File:Early history of the Reformed church in Pennsylvania (1906) (14790596953).jpg

Identifier: earlyhistoryofre00mill_1 (find matches)
Title: Early history of the Reformed church in Pennsylvania
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Miller, Daniel, 1843-
Subjects: Reformed church in the United States
Publisher: Reading, Pa., D. Miller
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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says that the building was original lya barn. The Reformed congregation was organized byRev. Geo. M. Weiss soon after his arrival in 1727.The exact date is unknown, but it is supposed to be1728. The people worshiped in a rented place (likelythe butchers house) until the completion of their first church on Sassafras(now Race) street,corner of 4th street.On Sunday, Decem-ber 6,1747, Rev. Mr.Schlatter preachedthe first sermon init. The church wasnot yet plastered, andthere was neither gal-lery nor window, asthe record states.Thus the people wor-shiped in winterwithout heat. Stoveswould have been ofno use, when there were no windows. The churchwas a small six-cornered building. There was asmall steeple or cupola in the centre. The humblehouse of worship was surmounted by a weather-vane inthe form of a rooster, which was a Holland symbol.We are not told how soon the little new six-corneredchurch was completed. The people of those days hada high regard for public worship. For a long time a
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First Chureh, Philadelphia. OF THE REFORMED CHURCH. 31 chain was stretched across the street during the time ofworship, so that the congregation might not be dis-turbed by passing vehicles. Now many congregationsare disturbed by trolley and steam cars. In the Tulpehocken region in the western part ofBerks county there were two Tulpehocken Reformedcongregations. The first congregation was organized in1727 by Palatines coming with Conrad Weiser, sr., fromSchoharie, N. Y., in 1723, and for some years wor-shiped with the Lutherans in the Reed church, whichis supposed to have been the first union church of thetwo denominations in this country. Rev. J. P. Boehmadministered the first communion at Tulpehocken inOctober, 1727, to 32 persons. After worshiping someyears in the Reed church the Reformed people with-drew and erected a small log church on four acres ofground at the place now known as Host church, fivemiles north of Womelsdorf, Pa. In 1743 a new logchurci was erected here. The congreearlyhistoryofre00mill_1

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