As the
summer of 1945 drew to a close, the families of the men and women, who had been
off serving in the armed forces, eagerly awaited their victorious return home
from the now-silent battlefields. The air-raid drills, blackouts, and
government-imposed rationing had become things of the past. Good times lay
ahead.
In
cities and towns across the country, those who had been forced to step in and
fill the void left by the departing servicemen were once again allowed to
return to their homes, and often the comforts of their retirement. Their call
to duty had also been fulfilled.
At
churches everywhere (not just Ebenezer), these people returned to fill the
positions on the choirs, in the Sunday Schools, and on the church councils and
consistories, that they had left vacant at the start of the war. To these
positions they came, many with a renewed desire to serve their Lord, the same
Lord who had just delivered them from the foxholes and battlefields of war.
This
dose of youth and vitality, coupled with the good feelings of the times, made
for an era of unprecedented growth everywhere. Fortunately for us, Ebenezer,
too, was a recipient of this growth. In a spirit of growth and change,
reminiscent of that which had followed on the heels of World War I, the Joint
Council-Consistory launched in on its first task, one that desperately needed
to be taken care of-the church organ.
The
history of the aforementioned Carnegie Organ, was a long one. Unfortunately for
the church, it was a history that was not always filled with the most pleasant
of musical notes. The Joint Council-Consistory minutes report that as early as
August of 1910, barely six years after its installation, repairs had become
necessary. These repairs, it is noted, were completed by January of 1912.
Then
again, in July of 1928, a report was to be made concerning the cleaning and
repair of the organ. Another breakdown of the organ, prior to the April 24th,
1936, meeting of the Joint Council-Consistory, led to another organ patch job.
At that time, the organ repairman told the Joint Council-Consistory that
"the action of the organ would within a few years have to be replaced by
some new action." Additionally, he called their attention "to the
fact that the organ blower motor needed repairs."
Another
repairing came in the early part of 1943. This time the organ had been out of
service since October of 1942. At that time it was reported that the organ had
been "repaired as best it could be." The final breakdown of the organ
came in October of 1945. At that time the idea was finally raised that maybe it
was better to replace, rather than repair, the Carnegie Organ. An organ fund
was then started, looking towards the day when a new organ could be purchased.
At a
special meeting held at the New Tripoli National Bank on February 5, 1946, it
was decided that a simple "for" or "against" vote be held
in church on Sunday, February 24th, to decide whether or not to purchase a new
organ. The result of the vote was ninety-nine votes for a new organ and
thirty-five against. The contract for the new organ was awarded to Paul
Fritzche of Allentown. The total cost of the organ would eventually be $8,750.
The
organ, as installed, is a large two-manual and pedal-electro-pneumatic action,
consisting of twenty-two stops, nine couplers, and ten combination pistons,
together with various mechanicals and all-electric chimes. The organ is
equipped with two independent expression chambers, and such outstanding stops
as the hecklephone, bassoon, vox humana, and a three-rank viol celeste.
Through
some very generous gifts, a number of the organ's components were provided. The
console was provided by the Ebenezer Ladies Aid Society at a cost of $1,250.
The chimes were provided by Mr. & Mrs. Charles E. Snyder at a cost of $750.
The vox humana stop was a gift of the Women's Missionary Guild at a cost of
$550. The console light was a gift of the Girl Scouts of Troop #79.
The
dedication services for the new organ were held on Sunday, August 4th, 1946,
with both an afternoon and an evening service. The afternoon service featured a
number of different musical selections, each chosen to highlight a stop or a
unique feature of the new organ, such as the "Shepherd's Idyll,"
which featured the vox celeste, harp, vox humana, and the bassoon stops. The
organist for the service was Henry B. Hensinger, the organist at Salem Lutheran
Church in Bethlehem. An address was delivered by Rev. Warren C. Heinly, the
president of the Allentown Conference.
The
service held in the evening consisted primarily of musical numbers. The
Ebenezer Church Choir performed "The Lord's Prayer." Other selections
included "In A Monastery Garden," the "Theme From
'Finlandia,'" and "Sweet Hour Of Prayer," selections that ranged
up and down the musical scale. The organist duties at this service were
performed by Mary M. Hand, organist at Grace Evangelical and Reformed Church in
Easton.
One
last note on the organ's specifications was the eventual addition of the harp
stop. Although not included in the original contract, the harp stop was
installed for the organ's dedication and was to be removed afterward. After
hearing it in use, the Joint Council-Consistory, in a special meeting held in
September of 1946, decided to make it a permanent part of the organ. This was
done at an additional cost of $1,000.
Fortunately
for both congregations, this organ has held up remarkably well, sparing acts of
nature, for going on forty-five years. We can only hope that it continues to
sound forth joyously for church services in our building for the next forty-five years, with as little difficulty as we have had.
Another dedication, held in the church a little more than a year later, would sound a final note for the congregations, on the great global conflict that had engulfed the world during the first half of the decade. The bronze tablet, "in honor of the men of the church who served their country in World War II," was dedicated on Sunday, September 28, 1947. The plaque was unveiled by Darlene Ann Wertman and Sue Ann Wanamaker, daughters of two of the five men of our congregations to die during the war. The plaque hangs today in the narthex next to a similar plaque dedicated some twenty years earlier in memory of the soldiers of another great conflict. As the choir left the church to the strains of "O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go," so was closed a long, sad, difficult chapter in our congregations' histories.
In
addition to these dedications, two church anniversaries were celebrated in the
latter half of the 1940s. May of 1945 saw Rev. Bachman celebrating the 20th
anniversary of his pastorate of the Heidelberg Charge. A special service was
held with addresses and musical selections. An even bigger celebration held
three years later, in 1948, was the 50th anniversary of the Ladies Aid Society.
Held on
Wednesday, March31, 1948, this celebration topped off the glorious fifty-year
history of this pioneering women’s organization in our church. The guests of
honor that day were the last four surviving charter members of the
organization: Mrs. Granville Snyder, Mrs. Alvena Fister, Mrs. Clinton Leiby,
and Mrs. Anna Loch. Each was presented with a potted plant.
The
"Golden Jubilee," as The Morning Call referred to it, consisted of an
all-day quilting attended by members of our church and neighboring churches.
Covered-dish dinners provided both the lunch and suppertime meals.
The
evening program was made up of short performances presented by Louise
Schellhamer, Raymond Weiss, Yvonne Kistler, Mrs. Edward Laughlin, Mrs. William
Reitz, Mrs. Raymond Mantz, and the Sunday-School Orchestra.
The main feature was a Pennsylvania-German play
entitled "Ains Sawgt's Em Onnera" or "From One To Another."
The main action took place in a setting very familiar to all of those women-a
quilting party. Participating in the play were the following: Mrs. Marvin
Kistler, Mrs. Ray Schellhamer, Mrs. Mary Smith, Mrs. Lewis Kunkel, Mrs. Earl
Daniels, Mrs. Paul Leibensperger, Mrs. Ida Krause, Mrs. Raymond Mantz, Mrs. Arthur Snyder, Mrs. Lawrence Reitz, Mrs.
Mabel Snyder, Mrs. Earl Scheirer, Mrs. Charles Weiss, Mrs. Ada Mantz, Mrs.
Alvin German, Lawrence Reitz, Curtis Leibensperger, and David Reitz.
Fortunately for the female members of our congregations today, these women started the ball rolling on women's involvement in church activity. At about the time the Ladies Aid Society was passing into history, a new group of younger women started to make its own history within the church.
The
Women's Missionary Guild was organized on April 11, 1944. Its focus, in
comparison to the Ladies Aid Society, was directed more to matters outside of
the church, than on those within the building. The first president of this
group was Mrs. Raymond (Lillian) Snyder. Three charter members who are still
participating in church women's activities are Lucretia Laughlin, Helen Frey,
and Irene Reitz.
From
the beginning the missionary meetings included family involvement. The
Brotherhood had monthly meetings at the same time, and several worship services
and/or programs were shared. The children of the church provided entertainment
through skits, plays, and songs.
A great
many of the monthly programs were centered around a missionary theme. Money
raised through projects, dues, and free-will offerings went for projects along
this line. Minutes of the meetings mention gifts to different missionaries,
boxes for Russian Relief, a check for Dr. Albert Schweitzer, servicemen
remembered with gifts on holidays, support of an orphan through World Relief,
and forty-nine tied quilts delivered directly by Carl and Lila Loch to
Johnstown after the flood of 1977.
Fund
raisers varied through the years. These included drawings for a surprise gift
at each meeting, selling of candy', flavorings, soap, napkins, thread, books,
and giving a minstrel show.
The
biggest, and the one project that many participants still recall with fond
memories today, was the dialect play, "Wos Ains Net Will Iss Es Onner Fro
Dafor" (What One Doesn't Want The Other One Is Glad For), given in 1945.
The cast of twenty-five gave
twenty performances at various churches. Play proceeds were used to purchase
the vox humana stop for the organ.
In the mid-60s, the name of the Women's
Missionary Guild was changed to Women of the Church. The Synods were already using the name for their mailings and
programs. Through the years since then, they have included ideas from both the
Ladies Aid Society and the Missionary Guild.
Later fund raisers have included bake sales and, since 1982, the Holiday Bazaar in November. Money from the bazaar is shared equally among missionary projects and local church needs. Over the years the bazaar has brought in over $14,000 for use at Ebenezer. Some of the items provided with these funds are: a refrigerator for the kitchen, microphones and stands for the Sunday School, youth choir gowns, a new well and pump, stainless tableware, and $5,000 paid toward the new heating plant. Some of the women have continued quilting as a source of funds for special church needs. In the past years the quilters have given $1,200 for music supplies, a microwave, a coffee pot, and funds for a new entrance.
Many of
its sponsored activities date back to the beginning of the Missionary Guild.
These include the Thank Offering, World Day of Prayer, Family Night in May,
Lutheran Ingathermg, monthly visitation of residents at Cedarbrook and Phoebe
Homes, and the presentation of Sunshine Baskets to shut-ins at Christmas.
Blanket Sunday may seem new to many, but it is just a new way of supplying
blankets for World Relief Before its cash offerings, the women made over three
hundred and fifty tied quilts for World Relief.
Special
meetings have always been shared with other church groups. In the beginning it
was Lynnville and Jacob's; today it is Jacob's and New Bethel women who share
programs with them. 1953 saw the start of an April Birthday Party for the
residents of Cedarbrook. They still share this yearly event with Jacob's Church
women, taking turns on providing entertainment and party favors.
Programs
dropped over the years include the Ascension Day service and the building of a
church library.
Some
activities that have been started since this group became Women of the Church
are the sponsoring of a group going to a yearly play, world and local service
projects worked on during meetings, Food Bank, making the Thank Offering
Service a family service instead of just for women, and the Advent Festival.
The last few years the Advent Festival has been sponsored by other church
groups. Sewing or Work Day is not a new idea, but a revived one.
At the same time that the Women of the Church were working so diligently, a group of Lutheran Church women were directing their efforts in another area. In early 1955 a survey had been taken of local doctors, in which they supported the building of another hospital. It was from these humble beginnings that the Muhlenberg Medical Center was born.
Ground-breaking
took place July 19, 1959. A one-hundred and two-acre site on Schoenersville
Road in northwest Bethlehem was chosen. The hospital had ninety-four rooms and
beds for one hundred and eighty-seven patients. The actual cost of the hospital
was $1,800,000. Dedication took place April 22,1961.
The
hospital was to emphasize the provision of care for the chronically ill, a
first for our Lehigh Valley area. The general hospital idea came later.
Once
the hospital was a reality, the Lutheran Women of the Allentown Conference did
not let anything stop them from forming an auxiliary. Key women gathered
members, and the Muhlenberg Medical Center Auxiliary was born and chartered on
April 15, 1957. These women raised $40,000 in thirty months before they even
had a building to work in. Participants included all the area Lutheran
churches, particularly the Fogelsville-New Tripoli congregations.
Today,
the nine area churches have diminished to four participating churches; however,
their source of income is still fantastic. They run a gift shop and a cafe in
the hospital building, and a thrift shop in South Bethlehem. From this income
they have already paid $40,000 of a $180,000 commitment for diagnostic
equipment to the hospital.
Our
women from the Fogelsville-New Tripoli area, which includes Jordan Lutheran,
St. Paul's, Seiberlingsville, Weisenberg, and Ebenezer churches, continue to
serve the thrift shop about one
day every six weeks.
Much of
the history of this group is due in part to Irene Rau, the Fogelsville-New
Tripoli chairperson for many, many years. Under her efforts and leadership a
very loving share of volunteerism was given by all, and as they got older and
infirmities took over, most of these ladies (in spite of them) continued to
give their energies and bounty. Sadly, no new, young recruits have offered to
serve.
Summer
storms must have an affinity for Ebenezer Church. Thirty-seven years after the
storm that destroyed the church barn, another such storm came rumbling through
the area on Sunday, May 25, 1947. The damage was severe enough to cause slates
to be removed from the roof and, even more sadly, the storm damaged the weather
vane that had been perched atop the steeple since the church was built in 1890.
Unfortunately for us today, it was deemed to be unsafe and, sadly, it was
removed.
The
weather vane was giant in proportions. Its length has been estimated at five to
six feet. One church member has related how, as a child, he would sit near his
home in the vicinity of the present New Tripoli National Bank (which was then a
field) and would watch the weather vane slicing through the air as the wind
caught hold of it. He even states that at that distance he could hear it
spinning round and round in the breeze.27
Its
whereabouts today remains a mystery to the many who would like to someday see
it placed back on the steeple. Few clues exist to follow. The Joint
Council-Consistory minutes for June 10, 1947, report on the storm damage and
removal of the weather vane. An interesting note is made, as follows:
"Since an offer by a man from Reading was made to buy the weather vane for
placing in a museum, it was agreed to let the trustees handle the matter in an
acceptable manner." The only other story that we have heard is that the
weather vane is now on exhibit in a museum in Philadelphia. This we have not
been able to verify.28
The
removal of the weather vane was not the only change to the church property
during these years. In March of 1951 the question of the church barn came up
once again. After the fire that destroyed the previous barn, a vote was taken
whether or not to rebuild the barn. At that time already, it was felt that the
farm was a losing proposition. The vote was in favor of rebuilding so, in its place, another barn was
erected.
By 1950
the farm barely even existed, and the barn only represented one more property
that needed to be maintained. It was once again decided to take a vote on the
barn's future. This time the vote was that the barn had no future. It was
decided to sell the barn versus razing it, and sealed bids were accepted. By
summer of 1951, the church farm no longer existed as such. The barn was sold to
Ralph Kressley for $800, who proceeded to remove it.
The
1950s saw a period of great generosity to the church by Mr. & Mrs. Arthur
D. Snyder and Mr. & Mrs. Carl D. Snyder. It was in January of 1952 that an
announcement was made that a gift by the Arthur Snyders was to be made to the
church. That gift was to be a state-of-the-art amplification system and
carillonic bells.
The
amplification system, which was installed throughout the church, was put in by
the George D. Barbey Company of Reading. A tape recorder was installed as part
of the package, which allowed for taping of church services for shut-ins. The
system was considered, at that time, to be one of the best that was ever
installed by the Barbey Company.
At the
same time, and in conjunction with the installation of the aforementioned
system, a set of carillonic bells was also installed. Consisting of twenty-five
English-type melody bells, which are turned bell metals that are struck by
hammers, the carillonic bells were built and installed by the prestigious
Shulmerich Carillon Company of Sellersville.
The
system was such that the bells could be played through the tower, inside by the
organ, or both ways simultaneously. A roll player and program control clock
were also attached and set to play a selection of hymns each evening at 6:00
p.m.
A
dedication ceremony was held Sunday, September 21,1952, at which time the
system was dedicated to the glory of God and in memory of Mr. & Mrs. Nathan
H. Snyder by Mr. & Mrs. Arthur D. Snyder. At that time, a total of $10,000
had been donated by the Snyders, most of which went toward these two Systems.
The generosity of Mr. & Mrs. Snyder did not stop there. Over the next eight years, they would donate another $12,500 to put towards various church funds. In addition, following the parents example, Mr. & Mrs. Carl D. Snyder also donated $5,000 to these church funds. The pattern of generosity that was set in those years has continued through to the present. A recent gift from Mr. & Mrs. Carl D. Snyder has resulted in the beautiful enhancements to the carillonic bell system and the hourly chime system that was also added.
With
regard to this time period (1945 - 1960), ministerially it was a period of
great change. The first to feel the effects of this were the Lutherans. By
1948, Rev. Bond had gone from being a young, single man, fresh from the
seminary, to a well-rounded, mature, married minister who was fast approaching
forty. All the while he had been at Ebenezer he had been pursuing graduate
studies at the Philadelphia Seminary. With these studies completed, he was
awarded the Bachelor of Divinity degree and, subsequently, a Master of Sacred
Theology in 1947.
When a
call came to Rev. Bond in the early half of 1948, a decision had to be made.
That decision was to leave Ebenezer. The call that came was from St. Peter's
Church in Hilltown, and so it was that on August 1, 1948, Rev. Bond and his now
pregnant wife, the former Mary A. Hem, left for Hilltown, where he continued to
preach for many years. A daughter, Nita A. Bond, was born to Rev. & Mrs.
Bond shortly after their arrival in Hilltown.
In 1940
he was graduated from Mt. Airy Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia and, thusly,
was ordained. His first parish was that of the Freeburg Parish in Freeburg,
which he served from 1940 to 1944. From 1944 to 1949, he served the
Washingtonville Parish in Washingtonville. It was from this parish that the
call to Ebenezer came.
Rev. Linn spent eight years at Ebenezer, from 1949 until 1957. These eight years from all accounts appear to have been eight rather uneventful years for the Lutheran congregation. His resignation though, the Lutheran Council records indicate, came after a brief illness which, in turn, had kept him from preaching. After his departure from the Lutheran congregation at Ebenezer, Rev. Linn went on to fill a pastorate at Zion Lutheran in Old Zionsville.
The
Reformed congregation had a-bit-rougher period ministerially during the latter
half of the 1950s. By the year 1956, Rev. Bachman had turned seventy years old
and had completed thirty years of service to the charge. It was only natural
that the thought of retirement should enter the picture.
Many
members felt that the death of Rev. Bachman's son, William, in World War II had
been a turning point in his career. Naturally to lose a child is difficult, but
to lose a child in an act of war, when for so many years as a man of the cloth
you preach of love, peace and forgiveness, must have been especially difficult.
It was felt that, from that point on, Rev. Bachman was never quite the same.
So it
was on June 10, 1956, in a letter to the congregation, Rev. Bachman said his
goodbyes and announced his retirement, along with his career statistics. The
letter said:
"Schnecksville, Pa.
June 10,1956
"Dear Friends:
"This is not an easy letter to write but it will permit me to address you directly and intimately, and without the emotional strain which too often accompanies a verbal statement from the pulpit.
"I wish to be relieved from the major portion of the work in the service of the Heidelberg Charge. I presented my resignation to the Joint Consistory and it was accepted. The Lehigh Synod has severed the relationship as of June 30th, 1956. A Pulpit Committee has been appointed and the pulpit should be filled within a reasonable time.
"This has not been a sudden decision. I am past the retirement age. Some of the work has become burdensome. My wife and I would like to spend our remaining years more quietly and free from the thought that so much is left undone or improperly attended to.
"I want to close my ministry here with Holy Communion Services. Through these services we come into the closest possible relationship with each other and with our Lord, Jesus Christ.
"We are truly grateful for the support which you have given your church and us. It is a pleasure to work with people who support the whole program of the denomination. The past years have brought many changes in the membership of our congregations, in the program of the denomination, and to our church property. Our churches, however, can not stop making progress. Many former members have been called to the heavenly home but we have received many new members who are willing to carry the torch. This field holds forth great promise for fruitful service in the vineyard of our Lord. May God abundantly bless you at all times.
"The many hours we spent together in the Lord's House have always been a source of great joy and strength to me. Your presence, help, and sympathy in the hours of illness and sorrow can never be forgotten and your kindness and encouragement has greatly endeared you to us. May we mutually continue to enjoy this fine relationship until the end of life.
"Very sincerely yours,
/S/ T. H. Bachman
"Report
to June 11, 1956
Bethel, Gt. Swamp,
Chestnut Hill,
Grace Charges and
Ebenezer Heidelberg outside churches Total
Baptisms 428 627 515 1570
Confirmed 370 330 500 1200
Funerals 275 341 492 1108
Marriages 187 233 145 565
New Members 274 278 179 731
Addresses 560
Pastoral Calls 34,043
Miles on automobiles 409,849
Private Communions 1,660
Sermons 4,364"
As his
letter stated, his retirement was to become effective on July 1, 1956. In
November of 1956, he was named Pastor Emeritus. Rev. Bachman would return to
Ebenezer again, in 1958, upon the death of his successor, Rev. Robert Haas,
until a replacement could be found.
Rev. Bachman's final years at Ebenezer had seen much activity and change. The post-war years saw growth almost everywhere, churches not excluded. With the retirement of Rev. Bachman imminent, it was decided by the Synod that a restructuring of the charge was necessary.
A
number of years earlier, a third church had been added to the Heidelberg
Charge. That church, Dinkey Memorial, was located across the Blue Mountains in
Ashfield. Rev. Bachman was one of the last of the old-style ministers who, much
like the Helffrichs before him, preached in a number of different churches.
With congregations growing, and more time being required of ministers to
minister to these churches, the Synod saw the need for a smaller charge. So, in
June of 1956, the old three-church charge was dissolved. In its place was
formed the Heidelberg Charge, consisting of Heidelberg and Ebenezer Churches.
Rev. Bachman, it was agreed, would remain on as the supply pastor for Dinkey
Memorial.
The
biggest project of Rev. Bachman's final years at Ebenezer was something that,
true to form for Ebenezer, had long been talked about but was never acted upon.
That was the building of a Reformed parsonage.
Actually,
in what to that time had been a two-hundred-fifteen-year history, the charge never
had owned or maintained a parsonage. The ministers were required to provide
their own residences. Rev. Bachman, during all his years at Ebenezer, had
always lived at his own home on Fourth Street in the town of Slatington.
Many
people, like Rev. Bachman, at that time were able to see what was on the
horizon. The day when ministers provided their own homes had become a thing of
the past. It would take more than a good church to lure new ministers to these
positions, in the days when benefits of all types were being provided to other
workers.
Talk of
a parsonage for the church had been circulating for a number of years. As early
as 1949, a meeting of the Ebenezer and Heidelberg Consistories had been held at
Pleasant Corners, to discuss the topic of buying a parsonage.
At that
time it was felt that the cost should be split fifty-fifty. A place must have
been located, as the records indicate that our share would have been $2,250.
Whatever became of this deal is not clear, because by the mid-1950s talk had once
again turned to the subject of a church parsonage.
This
time the talk was not of buying, but of building. It was with a great spirit of
cooperation between the two congregations of the charge that this project was
launched; the result, a beautiful new $26,000 parsonage was erected.
The
site that was chosen for the parsonage was on a lot facing the new Northwestern
Lehigh Junior Senior High School, located about halfway between the two
churches. Much of the work on the structure was done by volunteers from both
congregations, and many of the materials used were donated also. A final count
of the time that was donated towards the construction, computed at 90 cents per
hour, was:
Heidelberg $ 940.92
Ebenezer $1,387.43
Total $2,328.35
A
dedication service was held on May 20th, 1956, at which time Rev. Bachman
referred to the building of this structure as the beginning of "a new era
in the charge," and noted that the pulpit committee was seeking a tenant
for the home in his successor, and that this person would probably be named in
about three months.
It is
interesting to note that, at the same time that the Reformed congregation was
building its parsonage, the Lutheran congregation also was looking into the
idea. In November of 1956, it was suggested to the Lutheran Council that it
purchase the former home of Rev. A. O. Ebert as a charge parsonage. The other
churches in the charge would then pay rent to the New Tripoli congregation as
their share of the expenses.
It
seems that the rent that was to be charged did not set well with two of the
churches, and the deal fell through. The issue was once more raised in June of
1958 when an accord was reached with the other churches of the charge, at which
time a final rental amount was agreed upon.
A
committee consisting of John Brunner, Clarence Frey, Wayne Moyer, and Leroy
Krause, was instructed to inspect a number of properties about New Tripoli that
were then available. The committee chose the home of Queen Kerschner on Decatur
Street to be the new parsonage. By a vote of one hundred nine for and ten
against, the property was purchased at a price of $15,000. This home remained
the Lutheran parsonage until the final dissolution of the Lutheran congregation
at Ebenezer.
The
"new era" that Rev. Bachman saw looming on the horizon, and spoke of
in his speech at the parsonage dedication, was the creation of the United
Church of Christ, as we know it. Just about the time that Rev. Bachman was
making his decision to retire, this new church was being formed by the merging
of the Evangelical and Reformed Churches, of which we were one, with the
Congregationalist Churches, a denomination that flourished throughout New
England.
With
all these happenings taking place in the late 1950s. . . .the building and
maintaining of a home for the minister, the retirement of Rev. Bachman and,
finally, the formation of the United Church of Christ . . . in retrospect, we
really can look back and see the end of an era for the Reformed congregation at
Ebenezer. Just as Revs. Smith, Althouse, and Bachman had represented a fresh
new era over the very old-order Helffrich family so, too, would Rev. Bachman's
successor, and those to come later, represent another new era within today's
church.
One
last celebration to make note of during this period took place in September of
1955, and harked back upon a much earlier period. On that Sunday, Rev. Bachman
and the Reformed congregation celebrated the 100th anniversary of the
ordination of Rev. William A. Helffrich at Ebenezer. Rev. Bachman read a sermon
of Rev. Helffrich's in German which, it is noted in the Reformed record books,
"was enjoyed by all who could understand it." Later that afternoon, a
plaque was dedicated that included the names of all the Reformed ministers who
had served the congregation. This plaque hangs today in the church narthex.
Rev. Haas graduated from South Whitehall (now Parkland) High School in 1945. Upon graduation, he enrolled at Franklin and Marshall College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1948. His choice of the ministry as a career led him to enter the Theological Seminary at Lancaster, from which he graduated in 1951.
He was
ordained on June 10, 1951, and shortly thereafter left to fill his first
pastorate, which was the three-church Old Goshenhoppen Charge in Montgomery
County. When Friedens Church in Sumneytown split from the charge, he accepted
its call to be the church's first fulltime pastor. It was from this church that
he came to Ebenezer in December of 1956.
At the
time of his arrival at Ebenezer, Rev. Haas and his wife, the former Marian M.
Griffith, were the parents of three children: Susan, Judith, and David.
Sadly,
Rev. Haas's tenure at Ebenezer was not to be a long one. His sudden death in
the early morning hours of September 8, 1958, came as a shock to both of his
congregations. The cause of his death was attributed to heart failure,
accompanied by a number of other medical problems.
Funeral
services were held at Ebenezer. The consistories of both of his congregations
held a wake the night before the services. After the services, his body was
taken back to rest with those of his family who had gone on before. He was
buried in the cemetery of his home church-Miller's in Laurys.
Rev.
Haas had not had it easy. As a child he had had to have a leg amputated.
Naturally, one struggles with such a disability, but he did not let it get the
best of him. He went on to do the things that he wanted to do. Upon his arrival
at Ebenezer, he and his family were happily welcomed to the church, and
acceptance came quickly. The Ladies Aid Society generously provided funds for
the purchase of a new prosthesis for his use. His death so early in life was
deeply felt by all the members of the church, and the void that was left by it
was not easy to fill. The snatching from life of such a good person, so early,
just serves to further exemplify the age-old saying that "God works in
mysterious ways."