THE HISTORY OF AN OLD CHURCH N THE JUNE ISSUE of thr "Historical Magazine", Mr. Nelson R. Burr presented a most excellent article entitled, "Adven- tws in Parish History". Dr. Burr is on the staff of the Library of Congress, Washington, D. C., and has written a num- ber of parish histories. In his article he gives some very good ad- vice, most of which I have been unable to follow. I have committed what he calls the "Sin of great haste". I have attempted to write a parish history in a few months instead of a few years. I have not had available the Vestry Minutes of the parish, with the exception of a few years, which is an indispensable source of information. I have not had personal journals or diaries which are another indis- pensable source. In short, I have had to depend entirely on the Journals of the Diocesan Conventions, the former town newspaper (The Public Press), a history of the County. and the memory of some of the older parishioners. This brochure makes no pretense at being a completely inte- grated history of the parish. It is primarily a source book, which can be used, I believe, to construct a real parish history in the next few years. A parish history should take into account the town and its people, its background, its industry, and many other factors, which has not been done in this short history. Instead of analyizing and restating many things in this history, I have given exact quotations from the Journals, the Public Press, and Parish Records. I have tried to arrange them in a chronological and coherent manner, leaving the interpretation mainly to the reader. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS WANT TO THANK publicly all those who have helped to make this little history possible: Mr. M. R. Butler for much preliminary correspondence, when the booklet was &st decided upon; Mrs. Donald Lebo for the greater part of the research in the Public Press; Mr. Homer Smith for almost all of the typing of the manuscript and a11 of the work of photography; Mr. and Mrs. George Neff for help in much of the local history and the history of the early period; Miss Helen Kapp, who as a life-long member of the parish was able to give many valuable suggestions; Mts. G. L. VanAlen for old Scrap Book and letters. I am greatly indebted to View Showing the Kapp window in Its New Position Mr. C. Warren Gutelius for his many kindnesses, and in loaning the valuable Ales of the Public Press for this study. May I also thank Above the Altar all of those who have given me many little bits of history from vari- ous periods as it came to their minds. Without their kind help and cooperation even this modest little brochure could not have been put forth. WILLIAM H. WEITZEL Vicar of Northumbe~land F ONE were to go to the Court House in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, and look in Deed Book A, Northumberland County, under the date: August 29, 1772, he would find an original land grant to "The Church of En&m#' . "For the use of erecting Churches and places of worship and for no other use and purpose whatever, except burying grounds free from ground rents and other encumbrances forever." It would be unfair to the reader of this booklet to attempt a history of the Church in Northumberland, without saying a few words by way of background. What is today known as the "Episcopal Church" was in 1772 known ae the "Church of England". When the Church states in the Preface to the "Book of Common Prayer": "that this Church is far from intending to depart from the Church of England in any essential point of doctrine, discipline, or worship; or further than local circumstances require," it is said with a very definite pur- pose. It is a statement to the effect that we are a continuous part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Although there are over 250 different denominations in this country, and many conflicting religious beliefs, there are only two main views of the Church, as a Church. There is the view that the Church is a divine organism, the Mysti- cal Body of Christ, founded by Him, given power and authority by Him, and intended to continue until the end of the world. Christ appointed twelve men, Apostles, to carry on the work of the Church after His Death and Resurrection and Ascension. "As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you." St. John 20:21. Those who hold this view maintain that the Apostles were the flmt Bishops and that their successors continue in the Church today. It b main- tained that the Church is the Steward of the Mysteries of God, the Holy Sacra- ments, which are necessary for salvation. The second view of the Church is that the Church is a voluntary society of likeminded believers who want to worship God in their own way. Generally speaking, they do not believe in such a thing as the "continuity" of the Church, the necessity of a priesthood, or sacraments. Under this view, a new church can be started at any time, merely by having a group who would like to do things in the same way. The Episcopal Church is committed to the first view, as its name shows. "J3piiopos" means "Bishop", and the Episcopal Church maintains that the Bishops, as the successors of the Apostles, are essential to the very being of the Interior After Remodeling Church. The Church, after the Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord, burst out upon the world and spread across the Mediterranean to the southern coast of France. Erom there it soon found its way across France to England. The Church was in England by at least 315 A. D. as the records of the Council of a Arles, France, shows that British Bishops were present at that Council. The Church of England had a foundation independent of Rome. It was not, until 595.A. D. that St. Augustine was sent to England by Pope Gregory. .The British Christians had been driven back into the mountains by the invasion of the Angles and the Saxons in circa 455. The British Christians and the mission of St. Augustine working together evangelized the country, and the two groups came together in what was known hereafter as the "Ecclesia Anglicana". The 4 The History of An Old Church St. Mark's, Northamberland, Pennsylvania 5 Church retained a great degree of independence from papal control. Long be- United States was by a Church of England clergyman on the Ninth Sunday after fore Henry VIII, the Anglican Church had attempted to reject papal authority. Trinity, 1587. The subject of this baptism was an Indian chief, Manteo. The King John was forced to sign Magna Charta in 1215 A. D. The Anglican following Sunday, August 20, Virginia Dare, the first English child born in Church would have gained its independence had there never been a Henry VIII. America received Holy Baptism at the hands of Raleigh's Chaplain. These were The King merely said for the Church what the Church had been saying for it- the &st fruits, not only of the Church of England, but of Christianity in the self for many hundreds of years. Henry VIII was not a good man, and his colonies. On May 14, 1607, the Holy Communion was celebrated for the flmt quarrel with the pope was a personal one, but he was right in his rejection of time, on the Atlantic seaboard. The Rev. Robert Hunt was the celebrant and papal authority. (The Greek Church had rejected papal authority in 1054 A D.) clergyman of Jarnestown, Virginia, 1607, from which the organization of the The Church of England was the same Church after the reformation as be- American Church dates. In the year 1611, the Rev. Alexander Whittaker, fore. The question sometimes asked to embarrass Episcopalians is: "Where was baptized Pocahontas and later married her to Mr. Rolfe. your Church before the reformation?" The reply is: "Where was your face be- The &st elective assembly of the new world met in the Church of James- fore it was washed?" It was the same Church, freed from papal control with town in 1619. The Church made many early contributions to the welfare of the Services in the language of the people, but it was NOT a NEW Church. this country and produd many of its outstanding leaders. We have little of There were some weeds taken out of the old garden, but it was the same old which to be ashamed, and much of which to be proud. garden. The same Bishops, Priests and Deacons were in their Churches before and after the reformation. Out of about 9000 clergy only about 250 left The , Church for Rome. The Anglican Church is a part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of Christ. There are many national Churches within the Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church is but 2,500,000 out of 50,000,000 throughout the world. Each NFORMATION in regard to Episcopal families and the missionary work of national Church governs its own affairs, but is bound together in the same Doc- the Church in Northurnberland from 1772 to 1847 is very meager. trine, Discipline and Worship. "In May, 1793, Matthias Webb appeared at the Diocesan Convention The Episcopal Church was the mission of the Church of England in the in Philadelphia as their (Milton's) representative with the petition re- colonies.