time members had always known: once
you’ve made friends with a Pennsylvania Dutchman, you’ve made a friend
for life. It was for this reason, however, that the inevitable
separation of the two congregations was particularly painful. The end
finally came in 1982, when the vote by the congregation determined that
the Lutherans would build a new church leaving the reformed church, by
now knows as the United Church of Christ, as the sole tenant for the
building. Many families opted to stay at the old location, unable to
tear themselves away from the tradition and heritage of their youth.
Thus still under the leadership
of Reverend Titus, the UCC church moved forward, mindful of it’s rich
past, yet eager to face the future. For the first time in the church’s
history, an associate pastor, Reverend Afaf Darcy was called to bring
new life into the church, as well as to coordinate the activities of
the youth of the congregation. Many new members joined bringing a fresh
spirit to the traditions held dear by the old members. In late 1988
with Rev Titus’s retirement near and Reverend Darcy’s work done, the
two ministers left the congregations in the hands of senior interim
minister Reverend Robert Stevens, and assistant interim pastor Reverend
Betty Ondrechen.
For two years the committee made
up of both long time and new members searched for the right pastor to
lead the congregation into the new decade. On April 29, 1990 The
Reverend James L. Knappenberger was called to serve St. Paul’s United
Church of Christ Trexlertown. Under his leadership the church continued
to find its roots in the traditions of the past while remaining eager
to break new ground on its spiritual journey. New groups such as the
aerobic group and children’s celebration group shared St. Paul’s space
with traditional groups such as the quilters, the craft group and the
choir. Pastor
Knappenberger retired on October 7, 2007 after 17 years of service to
the church.
Reverand.
Linda Lennon was called as an Associate Pastor from July 1, 1998 to
February 8, 2009. As
our assistant pastor, she was the spiritual leader for our Christian
Education and Care Core programs. She brought enthusiasm and new ideas
to each program and increases participation. In her ministry, she was a
faithful, compassionate servant to our hospitalized and homebound
members through visitation and personal communion service. As a member
of the Spiritual and Church Councils she promoted planning and working
together as a community. Pastor Linda is an effective counselor during
conflict and a friend to members and strangers.
Following Pastor Knappenberger's
retirement, the Reverend Rev.
Harry W. Keppley
Jr. served as Interim Sr. Pastor for two years. During this time he
guided the church in spiritual ministry. He facilitate the creation of
a pastoral Search committee who successfull found new pastors for the
church.
On July 19,2009 Reverand Al
Bastin and his wife Reverand Carol Bastin were called to serve as
Co-pastors. They began their ministry at
St. Pauls on October 4, 2009.
Members of the Lutheran and UCC
congregations still join together for softball and bowling matches and
members of neighboring churches will combine for special Lenten worship
and music services. The ice cream festival, begun during the
depression, will continue at St. Paul’s while hay rides and square
dances will be added to the schedule. Despite all these changes,
however, one thing about St. Paul’s will forever remain the same: the
commitment of the people to the service of God and to one another. For
what else could hold a congregation together for over 200 years?
As we look ahead to the future,
the people of the church by the side of the road will continue to face
it with renewed strength, together.