Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/215

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COLUM BIA A N D M ONTOUR COUNTIES change the name to B o w er M em orial Church, in honor o f R ev. Isaiah B o w e r and his w ife Hannah, who had contributed not only their serinccs (o the upbuilding of the c h u r w, hut given the sum o f $10 ,0 0 0 tow ards the con­ struction of the new home. T h e total cost o f (he completed edifice w as $48,000. T h e build­ ing is located on the co m er o f P in e and E ast S ^ o n d streets and is o f orange terra cotta brick, trimmed with Hum m elstown brownstone. T he brick w ere especially burned fo r the w ork at Green G rove Furnace, A dam s county. A $2,000 pipe organ supplies the musical requirements of the congregation, and the interior is finished in a most artistic and utilitarian manner. On M ay 4. 19 13, the last dollar due upon the building w as |)aid, although the congre­ gation has no wealthy members and has a clause in its constitution forbidding such e x ­ pedients a s raffies, lawn parties, suppers or entertainments at which admission is charged. The follow in g .Monday a fte r the payment of the last note the church decided to build a parsonage, with the result that the present orange shale brick dw elling w as erected on the com er o f Pine and E ast Front streets at a cost o f $10 ,0 0 0, including the lot. T his congregation has enjoyed a number o f extensive revivals, 'fh e first meeting held in (he town hall resulted in the conversion o f 100 p erso n s; under the m inistrations o f* R e v . .Mr. R c ese r there w ere 200 con versions; Rev. Mr. S p an g ler obtained 140 converts during his m in istry; and in 1 9 1 3 there w ere 148 con­ versions under the ministrations o f R ev. M r. Cox. I>uring the lalter's pastorate there have been 3 9 3 accessions to the church in two years, i8t of these being partly through the union revival cam p.tign o f R e v . W . H . Stough. A t present there are 765 members in the church, and 800 in the Su nd ay school. T h is is the largest congregation in the Central Pennsyli-ania C on feren ce of the U nited Evangelical Church. Since the founding o f this church in Berwick eight young men have been given to the m inistry from the congregation. North B e n v ic k

U n ited Exfongelicai Church

During the pastorate o f Rev. E . E . Sh affer on (he Colum bia circuit the congregation w as oiganizcd in N orth Berw ick, being made an appointment in A p ril, ig o i. In December o f that ye ar the cornerstone of the present fram e building w as laid, the completed edifice being dcdicate<l J u ly 6 . 1902. T h e cost of the 1}

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building w as $3,500. In 1904 a parsonage w as built at a cost o f $2,500. T h e church w as constituted a mission, in connection with the W est B erw ick Church, in M arch, 190 3, but in M arch, 1904, it w as de­ tached. In M arch. 19 14 . it w as changed from a mission to a station and made self-support­ ing. R e v . E . E . S h affer fn o w deceased) con­ tinued pastor until M arch, 1907, when he w as succeeded by R ev. N oah Y o u n g, the present pastor. D uring the sum m er o f 1 9 1 3 the church w as enlarged and much Improved, at a cost o f $^ 0 0 0 . l l i e rem aining debt in 19 14 is $ 1,10 0 . T h e present valuation of the church is $8,000, and o f (he parsonage, $2,000. T he membership of the church is 360, and 425 children are attendants of the Su n d ay school. H o ty T rin ity Lutheran Church H oly T rin ity Evangelical Lutheran Church w as organized Ja n . 15, 1893, Ihc Y . M . C . A . building, by R ev. C . M . A uran d and w ife, G ertrude A uran d. P . E . Bcrgem an, Sim on B e rry, M rs. Sim on B erry, S arah B erry, Jo h n B erry, C harles B erry, B . F . Dricsbach. M rs. B. F . Dricsbach. M rs. Ira Ham pton, A . T . Ibach, M rs. Daniel luiudcnslagcr, A . F . M artz, M rs. A . F . M artz, M a j^ e M artz, M rs. John H . M artz, M rs. A . T . Ibach. M rs. C . E . Miller. T h e present church building w as dedicated Dec. 16, 1894. It is o f brick, o f commodious size and artistic design, and together with the lot cost $10,000. T h e present memIwrship is as fo llo w s: Communicants, 2 0 0; confirmed, 2 9 0; baptized. 4 12 . T h e Sunday school enrollment, including officers, teachers and scholars, is 462. T h e successive pastors have been R evs. C . M . A uran d, 18 9 3-9 8; M . M . A llbeck, 189919 0 4; W . M organ G ross, 190 4-05; J . B . Focht, supply in Ja n u a ry and M arch o f 19 0 6; and the present pastor, R ev. C . R . B o tsfo rd, who cam e in 1906. F irst Christian Church T h is church w as organized M ay 17, 1903, in the rooms of the Y o u n g M en’s Christian Association o f Berw ick, by R ev. L . O . K iiipp, late o f Plym outh. Pa., (he movement having its culmination through the efforts o f M rs. Jen nie W hitcscll and M rs. C. E . Trescott. The first memliers w ere .A. P. G irton. G . C. B. W hitesell, M rs. Jen nie W hitcscll, M rs. .Ada Boyd, A . W . M cilcn r)'. .Mrs. A lice M cH enry,