CHURCH HISTORY: Salem Reformed Church, Harrisburg, Dauphin County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Abby Bowman Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/dauphin/ ________________________________________________ History of the Classis of Lancaster of the Eastern Synod of the Reformed Church in the United States, 1852-1940; Part II, Histories of the Congregations of the Classis of Lancaster, Pg. 258-265 Printed by The New Holland Clarion, New Holland, PA; Editors Rev. Daniel G. Glass, Rev. C. George Bachman, Rev. Harry E. Shepardson, Rev. John F. Frantz, Rev. J. N. Le Van, D.D. ________________________________________________ SALEM REFORMED CHURCH OF HARRISBURG Rev. J. N. LeVan, D.D., Pastor On December 17, 1733, the proprietaries of Pennsylvania - the Honorables John Penn and Richard Penn - granted to John Harris three hundred acres of land, on which was destined to grow the city of Harrisburg. Previous to the erection of the first church in Harrisburg, the early settlers worshipped in a one-story log schoolhouse, at the foot of Capital Hill. People of all faiths were afforded the means of grace and worship by the ministrations of visiting ministers, among them being the Rev. Ludwig Lupp, Reformed pastor at Lebanon. When the town was laid out in 1785, a sense of need for spiritual ministration moved the early settlers to seek provision for religious worship, and John Harris granted Lot No. 187 on the town plot, at the corner of Third and Chestnut Streets, as a location for the first house of worship. On March 12, 1787 two subscription lists were opened for contributions "for building a church and school-house in some convenient part of the town of Harrisburg for the use of the subscribers". The undertaking, however, seems to have been principally by those who professed the sentiments and doctrines of Ulrich Zwingli and Martin Luther, and the church was, accordingly, owned and occupied by the German Reformed and German Lutheran Congregations. The first house of worship was erected in 1787, built of logs, at the corner of Third Street and Cherry Alley. In 1791, the congregations, still united, erected a school-house adjoining the church, indicating their early interest in education. The exact date of the organization of the two congregations is uncertain. From available data, we surmise that the congregations were in existence de facto, if not formally organized, when the church was occupied. They worshipped as one, yet they preserved their respective organizations, and were denominationally distinct when they joined their efforts to build a church. In 1788, the records speak of the early church as "Joseph's Congregation in Louisberg". In the year 1795, the two congregations, the Reformed and Lutheran, were separated, indicating that, from the year 1795, Salem has been in existence distinctly as a Reformed Church. The two congregations continued to occupy the same building together until 1814. On April 1, 1816, the Lutheran congregation sold, to the Reformed congregation, their interest in the old joint church for $1,000, and, finally and definitely, "evacuated" in that year the building belonging to the two congregations. In the early years of the nineteenth century, the "Harrisburg Charge", with Salem as the center, was variously constituted, with congregations varying from one to five in number. In the statistics of 1792, Rev. Mr. Hautz is reported as serving Harrisburg, Middletown, Paxton and Wenrich's, and in the report to Synod in 1813, five congregations are included, namely, "Harrisburg, Middletown, Shoop's and Wenrich's, in Dauphin; Schnebly's in Cumberland County". It is interesting to note that "preaching in the English language began in Harrisburg on February 23, 1812". On July 3, 1818 the German Reformed Church was granted a charter, with the corporate name, "The German Reformed Salem Church of the Borough of Harrisburg". On January 24, 1859, the charter was amended and again on January 2, 1931, when the corporate name was changed to "The Salem Reformed Church of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania". A congregational meeting of the German Reformed Church was held on January 15, 1821, "to consider the propriety of taking measures for the erection of a new church". On March 8, 1821, a contract was executed "for the erection of a brick church, to cost $8,000". The building was promptly begun, and on Monday, June 11, 1821, the corner stone was laid with impressive ceremonies. This building, the present sanctuary, was dedicated on August 4, 1822. On Sunday, November 12, 1822, the Reverend John Winebrenner, pastor, announced a meeting to consider the establishment of a "Sunday School Society". Little time was lost in organizing the school, for within one week a goodly number of scholars were enrolled. The original roll of the school has been preserved, with a complete list of scholars from 1820 to 1826 - a list of 314 names, an invaluable historic document, on the title page of which appears the following caption: Alphabetical list of the names of children, together with their places of residence, time of admission and situation in learning... that attend the Salem Sunday School of Harrisburg. The Society was supported by annual contributions. By October, 1822, the enrollment had increased to 300, and a "school is organized at Wenrich's Church, and adopted as a branch of this institution". In 1827 the old church was altered by extending a floor over the space between the galleries. The upper room was designed for the use of the Sunday School, and the lower room to be rented for a "day-school". It was thus used until its removal in 1854, after having been used for religious and educational purposes for sixty-seven years. On February 15, 1841, the congregation authorized the building of "a lecture and Sunday School room", a one-story frame building, consecrated on August 8, and used as a Sunday School room until 1880. In October, 1842, a "monthly concert of prayer for foreign missions" was instituted. The early interest of the congregation in the missionary enterprise is evidenced by a contribution of $129.83 in 1842 toward sending out the first foreign missionary of our church, the Rev. B. S. Schneider. A like interest in the cause of education has characterized the congregation. In 1844 one hundred dollars was contributed toward the endowment of a German professorship in the Theological Seminary. On June 11, 1845, the Salem Scholarship Society of the Sabbath School paid five hundred dollars for the establishment of a scholarship in Marshall College at Mercersburg. The contribution of Salem to the Forward Movement amounted to $29,460.89. Through the years, such splendid gifts to various causes, with the regular payment of all apportionments in full, have stamped Salem as outstanding in benevolent enterprises. In 1858 it was proposed to "organize a week-day school for the education of persons of both sexes, to be named 'The Parochial School of the German Reformed Salem Church of Harrisburg', and that "the tuition should be from $16 to $32 per annum, according to the age of the scholars and the studies they might pursue". The far-reaching and divisive effects of the "liturgical controversy" caused divisions and defections among the members of the congregation in the late fifties. It was, essentially, a counterpart of the "new measureism" of almost a half century before, which caused the withdrawal of the pastor, the Rev. John Winebrenner, with a large number of members, to organized the Church of God in 1825. On May 25, 1876, it was agreed to modernize the sanctuary, then colonial in style. The re-dedication services were held on December 31, 1876. In February, 1880, the Sunday School Association urged that a "new building was absolutely indispensable". On August 29, 1880, the corner stone was laid bearing the inscription, "Reformed Salem Chapel, 1880". The dedication of the building took place on February 12, 1882. The Woman's Missionary Society was organized in 1901, followed by the organization of the Ellen Gutelius Missionary Society in 1910, both of which have continued a consecrated work, and have been among the ranking societies of Classis and Synod. In 1911 and 1913, respectively, two Church Building Funds were raised by Salem for Home Mission work - $500 and $1,000, respectively. The deep and generous interest of Salem in kingdom work is shown by a list of mission churches to which aid has been given - Sunbury; Second Church of Reading; Massillon, Ohio; Canton, Ohio; Cincinnati, Ohio; Mission Church in Iowa; Marietta, Columbia, Steelton and Penbrook; Palatinate Church, Philadelphia; Detroit (Mich.) Mission; and Grace Church, Washington, D.C. Salem Church, through the years, has been a center in which events of community and church interest have been held; it is familiarly known as the "convention church" of our denomination. On April 15, 1873, the ministers and elders elected by the General Synod met in Salem for the reorganization of the Board of Foreign Missions. The regular meetings of the Board were held at Salem for thirty years, and at its altar were commissioned twenty-one of our foreign missionaries. Here, November 26 to December 3, 1879, met "The Peace Commission", bringing to a close the "liturgical controversy". The Commission prayerfully and successfully solved a controversy, bitter and divisive. Synod has been entertained by Salem on seven occasions, 1810, 1822, 1831, 1859, 1868 (special meeting), 1891 and 1931. Here was held the opening convention of the Laymen's Missionary Movement, March 16-18, 1909, and again on November 21-22, 1928, the Reformed Churchmen's Congress, and in 1831 (November 10-12) the first convention of the Churchmen's League, all epoch-making events. Here, for many years, have been held the annual meetings of the Missionary and Stewardship Committee, with delegates from every section of the church. In 1929, at the coming of Dr. J. N. LeVan as pastor, extensive improvements were made to the buildings, grounds and equipment. The retaining wall was built, with tile steps and walks, and attractive wrought-iron entrances. The interior was frescoed, and the rooms in the chapel rearranged for school purposes. A three-manual organ was installed, and the organ, formerly in the gallery, was rebuilt and placed in the chapel. Memorials included the altar and reredos, interior and exterior lighting fixtures, paraments, altar vessels, choir stalls, communion chairs, hymnals, Bibles, flags, etc. The Social Hall, a memorial to the sainted pastor, the Rev. Ellis Newlin Kremer, D.D., affords splendid facilities for the congregation's program. The services of rededication were held December 1-8, 1929, and the dedication of the Social Hall and the unveiling of the bronze tablet to the memory of Dr. Ellis N. Kremer were held on Sunday, November 2, 1930. The succession of pastors of Salem Church is as follows: 1790-1797 (September) . . . . . . Anthony Hautz 1798-1808 - Supply Pastors: Jonathan Helffenstein, Carlisle James Hoffman "of Virginia", et al., supplied by Synod 1808 (July 17)-1814 (July 3). . . Philip Gloninger 1816 (April 13)-1819 (April 5) Frederick A. Rahauser 1820 (October 22)-1823 (September 8) John Winebrenner 1824 (March 24)-1829 (September 8) Albert Helffenstein, Jr. 1830 (February 21)-1835 (March 15) Daniel Zacharias, D.D. 1835 (November 1)-1836 (Novmeber 20) Joseph Frederick Berg, D.D. 1838 (October 18)-1840 (October 14) John Henry Smaltz 1840 (December 17)-1855 (February 4) John Freyer Mesick, D.D., LL.D. 1855 (April 17)-1864 (March 17) Daniel Gans, D.D. 1864 (December 18)-1887 (January 9) William Henry Harrison Snyder 1888 (February 1)-1928 (February 19) Ellis Newlin Kremer, D.D. 1928 (February 26)-1929 (April 14) Supply Theodore F. Herman, D.D. 1929 (April 21)-1941 (January 31) John Nathan LeVan, D.D.