Church History: Trinity Reformed Church, East Petersburg, 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. 297-301 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. ________________________________________________ TRINITY REFORMED CHURCH, EAST PETERSBURG Rev. Paul Nagy, Jr., Pastor On October 26, 1848, the first consistory of the Petersburg Reformed congregation was installed by the Rev. E. W. Reinecke. George Weiler and Daniel Mangel were the elders, Daniel Mohn and Peter Gottshalk the deacons. Nineteen men and twenty-eight women participated in the first communion. The congregation joined with the Lutheran congregation to build a church in 1848; this building of brick, now known as Zion Lutheran Church, is still standing on the corner of Lemon and Broad streets. Petersburg, Jerusalem at White Oak, Kissel Hill, and Zion at Rapho, were united with the congregation at Manheim to form one charge. In 1859 the four congregations petitioned the Classis of Lancaster to have the Rev. W. T. Gerhard as their pastor. Manheim congregation protested they were too limited in means to support a pastor alone. The Classis decided to appoint the Rev. W. T. Gerhard as supply "for the time being". Ten years later twenty-seven members of the Petersburg congregation contributed $84.00 toward the salary of W. T. Gerhard. In 1873, the Missionary Committee of Lancaster Classis reported they were unable to carry out the instructions of Classis, by securing a permanent pastor for the Manheim charge "because the Manheim congregation had secured . . . as supply Bro. Eckert, thus rendering the Rapho congregation entirely destitute . . . the Petersburg congregation was partially served by our self-sacrificing Bro. Tobias, but he can do so no longer. It is the binding duty of Classis . . . to provide the Manheim Charge . . . with a stated and efficient pastor, who can officiate in both languages". The Classis of 1875 appointed a committee, the Rev. W. T. Gerhard, the Rev. J. S. Stahr and Dr. E. V. Gerhart, to whom was committed the care and oversight of the three churches in the Manheim Charge "for the time being". The following year the Committee reported they were unable to persuade the Manheim Charge to call a pastor, as the Manheim congregation requested the continuance of Prof. J. H. Dubbs as supply; they, therefore recommended the appointment of Prof. Dubbs as supply for the Manheim congregation, and the Rev. J. G. Fritchey as supply for the Petersburg congregation for one year. The Rapho congregation had only two male members, one an elder, the other a deacon, who held the property. There had been no services there during the year, and there was no prospects of reviving the congregation. On May 27, 1877, Lic. L. F. Zinkham was ordained and installed as pastor of the Manheim Charge. The Petersburg congregation agreed to pay $125 yearly toward the pastor's salary. The Rev. L. F. Zinkham served until 1882, when he was succeeded by the Rev. S. B. Schaffer, who remained until 1885. From 1885 to 1890 the pastor was the Rev. W. J. Johnson, and from 1890 to 1893, the Rev. Daniel W. Albright. All these pastors served the Petersburg congregation faithfully, and its growth was steady. In 1893, the Rev. Charles E. Wehler was chosen as pastor of the charge, and the following year was marked by definite forward steps of the Petersburg congregation. The "envelope system", though adopted "as a trial" was never discontinued. Quarterly communion was instituted. A constitution and by-laws were adopted, and the salary of "our beloved pastor" was increased to $150. Jacob Gottchalk and Lewis K. Mohn, were the elders who led the congregation to take these forward steps. All these years the Reformed and Lutheran congregations had worshipped in the same building and had a Union Sunday School. In 1898, fifty years after its organization, the Reformed congregation made an overture to the Lutheran congregation asking for a separation. When this matter had been put before the Reformed congregation, thirty-two had voted for separation and three had not voted. The Lutheran congregation replied that they did not wish to separate. The Reformed congregation withdrew, and without any financial reserves, decided to build their church on a site on the Manheim Pike (now North Main Street). The minutes of the Consistory tell of the careful planning, the generous contributions of labor, materials and money, that made possible the building of Trinity Reformed church. The following were the members of the consistory: Emmanuel Metzger, Hiram S. Hershey, E. C. Bowers, Elders; Elias H. Vogle, Albert Martzall, Adam K. Long, Deacons, and Henry S. Metzger, David H. Gochenauer, Henry B. Andes, Trustees. Of these men, only Mr. Hershey survives, and he is now as he always has been, a devoted, forward-looking member of the consistory. The church was finished in 1899, and the same year the Rev. Charles E. Wehler resigned. He was followed by the Rev. George W. Welsh, who served until 1903. The Petersburg congregation was now paying $225 of the $800 salary. Ground for a cemetery was bought in 1900. When in 1904 the Rev. A. O. Bartholomew was called to the charge, the salary was raised to $900 of which Petersburg paid $300. In 1905, the congregation voted to borrow an individual communion set "for a trial". An individual communion set was bought that year. Electric lighting was installed in 1912. In 1914 the Rev. A. O. Bartholomew resigned, and then the Petersburg congregation petitioned Classis to withdraw from the Manheim Charge, because they wished service every Sunday. The request was granted, the East Petersburg-Eden Charge was formed, with the understanding that the pastor was to live in East Petersburg. The first pastor called by this charge was the Rev. J. R. Rothermel, who was ordained and installed in Trinity Church in 1915. His pastorate lasted until 1918, and during that time the church was re-decorated and a pipe organ installed, which cost $1,250.00, of which amount the Carnegie Corporation paid $500.00. The Rev. William Gerhard, grandson of one of the earlier pastors, served the Charge from 1919 to 1923. During this period the twenty-fifth anniversary of the church building was celebrated with special services in which many of the former pastors participated. In 1924 the Rev. Thomas Rhoads was ordained and installed in Trinity Church, and later was married there. While he was pastor an addition was built to the Sunday School room. The Rev. Mr. Rhoads resigned in 1927. The longest pastorate in the history of the congregation was that of the Rev. Walter C. Pugh, who served from 1927 to 1939. Tangible evidences of growth during this period were the purchase of the parsonage, and the re-decoration of the church. In 1940, the Eden congregation asked Classis to withdraw from the East Petersburg-Eden Charge. The request was granted, and the East Petersburg- Mountville Charge established, with the Rev. Paul Nagy, Jr., pastor of the Mountville church, as the first pastor of the new charge. Never a large nor rich congregation, the members of Trinity Reformed church have tried, through the years, to help the work of the larger church . . . to help meet the needs of the community, and of the world . . . and, above all, to do their share in bringing nearer the Kingdom of God on earth.