A Brief History of Beaver Lutheran Church
In 2017, Beaver Lutheran Church celebrated 50 years of ministry. The congregation officially came into existence on January 1, 1967. Though the present sanctuary was not completed until 1971, the fact that the congregation is older than the sanctuary is a good reminder that the heart of a congregation is not the building but its people.
There was once an old church bell at a Lutheran church in Luck, Wisconsin that, like our own two church bells from St. Peter's and Beavertown Evangelical, regularly called people to worship. Inscribed on this bell were the words, "To the bath and the table, to the prayers and the word, I call every seeking soul." The church is a people, therefore, who are thirsty for living water, hungry for the bread of life, and yearn for a voice that assures them of God's love. These are the people whom the church welcomes in every generation.
The origins of Beaver Lutheran Church begin, first and foremost, with our Savior and Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. On Sunday, May 7, 2017, the day on which these 50 years were celebrated, the appointed Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Easter reminded us that the source of the church's life is the voice of the Good Shepherd who "calls his own sheep by name and leads them out" (John 10:3). As the central stained-glass window above the communion table in the nave reminds us, there is only one church across time and space, and Jesus Christ is its Shepherd.
The year 2017 also marks the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. In a moment of crisis for German Christians dealing with a corrupt church, the early Lutherans searched the Scriptures and brought forth with clarity with a clear, simple definition of the church: It is "the assembly of all believers among whom the gospel is purely preached and the holy sacraments are administered according to the gospel." (CA VII) Preaching, baptizing, and sharing in the Lord's Supper are the essence of the church's activity. Through these means, we wash our children, welcome new believers, affirm the promises of God, proclaim God's love in sickness and in health, and say good-bye to our loved ones- all in the hope of participating in the coming of God's kingdom on earth.
Many of the first Lutherans to settle in the Middle Creek Valley were the descendants of German immigrants who entered this country through the port of Philadelphia in the early to mid 1700's. Most of these early immigrants arrived as indentured servants, bound for seven years' service before earning their freedom. Although affluent Germans were able to organize a few churches, most of the early Lutheran churches were loosely organized and barely existed, often falling victim to uneducated and sometimes greedy clergy.
It was not until 1742, with the arrival of the Lutheran pastor and missionary from Germany, Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, that the Lutherans were able to organize stable, healthy, and enduring congregations. Often called the Patriarch of American Lutherans, Gail Ramshaw notes that Muhlenberg "excelled as a pastor and leader in what was a new historical situation, where government played no role in church life and where Protestants of different denominations intermarried. Muhlenberg adapted to American ecumenism, produced worship materials, organized the Lutheran parishes in the greater Philadelphia area, established criteria for their pastors, and corresponded with clergy throughout the colonies. His gravestone at Trappe, Pennsylvania, reads, "Who and what he was, future ages will know without a stone." (More Days for Praise: Festivals and Commemorations in Evangelical Lutheran Worship 235-236)
Historians have noted that, without Muhlenberg, it is hard to imagine the Pennsylvania countryside dotted with hundreds of Lutheran churches, as they are to this day. Nor would Lutherans across the country be united by a common worship book and hymnal, a tradition carried on by each generation of Lutherans since Muhlenberg.
The origins of Beaver Lutheran Church begin after the American Revolution as the western frontier expanded into and beyond the Appalachian Mountains. In 1796, in the shadow of Shade Mountain, the first charter was signed by a group of settlers who founded St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Beaver Springs. In its early years, the congregation shared a building with the German Reformed congregation, a common practice among the early German-speaking Christians.
As the surrounding communities of the valley grew, other Lutheran congregations were formed and provided a visible Lutheran witness to the good news of God's grace in Jesus Christ. Following the Civil War, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Beavertown and Messiah Lutheran in Troxelville partnered in a combined ministry with St. Peter's. For many decades they were served under the same pastorate, with clergy residing at a parsonage across the street from the church in Beaver Springs. For many years two congregations would worship in the morning and one in the evening.
The congregation that eventually became Beaver Lutheran Church was formed out of the merger of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Beavertown and St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Beaver Springs. From the start, there was the dream of building a prominent, single-point structure along Route 522 between the two communities. Much discussion was held concerning the architecture of the building, with the congregations voting to choose a design that calls forth a heavenward transcendence, a feature that is unique compared with most churches of the valley.
That dream of a new worship space became a reality in early 1971. The cornerstone was blessed on January 10, 1971 and the first public liturgy in the new nave was held on February 21, 1971. Film footage from that time still exists, including a parade of vehicles moving from the two old worship spaces and meeting together at the new. As a sign of unity, each opposing vehicle, one by one, took its turn arriving at the new church building.
Greater details concerning the first 30 years of Beaver Lutheran Church’s history can be found in our church records, but here are a few highlights. Blessed with a large membership, a strong local economy, and Sundays still centered around church and family obligations, the congregation was poised to easily build upon the traditions of the two previous congregations: strong pastoral and musical leadership for worship, ample education and fellowship opportunities for all ages, the building of the bell tower and other infrastructure improvements such as sidewalks, a paved parking lot, a utility shed, and various improvements to the building.
During this time the campus was beautified with the planting of many trees and shrubbery, along with improved signage and lighting. In 2001, the chancel was expanded and tile flooring was installed, greatly improving the acoustics of the worship space and creating a more open space for celebrating Holy Communion. Many furnishings have replaced those original to the sanctuary and previous buildings, most notably the paraments from Family Heirloom Weavers, a custom-built communion table, new communion vessels, and a specially-blown baptismal bowl.
Three significant milestones, however, were the burning of the mortgage in 1981, the reception of several large bequests that led to the creation of the All Saints (Endowment) Fund in 1993, and the restoration of the weekly Holy Communion according to its Biblical and Lutheran roots beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 1992. This generosity and foresight has given the congregation a modern building, rich and meaningful worship, and ample financial resources for mission both inside and outside the church doors.
The last 20 years have brought new external challenges to the congregation: a weakening local economy, smaller families and fewer who stay and settle locally, and the loss of the local culture's rhythm of Sunday church and family obligations. Sundays are typically now filled with perpetual school activities, employment, sports, shopping, weekend getaways, and rest at home for those who travel long distances for work.
Yet the blessings of life together at Beaver Lutheran continue. Some of the old traditions have died out while others live on. But new ministries have also begun. The last 20 years have brought greater attention to community outreach. Examples of this include participation in "Adopt a Highway" Litter Clean-Up, partnering with Camp Mount Luther for a community "Camp Beaver" Vacation Bible School, the Fall Festival and Hay Ride, annual Christmas visits to the Selinsgrove Center, St. Nicholas Choir visits to homebound members, the creation of a Disaster Fund, and hosting the annual free Community Thanksgiving Dinner that has drawn hundreds of people for over a decade.
A new picnic pavilion built in 2008 was the first site of our Clothing Closet, a monthly give-away of clothing that has helped alleviate the growing poverty in the western part of Snyder County. In 2010, Beaver Lutheran Food Pantry opened its doors and now partners with the Clothing Closet. These ministries are free and available once a month or by appointment. In 2014, a partnership was forged with West Snyder Elementary to create Meals for Mustangs, a program that provides weekend take-home meals for schoolchildren in needy households. In addition to providing space and volunteers to pack the bags, a meal packaging event hosted by the congregation in the fall of 2016 created 20,000 fortified mac-n-cheese dinners. While this ministry no longer operates within our building, we are grateful for the time we were able to contribute to it.
Beaver Lutheran has also continued and expanded its hospitality to the community by providing space for the Parent-Child Development Preschool.
The congregation continues to remain faithful to rich and meaningful worship rooted in the Lutheran tradition. It continues to encourage its youth to experience the larger church through Camp Mount Luther and the National Youth Gathering. It retains a strong support staff of pastor, musicians, office secretary, custodial and financial staff. And a small, but mighty, recently re-constituted Women of the ELCA (WELCA) provides hospitality for funerals, arranges collections for Blanket Sunday, remembers the needy and homebound members at Christmas, and financially assists youth who attend the National Youth Gathering.
Though now smaller in numbers, a strong, inter-generational spirit remains the life-blood of Beaver Lutheran Church. And here, too, the congregation is poised to grow in a different way- by deepening attention to relationships, taking more time for spiritual learning and conversation, and creating new opportunities to pray for and walk with one another.
Two decades following the high, heady days of the Reformation begun in 1517, when the success of the Lutheran movement was by no means assured, Martin Luther re-iterated that the good news of Jesus comes to us in three ways: through Word, Baptism and Communion. To this, however, he added a fourth, namely, "the mutual conversation and consolation of brothers and sisters." (SA 319.45) By giving greater attention to these four gifts of grace from God, we leave it to the Holy Spirit to give new life to the church.
A solid foundation has been laid for the first 50 years of Beaver Lutheran Church. What will the next 50 years bring? In a time of great societal and economic change, we can trust the promise of Psalm 90, "Lord, you have been our refuge, from one generation to another", and the words of Jesus in Matthew 18:20: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." Truly God is in this place!
(Composed by The Rev. Nathan Baker-Trinity, 2017)
There was once an old church bell at a Lutheran church in Luck, Wisconsin that, like our own two church bells from St. Peter's and Beavertown Evangelical, regularly called people to worship. Inscribed on this bell were the words, "To the bath and the table, to the prayers and the word, I call every seeking soul." The church is a people, therefore, who are thirsty for living water, hungry for the bread of life, and yearn for a voice that assures them of God's love. These are the people whom the church welcomes in every generation.
The origins of Beaver Lutheran Church begin, first and foremost, with our Savior and Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. On Sunday, May 7, 2017, the day on which these 50 years were celebrated, the appointed Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Easter reminded us that the source of the church's life is the voice of the Good Shepherd who "calls his own sheep by name and leads them out" (John 10:3). As the central stained-glass window above the communion table in the nave reminds us, there is only one church across time and space, and Jesus Christ is its Shepherd.
The year 2017 also marks the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. In a moment of crisis for German Christians dealing with a corrupt church, the early Lutherans searched the Scriptures and brought forth with clarity with a clear, simple definition of the church: It is "the assembly of all believers among whom the gospel is purely preached and the holy sacraments are administered according to the gospel." (CA VII) Preaching, baptizing, and sharing in the Lord's Supper are the essence of the church's activity. Through these means, we wash our children, welcome new believers, affirm the promises of God, proclaim God's love in sickness and in health, and say good-bye to our loved ones- all in the hope of participating in the coming of God's kingdom on earth.
Many of the first Lutherans to settle in the Middle Creek Valley were the descendants of German immigrants who entered this country through the port of Philadelphia in the early to mid 1700's. Most of these early immigrants arrived as indentured servants, bound for seven years' service before earning their freedom. Although affluent Germans were able to organize a few churches, most of the early Lutheran churches were loosely organized and barely existed, often falling victim to uneducated and sometimes greedy clergy.
It was not until 1742, with the arrival of the Lutheran pastor and missionary from Germany, Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, that the Lutherans were able to organize stable, healthy, and enduring congregations. Often called the Patriarch of American Lutherans, Gail Ramshaw notes that Muhlenberg "excelled as a pastor and leader in what was a new historical situation, where government played no role in church life and where Protestants of different denominations intermarried. Muhlenberg adapted to American ecumenism, produced worship materials, organized the Lutheran parishes in the greater Philadelphia area, established criteria for their pastors, and corresponded with clergy throughout the colonies. His gravestone at Trappe, Pennsylvania, reads, "Who and what he was, future ages will know without a stone." (More Days for Praise: Festivals and Commemorations in Evangelical Lutheran Worship 235-236)
Historians have noted that, without Muhlenberg, it is hard to imagine the Pennsylvania countryside dotted with hundreds of Lutheran churches, as they are to this day. Nor would Lutherans across the country be united by a common worship book and hymnal, a tradition carried on by each generation of Lutherans since Muhlenberg.
The origins of Beaver Lutheran Church begin after the American Revolution as the western frontier expanded into and beyond the Appalachian Mountains. In 1796, in the shadow of Shade Mountain, the first charter was signed by a group of settlers who founded St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Beaver Springs. In its early years, the congregation shared a building with the German Reformed congregation, a common practice among the early German-speaking Christians.
As the surrounding communities of the valley grew, other Lutheran congregations were formed and provided a visible Lutheran witness to the good news of God's grace in Jesus Christ. Following the Civil War, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Beavertown and Messiah Lutheran in Troxelville partnered in a combined ministry with St. Peter's. For many decades they were served under the same pastorate, with clergy residing at a parsonage across the street from the church in Beaver Springs. For many years two congregations would worship in the morning and one in the evening.
The congregation that eventually became Beaver Lutheran Church was formed out of the merger of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Beavertown and St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Beaver Springs. From the start, there was the dream of building a prominent, single-point structure along Route 522 between the two communities. Much discussion was held concerning the architecture of the building, with the congregations voting to choose a design that calls forth a heavenward transcendence, a feature that is unique compared with most churches of the valley.
That dream of a new worship space became a reality in early 1971. The cornerstone was blessed on January 10, 1971 and the first public liturgy in the new nave was held on February 21, 1971. Film footage from that time still exists, including a parade of vehicles moving from the two old worship spaces and meeting together at the new. As a sign of unity, each opposing vehicle, one by one, took its turn arriving at the new church building.
Greater details concerning the first 30 years of Beaver Lutheran Church’s history can be found in our church records, but here are a few highlights. Blessed with a large membership, a strong local economy, and Sundays still centered around church and family obligations, the congregation was poised to easily build upon the traditions of the two previous congregations: strong pastoral and musical leadership for worship, ample education and fellowship opportunities for all ages, the building of the bell tower and other infrastructure improvements such as sidewalks, a paved parking lot, a utility shed, and various improvements to the building.
During this time the campus was beautified with the planting of many trees and shrubbery, along with improved signage and lighting. In 2001, the chancel was expanded and tile flooring was installed, greatly improving the acoustics of the worship space and creating a more open space for celebrating Holy Communion. Many furnishings have replaced those original to the sanctuary and previous buildings, most notably the paraments from Family Heirloom Weavers, a custom-built communion table, new communion vessels, and a specially-blown baptismal bowl.
Three significant milestones, however, were the burning of the mortgage in 1981, the reception of several large bequests that led to the creation of the All Saints (Endowment) Fund in 1993, and the restoration of the weekly Holy Communion according to its Biblical and Lutheran roots beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 1992. This generosity and foresight has given the congregation a modern building, rich and meaningful worship, and ample financial resources for mission both inside and outside the church doors.
The last 20 years have brought new external challenges to the congregation: a weakening local economy, smaller families and fewer who stay and settle locally, and the loss of the local culture's rhythm of Sunday church and family obligations. Sundays are typically now filled with perpetual school activities, employment, sports, shopping, weekend getaways, and rest at home for those who travel long distances for work.
Yet the blessings of life together at Beaver Lutheran continue. Some of the old traditions have died out while others live on. But new ministries have also begun. The last 20 years have brought greater attention to community outreach. Examples of this include participation in "Adopt a Highway" Litter Clean-Up, partnering with Camp Mount Luther for a community "Camp Beaver" Vacation Bible School, the Fall Festival and Hay Ride, annual Christmas visits to the Selinsgrove Center, St. Nicholas Choir visits to homebound members, the creation of a Disaster Fund, and hosting the annual free Community Thanksgiving Dinner that has drawn hundreds of people for over a decade.
A new picnic pavilion built in 2008 was the first site of our Clothing Closet, a monthly give-away of clothing that has helped alleviate the growing poverty in the western part of Snyder County. In 2010, Beaver Lutheran Food Pantry opened its doors and now partners with the Clothing Closet. These ministries are free and available once a month or by appointment. In 2014, a partnership was forged with West Snyder Elementary to create Meals for Mustangs, a program that provides weekend take-home meals for schoolchildren in needy households. In addition to providing space and volunteers to pack the bags, a meal packaging event hosted by the congregation in the fall of 2016 created 20,000 fortified mac-n-cheese dinners. While this ministry no longer operates within our building, we are grateful for the time we were able to contribute to it.
Beaver Lutheran has also continued and expanded its hospitality to the community by providing space for the Parent-Child Development Preschool.
The congregation continues to remain faithful to rich and meaningful worship rooted in the Lutheran tradition. It continues to encourage its youth to experience the larger church through Camp Mount Luther and the National Youth Gathering. It retains a strong support staff of pastor, musicians, office secretary, custodial and financial staff. And a small, but mighty, recently re-constituted Women of the ELCA (WELCA) provides hospitality for funerals, arranges collections for Blanket Sunday, remembers the needy and homebound members at Christmas, and financially assists youth who attend the National Youth Gathering.
Though now smaller in numbers, a strong, inter-generational spirit remains the life-blood of Beaver Lutheran Church. And here, too, the congregation is poised to grow in a different way- by deepening attention to relationships, taking more time for spiritual learning and conversation, and creating new opportunities to pray for and walk with one another.
Two decades following the high, heady days of the Reformation begun in 1517, when the success of the Lutheran movement was by no means assured, Martin Luther re-iterated that the good news of Jesus comes to us in three ways: through Word, Baptism and Communion. To this, however, he added a fourth, namely, "the mutual conversation and consolation of brothers and sisters." (SA 319.45) By giving greater attention to these four gifts of grace from God, we leave it to the Holy Spirit to give new life to the church.
A solid foundation has been laid for the first 50 years of Beaver Lutheran Church. What will the next 50 years bring? In a time of great societal and economic change, we can trust the promise of Psalm 90, "Lord, you have been our refuge, from one generation to another", and the words of Jesus in Matthew 18:20: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." Truly God is in this place!
(Composed by The Rev. Nathan Baker-Trinity, 2017)