Mount Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church,
New Lebanon, Mercer Co., PA
About the year 1830, a number of Pennsylvania German families took up
the land in French Creek township, Mercer County. Some of them were
Lutherans, others Reformed. Their first Minister was Rev. [Philip] Zeiser, a pastor
of the Reformed Church; but, "the people were ashamed of his conduct,"
and his ministry was fruitless. For a long time then they had no
services except when they were visited by a traveling missionary. On
the 10th day of September, 1845, they were visited by Rev. Henry Ziegler, the first
Missionary President of the Pittsburgh Synod. He found about eighteen
families of Lutherans in the community, a number of whom were anxious
for the establishment of a church of their faith. He preached for them
in what was known as the German school-house, which was purchased by
the people for religious purposes, and was used as a place of worship
until they felt able to build a church. His first services were
attended by about forty people. In February of the following year he
organized a catechetical class of twenty-two members. To show how
thoroughly he did his catechetical work, it need only be said that at
the first meeting of the class "he lectured from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.,
with one hour intermission." On March 15, 1846, he organized a
Sunday-school with Henry
Schreckengost as the German superintendent, and George Royer as the English
superintendent. On Good Friday, April 10, 1846, a church council was
elected, consisting of Henry
Schreckengost, elder, and
Henry Fetterolff, deacon. The church was regularly
organized November 29, 1847 with the following persons:
Henry Schreckengost
Mrs. Elizabeth Schreckengost
George Moak, Sr.
Abraham Grove
Mrs. Elizabeth Grove
Jacob Evans
Mrs. Catherine Evans
Catherine McCandry
Peter Blatt
Mrs. Rachel Blatt
Magdalena Demar
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Evans
Mary Evans
Christian Furst
Mrs. Barbara Furst
Henry Fetterolff
Mrs. Magdalena Fetterolff
Samuel Furst
Mrs. Polly Furst
Sarah Lindsay
George Overmoyer
Abraham Moak
Frederick Overmoyer
Elizabeth Shaeffer
Jonas Blatt
____ Lindsay
Six of these persons were received by confirmation. The congregation
was made the centre of one of the Home Mission fields of the Pittsburgh
Synod and was served by the Rev.
Ziegler until 1848. On the 27th day of January, 1856,
during the pastorate of Rev. John
A. Nuner, a neat frame church was dedicated. The land on
which this church stands was deeded to the congregation in 1861 by Mr. and Mrs. James A. Leech.
The early days of this congregation were days of great prosperity.
During the pastorate of Rev. Isaac
Brenneman there were large accessions to the church, and
the membership reached 110. There was also a large and flourishing
Sunday-school. During recent years the church has been greatly reduced
by deaths and removals until it is scarcely more than a shadow of its
former self. When the General Council was formed in 1867 the
congregation was carried by its pastor into that movement. There were
quite a number of people, however, who were not satisfied with the new
order of things, and, when Rev.
Isaiah Irvine of the General Synod, visited them by
special request, in October, 1887, he found the people about equally
divided on the synodical question. He advised them to announce a
congregational meeting, take a vote on the question and let the
majority rule. This was done and a majority of the voters decided in
favor of the General Synod. The church was then made a part of the
Venango charge, and has been served in this way ever since.
The
following men have served the church as pastors:
Rev. Henry Ziegler, 1845-1848;
Rev. Henry Weicksell, 1848-1851;
Rev. Elihu Rathbun, 1852-1854;
Rev. John A. Nuner, 1855-1859;
Rev. Isaiah J. Delo (supply), 1860; Rev. Isaac Brenneman,
1860-1865; Rev. Duncan M. Kemerer
1866-1867. (During the time the congregation was in the fellowship of
the General Council it was served by pastors
Long, Swingle, McKee and Bartholomew): Rev. S. W. Young, 1888-1893, Rev. J. H. C. Manifold,
1894-1895; Rev. J. K. Hilty,
1895-1898; Rev. Samuel L. Hershiser,
1901-1902; Rev. J. M. Wonders,
1902 - _____.
History
of the Pittsburgh Synod, 1904, pages 440-442.
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