Church History: Hummelstown Reformed Church, Hummelstown, Lancaster County, PA Copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Abby Bowman Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/pa/lancaster/ ________________________________________________ History of the Classis of Lancaster of the Eastern Synod of the Reformed Church in the United States, 1852-1940; Part II, Histories of the Congregations of the Classis of Lancaster, Pg. 226-231 Printed by The New Holland Clarion, New Holland, PA; Editors Rev. Daniel G. Glass, Rev. C. George Bachman, Rev. Harry E. Shepardson, Rev. John F. Frantz, Rev. J. N. Le Van, D.D. ________________________________________________ THE HUMMELSTOWN REFORMED CHURCH, HUMMELSTOWN, PA. Rev. Alton W. Barley, Pastor An exact date of the organization of the Reformed Congregation is not known, but its history dates back much farther than was at one time supposed. In tracing the history of this congregation, we find that the early pioneers had to endure many hardships, overcome many difficulties, and face many discouragements, of which we today know nothing. But they were men of faith, and went forward with a steadfast trust in Almighty God, willing to undertake anything in His name and for His glory. Their work was hard and their progress exceedingly slow, but they diligently labored on, doing their work carefully and well, that future generations might have a firm foundation on which to build. From the "Minutes of the Coetus of Pennsylvania" we learn that as early as A.D. 1768 Hummelstown belonged to a charge composed of six congregations, namely: Carlisle, Falling Spring, Maytown, Middletown, Hummelstown and Donegal, and was served by Rev. John C. Bucher. In 1777 Shippensburg, Carlisle, Lower Settlement and Hummelstown belonged to the same charge, and were served by William Runkle (a former schoolmaster of Tulpehocken). These were days of circuit riding, and pastors could visit congregations only every four or six weeks. To make up for these long intervals they were obliged to preach sermons from one and one-half to two hours in length, in order that they might satisfy the wants of their eager listeners. Among the pastors who endured these arduous labors in serving Hummelstown in the early days of her history, are found the names of Revs. Gloninger, LaRoss, Samuel Seibert and David Bossler. Then came Rev. D. Y. Heisler, who began his pastorate in January, 1853, and from this date the records now in possession of the congregation begin. The charge was then composed of five congregations with a membership of 150, Hummelstown then having about thirty-two members. The Hummelstown congregation now seems to have started a new epoch in her history, twenty new members having been added on May 29, 1853. Up to the time of Rev. Heisler's pastorate the congregation worshipped in union with the Lutheran congregation, first in a log building, burned in 1817, and afterwards in what is now known as the Old Lutheran Church (or Parish House), a stone structure on Rosanna Street. On January 8, 1855, the male members of the church assembled at the residence of the pastor, to consider the advisability of erecting a church of their own, and after a short conference it was decided to build as soon as possible. The following resolution was then adopted: In the name of Almighty God the benevolent author of our being and the bountiful giver of every good and perfect gift, and in reliance upon His gracious prom- ises we, the members of the said German Reformed church of Hummelstown, do hereby solemnly resolve and undertake to erect to the praise of God's glorious grace a suitable house of Worship for the said con- gregation, fervently praying the great Head of the Church to smile upon our undertaking, by giving us favor in the sight of all good men, both at home and abroad, and then crowning our efforts with abundant success. Dated July 8, 1855 The church was to be built of brick and erected on a lot donated for that purpose nearly one hundred years before by the bequest of Frederick Hummel and his wife, Rosina. This deed was dated November 21, 1766. The following building committee was then chosen to have charge of the erection of the church: Samuel Greenwalt, Benneville Kloop, Jacob Shearer, Simon Duey, and Peter Heffelfinger. On the morning of May 28, 1855, the service of the laying of the corner stone began at 9:30 o'clock. The German sermon was preached by Rev. Thomas A. Leinbach; the English sermon by Rev. D. Gans, of Harrisburg. This congregation, after a history of nearly one hundred years, now, for the first time, enjoyed the privilege of having a beautiful house of worship which they could call their own, erected at a cost of $5,221. The membership of the congregation now numbered about fifty. In 1872, during the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Kuhn, the entire church was papered and repainted and other repairs at a cost of one thousand dollars. And again in 1891, under the pastorate of Rev. John F. Moyer, the church was remodeled, the gallery was removed and new pews and new windows were placed in the church at a cost of $4,500. The congregation worshipped in the edifice at the corner of Second and Water Streets until the erection of the present building in 1907-08. In 1905 the congregation felt the need of a larger house of worship and better Sunday School facilities, and accordingly purchased a lot at the corner of East Main and North Water Streets. By January 7, 1906, plans were under way for the erection of a new church building on this site. The building committee composed of the pastor, Rev. J. P. Dieffenderfer, John J. Nissley, Frank J. Schaffner, Levi D. Lutz, D. C. Rhoads, J. S. Strickler, W. H. Moyer and J. M. Brightbill. On August 12, 1907, the corner stone of the new church was laid. The opening services were conducted by the pastor, Rev. Dieffenderfer, and Rev. John F. Moyer, of Reading. An address on "The Significance of the Cornerstone" was delivered by Rev. Allen R. Bartholomew, of Philadelphia. An interesting feature of the service was the opening of the corner stone of the old church. The articles in this stone which had been laid more than half a century before were in an excellent state of preservation. Among the articles were a list of seventy-three members, only four of those members surviving to witness the ceremony in 1907. By June, 1908, the edifice was completed and ready for use. The Dedicatory Services were held on June 28, when Dr. J. C. Bowman president of the Seminary at Lancaster, preached the dedicatory sermon from the text, "Ye Are God's Building". In the afternoon a service was held at 2:30, when addresses were delivered by the local ministers on the subject of "Denominational Relationships". At the closing service in the evening, Dr. Ellis N. Kremer preached a beautiful and impressive sermon on the text, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us". Under the pastorate of Rev. J. P. Dieffenderfer the Sunday School enrollment was more than doubled. About 100 new members were added to the congregation during the first five years, and the church building with equipment, costing more than $42,000, was dedicated free of debt. In 1926, during the pastorate of Rev. Arthur Miller, the congregation purchased a dwelling on the east side of the church and remodeled the same for use as a parsonage. Further improvements and repairs were made to the interior of the church in 1931, at a cost of about $2,800. The following pastors are known to have served the Hummelstown Reformed congregation, but the list is not complete, as we do not have many of the records prior to 1853: John C. Bucher . . . . . . . . . -1768 William Runckel. . . . . . . . . -1777 Philip Gloninger . . . . . . . . -1808 Joseph LaRoss. . . . . . . . . . -1825 Samuel Seibert . . . . . . . . . -1829 David Bossler. . . . . . . . . . 1835-1852 D. Y. Heisler. . . . . . . . . . 1853-1857 M. A. Smith. . . . . . . . . . . 1857-1866 Samuel Kuhn. . . . . . . . . . . 1868-1877 Allen R. Bartholomew . . . . . . 1877-1878 A. R. Thompson . . . . . . . . . 1879-1881 A. S. Stauffer . . . . . . . . . 1882-1887 John F. Moyer. . . . . . . . . . 1888-1892 Rufus W. Miller. . . . . . . . . 1892-1894 J. Grant Walter. . . . . . . . . 1894-1897 Glase Gerhard. . . . . . . . . . 1897-1898 Louis C. Harnish . . . . . . . . 1899-1903 John P. Dieffenderfer. . . . . . 1903-1913 Robert A. Bausch . . . . . . . . 1913-1917 A. R. King . . . . . . . . . . . 1917-1921 John S. Heffner. . . . . . . . . 1921-1926 Arthur Miller. . . . . . . . . . 1926-1930 Alton W. Barley. . . . . . . . . 1930- At the present time the Hummelstown Reformed Church has an active membership of 285 and a Sunday School enrollment of 250.