Bicentennial Bundle Commercial - Lancaster First UMC

Enjoy our recent commercial in which our church is selling a DVD history of our church along with a bicentennial booklet, plaques and plates.

Order yours today!

February 8, 1914 Sunday Bulletin - First Methodist Episcopal Church, Lancaster, Ohio

After a recent funeral, a member of the family gave me this Sunday, February 8, 1914 bulletin from our church. Just think, our present church building would have only been nine years old at the time! The bell that now stands as a monument in front of our church was ringing out from the bell tower every Sunday morning up until the 1920s when it was replaced with state of the art chimes.

We were known as First Methodist Episcopal Church during that time. In 1939, we dropped the name, "Episcopal" from our name. Finally, in 1968, we became known as First United Methodist Church. The changes to our church name are due to the denominational name changes that took place.

This 1914 bulletin was one year before our church became known as having the world's largest men's Sunday School class. We will be honoring this achievement on Sunday, September 7 when our congregation gathers for a combined worship service at our Crossroads facility and we will have a group picture of our congregation. Instead of just men, this picture will include everyone who attends that day. We will use this picture for our new 2015 pictorial directory. This will be a great way to celebrate our rich history as a congregation.

Rev. Earle Ellsworth was the pastor in 1914. They had a morning and an evening service during that time. Notice how simple the order of worship was. The hymns are similar.

The evening service began with a hymn sing and the pastor offered a different sermon from the one he preached during the morning service. The choir attended both services.

This inside page simply lists the names of the church leaders along with a way to contact the pastor.

This back page of the bulletin is what really strikes me as interesting. Notice the attendance figures for Sunday School, morning worship, and evening worship from the previous Sunday! They report 1,300 for the morning service and 1,500 for the evening service. The round numbers are a little fishy and how can you fit that many people in the sanctuary/overflow area? Oh well, I'm sure that they were having large numbers of people especially since the church building was only nine years old at the time.

I just thought you would enjoy seeing this bulletin from the early part of the last century. What a wonderful history we have as a congregation. Let's continue to build on the foundation that has been laid by those who have gone before us.

Bell Monument Has Arrived!

The beautiful bell monument is now in front of our refurbished church bell.  It describes the history of the bell and the connection with our bicentennial anniversary year.  Stop by to take a look.  It looks great!

Ohio Conference UMC Bicentennial Video

Our church has been celebrating our bicentennial year (2012) beginning this past spring when our congregation was officially founded through October when the Ohio Conference was formed. It had been known as the Western Conference.

This six minute video shares the history of the formation of the Ohio Conference.

Lancaster First UMC Bicentennial - 1911 Sanctuary Photo

As we celebrate our church's bicentennial anniversary today, here's a photo of our church sanctuary back in 1911, 101 years ago!  I love old photographs.

Check back later in the day for a couple of bicentennial videos that we will be showing during worship and at our lunch program today.

Lancaster First UMC Bicentennial Year Reflections

 

Dear Friends,

Throughout our bicentennial year, I’m reminded of something that a former bishop said about church anniversaries. He said that even though it’s our birthday, we are the gift! He’s right. Whenever we gather for worship or celebrate milestone events like a bicentennial, we are reminded of our sacred calling to offer the gift of God’s love to the people around us.

When layperson Ed Teal left Baltimore, Maryland, to start a home in this area of Ohio, he brought the gift of his faith and started a Methodist class meeting. When Circuit Rider preachers Peter Cartwright and James B. Finley rode through this area, they brought their gift of evangelism. When ten lay people made the decision to become an official Methodist church in 1812, they offered their gifts of commitment, organization and leadership.

During our bicentennial year, we have been celebrating the many gifts of those who have gone before us. Their examples inspire us to continue to offer the gift of God’s love in our community and world.

Our bicentennial has been a wonderful year-long birthday party! I am so thankful for our bicentennial committee and all of their planning in making this a special year of celebration. We dedicated our newly refurbished church bell, hosted a Sunday morning Founders’ Day, experienced a 19^th century Methodist tent revival, hosted an Art Walk exhibit featuring our beautiful stained glass windows, invited the community to an old fashioned ice cream social, commissioned a bicentennial anthem, and this Sunday, we will honor over 230 people who have been members of the church for fifty or more years.

So, happy birthday, First UMC! It’s been a milestone year! Continue to celebrate! Be thankful for our rich history! Rejoice!

And always remember: it may be our birthday, but we are the gift.

In Joy & Gratitude,

Rev. Robert V. McDowell, Senior Pastor

[Join us for worship on October 21 at the church for our Homecoming Sunday & a 12:15 pm covered-dish meal & brief program at our beautiful Crossroads facility, 2095 W. Fair Ave.]

First UMC Bicentennial Video - Part III

Lancaster First UMC Bicentennial Year Highlights Video

Our bicentennial year has included the April bell dedication, a May Founders’ Day, a June Methodist tent revival, a July stained glass exhibit, an August ice cream social, a September music Sunday in which we commissioned a bicentennial anthem, "Ring Out the Message" which is featured in this video. 

Stained Glass Windows - Bicentennial Video Lancaster First UMC

Lancaster First UMC Early History Video - Part II

This video was shown during our June 24th worship services as part of our year long bicentennial celebration.  The Part I video can be found here.  Enjoy!

Our Church's Bicentennial - The Importance of Prayer

[Methodist Circuit Rider Preacher, Rev. Peter Cartwright, 1785-1872 who was assigned to our New Lancaster, Ohio class meeting for one year 1806.]

Our next big bicentennial celebration event will be an old fashioned Methodist tent revival on Sunday, June 24, 5:00 P.M. at our Crossroads facility.  At this event, we will meet the most famous Methodist horseback circuit rider preacher, Rev. Peter Cartwright who covered this area back in 1806.

Peter lived from 1785 to 1872 and wrote an autobiography of his life toward the end of his illustrious ministry.  I read it this past winter in preparation for our church’s bicentennial.  It helps give a picture of what the Ohio frontier was like in the early 1800’s and the hardships those early Methodist preachers endured as they traveled from town to town preaching the good news of Christ.

Peter actually lodged in Ed Teal’s log cabin who was the founding layperson of our church.  Peter was warned that Ed would expect him to join him for early morning prayers.  When Peter woke to join Ed for prayer, he was surprised and disappointed that Ed didn’t include the rest of his family for the morning prayer time.  Later that day, Ed chastised Peter for not joining him.  When Peter explained why he didn’t pray with him, Ed thanked Peter for making his point. 

I’m glad that stories like these from our church’s history often include a deep commitment to prayer.  As we continue our bicentennial year, let’s remember to make prayer an important part of our daily living and let’s include others to pray with us.

Founders' Day Celebration - "An Early 19th Century Methodist Class Meeting"

JACOB  DETRICH:

Welcome everyone!  It looks like all ten of us are here for our weekly Methodist class meeting.  I hope you can stay after our meeting for a delicious meal.  You know what they say.  When Methodists meet, they eat!

DETRICH:

This is a very special day for Methodists here in New Lancaster.  We are now an official Methodist Episcopal Church!  For the past thirteen years we’ve been meeting weekly as a Methodist class here at Ed Teal’s cabin.   He moved from Baltimore, Maryland all the way out here to New Lancaster back in 1799.   If it wasn’t for good ol’ Ed, maybe we wouldn’t have had  these Methodist meetings all these years.  Oh, and here’s a little word to the wise.  Even though we still can’t find those soft shell crabs here in the Ohio country, there is plenty to eat if you are a good hunter. OK. Let’s offer up three cheers for Ed Teal.

Everyone:

Hip-Hip-Horray!  Hip-Hip-Horray! Hip-Hip-Horray!

DETRICH:

We all know that our Methodist class meetings wouldn’t be growing without Ed, but we also need to give some credit to last fall’s earthquake.

 (Other group members start chuckling.)

 Isn’t that right, George? Of all people, you should know.

GEORGE CANODE:

Aw shucks, Jacob, why do you always look at me when you talk about that dern earthquake?

DETRICH: 

Because before that dern earthquake, I did everything I could think of to get you at just one of these Methodist class meetings.  I bribed you, I promise you good food.  Remember, when Methodists meet . . .

EVERYONE:

…They eat!

DETRICH:

George, I not only bribed you and promised you good food, I even offered to swing by on my horse to pick you up.  But none of that worked.  It wasn’t until that dern earthquake that you finally got scared into religion. That’s why you started going to hear the Methodist Reverend who loves to preach out in the open here in New Lancaster.  You and hundreds of others have come to Christ because of those earthquake tremors.  And now here you are attending a Methodist class meeting every week and growing as a Christian.

SARAH REBER:

Well, it wasn’t no earthquake that brought Peter and me to these meetings, Jacob.  When Ed Teal told us about that Barbara Heck lady over there in New York back in the 1760s and how she got so fed up with her family and friends gambling their money away playing cards and then got them to start having Methodist class meetings instead, why, that inspired me to want to do the same thing here in New Lancaster!  That’s why you don’t see no cards in our log cabin, right Pete?

(Peter Reber offers an unconvincing nod of approval and looks the other way hoping that the conversation topic changes quickly.)

DETRICH:

I’m glad you mentioned Barbara Heck, Sarah.  She must have been some kind of woman to help get those Methodist classes get started here in America.  In many ways, it’s the women who have led the way in helping Methodism to grow in England and all the way over here in America.  And let’s not forget Susannah Wesley, John and Charles’ mother who started gathering people in her own home for bible study and worship back in England.  They say that so many people came that it filled their house every Sunday evenin’!

Mary Canode:

Well, just look at our group of ten here.  We have five men and five women.  How can religion make a difference if it’s just the women or if it’s only the men?  We all need to take responsibility for our faith and to help each other move on to perfection.

DETRICH:

 Great point, Mary!  And you mentioned that Methodist word, “perfection.”  The kind of perfection where we are in total love with God and our neighbor.  That reminds me.  We aren’t here to reminisce about the past. We’re here to have our Methodist class meeting.  Every week, we meet so that we can share how we’re living out our Christian faith.  We’re here to help each other.  To encourage each other.  To pray for each other.  And to share how we’re doing with those General Rules that John Wesley encouraged us to use.  What are those General Rules again?

 EVERYONE:

Do no harm.  Do good.  And stay in love with God.

DETRICH:

(With a little good natured sarcasm.) After only meeting every single week for the past thirteen years, you already know these three General Rules by heart.  I’m impressed!

Thomas Orr’s Wife:

Well, honestly, Jacob.  These are easy to remember.  And real simple too.  Hey, maybe we should just call these the three simple rules instead.  The Reverend might even want to preach a three week sermon series on these sometime!

George Canode:

I think we need a fourth simple rule. 

DETRICH:

What would that be, George?

George Canode:

Watch out for earthquakes! Cause me is real scared of them earthquakes!  I swear I can still feel those tremors!

DETRICH:

I think we’ll just stick with these three simple rules, George.  Ok, who would like to start?  How about the Weavers’?  Share how you have done no harm this past week.  That’s the first simple rule.

Elizabeth Weaver:

Well, Christian and I were in a conversation with another couple here in town and they were badmouthing another couple that we know.  I mean, they were going on and on with gossip and slander. 

DETRICH:

What did you do, Elizabeth?  That must have been an awkward situation for you both.

Elizabeth Weaver:

Well, to be honest, we don’t like the couple they were talking about too much either and we were tempted to just join in and offer some very unkind words as well.  But then I remembered that scripture in Galatians that says, “For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”  When I remembered that verse, I just knew that we shouldn’t join in the gossip. 

 DETRICH:

Very good Elizabeth.  Who knows, maybe by not joining in their gossip, they saw something different in you and Christian.  Maybe they’ll think twice the next time.  OK, does anyone want to share about something good that you did this past week that brought honor to God and where you made a positive difference?  That’s the second simple rule.  Do good.  Who would like to share?

Thomas Orr: 

Well, I’ll be happy to share, Jacob.  We have a new family that just moved into the area from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They just keep coming and coming from that direction.  That’s a long way to travel in some beat up wagons, you know. 

This family is real nice, but they don’t have much of anything.  So, I told them that I would help build their house for them.  They couldn’t believe that I was willing to do that in my spare time.  But I told them how some of my friends had helped my wife and me out when we moved into the area and that we just wanted to offer them the same hospitality.  They even said they would make us some shoo fly ply to show their appreciation.  I just love those Pennsylvania Dutch people!  I think it was that verse from I John we talked about a while back that reminded me that I should help these folks out.  Here’s the verse.  I even memorized it. “Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.”

DETRICH:

Wonderful, Thomas.  Thanks for sharing.  Well, we’ve shared about the first two simple rules of doing no harm and doing good.  The third simple rule is staying in love with God.  As we all know, staying in love with God involves a lot of different things like prayer, bible reading, attending these class meetings, worship, and receiving the Lord’s Supper any chance we get.  I hope you’re all doing these things.  But I have a surprise for you!  Our circuit rider preacher, Rev. James B. Finley came to Lancaster to help us celebrate the founding day of our being an official Methodist Episcopal Church.

(Rev. James B. Finley Enters the Room)

DETRICH:

Welcome Rev. Finley!  What a joy it is for us that you’ve traveled here to be at our class meeting today.  We’ve just been discussing the three General Rules like you’ve been encouraging us to do and maybe you can share some thoughts about the third rule and how we can stay in love with God.

REV. FINLEY:

Hello again to my new friends!  I’m glad that Jacob invited me today but you know I’ve not been to the New Lancaster Methodist Class meeting enough to remember all of your names and faces.  I am meeting so many new people as I travel this new Fairfield Circuit and other new Methodist Class Meetings….but I do remember Jacob and his wife but help me out this morning so I can connect names with faces….…who are the:

          Rebers

          Orrs

          Weavers

          Canodes

Thanks for coming to the Class meeting today.

What I love about the Class Meetings is how they provide an opportunity to keep learning about our Christian faith and life.  The Class meetings help keep us accountable for the way we live our lives.  You’ve probably figured this out already but to believe is one level of faith but to do is quite another level of faith.  The class meetings are to help us be aware of our life and then to share with each other how we do our faith each day.

John Wesley taught us a set of General Rules that help us do our faith each day.  You know about these General Rules:  (1) DO NO HARM, (2) DO GOOD, AND (3) STAY IN LOVE WITH GOD.

These are wonderful rules. They are rules that anyone of you can follow.  They are not hard BUT they require your practice every day. 

Men, do own a horse?  How old were you when you first rode a horse?  Did you ride your horse well the first time you mounted.  Do you ride your horse well now?  Why do you think you ride well now? 

Ladies, do you bake pies?  Do you remember the first pie you ever baked?  Was your first pie a success?  Are your pies baked better now compared to your first pie?  Why do you think you bake better pies now? 

Practice…..that is the important word.  Practice is how you learned to ride a horse and practice is how you learned to bake pies.  Practice is also important if you want to follow the teachings of Jesus.  Just because you believe in Jesus does not mean you will live like Jesus.  Believing and doing are two steps in Christian living.  Every day you must practice Christian living.

How can you practice Christian Living?  The General Rules!

DO NO HARM

DO GOOD

STAY IN LOVE WITH GOD

Actually to STAY IN LOVE WITH GOD helps you DO NO HARM and DO GOOD.

To STAY IN LOVE WITH GOD means you will discipline your life to always be aware of God.  You will:

FIRST…PLAN TIME TO PRAY EACH DAY...maybe at the beginning of the day as you thank God for the restful sleep with new energy for the daily work and then pray again at the end of the day as you thank God for the opportunities you had to witness to others about God.

A SECOND DISCIPLINE….READ AND STUDY THE SCRIPTURE EACH DAY….Did you have some kind of map to guide your journey to New Lancaster?  Sure, you did!  Well the Bible is your map to Godly living.  Read it and learn from it.  Discuss it with others and share your thoughts about God. 

A THIRD  DISCIPLINE….WORSHIP EVERY CHANCE YOU HAVE…..Every time I come to visit you as I travel the Fairfield Circuit I want to see your faces in worship.  When I am not able to be here I want you to worship with Jacob, your Class Leader.  Worship keeps our faith alive.  Men, you can’t ride your horse forever can you?  Of course now, you need to stop so the horse can rest and eat.  It is the same with your spiritual life.  You must stop to rest and eat the spiritual food of God’s teachings at least once a week. 

A FOURTH DISCIPLINE….HONOR THE LORD’S SUPPER…Do you remember the first disciples?  After Jesus’ death and resurrection they remembered his encouragement to break bread and drink the cup AND REMEMBER HIM.  The Lord’s Supper is the sacred moment that you remember Jesus.

Well, these are a few of the ways you can STAY IN LOVE WITH GOD.  I hope you are serious enough about Jesus to continue to practice your Christian faith every day. 

Think about this.  Here we are in New Lancaster in the month of May in 1812.  You, and other Methodist Class Meetings on this frontier, as well as those back on the East Coast, are starting something important for the spiritual growth of America. Think about 100 years from now in New Lancaster in 1912 and realize that you are starting something now that will influence them  Think about 200 years from now and some Sunday in May and what the Methodist people will be doing in New Lancaster in 2012.  Can you even think that far into the future?  You are forming a spiritual future to carry the Word of God and the Spirit of Jesus to others.

My friends, the General Rules are Mighty Rules and I hope you practice them every day you live. 

I have been looking at the table in the corner that is covered with good food to eat.  Jacob has taught you well. Whenever Methodists meet…

EVERYONE:

…We eat!

Rev. Finley:

But there is something else that Methodist do well when they meet……WE SING.

Thanks to the hymns of Charles Wesley, John’s brother, we have many hymns that remind us of the powerful love of God and Jesus, our Christ.  I sing these hymns as I ride along the circuit.  One of my favorites is “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing.”  Just think what it might be like if we had a thousand tongues to sing our great Redeemer’s praise.  Who knows, someday there might be a thousand tongues in New Lancaster to sing of God’s praise.  Before we go over to the table to eat, let’s stand and sing this wonderful hymn together…..and let’s raise the roof of this little cabin.

(Rev. Finley and the Methodist class start singing and invite our congregation so sing, “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing”)

Lancaster First UMC Early History Video - Part I

Rev. James B. Finley - Founding Year Circuit Rider Preacher (1812)

In celebration of our bicentennial year, we will observe our founding date this Sunday, May 20th with a reenactment of what that first official Methodist Class meeting in the spring of 1812 might have been like.  Since we do not have an exact date of our founding, we chose this Sunday to focus on our official beginning.  During our worship this Sunday, there will be several people dressed in period clothing to help us commemorate our founding day.  Don't be surprised if one of them asks you where the biscuits and tea are.  Let him/her know that in 2012, we offer donuts instead!

Circuit Rider James B. Finley, with the aid of Nimrod Bright and Jesse Spurgeon, who were licensed exhorters, organized what is now First UMC.  There had been other Methodist gatherings in Lancaster dating to 1799 but this is believed to be the first with a definite organization.  This first class composed of ten members which included Jacob D. Detrich and wife, Peter Reber, Sarah Reiber, Christian Weaver, Elizabeth Weaver, George Canode, Mary Canode, Thomas Orr and wife. It's interesting that our spring new member class and our recent confirmation class each included ten people who joined our church!

Here is some information about Rev. James B. Finley, the circuit rider of the Lancaster Methodist Class when it officially became a Methodist Episcopal Church in the spring of 1812.  This is from the PBS God in America series.

James B. Finley converted and went home to rural Ohio, where he blamed a lack of spiritual guidance on his eventual backsliding in faith. After a second conversion experience, he joined the Methodist Church, which was expanding and reaching more people on the frontier. He soon felt a call to preach and became a Methodist circuit rider.

Admitted on a trial basis in 1809, Finley was assigned to the 475-mile Wills Creek Circuit in Ohio. It took him four weeks to traverse it. He wrote: "I entered upon this work with great fear and trembling." He built a 12-by-14-foot cabin to provide shelter for his wife and daughter. He was so poor that he had to sell his boots to buy food for his family. In his first year, he converted 178 persons on the circuit. In September 1811, Finley and 19 others were ordained by Francis Asbury, one of the first American Methodist bishops.

Finley's friend and colleague Abel Stevens described him as "a genuine child of the wilderness, ... of stalwart frame, features rather coarse, with large benevolent eyes, sandy hair, standing erect, a good expressive mouth, a voice like thunder." Another Methodist minister said his voice "seldom failed to penetrate every citadel of the soul." His nickname was the "lion of the forest."

Under the guidance of Finley and the circuit riders, Methodism exploded, becoming the fastest growing denomination in the antebellum era. It was not simply a question of the number of converts. The greatest impact and more lasting result was the growth in reform movements intended to improve society. Many believed that once souls were saved, fundamental changes in society were bound to follow. As Methodism pushed through the frontier, it brought a surge of Bible societies, temperance groups and other organizations with the aim of reforming society and educating people living on the new nation's fringes. These voluntary societies, combined with the tremendous energy and "can-do" optimism of the frontier, decisively shaped the American religious landscape.

Finley himself became involved in prison reform, temperance, rights for Native Americans, women's causes and slavery. His father freed the slaves he had when Finley was a teenager, and Finley spoke on the subject at a contentious Methodist conference that ended with the church dividing between the North and the South: "How any man can say it is right for him to hold his fellow being in bondage, and buy and sell him at pleasure, put him under an overseer, and drive, whip, and half starve him, and that this is connived by the Methodist Church, I cannot comprehend."

Bell Dedication Video - Lancaster First UMC Bicentennial

Bell Dedication Presentation (April 22) - "Echoes of Time, Toil, Fellowship, & Grace"

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                                                         

    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 150^th 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.]