St. Paul's celebrates 200 years
SUGARCREEK TWP, Armstrong County — The Lutherans are long gone, but St. Paul's Community Church goes on.
The church at 2165 Route 268 will mark the 200th anniversary of its founding with a concert and dinner the weekend of Oct. 5 and 6.
The Rev. Randall Forester, St. Paul's pastor for the past 10 years, said the church was founded in what was then wilderness in 1813.
“They were German immigrants, members of the German Reformed Church which was illegal,” said Forester. “They came to this country, but they didn't appreciate being in a big city, so they headed west. They were Snyders, Kepples, Harmons and Vansels.”
Forester said the church's first building, a log cabin church, was built in 1834 in Fairview Township, Butler County.
It lasted until a heavy snowfall on New Year's Day 1840 collapsed its roof, and the church was moved to its present site.
The original building, known as the White Church, was replaced by the present church, which was built in 1961.
Forester said, “We started out as a German Reformed Church. We were yoked with the Lutherans for a long time before we scared them off.”
Forester said the German-speaking immigrants in what was then the Western Pennsylvania wilderness shared the church despite their differences in religion until a final break in 1871.
“The story is the pastor's turkeys got into the cornfield of one of the neighbors who was Lutheran,” said Forester, adding that because the pastor was German Reformed it sparked an argument that sent the Lutherans off to build their own church.
Although, Forester said, it might have been more doctrinal differences that led to the division.
However, the Lutheran Church is no longer in existence in Sugarcreek Township.
Forester said, “We are still the only Protestant church in Sugarcreek Township. In fact, I think we are the only church in Sugarcreek Township since the Diocese closed down St. Patrick's Church five years ago.”
The Greensburg Diocese closed the Sugarcreek Chapel of St. Patrick Church in 2008. The historic log cabin St. Patrick Church in Sugarcreek Township is still open as a historic site.
Although St. Paul's may be the only church in Sugarcreek Township, it embodies more than one denomination.
In its two centuries of existence, the church has shifted denominations.
Forester said the church began as German Reform, affiliated with the Evangelical Reformed Church in the early 20th century and then joined the United Church of Christ in 1950.
“We were losing our German identity and dropped the German language services,” he said.Forester said the church is now affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference.“We are a federated church, one church with two denominations,” said Forester. “The CCCC is a little more conservative theologically. But we have autonomy here. There is no pope. No bishop is going to come down on me for something I said in the pulpit.”The situation led the church to change its name to St. Paul's Community Church.“I've been pastor here 10 years and I have yet to see somebody join the church because of church affiliation,” said Forester.“We are still a traditional church. We've added a couple of contemporary songs,” said Forester.Forester said the average attendance for Sunday services is 100, but the membership numbers 250.“We're building up our youth group,” he said. “We can't do everything because of the size of our church, but we can do a lot.”One of the ways St. Paul hopes to attract young people is through its mission trips, said Marge Terwilliger, 86, of East Brady.Terwilliger said, “We are a very mission-oriented church. We have a spaghetti dinner once a month at the church fellowship hall. We deliver to about 20 families.” Terwilliger said the dinner is on the second Tuesday of the month.Forester said the mission trips for the last four years have been to Guatemala and last from eight days to 14 days.“We do building projects and partner with local churches in the Tracks, a shantytown on the outskirts of Guatemala City. We are building a school there,” said Forester. “The largest group we sent was 25, that's from our church and the community at large.”Forester said the mission trips serve as a draw to attract younger people and teens to the church.Ruby Kamerer of East Brady said at least two former pastors, the Rev. Curtis Sandrock, who was pastor from 1955 to 1962, and the Rev. Richard Siegfried, who served as pastor from 1966-1991, will return for the Oct. 6 service.Kamerer said at 6 p.m. Oct. 5 said there will be a musical concert at the church, followed by an old-fashioned cake walk, and Terwilliger's nephew, Richard Korb, a professor of German at Columbia University in New York City, will speak on the German Reformed church.On Oct. 6, Forester said, the church will celebrate worldwide Communion at the 11 a.m. service. Afterward there will be a tureen supper at the church.“There will be games for the children, a coloring contest and prizes,” said Terwilliger.The church will also honor two members: Anna Lanterman, 90, for being a member of the church the longest, and Nancy Tack, 92, of the Sugarcreek Rest Home for being the oldest member by age.
