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History of |
| From John's Pursuit Arendtsville, 1790-1976, A Bicenntenial Community Published abt. 1976 Transcribed by Vicki Hartman |
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The history of Zion Evangelical and Reformed Church, Arendtsville, begins with the issuance of a
deed in 1781. Stophel St. Mire (later written Sentmire) and Jacob Arendt on April 30, 1781 "sold, set
over, and confirmed unto Frederick Steinour and Philip Hartzell, Trustees for the united congregations of
Lutherans and Reformeds, Two acres seventy-eight perches "in Cumberland Township, County of York,"
deeded "to them and to their successors, to be kept for a Church and Burying Ground and School
House." Along with the deed Jacob Arendt granted "the free use of his spring at all times unto the
Congregation and School."
The transcription from which the above is quoted was evidently made from the original sometime following 1852 since the same hand has recorded the fact that the "deed is recorded in Deed Book S, folio 55" by Daniel Plank then the Recorder of Adams County. In the same folio also appears the following note: "There being no Record found of the first church or of the cost of the same or who was the Builder of the Church, the transcriber of the foregoing deed can state nothing further than that it was built in the year of our Lord 1787." 
The Rev. A. J. Heller, writing in the year 1880, states: "This date (1787) was preserved by being
engraved on a tablet inserted in the wall over the door. The church was a log building weatherboarded.
It was two storied, having galleries on three sides. The pulpit was in the shape of a barrel and set
against the wall. The altar was enclosed by chancel railing. It stood on the northeast corner of the
square, opposite the present building. The school house and sexton house formed one building, made of
logs and weatherboarded. It stood where the present church stands, on the southeast corner of the
square and was a story and a half high."
No record is to be found of the ministers serving the church before 1804. It is likely, however, that since the congregation was later a part of the Gettysburg Charge, it was in the early years given occasional services by the Gettysburg pastors. The Rev. A. J. Heller, in the above quoted article states: "The oldest communion record list is of the Reformed Congregation and is dated September 24, 1796. The Rev. Lebrecht L. Hinsch served the Reformed Congregation from 1804 until 1834." Evidence to the fact that not many records were kept in the early years of the congregation is contained in the Minutes of the Consistory for May 14, 1847; "Resolved that we form and keep a register of the members of this congregation." The Rev. E. V. Gerhart was pastor at that time. After his resignation in 1849 the usual minutes are not to be found, although a complete record is to be found of the erection of the second church in 1851. A joint meeting of the two congregations (Lutheran and Reformed) was called on January 1, 1850 for the purpose of considering the rebuilding of the church. The vote in favor of rebuilding was nearly unanimous. Work was begun in the spring of 1851 and the completed building was "consecrated to the worship of Almighty God on Christmas Day 1851." The total amount subscribed for the erection of this church building was $2,399.93 1/2. The building was of brick and was Colonial in architecture with three galleries and a high pulpit. It was used by both congregations until the separation of the Lutheran and Reformed churches in 1881. Following that time until the rebuilding in 1886 it was used by the Reformed congregation. In 1872 a movement was begun for the purpose of securing a lot of ground to be used as a public cemetery. A division in choice of location resulted in the establishment of two cemeteries: "Greenmount" chartered in April 1872, and "Fairview" not chartered at the time." The congregation remained a part of the Gettysburg charge until 1865 when the Rev. D. W. Wolf became the pastor. It was during his pastorate that the present parsonage was built. 
By 1880 the membership of both congregations had grown and as a result there was more demand
for the use of the building. During that year the problem of a proper division of time in the use of the
church building by the two congregations became a serious problem. After a number of meetings and
an interchange of proposals it was decided on February 14, 1881 that the Reformed Congregation would
buy for $1000 the share of the building owned by the Lutherans. At a meeting held on April 30, 1881
the Reformed congregation decided to purchase, for one hundred dollars, the Lutheran share of the
"piece of ground known as the Old Grave Yard."
The pastorate of the Rev. A. J. Heller was closed in 1883 and the Rev. M. H. Sangree began his pastorate on April 20, 1884. In a very few months a building committee: Philip Beamer, Peter Schlosser, Jonas Orner, John Lupp, Henry Hartzell was appointed and plans were made for the remodeling of the church. On June 6, 1885 the cornerstone of the improved structure was laid. The sermon at the time was preached by the Rev. T. J. Barkley of Gettysburg. The following is a description of the building as improved: "The old walls were left standing. The galleries were removed, and the space previously occupied as a vestibule was thrown into the audience chamber. The windows, ceiling and roof were made Gothic. The central entrance in front was closed and a window, eighteen feet in height, and of suitable design inserted. A tower was erected at each corner, one of which is surmounted by a belfry and spire, the latter terminated by a ffnial one-hundred-ten feet above the pavement. In the belfry hangs a bell of excellent tone and weighing twelve-hundred pounds. The entrances are through the towers. The win- dows were prepared by Mr. John Gibson of Philadelphia." The cost of remodeling was $5,635 in addition to contributed labor amounting to about $500. "About $1750 of this sum was unprovided for on the morning of dedication. The pastor and Rev. D. N. Dittmar, of Littlestown, who is a host in such a cause, had, not withstanding rain and mud, done such effective work on two preceding days, that the effort of the occasion issued in complete success. The people evinced that they too 'had a mind to work,' for after they had all been heard from the amount of pledges and paid in was announced to be $2,209. It was more than the most sanguine had expected. No wonder that tears of gratitude and joy filled the eyes of many, and that, when Brother Dittmar called for the doxology the large congregation rose and all joined heartily in the singing." Quoted from the Reformed Church Messenger of June 2, 1886. Written by the Rev. A. J. Heller. The church was then given to the Lord free of debt. The act of consecration was performed by the pastor. Rev. M. H. Sangree. Rev. A. J. Heller preached the sermon and Rev. T. J. Barkley, Dr. M. Kieffer, and Rev. D. N. Dittmar took part in the altar service. 
Dr. E. V. Gerhart shortly after the dedication of the remodeled church visited the congregation for a
communion service. Following that visit he wrote as follows: "The contrast between now and then is
worthy of note. In 1849 Arendtsville was one of four churches constituting the Gettysburg charge. Now
it forms a pastoral charge in connection with one other church. Then this congregation numbered about
one hundred twenty-five members, who worshipped with the Lutherans in an old union church built of
logs. Now with a membership of twc hundred it worships in a new beautiful brick building which is its
own property."
The growing educational needs of the congregation were recognized in 1897 when an additional room, known for many years as the "Infant Room" was built. At a congregational meeting, February 26, 1908, a lot forty-six by thirty-two on the northeast corner of the square (me site of the original log church) was sold to the National Bank of Arendtsville. In January 1911 a committee from the Sunday School came to the consistory with the recommendation that the purchase of a pipe organ be considered. A committee consisting of H. W. Taylor, A. AA. Taylor and H. G. Comfort was appointed with instructions to correspond with Andrew Carnegie and firms engaged in the manufacture of pipe organs. This issued in the spring of 1912 in the installation of a Moller organ at a cost of approximately $3000. Other material improvements were made in 1932 when the Willing Workers Class, taught by Mr. P. S. Orner, installed a steam heating plant. During the year 1933 the church building was again reno- vated at a total cost of $2613.00. At this time new windows were placed, the interior was redecorated, chancel and choir loft enlarged and the floor carpeted. This has added greatly to the atmosphere of worship. Zion Evangelical and Reformed Church purchased the property adjacent to the west side of the church from Laura Pettis, November 4, 1946, for $2,000.00, for the purpose of an alley access to the church. A section of this property, including the house and nine perches, was sold on April 6, 1950, for $2,160.00. In April of 1949, a new altar, pulpit, lectern, baptistry, and reredos were presented to the congregation by Mr. and Mrs. M. E. Knouse, in memory of Isaiah David Knouse and his wife, Agnes Sarah Hartman Knouse, parents of Mr. M. E. Knouse. The dedication service was April 24, 1949. 
With the growing need for more Sunday School classrooms, the Pastor, the Rev. Nevin R. Frantz,
appointed a General Building Committee in January of 1949, to make a survey for the building of a
Church School building along the west side of the present church structure. Members of the General
Building Committee were: Pastor, the Rev. Nevin R. Frantz, Mr. Dale Knouse, Mr. George P. Taylor, Mr.
Bradford Peterson, Mrs. Blaine Bushey, Mr. Warren Bushey, Miss Alma Wert, Mrs. Marshall Longenecker,
Miss Betty Hartzel, Mrs. Harry Raffensperger, Mrs. Ralph Heckenluber, Mrs. D. B. Lady, Mrs. Belle Warren,
Mr. Sterling Sell, Mrs. Ernest Rebert, Mr. Robert Taylor, Mrs. Eva Rexroth, Mr. Rov Tate, Mr. Charles
Zeigler, Mrs. Glenn Hoke, Mr. Ralph Taylor, Mr. Charles Slonaker. Recommendations of the committee
were submitted to the congregation at a congregational meeting, May 22, 1949, and were approved by
a vote of eighty-two to seventeen. The ground breaking service was September 4, 1949, and the Corner-
stone was laid October 16, 1949. The ground level of the Church School building included a social
room and a kitchen and the first floor was built to accommodate six classrooms. The Church School was
dedicated September 3, 1950, at a cost of $35,664,83, including furnishings. The indebtedness incurred
was $22,500.00. On December 12, 1955, the final payment was made on the indebtedness; the
Mortgage Burning Service took place on January 22, 1956. This personal note from the Pastor, the Rev.
Nevin R. Frantz, appeared in the bulletin of the Mortgage Burning Service: "The Pastor wishes to extend
his sincere thanks and appreciation to all the members, friends, and organizations of the church who
worked so hard and faithfully in helping us to realize our desire. May God bless each and every one of
us and grant that we may all continue to work together as one in Christ Jesus our Lord."
In 1957, a committee was appointed to purchase a new organ to replace the water-powered Moller organ which was having operational difficulties. The organ committee members were: Mrs. Dale Mc- Causlin, Miss Alma Wert, Mrs. Jay McGlaughlin, Mrs. Charles McDannell, Mrs. Marshall Longenecker, Mr. Ralph Taylor, Mr. Clyde Sell. The organ purchased was a Double Artiste, two manual Moller pipe organ. Behind the grills are 447 pipes of varying sizes. It is an unusual pipe organ for its size. The Great and Swell divisions are separate units, making possible independent expressions for each division. The inclusion of a 16' Reed tone (16' Trompette) adds a depth of tone usually found only in much larger organs. The chimes are a set of 21 Deagan Chimes with Deagan electric action. The total cost of the Moller pipe organ cabinets, and chimes was $9,625.00 Dedication of the pipe organ and chimes was December 29, 1957. The change of name from Zion Evangelical and Reformed Church to Zion United Church of Christ came about with the merger of the Evangelical and Reformed Church with the Congregational Christian Churches in 1957. The Rev. Nevin R. Frantz, pastor of Zion United Church of Christ from 1944 until 1962, worked unceasingly in his efforts to keep the church and its congregation marching forward. On May 17, 1959, he received the Rural Pastor's Award of The United Church of Christ. The Rev. Fred A. Trimble became the pastor in 1962 and served the congregation until 1967. In 1969, the Rev. Nevin R. Frantz returned, as pastor, to Zion United Church of Christ. After serving the congre- gation for a quarter of a century, the Rev. Nevin R. Frantz retired on May 31, 1976. |
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