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By SUE McELWEE Senior Staff WriterTomorrow is a milestone event in the life of the congregation of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Hesston.Officially, the congregation, along with neighbors, friends and former members, will gather to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the church building and their beginning as a separate congregation.However, the occasion marks another, more subtle achievement: the perseverance of a small band of persons, bound by and deeply committed to their faith and their church, in spite of changing economic and social conditions in their area over the past 100 years.TThe centennial will be observed tomorrow at a special service at 2:30 p.m. and a picnic buffet meal that will be served after the service.The Rev. Richard Seigfried, associate conference minister of the UCC’s Penn West Conference, will present the 100th anniversary sermon; a musical presentation of scripture and song will be offered by Kent and Evelyn East and Richard and Jennifer Stahl, accompanied by Lois Kyper. Other participants in the service will be the Rev. Edward S. Gobrecht, host pastor, and Michael Gill, chairperson of the Anniversary Committee.“We invite all our friends and neighbors in the area, regardless of church affiliation, to join with us in celebrating this joyous occasion,” say Gobrecht and Gill, on behalf of the entire congregation.Preparing the church as well as making and implementing the plans for the celebration have involved all33 persons currently listed as “active members” of St. Paul’s Church. “We’ve had some help from our friends and neighbors, too,” acknowledges Gill, who admits, “It’s been a big job, but with everyone cooperating, it’s gone very well and should be very special.”What visitors will find is a charming, 100-year-old brick building, immaculately kept, both inside and out, that blends the new — chandeliers, carpeting, console piano, para-ments and banners — with the old: original bell, stained glass windows, pews, altar furniture, pump organ, etc.And the outdoor bulletin board, dating from approximately 1914, was recently restored and rehung by Gill and his father-in-law, Jim Foor. The bulletin board, made by the W.L. Clark Co. of New York, N. Y., is constructed of copper, with brass comers and wood moldings — all of which were carefully cleaned and restored. After the project was completed, the bulletin board was rededicated in honor of Pastor Gobrecht.St. Paul’s Church is part of the McConnellstown United Church of Christ Charge, which includes Trinity Church in McConnellstown and Jacob’s (White) Church, on Piney Ridge, as well as St. Paul’s. Gobrecht, St. Paul’s 23rd pastor, has been pastor of McConnellstown Charge since July 1964.Long ‘Roots,’ Rich HeritageWhile the church building was erected in 1894, the congregation can trace its roots to the early 19th century, when the Rev. John Dietrich Aurandt, a minister in the German Reformed Church, began preaching missions to the early settlers ofWoodcock Valley. Aurandt, whom historians credit as being the first minister to hold regular services in the Woodcock Valley, began his pastoral duties in the area in 1804. During his life, Aurandt established nearly 30 Reformed congregations — 22 of which still are active — in an area from Frankstown east to Cassville; Water Street-Alexandria south to Cumberland, Md.One of Aurandt’s regular preaching points was at Jacob Grove’s, in Penn Township. The small but dedicated Reformed congregation did not have its first church building until some 37 years later, meeting instead in Grove’s fields, home or even bam, as was customary in those days.In 1841, that congregation and another small congregation, the Men-nonites of Woodcock Valley, joined together to erect a church, on ground donated by the Grove family. The church, known as Union (Grove’s) Church, was located approximately three miles north of Marklesburg, in Penn Township.During the mid-century, with the building of the Huntingdon and Broad Top Mountain Railroad through Woodcock Valley, railroad stations were erected all along the line. One such station was built near Andrew Grove’s house at Pleasant Grove, seven miles south of Huntingdon. Over the next seven years, the village grew to include a post office and an express office as well as more houses and the rail station.In 1873, the village’s name was changed to Grafton, “to avoid confusion in sending and receiving mail-matter,” according to J. Simpson(Continued on Page 8)
Newspaper Details
The Daily News
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, US
Sat, Jun 25, 1994
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Marcia A.
USA 23 Jan 2025
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