Church: History: Zion Union (Blue Mountain): Strausstown, Berks Co, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Linnea T Miller ltmiller@geocities.com USGENWEB NOTICE: Printing this file by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. ____________________________________________________________ Centennial History of Lebanon Classes of the Reformed Church in the U.S., 1820 - 1920, Compiled by Prof. Thos. S. Stein, Lebanon PA: Sowers Printing Company. Excerpts from Chapter VI: "Sketches of Congregations" Zion (Blue Mountain), Bernville Charge. Rev. F.W. RUTH, Pastor. Zion's Union (Reformed and Lutheran) Church at Strausstown, Berks County, Pa., is known by different names. Even in the Minutes of Classis it is designated at different places as "Zion's," Blue Mountain," "Blue Ridge," and "Mountain" Church. The church is first mentioned by LISCHY in his report to Bishop SPANGENBERG (1744). It is one of the eighteen preaching places he had been serving. The proprietary warrant for the church land was granted on March 7th, 1746, to Adam SONTAG, Valentine REINTZEL, and Jacob RESH, in trust for the Reformed and Lutheran congregations in Tulpehocken Township, Berks County, Pa. The dates on the corner-stone are 1739 - 1819 - 1905, giving the years of the erection of the successive churches. The first organization may have been a few years earlier than 1739. The first church, a log structure, lasted until 1819, when a new stone building was erected. In the corner-stone of the new church a "proclamation" and a "constitution" were placed. The former states that the old building is too small and dilapidated, and that there is need of a more suitable, more comfortable, and larger building; that the corner-stone is laid "on this day, the ninth of March, in the year of our Lord, 1819, in the administration of President James Monroe, and of the Governor of Pennsylvania, William Findlay; that this is to be a German Evangelical Lutheran and German Evangelical Reformed Church, to be called the new Zion Church, an evangelical church in which the pure and plain Gospel is to be preached;" "that we expect of our children and our children's children, that they will never neglect their assembling with the congregation." In the "constitution" is stated Article I, that both Reformed and Lutheran congregations have united to build the church and therefore "both sides shall have the same claims and privileges." Article II gives each congregation the right to elect their own minister, but each minister must belong to either the Lutheran or Reformed Synod. Article IV decides that the alms are to be held in common, of which an account shall be given to the congregation on Easter Monday, by the Elders and Deacons. Article V says that "no person shall enjoy any advantage or benefit of this church property, who does not contribute to the support and Maintenance thereof, and of the school." Article VI declares that the school teacher is to be conjointly elected. These documents were signed as follows: Reformed Building Committee: Jacob KLAHR, John AULENBACH, Jacob REBER. Lutheran Building Committee: Jacob DEGLER, John WERTZ, Peter GEBHARD. Church Council: Jacob DEGLER, Lutheran, Elder; Henry GEBHARD, Lutheran, Deacon; Valentine BOLZ, Reformed, Elder; Henry KIEHNER, Reformed, Deacon. Ministers present: William HENDEL, Reformed, Tulpehocken; John FABER, Reformed, Ephrata; John Gotthold ERNST, Lutheran, Lebanon; Benjamin GERMAN, Lutheran, pastor of the congregation. Head Masons: Matheis ROTH, John BATTEIGER. Head Carpenter: John SCHWALLM. A Sunday School was started about 1850. A parochial school was connected with the congregation from the beginning, but ceased with the adoption of the Free School system in 1855. Particulars are missing. As the present pastor, Rev. Frank W. RUTH, says: "This is undoubtedly a very old congregation, but the records were kept very poorly, if at all. As time goes on, more of its valuable history may be found by a thorough search. At present the records are scarce." It is a fact worthy of record that this church was the spiritual home of Rev. J.E. HIESTER, D.D., and his brother, Rev. Eli E. HIESTER. As young men they received their first training for their future careers. The writer takes special pleasure in noting this fact, as the former was his pastor in his early years, and dispensed to him some of the principles brought from this mountain home. Many good things come from the mountains. The present fine stone Zion Church at Strausstown was dedicated May 20th and 21st, 1905. The Lutheran pastor was assisted by the Revs. A.P. PFLUEGER, H.C. KLINE, D.D. TREXLER, H.L. STRAUB, A.J. LONG and D.G. GERBERICH; and the Reformed pastor by Revs. S.A. LEINBACH, Eli E. HIESTER, G.W. GERHARD, J.W. LEESER, L.D. STAMBAUGH, and W.F. MORE. In all, fifteen ministers took part in the services. A definite and fully authentic list of Reformed pastors of Zion's Church is not available. The best we can do is the following: Rev. William STOY (Sto-ey), apparently the first pastor and seems to have served until about 1769. Rev. Wm. HENDEL, Sr., D.D., was next, probably from 1769 to 1773. Rev. Philip MAYER. (When his pastorate began and when it ended, we do not know.) Rev. Benjamin BOYER, 1821 - 1828. Rev. F.A. HERMAN, 1829 - 1834. Rev. A. BERKY, 1835. "Bern und Zion's in Berks County fFCr zwei Jahr." - Minutes of Lebanon Classis. Rev. Isaac MIESE, 1841 - 1851. Rev. David HASSINGER, in 1844. Rev. Jacob D. ZEHRING, 1852 - 1860. Rev. Isaac MIESE, 1860 - 1864. Rev. Franklin H. SCHWARTZ, several years. Rev. Thos. C. LEINBACH, 1874 - 1910. Rev. E.S. LEINBACH (supply), 1910 - 1911. Rev. Amandus LEIBY, 1911 - 1918. Rev. Frank W. RUTH, 1918 - . The foregoing list will, no doubt, undergo revision hereafter, when old records will be revealed - revealed not so much as to names as to dates. This is the best we can give at present, 1920. The present membership of Zion's is 375. The consistory is constituted as follows: Elders - Simon BOLTZ, Heber I. FURMAN. Deacons - Robert BORKEY, Jacob KLAHR.