Local History: Northumberland County: Rockefeller Township History of the Eden Lutheran Church-Part III Copyright © 2001 by John Paul Deeben. This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. jandwdeeben@msn.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. VIII. THE PLUM CREEK LUTHERAN CHARGE, 1806-1959 THROUGHOUT MOST OF ITS LIFE as an independent congregation, The Eden Evangelical Lutheran Church belonged to a larger parish of Lutheran churches known as the Plum Creek Charge. The Zion Lutheran and Reformed Stone Church, St. John's Lutheran Church at Snydertown, and St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church along Hallowing Run near Fisher's Ferry comprised the other churches of the parish. It is not quite clear when the Evangelical Lutheran Church formally organized the Plum Creek Charge. The histories of the individual congregations and their supplying ministers suggests the Charge developed as a gradual association, taking more definite shape and character as each church came into being. The first usage of the title "Plum Creek Charge" as an official appellation appeared in 1872, in the records of the Eden Church. On June 16, 1872, the congregational record states that the Rev. Amos K. Zimmerman was called to assume leadership of "the Plum Creek Charge."[1] The Zion Lutheran and Reformed Stone Church at Augustaville was the first of the Plum Creek congregations to be organized, and its early history has already been noted. In 1828 Rev. John Peter Shindel organized the Lutheran congregation of St. John's at Snydertown. Some of the founding members of the congregation included John Evert, John Smith, Samuel Gonsar, Jacob Hoover, George Arnold, Valentine, Jacob and Abraham Klase, Andrew Smith, John Evert, Jr., Solomon Evert, and Solomon Hartzel. John Evert donated an acre of ground beyond the town on the road to Sunbury, upon which a frame church building and a cemetery were established. In 1870 the joint Lutheran and Reformed congregations purchased a lot of ground on the opposite side of the road and built a brick church at a cost of $4,108.66. Finally, in 1898 the church split and the Lutheran membership built the present brick church within the borough limits of Snydertown. A parsonage for the Charge was at one time also located in Snydertown.[2] Following the creation of the Eden Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1844, the last church of the Plum Creek Charge, St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church, known locally as the White Church because of its white clapboard siding, was organized in 1859 at a grove in Hallowing Run, Lower Augusta Township. The Rev. Dr. Peter Born founded this congregation, which contained twenty-five original members. Of these, Isaac Drumheller, Moses and Samuel Reitz, and George U. Weiser were chosen as the first officials. Pastor Born and Rev. H. Zeigler dedicated the one-story frame church building on January 1, 1860, and the edifice remains standing to the present day.[3] The history of the supply ministers at each of these churches provides the best indication of their early and long-running association as a Lutheran charge. The Rev. John Peter Shindel, we have already seen, served the Zion, St. John's, and Eden congregations until his retirement in 1851. Peter Born succeeded Shindel at Zion and Eden, while a little-known pastor named Wampole took over at St. John's. After Pastor Born left these charges, Rev. H. Zeigler, D. D. succeeded him briefly at St. Peter's, and was followed immediately by Rev. George P. Weaver, who also took over the supply at the Stone Church. Weaver also followed a brief term at Eden provided by Rev. P. Rizer.[4] In 1862 the Rev. A. H. Shertz became the first pastor since Shindel to serve all four churches simultaneously. Rev. Joseph R. Foscht followed Shertz in 1868. Pastor Rizer succeeded Foscht for a brief time at St. John's, and then all four congregations were taken over by Rev. Edward E. Berry, who served from 1870-72. From that point onward, the same minister controlled the pulpits of all four churches. Following Berry, the Rev. Amos K. Zimmerman came to the Plum Creek Charge on June 16, 1872. He relinquished his pastorate on April 1, 1879. Rev. T. J. Frederick, who was called to the Charge on April 1, 1880 and served until October 1, 1882, succeeded Zimmerman. Following a brief interim period filled again by Pastor Zimmerman, the Rev. G. E. Harsh took charge of the parish on September 1, 1883.[5] Surviving parish records from Pastor Harsh's tenure provide some greater detail of the inner cooperative workings of the Plum Creek Charge. The minutes of a joint council meeting from January 1, 1885, presided over by Harsh and parish secretary Benjamin F. Kelly (who also served as recorder for the Eden Church Council), reveal the four churches acting together on various parish-related issues. The four councils, for example, collectively elected representatives to the various Lutheran assemblies for the 1885 season. Benjamin F. Kelly and Daniel Fausold of the Eden Church were voted to represent Plum Creek at the first Lutheran Conference. Daniel Hoover and J. R. Deibler of St. John's were elected Synod representative and alternate, and Hiram Bloom and Felix Kerstetter of Zion Stone Church were appointed second conference delegates. The joint council also decided the apportionment of the pastor's salary for 1885. Continuing the arrangement from the previous year, they recommended Eden pay $310.00, St. John's $165.00 and St. Peter's $145.00 (no figure was recorded for Zion.)[6] Pastor Harsh also provided a general "state-of-the-parish" report, followed by individual reports from the secretaries of the four councils. Harsh recorded forty-eight accessions, or new members, four dismissals, twenty-three baptisms, twelve marriages, and nine funerals for the parish during 1884, as well as $141.87 collected for the yearly Benevolence fund. The Eden Church's portion of those statistics, as reported by Benjamin F. Kelly, were fourteen accessions, three deaths (Mrs. Lydia Conrad, Mrs. Mary Savidge, and Mrs. Elizabeth Reed), one dismissal, four baptisms, and three weddings. The church also spent $20.22 (for the sexton's salary, coal and coal oil) and received $11.54 from offerings. Concerning Eden's share of the pastor's salary, Kelly reported $212.00 raised through subscription, leaving an outstanding balance of $97.00.[7] Pastor Harsh left the Plum Creek Charge on August 31, 1885 and was succeeded by the Rev. A. C. Felker. On April 1, 1889 Pastor Sydney Elon Bateman (1863-1943) was called to the parish. A native of Pillow, Northumberland County, Bateman graduated from the Missionary Institute (1885), the University of Pennsylvania (1887), and the Missionary Institute's Theological Department at Selinsgrove in 1890. Bateman resigned on March 7, 1890. In addition to serving Plum Creek, he organized St. Mark's Church in Hagerstown, Maryland, All Saints Church and Calvary Church in Philadelphia, and St. Matthew's Church in Williamsport. Bateman also studied medicine, practiced as a physician in Philadelphia and Atlantic City, and also served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during World War I. Immediately following Bateman's departure, the Rev. Cyrus C. Bensen took over the Charge on April 1, 1890. He also retired from the pulpit on July 31, 1893. After Bensen, the Rev. William A. Trostle was elected pastor on August 13, 1893. He began his official duties in October, preaching his first sermon on October 29th. Trostle served for four years, leaving the parish about October 1, 1897.[8] After Trostle, the next several ministers served for brief periods of time. On September 27, 1897 Rev. J. W. Shaeffer received a call to the Plum Creek pastorate and assumed his duties a month after Pastor Trostle departed. He served two years and five months, leaving the field on April 1, 1900. During his tenure, the Eden congregation sent Daniel H. Fausold off to fight in the Spanish-American War in 1898. Little information, however, is available concerning his experiences. Rev. A. C. Forscht, who received his call on April 1, 1900 and remained at the parish until March 1, 1903, followed Shaeffer. The Rev. George W. Fritch succeeded Forscht on April 1, 1903 and resigned August 1, 1906. Rev. Luther Grant Stauffer (1870-1943) was elected pastor of the Charge that same month. A graduate of the York County Academy and Susquehanna Theological Seminary, Stauffer served at Loganville, Pennsylvania before coming to Plum Creek. He preached his first sermon at the Eden Church on December 2, 1906, and continued to serve for one year and six months, resigning May 31, 1908. Stauffer then served various parishes in York and Adams counties, including Manchester, the York Haven-Goldsboro Charge, and the New Chester Charge (comprising Emigsville, Roundtown, and Starview in Adams County) until he retired in 1926. Another brief interim period ensued at Plum Creek until February 21, 1909, with Pastor Zimmerman again supplying the Snydertown and Eden congregations while Rev. H. D. Hoover tended the lower end of the Charge. The next ministers of the Plum Creek Charge following the interim included Rev. Franklin E. Gilbert (March 7, 1909-November 1, 1910), Rev. J. M. Stover (September 3, 1911-October 26, 1915), and Rev. Charles A. Lantz, who came May 14, 1916 and left the Charge November 11, 1917.[9] The joint council of the Plum Creek Charge, at a meeting held at the Zion Stone Church, unanimously elected Rev. Frederick Crossland as the next pastor. He was installed at St. John's on July 14, 1918 by Dr. R. G. Bannen, President of the Susquehanna Conference, and served until February 29, 1924. The next several ministers of the parish included Edwin S. Dingman (1924-28) and Daniel Ketterman (May 15, 1929-March 31, 1936). A 1912 graduate of Gettysburg College, Ketterman received his pastoral training from the Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary in 1915 and was first assigned to the Western Pennsylvania Synod, where he served at St. Paul's Lutheran Church at Newville from 1914-1918 and briefly at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Freeport, in 1918-19. After a few years of supply ministry, Ketterman served at St. John's Lutheran Church in McKeesport from 1922-28, and Elderton, Pennsylvania from 1928-29 before receiving the call to Plum Creek. After leaving the Charge in 1936, Ketterman went to York, Pennsylvania. He retired from the ministry in 1939.[10] The Rev. Edwerth E. Korte next came to the Charge on November 15, 1936 and left on September 1, 1941. A 1932 Gettysburg College graduate and a 1935 Gettysburg seminarian, Korte was formally ordained in 1937, making the Plum Creek Charge his first field ministry. At the beginning of his pastorate in 1937, three of the parish congregations-Eden, St. John's, and St. Peter's-adopted the Common Service Book in place of the old Lutheran Book of Worship. In 1941 Korte began a more collegiate ministry, serving as campus chaplain fort he Pennsylvania State University until 1952, and then as Gettysburg College chaplain from 1952-60.[11] After Pastor Korte left Plum Creek, the Rev. Roderic N. Senft was called to the pulpit on December 16, 1941. Like his immediate predecessors, Senft was a Gettysburg College and Seminary graduate, classes of 1938 and 1941 respectively. Assigned to the Central Pennsylvania Synod in 1940 and ordained in 1942, Senft likewise made the Plum Creek Charge his first professional ministry. He served there until July 31, 1945. From Plum Creek he then went to the Fayettesville Charge where he preached until 1951. After 1951 he served the Jennerstown Charge in Somerset County. During Senft's ministry at Plum Creek, at the height of the Second World War in Europe, many Lutheran mission stations came in need of financial help. They sent to America for assistance, and the Plum Creek Charge responded with a modest donation of $133.00. The individual contributions of each church were as follows: St. Peter's, $41.00; Eden, $40.00; St. John's, $35.00; and Zion, $17.00.[12] The war in Europe ended just before Pastor Senft left Plum Creek, and the Charge held a moving parish-wide V-E Service to commemorate the coming of peace. The service was organized into five parts, beginning with a time of Praise and Thanksgiving, followed by moments of Penitence, Intercession of Prayers, a time of Remembrance for those who died, and concluding with a Dedication. The prayer of Thanksgiving penned by Senft particularly honored "Almighty and everlasting God who maketh wars to cease unto the ends of the earth, . . . that earth, sea, and sky are safe again in Europe; that the guns are silent." Senft called for Divine grace to keep mankind "humble in victory; forbid that we should harbor hatreds or revenge."[13] The Litany of Intercession also invoked prayers for a host of people, including those displaced by the war, orphaned children, prisoners of war, and "those who have suffered under the scourge of war," while at home prayers were offered for all men and women of the armed forces, the wounded and the hospital staff that cared for them, and finally for "our beloved nation and all those whom we have placed in public authority" and "all our American institutions and organizations [which] serve our country's welfare." Senft ended with a general call for "the uprooting of all causes of war; for the ending of prejudices of race and nation; for the confounding of all those who delight in war and the strengthening of all peacemakers."[14] On August 8, 1945 Rev. John Wagner Harkins was called as the next pastor of the Plum Creek Charge. A 1942 graduate of Penn State, he became pastor on December 2, 1945 and was formally installed on May 26, 1946 at St. John's. The Rev. Lester G. Shannon, President of the Susquehanna Conference, and Rev. John Franklin Harkins, D. D. of State College presided over the installation. Pastor Harkins remained with the charge until March 30, 1949. He then served Grace Lutheran Church in Shamokin from 1949-54, a parish in Greencastle, Pennsylvania from 1954-61, and then Trinity Lutheran Church in Danville, Pennsylvania. The Rev. Claude Richard Shumaker replaced Harkins on October 18, 1949, after serving the parish as interim supply minister through the summer of 1949. Yet another Gettysburg College graduate (1947), Shumaker entered service full time on March 1, 1950, four days following his graduation from the Gettysburg Seminary on February 24th. Shumaker stayed for one year and seven months, relinquishing the Charge on October 1, 1951 for service with the Africa Inland Mission. He worked in Tanganyika, East Africa for ten years, from 1954-63. After Shumaker left, the Charge underwent a long interim period from October 1951 to June 15, 1955, during which time the Rev. Arthur C. Harris supplied it.[15] IX. EDEN'S CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF 1944 DURING THE MOST TURBULENT YEARS of the early 1940s, with the Second World War raging toward its height in Europe and the Pacific, the Eden congregation found a brief occasion for joy and celebration when the church observed its centennial in 1944. The first part of the celebration took place on April 23, 1944, the anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone for the first church edifice. An afternoon service was organized with special floral arrangements, solos, and instrumental music provided by Mrs. Marr Furman, Arlene Furman, and Harriet Klinger. Former pastors Edwin Dingman and Edwerth Korte also presented addresses. Dingman's remarks focused on the spiritual reasons for the celebration. He called for a recognition of debts which made the existence of the Eden Lutheran Church possible, in particular the debt "to those who laid foundations and kept fires of devotion burning." Noteworthy recognition was due "for all knowledge and equipment we have . . . but we are especially in debt for spiritual heritage."[16] Dingman also called for a greater appreciation of the spiritual gifts and vision enjoyed by the congregation as a result of the work of the church: Jesus Christ has been set before you-this wonderful love and wonderful call to service. It is a heavenly vision that has been given. We need to stop today and consider, to appreciate that we might more earnestly respond to call.[17] Referring to these themes simply as a "summing up" of the message he promoted during his tenure at Eden, Dingman hoped the centennial celebration would inspire and stir the congregation into ever-greater service on behalf of the church.[18] In addition to the main address, Pastor Senft presented several letters of congratulations from former pastors Franklin Gilbert and Frederick Crossland, as well as greetings from area pastors including Rev. Carl A. Honeycutt of Zion Lutheran Church in Sunbury, Rev. Dr. Charles Lambert of the Elysburg Charge, and Reformed Church lay preacher Paul F. Keefer, who was a former member of Eden. All the well wishers praised Eden for its success in conducting the work of God for such a long and fruitful period of time, and hoped that the congregation would be able to continue its evangelical mission for many more years. Pastor Crossland was perhaps the most eloquent when he observed that During the 100 years, many labored in His vineyard at Eden, and passed on to their eternal reward. To-day a great challenge rests on the Churches. These are sad days-these are testing times for the Church. In refusing to rest on the well earned laurels of the past hundred years, in facing frankly the great issues of these changing days, and in utter reliance on Christ, who is the head and chief cornerstone of the Church, lies the path for the future of the Church. The task of [the] Eden Church lies in meeting the future with its new challenges.[19] Pastor Lambert likewise assured the Eden Church that "Congregations such as yours have played a great part in the progress of God's Kingdom, and will continue to do so," while Paul Keefer hoped that the "Heavenly Father will continue to bless you and your good people in building even more stately mansions on the foundations of your illustrious past. There may be many missing pages in the past but they pale in significance when compared with the fact that you were born and still continue to live and grow. May we all strive to do good works and may our light so shine that others may see these works and be challenged to a greater service and the glorification of our Father who is in Heaven and in our very midst."[20] A more formal series of celebrations were held from October 10-15, 1944. The activities for each evening focused upon a specific theme. The opening ceremonies on Tuesday, October 10, 1944, attended by more than 112 people, was dedicated as "Former Members' Night" in recognition of the many friends and relatives who had once belonged to the Eden congregational family. Memorials and silent prayers were offered for departed members, both living and deceased, while Mrs. Eugene Riland and Peggy Klinger rendered special music. The Sunday school presented while chrysanthemum memorials, and other floral arrangements included a red and white dahlias memorial for Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Riland (presented by Oscar and Dorothy (Riland) App), mixed flower baskets in memory of Rev. Peter Born Fausold, Emma J. Fausold, and Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian Zimmerman, yellow chrysanthemum baskets in honor of Eli and Lydia Fausold, and George and Evelyn Fausold, and a mixed dahlias basked placed in memory of Mr. and Mrs. George F. Kuebler by their children.[21] Pastor Carl A. Honeycutt of Zion Lutheran Church in Sunbury presented the main sermon of the evening, speaking on "The Kind of a Church God Wants." He encouraged the Eden congregation to be a church that worshipped in a spirit of truth and sincerity, and strove to display the positive attributes of spirituality, life, cheerfulness, helpfulness, hope, teaching, servitude and redemption. "A cheerful family spirit," Honeycutt observed, "should be maintained without the sacrifice of dignity, and with a church sure of victory, the gates of hell cannot prevail against it."[22] Following the service Pastor Senft baptized Dolores Jayne App, daughter of Oscar and Dorothy App, as the newest member of the congregation. The service for Wednesday, October 11th, was dedicated as "Our Charge Night." The principal activities focused upon a rededication of the church and a recognition of the forty-five and fifty-year members of the congregation. Following the Invocation and Processional hymn "God Himself is Present," Pastor Senft rededicated the church with a responsive reading, and then received presentations of new items. These included a new pulpit Bible presented by William W. Fausold in honor of his parents, hymn racks for the pews presented by Mrs. Ella Keefer, a new Sunday school room built by Christian K. Fausold and presented by the Ladies Bible Class, and a new floor covering presented by Mrs. Louise Evans's Young Ladies Sunday school Class.[23] After the dedications, the communing 45-50-year members were honored. They included Mrs. Frank Gearhart (sixty-three years), Frank Gearhart (sixty-two years), Mrs. Ella Keefer (fifty-six years), fifty-four year members William and Emma (Kuebler) Fausold, Mrs. Sarah Wolf, and John F. Long, Mrs. Elsie (Wynn) Straup (forty-nine years), and forty-five year members Christian K. Fausold, Mrs. Hannah (Wagner) Furman, and Mrs. Carrie (App) Rabuck. Christian K. Fausold and William A. Fausold delivered remarks from the forty-five- and fifty-five-year members respectively. Christian Fausold offered a particularly eloquent vision of the meaning behind the one-hundred-year history of the Eden Church. He likened the history and service of the church to an image of an aged man seated by a cabin hearth where the fire "had been lighted by his great, great grandfather 140 years ago, and had never been allowed to go out." As each succeeding generation of the old man's family inherited a duty to keep the fire burning, Fausold observed, so too were the members of the Eden Church "inheritors of a sacred trust to keep burning the fire of love, devotion, and consecration to our church."[24] Inheriting a rich spiritual legacy from Saints Peter and Paul, Martin Luther, and Melanchton, Fausold believed it was the special privilege of the Eden Church to carry on as the standard bearer of the Lutheran faith. The congregation had successfully served in such a capacity for over 100 years, reaping great benefits along the way; Fausold believed it would continue to do so: Our church in the 100 years has made a contribution, none of us can be fully aware of this abiding achievement. Most of us see the church day by day and complain that its influence does not extend itself more rapidly, but a glimpse of the church work as a whole makes us feel that our work is not in vain. We have found the church a good place to anchor to.[25] William Fausold also spoke of the important religious heritage that shaped the mission of the Eden Church during its first hundred years. He defined the legacy as one of simple pioneer faith, vision, and courage to follow the work of God: "It was a very humble beginning that was made when Plum Creek was organized. Those few friends could not see the future but they had faith and courage to serve Christ."[26] Describing the congregation that emerged in the Plum Creek Valley from this pioneer legacy as "a living monument which our fathers . . . founded . . . as a testimony of their faith in God and their love for the spiritual heritage they had received form their forefathers," Fausold recognized the need to be thankful, to persevere and uphold the legacy, and to pass it on to future generations.[27] In addition to these two main addresses, former pastor Charles Lantz delivered the sermon on "The Power of God," and the choir and Men's Quartet from the Zion Stone Church presented several musical selections.[28] The festivities for Thursday, October 12th, centered on "Neighborhood Night," and were highlighted by greetings and congratulatory remarks by several area pastors. They included Rev. Oliver R. Bittner of the Wolf's Crossroads Lutheran Charge, Pastor Kenneth Hafer of the Paxinos-Augusta Reformed Charge, Charles Lambert of the Elysburg Lutheran Charge, and Pastor Park L. Wagenbach of Grace Lutheran Church in Sunbury, who also brought greetings on behalf of Central Pennsylvania Synod representative M. R. Hamsher. Dr. Lambert also provided the sermon for the evening, building his text on the theme "Upon This Rock I Will Build My Church." The Girls Choir of Grace Lutheran Church provided special music for the occasion as well.[29] The next evening, "Former Pastors' Night," drew the largest attendance of the week with 115 worshipers. Messages of congratulations were sent from pastors Frank Gilbert, Frederick Crossland, Edwerth Korte, and J. M. Stover. A special letter from Dr. Edward Fry Bartholomew, the 99-year-old former president of Carthage College and Augustana College in Illinois, who was also a Sunbury native and uncle to church members Ella (Kuebler) Keefer and Emma (Kuebler) Fausold, was also delivered to the congregation. Former pastor Edwin Dingman brought personal greetings and again enjoined the congregation to recognize the anniversary as a debt to those who laid the foundations of faith in the Plum Creek district, learn the lessons of the past, and go forth into the next generation with earnestness.[30] The formal centennial celebrations of the Eden Evangelical Lutheran Church concluded on Sunday, October 15, 1944, with both morning and evening observances. The morning worship service featured former member Paul F. Keefer, of the Sunbury High School faculty, who delivered the main Sunday school lesson, and Mrs. C. E. Bushman, a twenty-nine year veteran of the Lutheran missionary field in Liberia, who spoke on her African experiences. Pastor Senft also recognized Mrs. Hulda (Fausold) Culp, the only remaining member of the first confirmation class to graduate in the present brick church; Sister Helen Furman, a daughter of the congregation and deaconess at the Lankenau Lutheran Hospital in Philadelphia; and former member William W. Fausold, who presented a tribute of flowers. Additional memorial flowers were presented in honor of David A. Furman, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Rabuck, and all the former pastors of the Eden Lutheran Church.[31] An evening candlelight service attended by 144 people brought the 100th anniversary to a moving conclusion. Pastor Senft spoke on "The Light of the World" from the Scripture text John 8: 12. Expanding on the symbolism of Jesus as the Light of the World, Senft outlined four foundations of light within the mission of the church: leadership, illumination, security, and life. Following the pastor's remarks, a ceremonial candlelighting took place in honor of all the men of the church who were serving overseas in the Armed Forces. The servicemen honored included S/Sgt. Stephen E. App, F1-c Claude K. Clayberger, Sgt. Arthur Furman, Tech. 4 Donald E. Furman, Sgt. Harry J. Furman, PFC. Kenneth E. Furman, Darwin E. Gearhart, U. S. Navy, Sgt. Lloyd R. Gearhart, Joseph Edwin Keener of the Merchant Marines, PFC. Paul G. Shipe, S/Sgt. Joseph R. Shipman of the Rep/SQ 7th A Depot Group, Cadet Charles F. Klinger, Tech. 5 Paul E. Klinger, Lt. Richard G. Klinger, Sgt. Arthur R. Miller, T/Sgt. Charles M. Rabuck, M/Sgt. John A. Rabuck, S/Sgt. Samuel Rabuck, PFC. Warren A. Rabuck who was killed in France on August 7, 1944, S/Sgt. Paul R. Shipman, U. S. Army, Cpl. Franklin E. Thomas, Pvt. Joseph Whitman, Pvt. Robert Whitman, and Pvt. Edwin Miller. One former member, PFC. Richard Kimble Furman of Co. B, 56th A. I. BM, was also killed a few months later on January 15, 1945 and buried in France.[32] X. THE FORMATION OF UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1954-61 THE FINAL CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY of the Eden Evangelical Lutheran Church necessarily centered upon the end of its existence as an independent congregation. More precisely, it involved the transformation of Eden from a small, relatively isolated country parish into a larger, more dynamic Lutheran congregation that impacted communities far beyond the Plum Creek Valley. This transformation was affected through the merger of the Eden Church with the St. Elias and Emmanuel Lutheran churches of the Wolf's Crossroads Parish, to form the United Lutheran Church of Sunbury RD. During the 1950s, when many of the area Lutheran churches were experiencing dramatic changes in membership and attendance, the Susquehanna Conference of the Central Pennsylvania Synod initiated a program to consolidate many of the smaller, rural churches and overlapping parishes into more viable congregations. On January 12, 1954, Eden's supply pastor Arthur C. Harris attended a meeting in Sunbury, which addressed suggestions and several proposals for a possible merger of the Plum Creek Lutheran Charge with other neighboring parishes. Pastor Harris reported the content of these proposals to the Eden membership at a congregational meeting on January 24th. While no action was taken on the issue at that time, the congregation "gave feeling that they would be willing to consider a merger proposal with the [Wolf's] Cross Roads Lutheran Parish."[33] Pastor Harris next met on February 23, 1954 with Pastor James B. Miller of the Wolf's Crossroads Charge and the Rev. Dr. Martin L. Tozer, Superintendent of the Susquehanna Conference's Board of Synodical Home Missions and Rural Church Works. This meeting resulted in a merger proposal, which Dr. Tozer explained in a letter to Pastor Harris on March 1st. Tozer outlined four suggestions for the dissolution of the Plum Creek Charge. First, he proposed that the Zion Stone Church at Augustaville take formal action to separate from the Charge, dissolve their congregation, and then transfer membership to other congregations, "either Lutheran, Evangelical and Reformed or any other denomination which they may choose." Tozer also suggested that any remaining treasury funds from the congregation, as well as funds received from the sale of the property interests to the Reformed membership of the Stone Church, be deposited in the Conference's Home Mission Fund where it could be used to finance new churches. "In that way," Tozer believed, "the Augustaville congregation would continue to live in the creation and building of other churches in our Synod."[34] Secondly, Tozer reported that St. John's Lutheran Church in Snydertown had already taken action to approach the Elysburg Lutheran Charge with a possible merger. He suggested that the Snydertown congregation continue with their efforts, and that final details of a transfer be worked out at a subsequent meeting with Pastor Charles Staub and the joint councils of the Elysburg Parish. Third, Tozer proposed that the Eden Lutheran Church take formal action to withdraw from the Plum Creek Charge and become a member of the Wolf's Crossroads parish. He also indicated that the congregations of the latter parish should extend a formal invitation to the Eden Church, both as a matter of courtesy and to assist the Eden congregation in affecting a smooth transition. Finally, Tozer proposed to send appropriate forms to St. Peter's Lutheran Church at Hallowing Run to initiate a formal withdrawal from Plum Creek as well. Tozer authorized Pastor Charles W. Aurand of St. Peter's to "use his judgment concerning a meeting or signing of this form so that the matter will be authentic concerning this congregation." Tozer advised that all four actions of the proposal be implemented by April 24, 1954.[35] Pastor Miller presented Dr. Tozer's letter of instructions for the realignment of the charges to the Emmanuel church council on March 9, 1954. Council quickly recommended that formal action be taken to invite the Eden Church into the Crossroads Charge, which the Emmanuel congregation approved unanimously at a special meeting on March 21st. The St. Elias congregation took similar action a week earlier during a special meeting on March 14th. At the beginning of April, the Emmanuel and St. Elias councils met jointly to further discuss the details of the proposed merger. Preliminary discussions were held concerning the arrangement of services, fees and salaries. The joint body then passed a formal resolution to invite the Eden Church into the parish.[36] Pastor Harris also submitted Tozer's plan to the Eden Church at a special congregational meeting on April 5, 1954. After the meeting was called to order by Council president Grover C. Shipman, Harris presented letters from the St. Elias and Emmanuel congregations welcoming the Eden Church into the Wolf's Crossroads Charge and formally extending invitations to join the parish. After some discussion a ballot was taken "to go into Wolf's Cross Roads Lutheran Parish as Eden congregation, continuing as a congregation at Eden Church." The resulting vote was 41-6 in favor of the merger.[37] After the plan was approved, a curious turn of events took place. On May 12th, Eden Council secretary John W. Shipman wrote a letter to Pastor Miller suddenly advising him that the "Eden Lutheran congregation rescinds all action taken and withdraws from any further action with regard to aligning with Wolf's Cross Roads Parish until further consideration."[38] Reasons for the reversal were never officially recorded, but there was evidence that some portions of the congregation were unhappy with the rapidity of the parish reorganization. Dr. Tozer's proposal of March 1st recognized some of this opposition to the swift transition: "We realize that Pastor Harris is facing some opposition in bringing this [the reorganization] about . . . especially since some in the congregation have requested that it does not take place until after Easter."[39] Significant pressure must have been placed upon the Eden Church Council between April 5th and May 12th to cause the reversal, for Dr. Tozer was duly "shocked, disappointed and all the other adjectives which might be applied" that the congregation would "react so violently to things with which they do not completely agree. . . . You see how difficult it is for us to get them to move in the direction of any forward future development."[40] At any rate, the Eden congregation asked the Susquehanna Conference to restudy the merger issue. Tozer addressed a special congregational meeting on May 30, 1954, in which he "expressed his willingness and purpose" to help the Eden Church "regardless of Synod or Parish." He explained all the negotiations to date between Plum Creek and Wolf's Crossroads, and also the Elysburg Parish with respect to the Snydertown congregation.[41] A representative from St. John's Lutheran Church, William Mowery, also attended the meeting and conveyed an interest on the part of Snydertown to work with the Eden Church on the possibility of reorganizing the parish. On June 8, 1954, Dr. Tozer returned a revised proposal to the Eden congregation. The result of a June 4th session between pastors Harris, Charles W. Aurand of St. Peter's, Charles Staub of Elysburg, and the Susquehanna Conference Executive Committee (Rev. Arthur Lawver, President; Pastor James Miller, Secretary; Superintendent Tozer; and Rev. Dr. Harry Miller, Conference Chairman), the revision detailed the final disposition of the Stone Church congregation. It directed the church's Cemetery Association to retain responsibility for the cemetery; turned over the Sunday school treasury to the Evangelical and Reformed congregation's Sunday school; forwarded the remaining benevolence fund of the Lutheran membership to the Synod office; and divided the remaining congregational treasury between the Evangelical and Reformed congregation and the Synod Home Mission Fund. The Reformed congregation was also asked to pay the Lutherans $100 for all property rights to the Stone Church, the money to be transferred as well to the Home Mission Fund.[42] Concerning the rest of the Plum Creek Charge, however, the Susquehanna Conference strongly urged the affected churches to carry out the original merger recommendations. "This was agreed upon," Tozer explained, "because we desire not to have two Lutheran parishes overlapping each other as the Plum Creek and Wolf's Cross Roads parishes would be if this plan were not followed and also because no other plan appeared to be better than this one."[43] To smooth the opposition, the proposal recommended a three-month trial period, during which time St. John's would continue its negotiations with the Elysburg parish, with Staub assuming pastoral duties during the interim, while Pastor Harris remained at Eden until the end of June. St. Peter's would remain under the care of Pastor Aurand until after the trial period, with its final disposition to be determined at a later date. At the end of three months, Pastor Miller of the Crossroads Charge would then take over responsibilities for the Eden congregation.[44] Harris presented the revised proposal during a special congregational meeting on June 13, 1954. After some discussion, the Eden membership resoundingly rejected the recommendations of the Susquehanna Conference Committee by a vote of 43-3. The congregation then moved to retain Harris as a regular supply pastor.45 The Synod officials accepted the defeat graciously. On June 22nd Dr. Tozer wrote to Eden Council secretary John W. Shipman, indicating the Synod's willingness to support the congregation in any way.[46] Following this initial rejection of the merger with the Wolf's Crossroads parish, the Eden Church took immediate steps to reexamine the situation of the Plum Creek Charge. On August 8, 1954 the Church Council voted to request a meeting with President Lawver of the Susquehanna Conference, which took place on September 14th. The meeting resulted in a decision to explore the option of reorganizing Plum Creek as a two-church parish comprising Eden and St. Peter's of Hallowing Run. The possibility of adding St. John's of Snydertown at a later date, depending upon the result of that congregation's negotiations with Elysburg, was also raised, but there is no evidence that any further action was taken on the matter. The Eden congregation approved the reorganization of the parish on October 31st, and two months later a merger committee was appointed by the Church Council.[47] The two-church realignment assumed more definite shape in early 1955, when the Eden congregation approved a measure to share parish expenses with St. Peter's, including the pastor's salary and parsonage costs, along a 60-40% division, with Eden assuming the greater share. Since the parish lost the use of the Snydertown parsonage as a result of the withdrawal of St. John's, the two congregations also determined to rent a house until a parsonage could be bought or constructed. On January 9, 1955, the joint councils also appointed a pulpit committee. Eden's members included Julius A. Phillips, Frank Miller, and Samuel B. Clemens. The new Plum Creek Charge became official of April 3, 1955, when the pulpit committee invited Rev. Earl W. Zellers to become the next full-time minister of the parish.[48] Although the first effort to unite the Eden Church with the Wolf's Crossroads Charge failed, the Central Pennsylvania Synod continued plans to streamline its parishes. A second merger was initiated a few years later in 1959. The significant difference of this effort, however, centered not on the consolidation of parishes with each church retaining its own identity, but rather the formation of a completely new congregation. On May 8, 1959 the Emmanuel Church council approved a motion by Edwin Kistler and Milton Kerstetter to meet with the councils of St. Peter's and Eden on May 24th, to discuss a merger between Plum Creek and the Crossroads. The following month on June 18th the Eden Church council agreed to have Rev. Celo V. Leitzel, the newly acquired pastor of the Wolf's Crossroads Charge, supply the Eden congregation for a six-month trial as a precursor to a possible merger. At the same time they also accepted the resignation of Pastor Zellers, effective August 3rd. On September 25, 1959 a joint council meeting between Eden, Emmanuel, and St. Elias took place at the Crossroads parsonage. A motion was passed to conduct an opinion survey of the three congregations at the end of the trial period, to evaluate the effectiveness of the joint venture and measure support for initiating a merger. Milton Kerstetter of Emmanuel also suggested that the three councils draft letters to inform St. Peter's Lutheran Church of the actions being considered, and to express their mutual willingness to work with St. Peter's during the possible transition. (Although it was never explicitly stated, it appears that St. Peter's chose not to participate With Eden in the merger negotiations that would decide the future of the Plum Creek Charge.)[49] Throughout the duration of the trial period business continued as usual within the Plum Creek Charge. The annual joint meeting of the Eden and St. Peter's church councils took place on January 17, 1960 at Plum Creek. The election of parish officers was carried out with Russell Furman and John W. Shipman of Eden voted Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively. Charles Hackenberg and Robert Sharp of Eden, and Marlin Lenig and Edward Herb of St. Peter's, were also chosen to be parish trustees. There was some further discussion on the parsonage situation within the parish, and then the meeting adjourned with a motion to hold the next joint council session July 10th at St. Peter's.[50] In the meantime, the Eden Church also began working more closely with Emmanuel and St. Elias. A joint meeting of the three church councils took place on January 29, 1960. The councils determined to send the upcoming opinion survey to active communicant members only, and a motion was approved to meet on February 14th to evaluate the responses and take any further appropriate action. The subsequent meeting occurred on February 26th (the February 14th meeting having been canceled due to bad weather.) While the details of the survey were never published in the records, the results must have been favorable, for the joint councils voted to place the merger proposal before the three congregations for a final vote on March 20th, during the regular worship services. On the appointed day, Pastor Leitzel presented a general review to the Eden congregation of the church's activities since the trial program commenced, explained the combined results of the opinion survey, and entertained final questions concerning the merger. He voiced the joint councils' favorable position on the merger, and then "closed with his own personal comments (as pastor) which were excellent and surely prompted by the Holy Spirit!"51 The congregation then voted, the matter resting upon a simple majority basis, and the final result was an overwhelming 43-9 votes in favor of the merger. The proposal received equal approval at Emmanuel and St. Elias as well.[52] After the merger was approved, the joint councils focused their attention upon fine-tuning all organizational details. They approved motions to establish committees to study issues of joint finance, cemetery care, the location of a new church, a name for the new congregation, legal matters associated with the merger, and a new constitution. It was decided that the lay president of each congregation, along with Pastor Leitzel, would have authority to form the committees, and that at least one lay delegate and councilman from each church would comprise each group. Plans were also made to hold a joint summer vacation Bible School at the Emmanuel Church in order to utilize the parsonage as well as the Rockefeller Township Grange Hall.[53] The committees were formalized on April 28, 1960 and charged with specific duties. The joint councils authorized the Legal Committee to engage an attorney to assist with the merger process, and also to study ways to merge the three councils into one body. The Finance Committee received instructions to contact Dr. Tozer of the Susquehanna Conference and solicit advice on financial needs for the new congregation. The Name Committee received several letters from contacted groups concerning the selection of possible names for the new church. The Location Committee, finally, was instructed to look for a building site that was large in area, accessible to main roads, and centrally located for all members to use. Not surprisingly, the joint councils also received a letter from the Central Pennsylvania Synod expressing approval to dissolve the Plum Creek Charge and proceed with the merger, providing that St. Peter's did not object to or appeal the action. (It was learned prior to the meeting in question that St. Peter's Lutheran Church did not in fact object to the merger.) Stuart Lawrence of the Eden Church also recommended that a letter of cooperation only be sent to St. John's Lutheran Church in Snydertown.[54] After some discussion on the sale of Eden's share of the Plum Creek parsonage, and a recommendation by the Cemetery Committee to deed the existing graveyards to the new congregation, the final details of the merger were approved by the joint councils on July 6, 1960. The plans contained four principal parts. First, the congregations were asked to complete a second survey on a name for the new church during the July 24th worship service. The choices offered included Advent Lutheran, Christ Lutheran, Redeemer Lutheran, and United Lutheran Church. A final vote between the two most popular names would be taken on August 7th.[55] The second and third parts of the merger proposal, which the three congregations would vote upon at a general meeting on August 21st, dealt with a five-part plan to join the three church councils, and several constitutional revisions that were necessary to bring the three church constitutions into harmony with each other. The Eden Church council at that time consisted of six members serving two-year terms, while the Emmanuel and St. Elias councils contained nine members who served three-year terms. The following chart (A) shows the complete composition of the three church councils as they would have appeared in July 1960[56] (the symbols I and II indicate first or second term served): CHART A Composition of the Eden, Emmanuel & St. Elias Councils Before the Merger, July 1960 Term Term Term Ending December 1960 Ending December 1961 Ending December 1962 EDEN EDEN Russell Furman (I) John W. Shipman (I) Elwood Clayberger (I) Charles Hackenberg (I) Robert Sharp (I) Stuart Lawrence (I) EMMANUEL EMMANUEL EMMANUEL Paul Minnier (II) Milton Kerstetter (II) Ralph Kratzer (I) Edwin Kistler (I) Ralph Miller (II) Ronald Rebuck (I) Jerry Bastian (I) Richard Witmer (I) Taylor Remphrey (II) ST. ELIAS ST. ELIAS ST. ELIAS Williard Ross (II) Miles Bower (II) Eugene F. Brosious (I) Daniel Drumm (I) Eugene A. Brosious (I) Melvin Buffington (I) Ralph Messner (I) Ralph Bower (I) Harold Klock (I) >From the present configuration, the proposal outlined five changes, all to take effect on January 1, 1961: 1.) Russell Furman, Elwood Clayberger, and Robert Sharp from Eden would all be re-elected to 3-year terms; 2.) replacements would not be elected for terms expiring at Emmanuel and St. Elias at the end of 1960; 3.) the terms of Richard Witmer at Emmanuel, and Eugene A. Brosious and Ralph Bower at St. Elias would be shortened by one year, and all three men re-appointed to 3-year terms; 4.) all remaining terms of present members of the three councils would be allowed to stand; and 5.) the resulting council of the new congregation would comprise eighteen members as outlined in Chart (B): CHART B Proposed Council for the New Congregation After the Merger, January 1, 1961 Term Term Term Ending December 1960 Ending December 1961 Ending December 1962 John W. Shipman (I) Ralph Kratzer (I) Russell Furman (II) Charles Hackenberg (I) Ronald Rebuck (I) Elwood Clayberger (II) Stuart Lawrence (I) Taylor Remphrey (I) Robert Sharp (II) Milton Kerstetter (II) Eugene F. Brosious (I) Richard Witmer (I) Ralph Miller (II) Melvin Buffington (I) Eugene A. Brosious (I) Miles Bower (II) Harold Klock (I) Ralph Bower (I) The proposal further suggested a provision in the constitution of the new congregation to allow for an eighteen-man council: "There shall be 18 Deacons, Active Members of the congregation, elected by the congregation at its annual meeting for a term of three years. The Term of one-third of the deacons shall expire annually. A deacon shall be eligible to serve no more than two full terms consecutively."[57] In addition to the reorganization of the council, the merger proposal suggested several other constitutional revisions as well. Article I provided for the name and title of the new congregation, and declared that it would be incorporated. A new Item 3, in Section II of the By-Laws, allowed for the nomination of council candidates by the Church Council, with the number of nominees to be at least equal to the number of vacancies. Additional nominations would be allowed from the floor at the time of the annual election, and the six highest vote getters would be elected. The final two revisions, to Section I of Article XII and Section IV of the By-Laws, dealt with amendments to the constitution. Both changes required alterations and amendments to be submitted to the general membership in written form, and called for a two-thirds majority to effect their passage.[58] The final part of the merger proposal outlined a four-step timetable for the joining of the three congregations and the start-up of the new church. The first step of the outline, which for all practical purposes was already in effect, called for all three congregations to be functioning as a single body by January, 1960. Noting that the Luther Leagues of each church had already merged and that the men's and women's groups were meeting jointly, this first phase also called for combined meetings of the church councils and Sunday school teachers, unified confirmation classes, and the same Sunday school materials to be taught at all three churches. The second step called for the formation of a new three-church parish at the end of the six-month experiment. A new parish name would be selected, Articles of Agreement drawn, and a petition to permit the dissolution of the existing parish sent to the Executive Committee of the Susquehanna Conference. Phase Three required a new single Lutheran congregation to be established by January 1961. In addition to a reorganized council, the united congregation would adopt a new name, constitution, and a unified treasury. For the present time it would continue to use existing church buildings and follow current worship and Sunday school schedules. Also, all congregational actions after January 1961 "would be taken as a united single congregation. There would be no voting as separate congregations."[59] The Susquehanna Conference would also be petitioned to permit the dissolution of the three congregations to form the new united one. The final step called for the selection of a suitable location for a new church building sometime after January 1961.[60] All three congregations approved the final recommendations of the merger, and for all practical purposes the Eden Evangelical Lutheran Church ceased to exist after August 21, 1960. On November 13th a congregational meeting was held at each church to formally call Pastor Leitzel to the pulpit of the new church. The Rev. Dr. E. M. Yeagy, Assistant to the President of the Central Pennsylvania Synod, conducted the vote on Pastor Leitzel, who was easily approved by a combined majority of 166 to 8. On November 25th, the joint councils of the United Lutheran Church of Sunbury RD (the first official usage of the newly selected name) met at the Emmanuel parsonage and worked out some of the final administrative details. Attorney Fritz Rice, Jr. of Sunbury explained the incorporation procedures for the three congregations. A rotating worship schedule was also organized, with services to be held between the Eden and Emmanuel buildings (the St. Elias congregation, by this time, had already determined to vacate their church and relinquish property rights to the Reformed congregation.) Plans were also formulated to integrate the Sunday school teachers from St. Elias into the staffs at Eden and Emmanuel, and to allow the Eden Church to deal privately with St. Peter's over the ownership of the Plum Creek parsonage.[61] On January 1, 1961, then, the United Lutheran Church of Sunbury RD became an official institution, and the Eden Evangelical Lutheran Church, with its rich and varied past, slipped into the annals of local history in Northumberland County. A worship service held that day at Zion Lutheran Church in Sunbury formally recognized and sanctioned the new congregation, whose official charter was then granted on January 16, 1961. The revised slate of elected council members was installed, and Pastor Leitzel presented the Synod representative with his official letter accepting the pulpit of United Lutheran Church. Sunday worship services rotated between the Eden and Emmanuel locations until March 1963, when ground was finally broken for a new church on land adjacent to the Emmanuel parsonage at Wolf's Crossroads. By the autumn of that year, the new United Lutheran Church was completed and a dedication service [held during the first week of October.[62] Sometime later in 1967 the Eden church building was sold to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and became the Augusta Lodge No. 614. The United Lutheran Church maintained ownership and care of the cemetery, but the sale of the church property punctuated the end of the Eden Lutheran Church's mission and journey through the history of Northumberland County. Although it finally outlasted its usefulness as a small country parish, the Eden Evangelical Lutheran Church served the purpose envisioned by its pioneer founders. Established as a religious bastion in the early wilderness of Northumberland County's hinterland, the Eden Lutheran Church maintained the rich heritage of Martin Luther for more than a hundred years, and left a strong, lasting legacy in the body of the United Lutheran Church, an institution which remains one of the more dynamic Lutheran congregations in Northumberland County to the present day. In this respect, the Eden Evangelical Lutheran Church at Plum Creek surpassed its mission. ENDNOTES [1] Eden Parish Register, p. 15. [2] Bell, Northumberland County, pp. 732-33. [3] Ibid., p. 707. [4] Plum Creek Charge Parochial Record Book, 1918-55, p. 404, in Box 2, Eden Church Records, ULC. [5] Eden Parish Register, pp. 15-17. [6] Plum Creek Charge Joint-Council Minutes, January 1, 1885, Box 2, Folder 1, Eden Church Records, ULC. [7] Ibid. [8] Eden Parish Register, pp. 15-17; Harry W. Miller, "Report of the Necrologist" (Publication of the Central Pennsylvania Synod, 1943), p. 11. [9] Ibid., pp. 18-19; Ibid., p. 12. [10] Ibid., pp. 19-20; Plum Creek Charge Parochial Record Book, p. 405; Wentz, Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary, p. 188. [11] Ibid., p. 252. [12] Ibid., p. 279; Eden Parish Register, pp. 19-20; Plum Creek Charge Parochial Record Book, p. 405. [13] Plum Creek Charge V-E Service Program (1945), Box 2, Folder 2, Eden Church Records, ULC. [14] Ibid. [15] Wentz, Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary, pp. 301, 320; Eden Parish Register, p. 20. [16] Address of Rev. Edwin S. Dingman, "100th Anniversary of Eden Church," April 23, 1944, Box 1, Folder 5, Eden Church Records, ULC. [17] Ibid. [18] Ibid. [19] Frederick Crossland to Roderic Senft, April 18, 1944, Box 1, Folder 6, Eden Church Records, ULC. [20] Charles Lambert to Roderic Senft, April 19, 1944, and Paul F. Keefer to the Members of the Eden Lutheran Church, April 22, 1944, in Ibid. [21] Sunbury Daily Item, October 12, 1944; "100th Anniversary Celebration of the Eden Lutheran Church," Tuesday October 10, 1944, Box 1, Folder 5, Eden Church Records, ULC. [22] Sunbury Daily Item, October 12, 1944. [23] Ibid.; "100th Anniversary Celebration," Wednesday, October 11, 1944. [24] Address of Christian K. Fausold, October 11, 1944, Box 1, Folder 5, Eden Church Records, ULC. [25] Ibid. [26] Address of William A. Fausold, October 11, 1944, in Ibid. [27] Ibid. [28] Sunbury Daily Item, October 12, 1944. [29] Ibid.; "100th Anniversary Celebration," October 12, 1944. [30] Ibid., October 13, 1944. [31] Sunbury Daily Item, October 16, 1944. [32] "100th Anniversary Celebration," October 15, 1944. [33] Eden Congregational Meeting Minutes, January 24, 1954, Box 1, Folder 4, Eden Church Records, ULC. [34] Rev. Dr. Martin L. Tozer to Revs. James B. Miller and Arthur C. Harris, March 1, 1954, Eden Church Records, ULC. [35] Ibid. [36] Council Minutes, March 9, 1954, March 21, 1954, and April 5, 1954, Emmanuel Church Records, ULC; Council Minutes, March 30, 1954, St. Elias Lutheran Church Records, in Ibid. [37] Eden Congregational Meeting Minutes, April 5, 1954, Eden Church Records, ULC. [38] John W. Shipman to James B. Miller, May 12, 1954, in Ibid. [39] Tozer to Miller and Harris, March 1, 1954, in Ibid. [40] Tozer to Miller, May 19, 1954, in Ibid. [41] Eden Congregational Meeting Minutes, May 30, 1954. [42] Dr. Martin L. Tozer, "Proposal of the Home Missions and Rural Church Work Committee," June 8, 1954, Box 1, Folder 9, Eden Church Records. [43] Ibid. [44] Ibid. [45] Eden Congregational Meeting Minutes, June 13, 1954. [46] Ibid., June 27, 1954; Tozer to John W. Shipman, June 22, 1954. [47] Eden Council Minutes, August 8, September 5, September 14, October 3, and December 26, 1954; Eden Congregational Meeting Minutes, October 31, 1954. [48] Ibid., January 23, April 3, 1955; Eden Council Minutes, January 9, March 6, 1955. [49] Ibid, June 18, September 25, 1959; Council Minutes, May 8, September 25, 1959, Emmanuel Church Records. [50] Ibid., January 17, 1960. [51] Eden Congregational Meeting Minutes, March 20, 1960. [52] Ibid., March 22, 1960. [53] Council Minutes, March 22, 1960, Eden Church Records. [54] Ibid., April 28, 1960. [55] Ibid., July 6, 1960; The Joint Church Councils to the Members of the Eden, Emmanuel and St. Elias Lutheran Churches, July 11, 1960, Eden Church Records. [56] "A Suggested Plan to Merge the Eden, Emmanuel, and St. Elias Lutheran Church Councils into One, Effective January 1, 1961," Box 1, Folder 9, Eden Church Records. [57] Constitution of the United Lutheran Church, Article VI, Section 2. [58] "Necessary Constitutional Revisions," Box 1, Folder 9, Eden Church Records. [59] "A Possible Procedure and Time-Schedule for the Merger of the Eden, Emmanuel, and St. Elias Lutheran Churches," copies contained in both the Eden and Emmanuel Church Records. [60] Ibid. [61] Congregational Meeting Minutes, November 13, 1960, Emmanuel Church Records; Council Minutes, November 25, 1960, United Lutheran Church Records. [62] Ibid., December 30, 1960; History of United Lutheran Church, p. 8.