AREA HISTORY: Churches, Monaghan Township, York County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Kathy Francis Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/york/ _______________________________________________ History of York County, Pennsylvania. John Gibson, Historical Editor. Chicago: F. A. Battey Publishing Co., 1886. _______________________________________________ CHURCHES – Page 647 Lutheran and Reformed Church, known as “Filey’s Church,” after the person who donated the ground. This church was organized about 1800. The first building was of logs, and served as a schoolhouse and church. It had two rows of desks along the side walls, facing the center desks. The pulpit was a concavo-convex, or like a goblet cut through the center, it being usually called the “bird cage.” In 1838 it was thought advisable to build a more convenient house, and more on modern style. The members of both denominations elected a building committee, two of each denomination, to erect a union church. The building committee consisted of Jacob Hartman, David Fortney, Jacob Coover and Jacob Heikes. The corner-stone was laid August 20, 1838, and the church was dedicated the same year. The building is brick. From 1838 to 1885 the congregation was served by the following pastors: Revs. Kempfer, Focht, Rightmyer, Bricker, Dasher, Seifert, Winton, Dietrich, Heilman, Day, Minter, Stump and Erhard. Its officers at the present are Lewis Pressel, Michael Coover, Charles Williams, David Bucher, Henry Spahr and David Huntzberger. The membership at the present is eighty-two. There is a large Sunday-school under the supervision of Charles Williams. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Church of God, at Andersontown, was organized about 1830. Rev. John Winebrenner, the founder of this denomination, was originally a clergyman in the German Reformed Church. He preached on certain occasions in Andersontown and vicinity. This denomination, according to doctrine and discipline, is an order of Baptists, with no definite creed, but “acknowledges and receives the infallible teachings of the inspired Word of God, as a guide in all matters of Christian faith and practice.” The names of the first members of the church at Andersontown were John Hutton, William Tate, Jacob May, John Ayers, Samuel Arter, Henry Beck and a few others, whose names are now forgotten. Others were gradually added, among whom were John P. Wiley, Jacob Traver and wife, George Wiley and wife, and a few others. In 1842 a revival, under the labors of Revs. McElroy, William Miller and D. Maxwell, resulted in the addition of many new members – William Anderson and Mrs. Mary Kline being of the number. In 1843 a revival of three moths’ duration resulted in the addition of more than 100 members. Prior to 1848 the services were held in the schoolhouse. During that year a new frame church was built at a cost of $600, Elder S. Fleagle being the minister. In 1871 the building was encased in brick, cost $500. Number of members, forty-two. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mount Pleasant Bethel (Church of God) – This church was organized in 1843, in an old building opposite the present public house of W. K. Burns, by members, principally, of the church at Andersontown. The first ruling elders were George Myers and James Machlin. Thomas Kerr donated a small tract of ground, and in 1844 a frame meeting house was built, at a cost of about $500. The original number of members, was twelve. In 1859 a new brick church was built in the upper end of Siddonsburg, and called the Mount Pleasant Bethel, at a cost of $2,300. During the pastorate of Elder H. E. Reever, in 1882, the building was remodeled at an expense of $1,100. The membership is eighty-eight. Andersontown and Siddonsburg are appointments on the West York Circuit, and are supplied by pastors appointed by the Annual East Pennsylvania Eldership of the Church of God. The following is a list of pastors from first appointment, with date of appointment: David Kyle 1844 A. Swartz and J. H. Hurley 1846 Simon Fleegle 1848 J. H. Hurley 1850 S. Fleegle and J. Plowman 1851 Moses Utley and T. Deshiri 1852 Samuel Crawford and D. Maxwell 1853 G. W. Coulter 1854 Jacob Keller 1856 Jabez Bender 1859 T. Deshiri and S. S. Richmond 1861 John Ross 1863 John W. Deshong 1865 E. D. Aller 1868 R. White 1870 W. L. Jones 1871 W. P. Winbigler 1872 J. A. McDonnald 1875 W. P. Winbigler 1877 J. E. Arnold 1879 H. E. Reever 1881 O. H. Betts 1884