History
A
Brief History of Zion Lutheran Church
from Conrad's Barn to Our Present "Magnificent" Building. (Based on information from a history prepared by P. David Park in 1963) 1785--German
Lutheran families here included those of Conrad Reis (or 1798-1813--Occasional
worship as traveling Lutheran clergy made their way 1813--Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized. Elder Reis gave three acres of land to the congregation for $1.50 “for so long as the sun and moon shall shine” to be used for the construction of a church and for a cemetery. (Includes site of present-day Memorial Park in Indiana. No church was ever built on this land, but it was used as a burial ground “without regard for the religious affiliation of the deceased.”) 1813-1815--The Rev. Johann Gottfried Lamprecht preached monthly to 24 persons. He also founded a small church at Brush Valley. 1823--Traveling
preacher the Rev. Gabriel Adam Reichert brought his bride to Indiana
to live. He organized the first Sunday School in the county under the
American Sunday School Union, with classes held in the courthouse. Presbyterians,
United Presbyterians, Methodists, and Lutherans were represented. Pr.
Reichert also organized Zion Lutheran 1826--The Rev. Nicholas Sharretts became Zion's first regular pastor and the first in western Pennsylvania to institute regular services in English alongside German ones. In 1827 he established Hebron Church in Blairsville, one of the first in the area to begin with the use of English. 1829--Having outgrown the Reis home, the congregation rented the county courthouse for services. “Forced to leave after a few months, the Lutherans resolved to build their own church.” 1830--Purchased for $100 the lot on which the parsonage now stands. 1831--Zion's first church building was dedicated by Dr. Samuel S. Smucker, with the entire synodical convention in attendance. “The building was brick, 42' by 40' with basement, vestibule, gallery, cupola, and bell, and cost about $3,000.” 1827-1836 Pr. Sharretts “opened two other small churches, one at Strongstown and the other near Coral, called Luther Chapel.” 1838-1843--The Rev. Jacob Medtart served Zion and founded Salem Church in Smicksburg. 1841--Controversy! The Rev. John Bernheim of Elderton organized the German speaking members of Zion into a separate congregation under the Joint Synod of Ohio. “The new church had a brief, stormy existence and its members were gradually reabsorbed into membership with Zion.” Circa 1843--A parsonage was built for $1,500 on the site of the present church building 1853-1858--The Rev. Peter Sahm established two churches in Cookport: Bethel and Church of the Redeemer. 1858-1862--Zion was for the first time able to support a pastor of its own without sharing his services with another congregation. 1862-1864--The Rev. J. P. Hentz was the last pastor to conduct services in German. He developed a church body at Grove Chapel. More controversy! The Germans again organized their own church and built an auditorium on Water Street, where services were held for a few years. 1880-1881--The women of Zion organized a campaign to gain support for building a new church. “The old building was demolished, the parsonage moved to the present site, and a new church, larger and more graceful in outline, was erected at a cost of $10,000.” 1884-1915--The Rev. Lewis Hay enjoyed one of the most noteworthy and longest uninterrupted pastorates in Zion's history: the enrollment grew to 500; thousands of dollars of improvements were made to the church, and the present parsonage was built. The Women’s Missionary Society counted 100 members, and Christian Endeavor groups prospered. 1916-1922--Considerable
interest was manifested in enlarging or rebuilding, and considerable
money was collected, but the difficulty of making the necessary collective
decisions forced the temporary dropping of the matter.” |