Church: History: St John's (Host):  Lebanon, Lebanon Co, PA

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 ltmiller@geocities.com

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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"

St John's (Host), Robesonia Charge.
Rev. E.S. LEINBACH, Pastor.

	Records of this congregation are incomplete. The first charter goes back to
 1743. It is difficult to tell when the first church was built, on account
 of these inadequate records. There was a log church building in the
 beginning, built by the Reformed people of Holland. preachers or
 missionaries from across the water, conducted worship in this first Host Church.
	Daniel MILLER (of the Reformed Church Record) used to affirm that this
 (Host Church) was the original Tulpehocken Church. It is claimed by some
 that the present Trinity Church (Tulpehocken), (the so-called Leinbach's
 Church) and Host Church were really supplied by one pastor at the same time.

	The first pastor of the Host Church, so far as is known, was D.
 BARTHOLOMUS in 1747, the second was William HENDEL, D.D., the elder; the
 third, William STOY; the fourth, William HENDEL, D.D.; the fifth, Frederick
 HERMAN; the sixth, Thomas H. LEINBACH; the seventh, Jacob D. ZEHRING. Then
 Drs. George WOLLF and Charles H. LEINBACH supplied for two years. This was
 the eighth pastorate. The ninth pastor was Rev. Thomas Calvin LEINBACH, who
 was installed on the 26th of August, 1866. He served uninterruptedly unto
 his death May 1, 1909. The tenth pastor is Edwin Samuel LEINBACH, who in
 July, 1903, became associate pastor of this congregation and of the whole
 Bernville Charge. On August 22, 1909, he was installed as regular pastor.
	In 1866, when Rev. Thos. S. LEINBACH conducted the Lord's supper for the
 first time in his pastorate, there were 200 guests. Today there are over
 400 members.

	One item of interest is the following: The charter of the congregation
 stipulates that the Host Church must remain a Calvinistic Church forever.
	Today it is still a Reformed Church, but the Lutherans worship in the
 church once a month. The Rev. H.S. KIDD is their pastor.
E.S.L.