Introduction
Before embarking on this work, the author, young Leonard J. Chester,
pondered the possibility that there might ultimately prove to be insufficient
information available to complete the task.
However, Leonard’s enthusiasm for the subject prevailed and his careful
research has produced a fine and irreplaceable church history, irreplaceable,
for those people who contributed much invaluable information through Leonard’s
personal interviews are now giving testimony of their good works
elsewhere.
_________________
A History
of
The Puslinch Community Brethren in
formerly known as
The Puslinch Union Church
by
Leonard J. Chester
Table of
Contents
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I |
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II |
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III |
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IV |
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V |
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VI |
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VII |
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VIII |
Interaction of the Puslinch Tunkers with Tunkers
of other areas |
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IX |
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X |
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XI |
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XII |
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XI1I |
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XIV |
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XV |
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XVI |
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XVII |
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XVIII |
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Foreword
This paper was written for Dr. Martin H. Schrag for the course “Brethren
in Christ Life and Thought” in the fall of 1969, at
Dr. Schrag comments, “These Record Books would be the oldest written
records we have of a local congregation in which the Brethren had a part”, a
fine tribute to these early brethren of the Union Church arrangement!
The author would welcome any further information on the Union
Church. The author would also attempt to
answer any questions the paper raises for anyone.
The following were included in the original appendix: an article on Holm’s mill; Calendar for The
The co-operation of these brethren might teach something to us in an
ecumenical age.
L. J. Chester
____________________
Chapter I
The Puslinch Community Brethren In
Although I was rather hesitant to undertake to study the history of this
Church, because I feared there would be a lack of authentic resources for the
earlier years, I have
experienced
great satisfaction in researching this project.
I found valuable information on the early years in E. Morris Sider’s
master’s dissertation, and in E. J. Swalm’s memoirs, as well as some more
current detail in the latter. I learned
names of early members of the
commencing
1868 and some Trustee Board Meetings ending in 1951, have served as the basic
sources of data. Congregational Council
and Church Board Minutes both of Rosebank and Puslinch were studied. Interviews with and letters from people connected
with both histories of the Church have furnished interesting material.
In my early teens, I was converted through the efforts of the Rosebank
workers in the Puslinch Sunday School, and was a charter member of the congregation
when it was officially organized as a
__________________
Chapter II
The history of a church must, of necessity, begin with or include the
names of specific people or families.
Nicholas Cober, Sr. emigrated, with his young wife to York County,
Ontario from Somerset County,
In 1833, Nicholas Cober, Sr. and two of his sons, Jacob and Nicholas,
Jr., each received two hundred acres of Crown land from the government of Upper
Canada, in Wellington County, Puslinch Township, Concession three, Lots two,
three and six, front and rear.(4.)
By 1839, Nicholas Cober Sr. had also received Lots four and five in
Concession three, Puslinch Township.(5.) Thus, the Cober family owned a block of land
of one thousand acres. Nicholas Cober
Sr. later returned to York County,(6.) selling part of his land(7.)
to his son-in-law, Neils Peter Holm.(8.) However, Cober’s sons and son-in-law
remained in
On April 24th 1841, a Peter Holm received the rear half of Lot one of
Concession three of Puslinch Township from the Crown; later, the same year, on
September 25th, 1841, he sold this hundred acre plot to his brother, Neils
Peter Holm,(9.) the son-in-law of Nicholas Cober, Sr. When thirty-five years of age, in 1846,
Neils P. Holm was ordained to the ministry of the River Brethren Church.(9A) In 1845, Peter Holm received from the Crown
the front hundred acres of the same lot.(10.) The two brothers settled on these plots of
land, and built farms and homes there.
Peter Holm built a dam and operated a saw-mill on his farm. The mill is still standing and is pictured in
the appendix of the original paper.
The family of Cornelius Pannabecker, who bought land from the Cobers in
1848,(11.) played a significant role in the life of the Union Church.(12.) By 1868, two other men, John Wildfong and
Elias Erb, were prominent in the fellowship of believers which gave birth to
the Puslinch Union Church.
___________________
Chapter III
The desirability of having a community “burying ground’ and a “Union
Meeting House”(13.) may have been evident for some time. This desire culminated in a meeting on
January 10th 1868, at the home of Jacob Cober, “for the purpose of electing
trustees for taking charge of burying ground on lot no. 5, in the third
concession in the
The destiny of this lot to become the cemetery and church grounds was
likely set the previous year when Anna Holm, daughter of Rev. Neils P. and
Susanna (Cober) Holm, after her death on July 2nd 1867, was buried there. Mrs. Susanna Holm’s brother, Jacob Cober,
agreed to give one-half acre of his land for a cemetery, if the members of the
community would agree to buy for sixty dollars ($60.00) an accompanying half-acre
from him. This, they accepted.(15.)
Therefore, on April 1st 1868, a deed for one acre of land was
registered, from Jacob and Mary Cober to the following trustees: Cornelius
Pannabecker, Nicholas Cober and Nicholas P. Cober.(16.) From its inception, it has been a “Union”
cemetery and church. Jacob Cober set
three stipulations on this land in the original deed:
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1. |
for the only use and purpose of a site for a Church and
for a Cemetery. |
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2. |
that whenever hereafter a church is erected on said land,
such church shall be for the use and benefit of all denominations, under such
rules and regulations as the said trustees or their successors in office may
make, and that the said cemetery shall likewise be for the use and benefit of
all denominations. |
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3. |
Trustees are to keep an accurate account of all money, received
or expended for purchase, erection of said church and all other matters
pertaining to said premises.(17.) |
The members of the community at a meeting on March 19th, 1868 decided
that the Union Church was to be “built by the free liberality of the
community”, and that
“the
Denomination that does the most towards erecting said building shall have the
privilege of first appointing their meetings... and that no Denomination shall
be allowed to make their appointments more than one or two days in succession.”(18.)
Their spirit of unity was certainly evident. It may be of interest to note that out of the
fourteen names listed in the Minute Book, six represented men under thirty
years of age. Perhaps their youthfulness aided in the actions described above.
In the original trustee board, there were three denominations
represented. Cornelius Pannabecker was
Mennonite Brethren In Christ;(19.) Nicholas
Cober was Tunker;(20.) and Nicholas P. Cober was German Baptist.(21.) The pattern of having the various
denominations represented on the trustee board was continued in the coming
years. The term of office for the
trustee was not determined, being as long as he lived, or until he resigned. A fourth denomination participated
officially; this was the Old Mennonites.
___________
Chapter IV
The Union Church: The Early Years
At a meeting on January 14th, 1874, action was finally taken to get the
Union Meeting House constructed.(22.) It was originally decided to build the House of
frame construction, with 936 square feet of floor space (26 feet x 36 feet,
which is close to the present size).(23.) Later the same month, a committee of twelve
men was appointed to “remain in office until the House is built and paid for”.(24.) At a third meeting, three days later, January
26th, the committee decided to build a brick House instead of the frame one, to
put the plaster on the brick without lathing, and to install a set of double
doors.(25.) There was no
basement built under the House.
The community was solicited for funds for purchasing the materials,
etcetera. A man received eighty-seven
and one-half cents per day, or one dollar and seventy-five cents per day for
working with his team of horses. The
total cost for the land, the deed, all construction materials and labour was
$602.81.(26.) The men of the
community who were active in the inception of the Union Church were also paid
for their labour. Thus, the church may
have, been partially built by volunteer labourers, but most of the labourers
were paid.(27.) This was
contrary to the practice of many churches, where labour was donated.
A meeting of the participating members of the Union Church was held on
April 24th, 1875, at which trustees were elected. There appeared to be some confusion from the
records as to who actually was elected.
From this meeting until 1891, records were either not kept, or have been
destroyed. In the 1891 meeting of
February 24th, two references are made to the meeting of February 27th,
1890. Thus, it is probable that annual
meetings were held, but the records were destroyed or lost at a later time.
________________
Chapter V
The
As stated earlier, the first burial took place in July of 1867, before
the lot was officially created a cemetery.
The next burials were in April and September of 1869.(28) Thereafter, it was used as the community
burying ground until the late 1920’s.
The last burial dates are 1924, 1928, and 1930.(29.) There are fifty-six persons buried there
according to the original plan which the author viewed, although seventeen
burials are not marked by tombstones.
At a meeting called by the trustees in 1925, the following action was
taken:
“Trustees
to notify those who have friends buried in graveyard to try and come and fix up
their grave.”(30.)
It is unknown whether this action produced any improvements. Because of complete neglect, the cemetery
became overgrown with weeds and brush, and many of the tombstones had fallen or
were broken.
About 1960, interested persons, mainly from the Rosebank Congregation,
placed the tombstones in three straight rows in the south-east corner of the
cemetery, leaving many of the actual gravesites unmarked. However, much of the brushy growth still
remained. About 1962, this brush was
uprooted, the cemetery was levelled off and grass was sown. The whole cemetery lawn is regularly mowed by
members of the present congregation.
The author helped to implement these latter improvements.
On August 8th, 1969, the present Church Board and trustee board of the
Puslinch Community Brethren in
burials”.(31.) And thus, the use of the cemetery was ended,
permanently.
_________________
Chapter VI
As was indicated from the original plans of the brethren who launched
the Union Meeting House, some pattern of using the House for services would
need to be established. No record of this pattern was available until 1892,
when a record of the services held was made from March to December. The Mennonite Brethren in Christ conducted
the services every other Sunday, both morning and evening. The Tunkers (written “dunkart” by the
recorder) were in charge of the services one Sunday per month, as were Old
Mennonites. The Old Mennonites conducted only a morning service on their
Sundays.
There were only three variations in this pattern of services. The Mennonite Brethren in Christ held a
Fellowship meeting the first Sunday afternoon in September, and a missionary
meeting on a Tuesday evening in December.
The other variation was that the German Baptists (listed as “old
dunkarts” by the recorder) held a protracted meeting from Saturday evening,
September 9th, until Monday evening, September 18th, with an “evangelist” by
the name of Brubbaker.(32.)
Might we safely assume, in light of the pattern indicated in 1892, that
this was the pattern practised from 1875 until then? It would seem to indicate, as do the names in
the
original
Minute Books, that the financing and construction of the Union Church was
mainly supported by the Mennonite Brethren in Christ and thus they had the
first preference for appointing their services.
A system of proportional assessment from the four groups, for general
expenses, in existence from 1890-1893, stipulated the following amounts:(33)
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Mennonite Brethren in Christ |
$15.00 |
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River Brethren |
$10.00 |
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German Baptists |
$5.00 |
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Old Mennonites |
$5.00 |
This system would also indicate the ascendancy of the Mennonite
Brethren in Christ. The strength and support of this denomination in the Union
Church became more evident within a short time.
I will discuss this later.
Did worshipping in the same Meeting House cause any of the four participating
denominations to lose their identity? It
does not appear that it did.
Furthermore, they may not have united for worship as the name Union
Church might suggest. This appears to be
the case at least with the Tunkers, although I could neither prove nor disprove
it for the other groups.
All the Tunkers of the Waterloo District (Rosebank and Puslinch) met at
the
For the Old Mennonites in the Puslinch area, a pattern of alternating
services with other Old Mennonite groups west of Hespeler was also reported to
the author.(37.) Thus,
it appears
that the groups maintained their own identities.
In the services, the men and the women sat separately. The Sunday morning services started at 10:00
a.m. and lasted two hours. Usually three
hymns were lined and sung, the leader using a tuning fork. Apparently, English was the language used in
preaching, as it was in all records that I viewed. Only one sermon was preached per
service. One preacher in the late 1890’s
is reported to have chewed tobacco while preaching! No collection or offering was received in
the service; the church expenses were met by private donations. There was a
concurrence of opinion that preaching talent in the Puslinch area was not
strong whereas the brethren who came from Wilmot had greater oratorical
ability.(38.) Baptismal services were conducted in the dam built by
Bishop Peter Holm for his saw-mill.(39.)
Only two Lovefeasts can be definitely cited, although it is most
probable that there were others previous to 1900, The first was held “in John
Wildfong’s barn on the outskirts of Hespeler,” in 1901.(40.) The second was a Lovefeast held in the Union
Church in 1920, remembered because a sister, formerly of the Union Church,
visited some friends in the community while attending the Lovefeast.(41.)
Events of interest, recorded in the 1894 and 1896 Annual Minutes, under
the financial report, were collections from “Singing Schools”. In 1894, the amount was $2.68, and in 1896,
$1.86.(42.) A gentleman from
________________
Chapter VII
Sunday School in the Union Church
The Mennonite Brethren in Christ are reported to have conducted Sunday
School in the church on Sunday afternoons about 1890. Two of the teachers, Elias Pannabecker
and Mrs.
Richard Ball, were of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ denomination.(44.) Other teachers or the duration of this effort
could not be recalled.
The conservatism which kept the Wilmot Tunkers from starting Sunday
School work until approximately 1912 or 1913, probably also prevailed among the
Puslinch Tunkers. Thus, it is to be
suspected that the Tunkers opposed the Sunday School effort by the Mennonite
Brethren in Christ in the Union Church.
Anyway, this particular Sunday School work ended.
Official action was taken finally by the Puslinch Tunkers to commence
Sunday School on November 16th 1912, at a meeting called at the Union
Church. It was decided to have a “Union”
School, as opposed to a
“denominational” School. This school was
scheduled to begin December 1st 1912, at 10:00 a.m., with John D. Wildfong, son
of the former Bishop John Wildfong (deceased six months), as the superintendent.(46.)
This concludes the history of the
Sunday School work carried on in the earlier years of the Union Church.
_____________
Chapter VIII
Interaction of the Puslinch Tunkers
with Tunkers of Other Areas
As has already been indicated, there was considerable interchange among
the brethren of the Wilmot and Puslinch groups.
This interchange kept the brethren of this part of the Waterloo District
apparently quite united, for Sunday School was begun at Rosebank close to the
same time as at Puslinch.(47.)
George Shupe, who lived in Blenheim Township, was the first Bishop of
the
The General Conference of the Brethren in Christ Church of 1886 was
“held at the home of John Wildfong of Waterloo County, Canada, May 19th, 20th,
and 21st.(54.) In the
Conference of 1890, Article III, John Wildfong was named to a committee to
harmonize various materials on the Lord’s Supper. The Joint Council for
Further interaction was achieved through specific visiting
individuals. On Friday, September 30th
1892, men by the names of Rickart (Reichard?) and Steckly conducted an evening
service for the Tunkers. Could this have
been a Lovefeast occasion? Then on the
following Sunday in the evening service, men by the names of Boyer and Hize
(Heise?) conducted the service for the Tunkers.(56.) Brother Noah Zook conducted a revival meeting
there in 1901.(57.) About
1914, there were some revivals conducted there by Bert Sherk, Girven Bearss,
and John Nigh.(58.)
________________
Chapter IX
The Decline of the Union Church
On March 2nd 1892, at the Annual Business Meeting, action was taken to
establish a building committee for an addition to the church. The men elected to this committee were Elias
Pannabecker, Jacob B. Cober and J. G. Cober.(59.) This committee appears to be representative
of three of the denominations: the Mennonite Brethren in Christ, the German
Baptists, and the Tunkers. Although no
further mention or record of this committee or their work can be found, it is
likely that the attached woodshed, which contains one small plastered room, is
the result of their action. This action
appears to be the last effort in which all four denominations participated.
By studying the Annual Reports of the last decade of the nineteenth
century, several trends can be noted. In
1894, all the assessments on the four groups were proportionately reduced, so
the total amount was $25.00 instead of $35.00.
In 1896, the assessment system was altered again; this time an equal
amount of $7.00 was made on each of the four groups, which were listed in this
order: River Brethren, German Baptists, Mennonite Brethren in Christ and Old
Mennonites. Up until that year, the
third group listed here had been listed first, with the others following in the
same order.(60.) The
equalization of the assessments, and the removal of The Mennonite Brethren in
Christ from the first place on the last would appear to suggest a waning of
their, support and strength in the Union Church arrangement.
The minutes of the 1898 and 1899 Annual Meetings are both very brief,
dealing with mere formalities. To the
author, this suggests a loss of vitality of the groups participating in the
Union Church. The 1899 financial record
reveals that the Old Mennonites made no contributions that year; furthermore
their name does not appear in the minutes of the next recorded meeting, that of
1903, or in any succeeding records. In
1899, the German Baptists contributed just $2.00, which may be indicative of
their strength at the time. The Mennonite
Brethren in Christ contributed $12.00; however, the River Brethren contributed $14.00, which fact might be used to suggest
their ascendancy at the time. In
1900, the record indicates cash was paid only by the River Brethren, an amount
of $13.00.(62.)
An interesting development was taking place in the Mennonite Brethren in
Christ group which probably explains the decline in their support of the Union
Church. In 1898, this group conducted a
tent campaign in Hespeler, three miles southwest of the Union Church. Later, a hall was rented above a blacksmith
shop in Hespeler. In 1902, a church was
built on
In the 1903 records, the two groups assessed are the German Baptists and
the River Brethren. The fact that the
German Baptists were assessed for two thirds of the operating expenses may
suggest a resurgence in the strength of their group or the following phrase may
suggest that they were using the church two Sundays to the River Brethren’s one
Sunday: “as long as meetings continuing as at present.”(65A.) I feel the latter may be more the
situation. What eventually became of
these German Baptist Brethren is unknown.
In 1905, the donations made were on a personal basis, and most of the donors
were definitely of the River Brethren group.
Incidentally, 1906 was the first year that “Brethren in Christ” is found
in any of the records. with reference to the River Brethren, when a donation of
$5.00 is recorded.(66.)
Henceforth, so shall they be called in this paper.
In 1905, 1906, and 1908, the Brethren in Christ had the use of the Union
Church every other Sunday. This is
indicated in three small annual “Calendars for the
The somewhat belated introduction of Sunday School in the winter of
1912-13, already related, appears to have sparked some revitalization within
the group. Regular annual meetings were
recorded once more, and minor improvements were sanctioned in the
meetings. The Brethren in Christ were
clearly dominant, if not the sole occupiers of the Union Church.(69.) From 1913 on, services were conducted every
Sunday.(70.)
________________________
Chapter X
The Closing of the Union Church
Following the commencement of Sunday School, and the election of
Nathaniel Wildfong as the resident minister, life continued in the Union Church
until at least 1921, for the financial records indicate the reception by the
treasurer of Sunday School collections in December of 1921.(70.) There was an annual meeting in March of 1922
at which Solomon Cober, who had moved into Hespeler, resigned as trustee. J. D.
Wildfong was elected to succeed him.(72.)
The church was reportedly closed soon after Solomon Cober sold his farm
and moved to Hespeler.(73.)
Another source suggests the closing had taken place by the fall of 1924.
He
identified this with reference to the fact that it had closed prior to Mr. and
Mrs. David Cober’s moving to Rosebank in the spring of 1925 from their home
one-quarter mile from the church.(74.) Thus, it appears that the church closed
sometime between January 1922 and the fall of 1924.
In 1925, there was a meeting, to which I have referred, called by the
trustees, in an attempt to care for the cemetery. In 1928, there was an amount of $7.00 on hand. On
May 1st
1928, lumber was procured to make coverings for the windows, and was paid for
on Nov. 15th 1928.(75.)
In 1933, Nathaniel Wildfong was the chairman of a meeting “held in the
Union Church for business”. At this
time, it was decided to remove parts of the shed, and to use the money for a
fence and other repairs.(76.)
Nathaniel Wildfong is listed in the General Conference Directory for
Ministers in 1926 and 1927.(76A.)
His name is not in succeeding directories. However, he had not died by this time, since
he chaired a meeting there in 1933. I
was not able to learn the date of his death.
There appears to be no simple answer as to why the Union Church ceased
operating when it did, I feel that it was the result of a number of related and
inter-related factors. Some of these I will suggest.
|
(1.) |
As indicated, the originally strongest element, the
Mennonite Brethren in Christ, had withdrawn.
|
|
(2.) |
The German Baptists and Old Mennonites had moved from the
area. |
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(3.) |
The conservatism of Waterloo District leaders caused losses which were never recovered. (It is interesting to note that Rosebank was almost forced to the same plight as the Union Church, and at the same time.)(77.) |
|
(4.) |
The youth of the congregation married outside the
district,(78.) and outside the Brethren in |
|
(5.) |
Members of the congregation moved to Hespeler, bought farms in other areas, and some emigrated to Saskatchewan.(79.) |
|
(6.) |
Nathaniel Wildfong, the resident minister, lacked the aggressiveness of spirit needed to recover this dwindling congregation.(80.) |
|
(7.) |
Nathaniel Wildfong married a second time and his wife was not part of the church, and influenced him away from the church.(81.) |
|
(8.) |
Some of the younger leaders of the Sunday School were unstable and backslid.(82.) |
I would like to mention two further aspects which I found with regard to
the community in general.
The fact that the original settlers’ descendants gradually moved out is
evident in the school records of School Section Number Twelve, Puslinch. In 1896, eighteen of the forty names on the
attendance register had the original German-type names, Cober, Holm,
Pannabecker. In 1905, there were only
sixteen on the register, five of whom had one of the names associated with the
Union Church. In 1915, there were
twenty-two in the register, with only one original name evident.(83.) Thus, it appears there was a major shift in
the population.
A second factor I found raised a question for me, which I have not been
able to answer. A second old church, about three miles north of the Union
Church also closed. A historian of
_____________
Chapter XI
The Trustees left in charge of the Union Church were John H. Chester, J.
G. Wildfong and T. Evans. No record of
any actions by them is available., Unfortunately for this history, John H.
Chester died this autumn, 1969. Accurate
detail might have been procured from him covering this time-span.
As indicated earlier, the church was boarded up and used only for a few
funerals thereafter.(85.)
In the 1940’s, for several years, there were some services conducted in
the Church by a Lutheran minister from
and were
well-attended.(87.) For some
reason this was discontinued, and the Union Church was left “open”.
The next event to be recorded took place on February 6, 1951 at the home
of Walter Holm, grandson of the Reverend Neils P. Holm, one of the earlier
ministers at
the Union
Church. Eighteen people attended a
meeting there to elect Trustees for the church and cemetery. Sixteen of these people were direct
descendents, or the spouse of one, of some of the former members of the Union
Church Community. The Trustees elected
were Walter Holm (Chairman), Alvin Gingrich (Secretary-Treasurer, grandson of
the former Deacon, Solomon Gingrich), and J. Herbert Wildfong (grandson of
Bishop John Wildfong). The trustees were
to get legal advice on what could be done with the church building.(88.)
This was the last event that arose spontaneously from the community
where the Union Church is located.
_________________
Chapter XII
Rosebank’s
Dead Sister Disturbed
Not quite two months after the election of new trustees, the following
“Article (10)” was included in the Rose bank Church Council Meeting:
“Supported motion carried that a committee consisting of the two
deacons and Elder Ray Sider investigate the possibility of opening a work at
the Union Church...”(89.)
This investigation was begun and continued through the year, with visits
being made to the community by
No further action was taken by the Rosebank brethren until the Fall
Council Meeting of 1953, when the Puslinch committee was enlarged to five, by
adding Donald Albrecht and Kenneth Cassel, to “investigate the feasibility of
conducting a summer
A verbal
report was given to the Council of May 10th 1954.(93.)
__________________
Chapter XIII
Rosebank’s Disturbed Sister
Raised.
The committee did decide to have a
Since the Union Church had been left unboarded from its last use (?), it
had fallen into a bad condition. The
Reverend Percy W. Cassel, the Rosebank pastor, said that there was not a full
pane of glass anywhere, that they shingled the north half of the roof, that
they removed the debris (glass, stone, dirt, etc.) with shovels, and that they
painted the interior of the church. The
window sashes also had to be rebuilt.(96.)
At the Rosebank Council on November 24th 1955, it was decided “that the
Committee go ahead with the transfer of the deed for the Puslinch property”.(97.) The Trustees who had freely granted use of
the Union Church in the beginning “offered to turn over the deed and the
property without cost and in return we were to maintain the small cemetery”.(98.) The new Trustees were
The Rosebank workers continued to hold Sunday School each Sunday
afternoon at 3:00 p.m. Also, each summer
a
__________________
Chapter XIV
Rosebank’s
Risen Sister Grows
By the Spring Council of 1957, a board for Puslinch consisted of the
Reverend James Sider, Rosebank’s new pastor, Edgar Heise,
On December 1st 1958, at a joint meeting of the Rosebank and Puslinch
Boards, it was decided to begin holding Sunday School at 10:30 a. m. in January
of 1959, and that “Puslinch shall be an auxiliary church to Rosebank”.(103.)
At the Fall Council of Rosebank, December 1st 1958, the following
trustees for Puslinch were appointed:
This is the first official mention of Wayne Schiedel, who, with his
family, came to play such an important role at Puslinch, in the coming
years. He and his wife, Ruth, had moved
from Stevensville to
The Rosebank Fall Council of 1958 approved the purchase of a furnace for
the Puslinch church at a cost of $750.00, of which $600.00 was to be donated by
Rosebank, with Puslinch to raise another $200.00.(106.) This was properly installed immediately and
was a great improvement over the two space oil-burners.
In the Rosebank Spring Council, 1959, the 1958 enrolment at Puslinch
was 44, with an average attendance of 38.
The Superintendent was Edgar Heise; the teacher and alternate teachers
were Mrs. Willa Albrecht and Mrs. Ruth Heise; Elaine Cassel, Joyce Cober and
Alex McKittrick; Lloyd Hogg and Ronald J. Sider; and Alvin Cober and Irvine
Cober. There were four classes for the Sunday School.(107.)
The
“that, in the best interests of the work there, the earlier a separate
organization can be effected the better for the progress of the work, but that
that organization be deferred for one year...”
This council also suggested the commencing of a week-night youth program
on alternate weeks.(108.)
This program was initiated by Lloyd Hogg. The year 1959 appears to have been a year of
many advances in the Puslinch Sunday School.
During 1960, action was taken to make physical improvements on the
building, such as new doors and painting the exterior. In May of 1960, a week of evangelistic services
was held.(109.) Lloyd Hogg moved from the area in July of
1960, and Mr. and Mrs. Paul Schiedel, brother of the Pastor, moved in to assist
in the work. The Wilbert Cober family of
Rosebank attended regularly, and were actively engaged in the Sunday School
work.
In January of 1961, an evening service every fourth Sunday was
instituted. At the same time; it was to
be noted that two youth of the Puslinch community were involved in the Sunday
School organization, Gordon Burmaster Jr., and the author. As well, Mr. Alex McKittrick, a member of the
local community, was also teaching Sunday School. That year, the desire for an organ at
Puslinch was expressed.(110.)
At a meeting of the joint Rosebank and Puslinch boards, at which Bishop
E. J. Swalm was present, in July of 1961, it was decided to publicly ask if
there were those at Rosebank who would attend Puslinch regularly, and become
charter members of the new organization.(111.)
At a meeting of the joint Board on December 28th 1961, it was decided to
effect an organization at the
___________________
Chapter XV
Rosebank’s
Growing Sister Stands Alone
Thus, on February 18th 1962, in a morning service conducted by Bishop
E. J. Swalm, a new congregation of the Canadian Conference was born,
worshipping in a building which has a very unique history. There were four members transferred in from
Rosebank, and seven members from the community were received on confession of
their faith in Christ. The author was one of these seven. Over these last almost eight years, a total
of thirty-seven people have or have had their membership there. The membership now stands at nineteen.(113.)
The members of the first
_____________________
Chapter XVI
The Puslinch Community Brethren in
Pastor
Schiedel moved into a house he built in the community in August of 1961. This opened the possibility of closer contact
with the community. He served the
Puslinch
congregation
a total of nine years, without financial support, except during the last year,
when he received a small car allowance.
Walter Kelly, a student at Emmanuel Bible College,
On December 28th 1964, a Hallman Reed Organ was installed in the
church. This large instrument replaced
an electrified older type of pump organ purchased in March of 1963. Since January of 1969, a piano is also in use
in the church.(115.)
Although the walls were painted instead of whitewashed,(116.)
few other renovations were made to the building while it was operated by
Rosebank. In the fall of 1962, the
interior of the church was painted and a tile floor was laid. Later, some of the original benches were
altered so that there is a centre aisle rather than two side aisles. In the autumn of 1967, the walls and ceiling
were insulated and re-covered so that the church has an attractive modern
interior.(117.)
A desire for more room for the Christian Education program led to the
establishment of a Building Fund in 1963.
This fund has shown healthy growth, but no project has as yet been
undertaken.
The 1962 budget was set for $1,700; by 1968, it had climbed to
$6492.00. The actual income in 1962 was
$1,714.16 and it had climbed to a peak of $4, 347.55 in 1966. The 1967 income was slightly lower than
this.
The ministry of the Sunday School to the community has been directed
greatly to children and young people.
This has made for rather slow progress in building a strong church in
the community. The last two years have
seen some reversal of this trend, as several community couples with their children
are attending. The Sunday School has
never been large, the average attendance
for 1967 being 39.(118.) In
July of 1968, the Church Board changed the time of the Sunday School from 10:30
to 10:00 a.m., thus providing a full hour for the worship service.
The congregation has revealed an innovative spirit recently, perhaps
due to the youthfulness of the leaders.
(1) Sunday School picnics in 1968 and 1969 were held on Sunday
afternoon, with an increased attendance.
(2) In 1969, because of limited space, (the local school no longer
being available), there was a registration fee of $1.00 per pupil for
(3) Feet washing and the holy kiss have been deleted from communion
services
in March of
1968 and November of 1969.(120.)
______________________
Since the present and last pastors were students while in service at the
Puslinch congregation they have brought fresh and inspiring ideas with them
from their current training. They have
also influenced fellow students at
Apart from some brief internal problems during 1965 and 1966, the
growing pains of a congregation, marks of immaturity on the parts of leaders
and people--the congregation’ s progress .. . . is ... rather solid.(121.)
The congregation faces a future of opportunity as
_____________________
Chapter XVII
I have realized more and more that a history of the
_________________
|
FOR THE RIVER BRETHREN CHURCH 1908 |
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Jan. 5th |
Puslinch |
May 3rd |
Rosebank |
Sept. 6th |
Rosebank |
|
Jan. 12th |
Rosebank |
May 10th |
Puslinch |
Sept. 13th |
Puslinch |
|
Jan. 19th |
Puslinch p.h. |
May 17th |
Rosebank |
Sept. 20th |
Rosebank |
|
Jan. 26th |
Rosebank |
May 24th |
Puslinch p.h. |
Sept. 27th |
Puslinch p.h. |
|
Feb. 2nd |
Puslinch |
May 31st |
Rosebank |
Oct. 4th |
Rosebank |
|
Feb. 9th |
Rosebank |
June 7th |
Puslinch |
Oct. 11th |
Puslinch |
|
Feb. 16th |
Puslinch |
June 14th |
Rosebank |
Oct. 18th |
Rosebank |
|
Feb. 23rd |
Rosebank |
June 21st |
Puslinch |
Oct. 25th |
Puslinch |
|
Mar. 1st |
Puslinch p.h. |
June 28th |
Rosebank |
Nov. 1st |
Rosebank |
|
Mar. 8th |
Rosebank |
July 5th |
Puslinch p.h. |
Nov. 8th |
Puslinch p.h. |
|
Mar. 15th |
Puslinch |
July 12th |
Rosebank |
Nov. 15th |
Rosebank |
|
Mar. 22nd |
Rosebank |
July 19th |
Puslinch |
Nov. 22nd |
Puslinch |
|
Mar. 29th |
Puslinch |
July 26th |
Rosebank |
Nov. 29th |
Rosebank |
|
Apr. 5th |
Rosebank |
Aug. 2nd |
Puslinch |
Dec. 6th |
Puslinch |
|
Apr. 12th |
Puslinch p.h. |
Aug. 7th |
Rosebank |
Dec. 13th |
Rosebank |
|
Apr. 19th |
Rosebank |
Aug. 16th |
Puslinch p.h. |
Dec. 20th |
Puslinch p.h. |
|
Apr. 26th |
Puslinch |
Aug. 23rd |
Rosebank |
Dec. 27th |
Rosebank |
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Aug. 30th |
Puslinch |
|
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* The author suggests that
“p.h.” may indicate “private home”. |
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(1.) |
Alvin Alonzo Cober, The Cober Genealogy Pg. 20. |
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(2.) |
Ibid. Pg. 22. |
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(3.) |
Ibid. Pg. 22. |
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(4.) |
Registry Office, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. |
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(5.) |
Ibid. |
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(6.) |
Op. cit., The Cober Genealogy. Pg. 23. |
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(7.) |
Registry Office, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. |
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(8.) |
Op. cit., The Cober Genealogy. Pg. 34. |
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(9.) |
Registry Office, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. |
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(9A.) |
E. Morris Sider, History of the Brethren in Christ (Tunker) Church in Canada, pg. 83. |
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(10.) |
Op. cit., Registry Office. |
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(11.) |
Ibid. |
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(12.) |
Union Church, Original Record Books. |
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(13.) |
Ibid. Jan. 10th 1868. |
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(14.) |
Ibid. |
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(15.) |
Ibid. Mar. 19th 1868. |
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(16.) |
Op. cit., Registry Office. Original Deed. |
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(17.) |
Ibid. |
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(18.) |
Op. cit., original Record Books. Mar. 19th 1868. |
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(19.) |
Op. cit., The Cober Genealogy, Pg. 145. |
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(20.) |
Ibid. Pg. 34. |
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(21.) |
Ibid. Pg. 74. |
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(22.) |
Op. cit., Original Record Books. |
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(23.) |
Ibid. Jan. 14th 1874. |
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(24.) |
Ibid. Jan. 23rd 1874. |
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(25.) |
Ibid. Committee, Jan. 26th 1874. |
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(26.) |
Ibid. Financial Records, 1874. |
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(27.) |
Ibid. |
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(28.) |
Tombstones. |
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(29.) |
Ibid. |
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(30.) |
Op. cit., Original Record Books. 1925. |
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(31.) |
Puslinch Community Brethren in Christ Church Board Minutes. Aug. 8th 1969. |
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(32.) |
Op. cit., Original Record Books. 1892. |
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(33.) |
Ibid. Financial Records. |
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(34.) |
Aden Eby, Personal interview, November 8th 1969. |
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(35.) |
Op. cit., Original Record Books. 1892. |
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(36.) |
Op. cit., Aden Eby. |
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(37.) |
David Panabaker, Personal interview, November 8th 1969. |
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(38.) |
Ibid. Also: Mrs. Bertha Brown, Personal interview, Nov. 8th 1969. |
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(39.) |
Opt cit., David Panabaker: All detail on the services. |
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(40.) |
Ernst J. Swalm, My Beloved Brethren, pg. 47. |
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(41.) |
Op. cit., Mrs. Bertha Brown. |
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(42.) |
Op. cit., Original Record Books. |
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(43.) |
J. Herbert Wildfong, Personal Telephone Conversation, November 8th 1969. |
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(43A.) |
Op. cit., Aden Eby. |
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(44.) |
Op. cit., Mrs. Bertha Brown. |
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(45.) |
Ernest J. Swalm, My Beloved Brethren. Pg. 48. |
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(46.) |
Op. cit., Original Record Books. Nov. 16th 1912. |
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(47.) |
Irvine Cober, Personal interview, Nov. 8th 1969. |
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(48.) |
Op. cit., History of the Brethren in Christ (Tunker) Church in Canada. Pg. 81. |
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(49.) |
Ibid. Pg. 82. |
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(50.) |
George Cober, A Historical Sketch of the Brethren in Christ Church, known as Tunkers, in Canada. (pamphlet). |
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(51.) |
Op. cit., E. Morris Sider. Pg. 82. |
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(52.) |
Op. cit., Swalm, My Beloved Brethren. Pg. 47. |
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(53.) |
Ibid. Pg. 47. |
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(54.) |
Minutes of the General Conference of the Brethren In Christ Church, 1886. |
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(55.) |
Tunker Church Minutes, Pg. 10. |
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(56.) |
0p. cit., Original Record Books. |
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(57.) |
Mrs. Catherine Winger, Personal Letter, Nov. 1969. |
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(58.) |
0p. cit., J. Herbert Wildfong. |
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(59.) |
Op. cit., Original Record Books. |
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(60.) |
Ibid. |
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(61.) |
Ibid. |
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(62.) |
Ibid. |
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(63.) |
A. F. Good, Personal letter, Nov. 20th 1969. |
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(64.) |
Op. cit., Original Record Books. |
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(65.) |
Op. cit., A. F. Good. |
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(65A.) |
Op. cit.; Original Record Books. |
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(66.) |
Ibid. |
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(67.) |
Calendars for the River Brethren Church, 1905, 1906, 1908. |
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(68.) |
Op. cit., J. Herbert Wildfong. |
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(69.) |
Op. cit., Original Record Books. |
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(70.) |
Op. cit., J. Herbert Wildfong. |
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(71.) |
Op. cit., Original Record Books. |
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(72.) |
Ibid. |
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(73.) |
Op. cit., J. Herbert Wildfong. |
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(74.) |
Op. cit., Irvine Cober. |
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(75.) |
Op. cit., Original Record Books. |
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(76.) |
Ibid. |
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(76A.) |
General Conference Minutes, 1926, 1927, 1928, and 1929. |
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(77.) |
Op. cit., Swalm, My Beloved Brethren. Pgs. 48, 49. |
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(78.) |
Ernest J. Swalm, Personal letter, November, 1969. |
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(79.) |
Op. cit., A. Cober, The Cober Genealogy. Pg. 147. |
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(80.) |
Op. cit., Irvine Cober. |
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(81.) |
Ibid. |
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(82.) |
Ibid. |
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(83.) |
S. S. # 12 Puslinch School Records (at Aberfoyle School). |
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(84.) |
Annals of Puslinch 1850-1950. |
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(85.) |
Op. cit., Aden Eby. |
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(86.) |
Op. cit., Aden Eby, Irvine Cober and Mrs. Bertha Brown. |
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(87.) |
Op. cit., Mrs. Bertha Brown. |
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(88.) |
Minutes of said meeting, recorded by Aden Eby. |
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(89.) |
Rosebank Council Minutes, April 3rd 1951. |
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(90.) |
0p cit., Irvine Cober. |
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(91.) |
Op. cit., Rosebank Council, April 17th 1952. |
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(92.) |
Ibid. December 18th 1953. |
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(93.) |
Ibid. May 10th 1954. |
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(94.) |
Ibid. January 7th 1955. |
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(95.) |
Ibid. January 7th 1955. |
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(96.) |
P. W. Cassel, Personal Letter, November 1969. |
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(97.) |
Op. cit., Rosebank Council, November 24th 1955. |
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(98.) |
Op. cit., P. W.
Cassel. |
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(99.) |
Op. cit.,
Irvine Cober. |
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(100.) |
0p. cit., P. W.
Cassel. |
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(101.) |
Op. cit., Rosebank Council Spring, 1957. |
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(102.) |
Op. cit., Rosebank Council, March 28th 1958. |
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(103.) |
Rosebank-Puslinch Joint Board, December 1st 1958. |
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(104.) |
Op. cit., Rosebank Council, December of 1958. |
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(105.) |
Wayne H. Schiedel, Personal Interview, Nov. 9th 1969. |
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(106.) |
Op. cit., Rosebank Council, December 1958. |
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(107.) |
Ibid. March 4th 1959. |
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(108.) |
Ibid. December 15th 1959. |
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(109.) |
Ibid. Mar. 31st 1960. |
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(110.) |
Rosebank Church Board Records, Jan. 5th 1961. |
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(111.) |
Ibid. July 31st 1961. |
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(112.) |
Ibid. Dec. 28th 1961. |
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(113.) |
Puslinch Church Board Records. |
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(114.) |
Ibid. |
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(115.) |
Ibid. |
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(116.) |
Op. cit., Original Record Books. |
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(117.) |
Op. cit., Puslinch Church Board Records. |
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(118.) |
General Conference minutes, 1967. |
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(119.) |
Op. cit., Puslinch Church Board Records, July 9th 1968. |
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(120.) |
Ibid. |
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|
1. |
Annals of Puslinch
1850-1950. Acton, Ontario: Acton Free Press, 1952. |
|
|
2. |
Brethren’s Almanac and
Directory, 1898: United States and Canada. Elkhart, Indiana: Mennonite
Publishing Company, 1898. |
|
|
3. |
Brown, Mrs. Bertha.
Personal interview, Nov. 8th 1969. |
|
|
4. |
Calendars for the River Brethren Church. 1905, 1906, 1908. |
|
|
5. |
Cassel, Percy
W. Personal letter, Nov. 23rd 1969. |
|
|
6. |
Cober, Alvin Alonzo. The Cober Genealogy. Berlin, Pa.: The Berlin Press,, 1933. |
|
|
7. |
Cober, George. A Historical Sketch of the Brethren in Christ Church, known as Tunkers in Canada. Gormley, Ontario. No publisher or date. |
|
|
8. |
Cober, Irvine. Personal interview, Nov. 8th 1969. |
|
|
9. |
Directory of the Brethren in Christ - U.S. and Canada. West Milton, Ohio: West Milton Argus Print, 1880. |
|
|
10. |
Directory of the Church of the Brethren in Christ, 1899. |
|
|
11. |
Directory of the Members and Officials of the Brethren in Christ Church, 1903. Harrisburg, PA.: Central Printing and Publishing House, 1903. |
|
|
12. |
Eby, Aden. Personal interview, Nov. 8th 1969. |
|
|
13. |
General Conference Minutes. 1925-1930; 1962-1968. |
|
|
14. |
Good, A. F. Personal letter, Nov. 20th 1969. |
|
|
15. |
McKittrick, Alex. Personal interview; Nov. 8th 1969. |
|
|
16. |
Panabaker, David. Personal interview, Nov. 8th 1969. |
|
|
17. |
Puslinch Church Board Minutes. 1962-1969. |
|
|
18. |
Puslinch Council Minutes. 1962-1969. |
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|
19 |
Registry Office, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Original Deed. |
|
|
20. |
Rosebank Church Board Minutes. 1950-1962. |
|
|
21. |
Rosebank Council Minutes, 1951-1962. |
|
|
22. |
Schiedel, Wayne H, Personal interview, Nov. 9th 1969. (Currently has possession of the Original Record Books.) |
|
|
23. |
School Section #12 Puslinch, School Records, 1896-1933. |
|
|
24. |
Sider, E. Morris. History of the Brethren in Christ (Tunker) Church in Canada. London, Ontario: University of Western Ontario, 1955. |
|
|
25. |
Swalm, Ernest J. My Beloved Brethren. Napanee, Indiana: Evangel Press, 1969. |
|
|
26. |
Swalm, Ernest J. Personal letter, Nov. 4th 1969. |
|
|
27 |
Tunker Church Minutes ( A bound volume in the archives at Messiah College) |
|
|
28. |
Union Church Annual Meeting and Trustee Board Minutes, 1868-1951. |
|
|
29. |
Waterloo District Council Minutes, 1950-1957. |
|
|
30. |
Wildfong, J. Herbert. Telephone conversation, Nov. 8th 1969. |
|
|
31. |
Winger, Mrs. Catharine. Personal letter, Nov. 10th 1969. |
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◄ End of document ►