CHURCH: St. Jacob’s Lutheran Church, Muhlenberg Charge, York County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Abby Bowman Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/york/ ________________________________________________ History of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of West Pennsylvania of the United Lutheran Church in America, 1825-1925 Edited by Adam Stump, D.D. and Henry Anstadt, D.D. Published by the Action of the Synod in Celebration of Its Centennial, Printed For The Synod By J. R. Kerr & Bro., Chambersburg, Penna.,1925 _______________________________________________ Pg 507-509 ST. JACOB'S LUTHERAN CHURCH, YORK COUNTY, PA. (Muhlenberg Charge) REV. F. S. GEESEY, PASTOR For a goodly number of years previous to 1861, the people of York New Salem and the immediate community held Sunday School in the borough school house. Nearly all of these people were Lutherans belonging to the Christ Lutheran Church of York and St. Paul's (Wolf's) near the Gettysburg Pike. This "Sabbath School Association," by which name the people holding Sunday School designated themselves, at that time was organized into a Lutheran and Reformed Church, called St. Jacob's Evangelical Lutheran and Reformed Church at New Salem. Under the leadership of Rev. C. J. Deininger, who was the pastor of Wolf's Charge of York County, a new union church building was erected during the years of 1861 and 1862. The corner stone was laid May 26, 1861, and because of the Civil War the building was delayed and was not completed until sometime in 1862, when it was dedicated and the first Holy Communion was held October 12, 1862, by the Rev. C. J. Deininger, pastor. At the first Communion 63 members communed. At this writing, only two members of the first Communion are living, viz: Susan Gensler, 98 years, and Leah Ehrhart, 88 years. For a period of 54 years this union continued until 1916 when the great majority of the Lutheran congregation voted to build a Lutheran Church for themselves, inviting the Reformed congregation, which was small and weak, to enjoy with the Lutheran people the use of their church building for worship, until such time as the Lutherans should need it every Lord's day for their own worship. This invitation was not accepted by the Reformed, and the Lutheran congregation proceeded at once to erect their own church building. On May 20, 1917, the corner stone of the new Lutheran church was laid in the presence of a large concourse of people. The Rev. F. G. Gotwald, D. D., President of the West Pennsylvania Synod, Rev. George M. Diffenderfer, D. D., Carlisle, Pa., and Rev. George W. Enders, D. D., York, Pa., were the speakers. The corner stone laying was conducted by the Pastor, Rev. F. S. Geesey. There were a few present at this service who were present at the first corner stone laying in May, 1861, fifty-six years before. This congregation is now a large one and is growing in church activities. The following pastors have served since its organization: Rev. C. J. Deininger, John Menges, John Conaway, and the present pastor, Rev. F. S. Geesey. During brief vacancies, the Rev. Aug. H. Lochman, D. D., and Rev. Adam Stumpf, D. D., have supplied preaching, the latter for eleven months during 1892 and 1893. This St. Jacob's Evangelical Lutheran Church formerly belonged to the St. Paul's (Zeigler's Charge) and it and the Zeigler congregations were served by the Rev. John Conaway, until 1892. After the retirement of Rev. John Conaway, the St. Paul's and Zeigler Congregations became a part of the Seven Valleys Charge and the St. Jacob's, New Salem, Congregation voted in the spring of 1893 to become a constituent part of the Muhlenberg Charge; to which charge, then known as the Trinity Charge, the present pastor, Rev. F. S. Geesey, was called and is still the pastor. This congregation has grown from a membership of 146 to a membership of over 400. The present church building is one of the finest and most costly church edifices in the rural districts of York County.