Reading #1 “Sturdy Settlers, Eager Souls...”
Guest Reader; Rev. Brooks Heck
The year was 1799. A small group of pioneers were gathering
within the cabin home of Edward Teal
along the banks of the nearby stream, Pleasant
Run.
Edward Teal had been a Baltimore, Maryland Methodist class
leader prior to relocating to what would eventually become the town of New Lancaster… an area still regarded as
“The Wild Frontier” by most Easterners, as the region remained a primitive wilderness
in those days indeed!
Still, it was in that rustic setting that one of the first informal
Methodist gatherings in this area would take place. This gathering is known to
have consisted of Teal and his wife and four other couples. These hearty pioneers
had gathered to hear the preaching of one James
Quinn… a Methodist traveling clergyman.
Other Methodist Circuit Riders soon crisscrossed the largely untamed Ohio
countryside as well; preaching the Gospel and sharing the teachings of John Wesley to many an eager soul of the
early 1800s.
The geographic boundaries of the Fairfield Circuit were officially
established at the Methodist Western Conference held October 1, 1811 in
Cincinnati.
The following spring of 1812, the prominent Circuit Rider James B. Finley organized the very first
Methodist class in the fledgling town of New
Lancaster.
That 1812 gathering was the first formal
Methodist class in New Lancaster and,
most importantly, the first gathering with a defined organization.
And thus… a brand new Methodist Episcopal congregation had assembled from
out of the literal wilderness exactly two-hundred years ago nearly to this very
day… A family of faith destined to become The
First United Methodist Church of Lancaster.
…and the story of First Church
had just begun to ring on!
Bicentennial bell tolls
a single chime
Reading #2 “Disruptive Times”
Guest Reader; Rev. Robert Kimes
1820… A time documented locally as “The Year of Disruption”!
Many an American Methodist had objected to the authority of Bishops
during the early years of the church!
The subject of the abolition of human slavery also contributed mightily to
local tensions during the 1820s! An Ohio Conference had recently condemned
Methodist ministers engaged in the slave trade except for humane purposes. To
make matters even more contentious, several early New Lancaster residents were recently relocated slave-abiding southerners.
Any resolution to your slavery debates during these early, pre-Civil War
years is not immediately known. The debate over the authority of Bishops,
however, is known to have raged on for years within the entire Methodist
Episcopal denomination. This squabble finally resulted in the splintering away
of numerous Methodists into the newly formed Methodist Protestant Church in 1828. The local Protestant
church opened with forty-one members, most of whom rejoined your congregation
following the failure of the local Protestant denomination a mere twenty years
later.
Meanwhile, back in the 1820s, a nearby Wyandotte Indian Mission became the
first foreign mission of the
Methodist Episcopal Church’s Ohio Conference.
The Reverend James B. Finley, one of Lancaster’s earliest traveling preachers,
became your very first missionary!
And the story of First Church would
continue to ring on through the years….
Bicentennial bell strikes a single ring
Reading #3 “Bricks
and Mortar, A Ton of Bronze and a Fire…”
Reader; Rev. Cheryl Foulk, Visitation Pastor
Reader; Rev. Cheryl Foulk, Visitation Pastor
Your young congregation had grown steadily, and it was time to replace your
original South High Street meeting house. Construction commenced on a new brick
structure in the spring of 1838 on the same property as your initial building.
The first service was conducted in the basement of the new church on Christmas Day,
1838. The basement housed all subsequent services until 1843, as the sanctuary
above required nearly five additional years to complete!
You eventually commissioned a
magnificent bronze bell – your recently restored Bicentennial Bell—and installed it within the modest steeple of the
new church.
Your bell was cast at the Menealy Bell Foundry in West Troy, New York in
1849. The same general size and ring-tone as the Liberty Bell, it must have
been a glorious Sunday morning indeed when your ancestors were first called to
prayer by the glorious ring from the brand new bell!
The South High street church building was destroyed by fire in 1944, nearly
forty years after you had relocated to your present structure and had sold the old
building to the Lancaster Masons. The Masons rebuilt following the fire, and it
currently remains a near copy of your 1840’s church
building.
And the history of First Church would
continue to ring on through the years…
Bicentennial bell
strikes a single ring
Reading #4 “Brethren at war… peal after peal of the bells”
Guest Reader; Rev. Sam Halverson
Human slavery in
America had pitted the Lancaster Methodists in considerable debate since our earliest
days. And, even though Abraham Lincoln
and his anti-slavery platform had badly lost Fairfield County during his
presidential election victory in 1860, Lancaster’s fathers and sons dutifully
marched off in defense of the Union when the U.S. Civil War commenced the following
spring.
After four long years of bitter bloodshed, and according to one local
historian – “When news of the Civil War’s end arrived on April 9, 1865 …peal
after peal of bells emanated from the churches of Lancaster!”
Our bell contributed mightily to that joyous symphony of chimes from its
steeple high atop the old Methodist Episcopal Church building down on South
High Street!
But, sadly, our bell would soon sound a mournful toll as, once again,
all the Lancaster church bells rang simultaneously, reportedly without a single
pause between 10:00 AM and noon on April 18, 1865, a mere nine days after Lee’s
surrender to Grant. Now our bell chimed to mark the funeral of the assassinated
President Lincoln.
And the history of First Church would continue to ring on through the
years…
As your historic old bell rings once
more between readings, let us remember all our brethren -- on both sides -- who
suffered and died during the Civil War.… including President Abraham Lincoln.
Bicentennial bell strikes a single ring
Reading #5 “Friends Across Town and Familiar Settings”
Guest Reader; Rev. Jerry Dickey
The Methodists west of the Hocking River desired a congregation of their
own at the turn of the twentieth century, and the Sixth Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church was thus established.
The old High Street church was
deemed inadequate for your future needs at about that same time as well. The
Stutson residence at the corner of High and Wheeling Streets was available, and
it was here you chose to locate your new church.
Construction began and
a cornerstone was ceremoniously placed in 1905. A grand dedication service officially
opened this splendid building on Sunday, September 15, 1907.
Not
until the spectacular and much needed Crossroads Center opened a full century
later would you again relocate in any way.
Before vacating the old High Street church, the grand old bell was relocated
to the belfry of your new six-story tower!
Seventeen years later, a bank of electric Deagan chimes arrived as a
memorial gift and your 1849 bell was lowered to a dusty landing midway down the
tower where it went silent, cold and largely forgotten.
The bell was ultimately rediscovered eighty-six years later, restored and
has once again taken its place as a significant feature of the life of your
church, serving now as a permanent marker of this congregation’s bicentennial!
The 1924 Deagan chimes were replaced in 2009 with ten glorious Carillon
Bells which were -- along with the Bicentennial Bell Monument project -- separate
and magnificent gifts to your congregation from several of her contemporary families!
And the story of First Church would
continue to ring on….
Bicentennial bell
strikes a single toll
Reading #6 “For Grandmother and Grandpa, Mother
and Daddy…”
Guest Reader; Rev. Ralph Hudson
It is now 1912… Your Centennial anniversary!
The mile-posts of the next
three decades will include The Methodist Episcopal Church Board of
Temperance, Prohibition, and Public Morals – a massive national lobby
supporting Prohibition’s successful passage
in 1920!
Local summertime camp meetings still draw
large, exuberant crowds. Nationally known orators include the great William
Jennings Bryan!
World War I has cast a
pall across your congregation and the Great
Depression will again darken the mood a single, roaring decade from now.
The word “Episcopal”
disappears following the unification of the three American Methodist denominations
in 1939. For the next twenty-nine years you will simply attend “The Methodist Church”.
World War II erupts!
Still… your city and your congregation are truly thriving, thanks
largely to the enormous success of The Anchor Hocking Corporation!
Lancaster is now a grand place to live and work indeed… and “The Church on the hill” is one of her
leading houses of worship!
Your sanctuary is enhanced with an artfully-carved oak Chancel area in
1944! The original, 1907 organ remains, however, as your spectacular Schantz
pipe organ won’t arrive until 1971.
But… Let us end this chapter back
in 1945…
World War II is ending.
An era of prosperity unprecedented in human history is at hand. Your
country, your city and your church will soon come under the stewardship of a
new, depression-weary and war-hardened generation. History will eventually honor
this group of young adults as “The
Greatest Generation”!
And the history of
First Church will decidedly continue
to ring on!
As your Bicentennial bell rings yet again, let us each quietly honor our
own parents and grandparents…
regardless their respective denominations.
(Bell strikes a single ring)
Reading #7 “A truly historic preacher…”
Reader; Jack Burnside, A Long-Time Church Member
A new pastor arrived here in 1946….
Dr. Herd’s historic work began immediately with his educational program
for children preparing for membership. Hundreds would benefit greatly from participating in this excellent program!
Our Church facilities developed steadily during Reverend Herd’s
pastorate as well.
Several projects included a
significant building addition in 1950, the acquisition of the Stanberry-Rising
House, and the establishment of the north parking area.
We observed our 150th
anniversary with numerous celebrations in 1962… coincidentally the precise
half-way point of Reverend Herd’s remarkable thirty year tenure here.
Six years following our Sesquicentennial, we became known officially as “The First United Methodist Church”
with the merging of the Methodist and United Brethren Churches in 1968.
Of the six First Church senior pastors
since Reverend Herd’s retirement in 1976, Dr. Heck and Reverend Larry Brown combined
to cover twenty-two of those intervening years. We have been blessed with many
much-beloved associate pastors over the years as well!
We are grateful to the former pastors who were able to return to First Church to celebrate with us this
morning!
Inspiring and dedicated clergy continue
to pastor First Church to this day.
But, quite likely never again will any
pastor shepherd the sheer number of souls here as did Dr. George W. Herd; A
truly historic clergyman and senior pastor to at least five generations of
Lancaster Methodists!
…and the story of First Church would
continue to ring on!
Bicentennial bell
strikes a single tone
Reading# 8 “10,614
plus 10”
Reader; Rev. Robert McDowell, Sr. Pastor
Two centuries of worship together… What an amazing, humbling testament to
an unbroken family of faith!
This morning we’ve heard about bricks and wood and bells, pioneers, preachers
and even a U.S. president!
But, it still seems this occasion is about a bit more than all of that.
But what more? Hmmmmm… What more indeed?
How about Youth choirs and Adult Bible Studies? Alter Guild, Global and
Local Missions, Second Saturdays and The U.M.W.. The Cokesbury Book Table,
Wednesday Night and Shrove Tuesday Dinners, Youth Fellowship and Confirmation
Classes. Sunday Schools and a myriad of adult choirs!
Consider Christmas Eve and Easter Sunrise Services.
Sunday Morning Greeters, Sound Board and Radio Ministries, Monday Night
Callers, Vacation Bible Schools, Trustees and Church Council. First Community Kitchen,
The Carols of Christmas, Van Ministry and The Sundae Shop. Men’s Breakfast, Worship
Arts and magnificent organ and piano music!
Think of the Puppets, Clowns and Magic Ministries. Bell Choirs, Bore’s Head, The Last Supper and
Home Study. Staff-Parish Relations, Church Orchestra, Caring Ministry, Boy
Scouts and Men’s Fellowship. Softball, Golf, Bowling, our beloved Ushers and even
several spectacular Haunted Houses!
We recall the Visitation Ministry, the Finance
Committee and the Blood Pressure Clinic. The A.I.D.s task force, and the Sewing,
Painting, Woodworking and Flower Arranging Ministries. Holy Week, Amazing
Praise and Unbinding Your Heart. The Messenger, The Circuit Rider, The
Friendship Class and The Celebration Committees from 1843, 1912, 1962, 1984 and
2012!
And, how could we possibly forget all those countless, professional
church staff people down through the years!
All of that and much more merely
begins to recall the vibrant life of this congregation since 1812!
Imagine the sheer numbers of weddings, baptisms, burials and roughly 10,400
Sunday mornings lead in worship by nearly eighty individual preachers!
Existing
records confirm enough active members to fill this sanctuary seventeen times
over! That’s 10,614 souls… Plus the
ten newest members just joined last
month!
All the facts, figures and stories you’ve just heard not only echo the remarkable
history of your congregation, but
also anticipate with glorious certainty that the story of First Church will
continue to ring on for years and years to come!
(Two rings
of the bicentennial bell)
Happy Bicentennial First United Methodist Church!
[These eight readings were written by Brian Bingham, church member in loving memory of his mother-in-law, Viola Baus, an earnest student of local history and a life-long First Church member.]
[These eight readings were written by Brian Bingham, church member in loving memory of his mother-in-law, Viola Baus, an earnest student of local history and a life-long First Church member.]
No comments:
Post a Comment