GRACE HERITAGE and HISTORY
GRACE EVANGELICAL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH has been worshiping God on the corner of Shippen and Locust streets in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, since 1898...and we've been serving the city of Lancaster since 1843. Currently taking up a little bit of space in the building we built (now owned by In The Light Ministries, whose Sunday morning service begins shortly after ours ends), we are an historic city church which once was big and now is small, but still very much alive and kicking!
GRACE EVANGELICAL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH has been worshiping God on the corner of Shippen and Locust streets in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, since 1898...and we've been serving the city of Lancaster since 1843. Currently taking up a little bit of space in the building we built (now owned by In The Light Ministries, whose Sunday morning service begins shortly after ours ends), we are an historic city church which once was big and now is small, but still very much alive and kicking!
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Once Upon a Time (1802, to be exact), a German-speaking evangelist named Jacob Albright started preaching among the Germans of Lancaster County. A lot of folks got saved, and Albright formed classes to teach them how to follow Christ. In the German communities of the region, Albright’s disciples became known as the “converted people.” But they called themselves the Evangelical Association, and in 1812 the Lancaster Circuit of the EA was formed. A campmeeting was held on this circuit as early as 1815. The men who served the classes and churches of the Lancaster Circuit rode on horseback from one group of believers to another. Like the early Methodists, no matter what the weather, these men were faithful “circuit riders.”
In 1843, a “mission” class was formed in Lancaster City, and Grace Church was born (though that wasn’t our name yet). It was served by circuit-riding preachers for its first three years, and then in 1846 became a local church with its own pastor. In 1849, plans were made to erect a church building at 134 North Water Street. It was dedicated as Salem Church of the Evangelical Association, and it was home base for the next 50 years. The building (pictured here as it was way back when) still stands on Water Street. Up until around 1870, the congregation was still German, and all the preaching was in the German language! But a younger generation coming into the church was learning English, and wanted its preaching in English. This request was denied, and so the young folks packed up and left—forming a congregation elsewhere in town. In 1891, during a time of denominational political struggle (and a major split within the denomination), the Water Street folks and their pastor lost their property to the denomination and had to move. They were now affiliated with a separated group known as the United Evangelical Church, and they moved to a chapel (rented from the Methodist Church) on E. King Street near Plum. These were hard days for the congregation. In 1895, during the pastorate of Rev. W.W. Yost, the congregation changed its name to Grace United Evangelical. Three years later (in 1898), Grace paid $2,400 for a parcel of land (80 feet by 68 feet) at the corner of Shippen and Locust Streets—where Grace Church still does business with the Lord! With an average attendance of around 43 (our average today!) we built a chapel on that land—and the congregation began to grow. During the pastorate of Rev. A.G. Flexer (1905-1908), an evangelistic campaign was conducted in the YMCA (in which Flexer took a very active part.) Many souls came into God’s kingdom during those evangelistic meetings, and many of those new Christians joined Grace Church. Grace purchased other properties surrounding its corner of the city. An existing home became the parsonage, and a Sunday School building was built. By 1912, Sunday School membership was 310, and average attendance weekly was 176 (we’re aiming for 175 here ever week by our 175th anniversary in 2018!) There were 20 teachers and church officers serving the community at that time. The original chapel was demolished that year to begin building for a much larger facility. In 1921, the congregation authorized the erection of a large church auditorium, which was completed and dedicated in 1923. The average weekly attendance had grown to 329. During the remainder of the 1920s, the church’s building debts were all paid and the mortgage burned. And due to a name-change at the denominational level, Grace Church also changed its name to the one it still bears today: Grace Evangelical Congregational Church. In the decades of the 1930s and 1940s, the church grew significantly. Many were reached with the gospel in the surrounding neighborhood. And Grace Church became one of the largest congregations in the City of Lancaster. Members of Grace played key community roles throughout the city and the region, shining the light of Christ through their lives, telling that “old old story” of Jesus and his love. The Grace Sunday School grew so large that four more properties were purchased on Locust Street to build a Bible School building. Groundbreaking was held May 12, 1951, and the cornerstone was laid on August 12. The building was completed in 1952. In 1964, more Christian education space and a children’s chapel were added. Ten years later, in 1974, a totally renovated main sanctuary was dedicated. Membership at that time was around 1100. On Rally Days, 1000 people packed the building. Average morning church attendance was around 400. But it’s not the numbers that count so much as the heart and soul of those who called Grace Church home. And the same is true today. The impact of one man or woman can only be counted by heaven, but the impact of Grace Church on our city and our county is substantial. Here’s a short list of some of the accomplishments of just a few of our members through the years: WARFEL CONSTRUCTION For more than a century, the local construction company of Grace Church member D.S. Warfel (and then his son Dick Warfel, also a Grace member) has been building homes, businesses, civic buildings, churches, and schools all over the region. In 1939, Warfel built J.P. McCaskey High School (with its Art Deco façade, lobby and auditorium). And of course, he built most of Grace Church! Warfel Construction survived the Great Depression, World War II, and the never-ending rollercoaster ride of the construction industry, because of its commitment to honesty, integrity and fairness. In 1911, its founder David S. Warfel, called such values (born of a Christian heart) “practical business sense”. Today, maintaining the principles of its founder, Warfel strives to make itself “the most knowledgeable and ethical” within its industry. DUTCH WONDERLAND Lifelong Grace Church member Clarence Bowers (who passed away on July 20, 2016 at the age of 102) was a local bank employee for many years. Working for the former Lancaster County National Bank (now Wells Fargo), he organized the loan for (and located the property for) what is now Dutch Wonderland, one of Pennsylvania’s favorite family amusement parks. Until Clarence helped seal the deal, this now-famous Lancaster County tourist draw was just a piece of farmland along a rural stretch of Lincoln Highway East (Route 30.) Millions of children and their parents have enjoyed this fun and family-friendly destination. Massive steel industry construction company HIGH STEEL also owes its existence to an original loan arranged by our very own Clarence Bowers. Every day, millions drive across High’s bridges in states up and down America’s Atlantic coast—all because of the servant heart of a Grace Church member with a musical ear (Clarence played clarinet on the side.) At Grace Chruch, Clarence was our treasurer for 45 years! Actually, Clarence’s clarinet was MORE than a side-thing. He played that instrument with joy and skill for 87 of his 102 years. He was a member of the remarkable NEW HOLLAND BAND for nearly 64 years, traveling to France with them once and playing beneath the Eifel Tower. At Grace Church, he organized an orchestra that boasted a large and talented membership. SIGHT & SOUND THEATRES is the largest faith-based live theatre in the nation and has been described as “Christian Broadway.” Last year, nearly a million people from around the world came to experience a production at one of Sight & Sound’s theatres in Lancaster County (and in Branson, Missouri). The Lancaster County location is one of the top three theatre destinations in the country, and one of Pennsylvania’s certainly the largest tourist attraction in Lancaster County (besides the Amish themselves!) Sight and Sound founder Glenn Eshelman, a native of Lancaster County, began to develop his gifting as an artist as a young child on his family’s farm. His landscape painting led to photographing inspirational scenes that were then presented to churches, schools and civic organizations across the U.S. with a single slide projector and screen, along with a turntable and microphone to provide sound. He got his start on that slide projector at a restaurant in Mt. Joy, HOSTETTER DINING, owned and operated by the Hostetter family, members of Grace Church. Mount Joy groups like Rotary Club, Business and Professional Women’s Club, Leisure Club, and the Chamber of Commerce have patronized the facility as far back as anyone can remember—and that’s where many people got their first taste of Eshelman’s “sights and sounds.” Today, the Hostetter’s homegrown hospitality continues under the management of Jim and Joanne Pinkerton, who renamed the establishment THE GATHERING PLACE. THE GOSPEL GREATS is Southern Gospel music’s #1 radio program, and the founder and “voice” of The Gospel Greats is former Grace Church member Paul Heil. Paul’s father, the Rev. David P. Heil, was pastor at Grace Church from 1961 until 1975. Paul grew up in Grace Church and got his start in sound and video right here. Today, he is the best-known radio voice in Southern Gospel music. Well into his fifth decade of radio, television and commercial announcing, Paul has been honored with numerous industry accolades and fan awards for his work in the field of Southern Gospel music. In September of 2014, he was inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Association's Hall of Fame at Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, the highest honor the Southern Gospel music industry bestows on individuals. A founding member in 1986 of the Southern Gospel Music Guild, a national organization of Southern Gospel music industry leaders, Paul and his wife Shelia have dedicated their lives to the growth of this musical genre and the resultant spreading of the Gospel. MICHAEL W. SMITH is a name most folks recognize, and many know his music very well. Smith has been writing and singing and performing music about Jesus for a long time. Smith is a three-time Grammy Award winner, an American Music Award recipient, and has earned 45 Dove Awards In 1999, ASCAP awarded him with the "Golden Note" Award for lifetime achievement in songwriting, and in 2014 they honored him as the “cornerstone of Christian music” for his significant influence on the genre. He also has recorded 31 No. 1 Hit songs, fourteen gold albums, and five platinum albums. His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when “Place in this World” hit No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Over the course of his career, he has sold more than 18 million albums. During the past 20 years of that remarkable career, Smith’s main keyboard player has been JIM DANEKER, known as Jimmy here on the corner of Shippen and Locust. Jim came to Grace Church at three years old when his father Bob Daneker was called here from Allentown to be our senior pastor. Jimmy grew up in Grace Church, a church filled with music, and eventually formed his own Christian rock band. His first big break in the Christian music world was working as an assistant producer for DC Talk. He became a sound tech for Mark Lowry of the Gaither Vocal Band for Lowry’s independent concert tours. And then one day he got a call about working with Michael W. Smith. From toddling among the pews on the corner of Shippen and Locust in Lancaster, Jim has traveled around the world and played for hundreds of thousands of people all over Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and Australia. He has played with Amy Grant on her Christmas tours with the Nashville Symphony and at Franklin and Billy Graham crusades. That’s a SHORT LIST. Maybe we’ll tell you some more GRACE STORIES on another day. |
The House of God
COMING:
A pictorial of the houses of worship for Grace Church through the years |
