Schwenkfeldian Spring 2013 Issue

The

STANDARD OF FAITH Unearthing the truth behind alternative gospels.

T R A D I T I O N S

The

SPRING

2013

VOLUME

Editor: Gerald A. Heebner Business Manager: Joanne Jalowy Design: Robin Hepler, robindesign@rcn.com Artist: Frank Batson Photographer: Lee Schultz Reporters: Linda Schmidt, Central Rev. Edward O. Winslow, Missionary Leah Tyson, Olivet Karen Kriebel, Palm Diana Weir-Smith, Perkiomen School Lena Johnson, In Retrospect

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In this Issue

Publication Committee Rev. David W. Luz, Chair Jean S. Ross, Secretary Publication Office Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center 105 Seminary Street Pennsburg, PA 18073-1898

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A valuable resource is available in a searchable digital format.

The self-guided tour booklet of Schwenkfelder sites is updated.

THE SCHWENKFELDIAN is published during the Winter, Spring, and Fall quarters by the General Conference of the Schwenkfelder Church, under the direction of the Publication Committee, in the interest of the churches. Material presented in this magazine does not necessarily represent the beliefs and teachings of Schwenckfeld or the Schwenkfelder Church. If you move, please advise us promptly, giving both your old and new addresses to ensure uninterrupted delivery. To discontinue mailings, email info@schwenkfelder.com or call 215679-3103. $12.00 per year, $5.00 per copy. Free to each Schwenkfelder Church member household.

HERITAGE SITES

CHURCH BRIEFS News and updates from Central, Olivet, and Palm.

PERSONAL NOTES Marriages, births, and deaths from Central, Olivet, and Palm.

IN RETROSPECT OTHER GOSPELS Examining the influence of alternative gospels on our understanding of Jesus.

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Looking back at the accomplishments of members.

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SALFORD PILGRIMAGE

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14 16 18 19

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MY STORY Childhood reflections from a journal written by Foster S. Schultz.

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Julian Scavetti. • Speaker Graveside talk. • Ice cream social. •

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ISSN 0036 8032

ABOUT OUR COVER The Christian church gives us a picture of Jesus from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but there seem to be other gospels that are being discovered. Has the church gotten Jesus wrong? Did the church cover something up that would change our mind about Jesus as being fully God and fully man? Did the church miss some other perspectives that would have helped us understand Jesus better? Questions like these surface frequently. Dr. H.H. Drake Williams, III, answers these questions in his recently published book Jesus Tried and True.

Schwenkfeldiana B Y J E R RY H E E B N E R

W

e find that adding “iana� to a word changes it to a noun denoting a group or collection of objects, papers, etc. that are related to a particular individual, subject, or place. Therefore, it seems altogether proper that when the Board of Publication wanted to produce a special memorial issue on Rev. Christopher Schultz in September 1940, they called it Schwenkfeldiana. They seemed to know that more would be published in the future because it was identified as Volume I, Number 1. Ten more issues would be produced during the next fifteen years. For those who are students of Schwenkfelder history, the publications provide a valuable resource in a concise manner. The Board of Publication of the Schwenkfelder Church is now the Publication Committee and they recently made arrangements to have all eleven issues scanned and made available in fully searchable digital format on a single CD. The Committee felt that more people would be interested in acquiring this new format, particularly if they knew what information was contained in these issues. A synopsis of each of the eleven will appear in upcoming issues of The Schwenkfeldian. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the first two issues.

C H R I S T O P H E R S C H U LT Z ( VO L . I , N O. 1 ) Schwenkfelder historian Howard W. Kriebel provides a short biography of Rev. Christopher Schultz. Many people are aware of the diary that he wrote detailing the flight of the Schwenkfelders from Europe and that he was the leading spirit in organizing the Schwenkfelders with the adoption of a constitution in 1782, but there is more to his humble life. Kriebel tells of his schooling, his early work in conjunction with his brothers, and his involvement with the French and Indian war. Rev. Schultz wrote a published catechism and contributed hymns. He helped set up the Schwenkfelder school system and wrote general letters to Karl Heintze THE SCHWENKFELDIAN

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in Silesia describing how the Schwenkfelders were faring in Pennsylvania. As a Justice of the Peace, he helped his neighbors in legal arrangements, such as writing and probating wills. At the time of his death in 1789, he reportedly owned over 1,000 acres of land. Rev. Elmer E.S. Johnson added to the Schultz legend with accounts of Christopher’s involvement with the Revolutionary War. Selina (Gerhard) Schultz focused her writing and presentation on how Rev. Schultz developed the “Erläuterung,” or vindication of Caspar Schwenckfeld, his doctrine, his adherents, and their confession of faith along with a brief history up to the year 1740. She tells of the difficulties that were encountered in getting the manuscript printed in Germany. Selina’s brother, Elmer S. Gerhard, followed up with a paper about the literary style of Rev. Christopher Schultz. Gerhard wrote about the title page, the preface, the background and spirit of the age, where Latin was freely used among scholars, and the difficulties of translating because Germans have words for which there is no English equivalent. He observed that some sentences have more than one hundred words between periods which causes confusion and notes that Schwenckfeld, himself, was sometimes prone to have his sentences run on to extraordinary lengths. Elmer also mentions what Christopher Schultz had to say about Caspar Schwenckfeld’s view of the sacraments and his interpretations from scripture.1

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Another writer was Rev. Robert Gottschall who addressed the hymnology of the Schwenkfelders and Rev. Christopher Schultz’s contributions to that history. The publication includes four writings of Rev. Christopher Schultz. An address to the youth of the church suggesting how they should conduct themselves. This runs the gamut from striving to apply Christian principles in everyday life to the recognition of sin and how to fight the temptation to yield to it and finally the mercy and grace that are available to those who repent.2 Preface to The Catechism of the Schwenkfelder Church was an introduction to the instruction book that through a question and answer process was used to teach pupils in the Christian faith.3 A letter by Rev. Christopher Schultz to Sebastian Levan, member of the Pennsylvania State Assembly, dated August 12, 1777, regarding the Test Act which involved fining or incarcerating people who did not want to side with the Revolutionary War from either the Colonists or Loyalists viewpoint.4 The Constitution of The Schwenkfelder Church (or Grund-regeln).5

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E A R LY S C H W E N K F E L D E R M I N I S T E R S ( VO L . I , N O. 2 ) The second issue came out in September 1941, one year after the first one. This one recognized the contributions of five early Schwenkfelder ministers, Rev. Christopher Schultz, who was memorialized in the previous issue being one of the five. The other four are Rev. George Weiss, Rev. Balthasar Hoffman, Rev. Christopher Kriebel, and Rev. Christopher Hoffman. Interestingly, all four of the latter named pastors are buried at the Salford Schwenkfelder Meetinghouse Cemetery. Once again, the accounts provide a sketch of the individuals and what they contributed to the Schwenkfelders in America. At the time of the arrival of this group in 1734, Christopher Schultz was 16, Christopher Kriebel was 10, and Christopher Hoffman was 7. All would have an impact on the endurance of the Schwenkfelder faith in the world. Rev. George Weiss is generally referred to as the first Schwenkfelder minister in America as he was the spiritual leader of the group as they departed Berthelsdorf and for the first six years in Pennsylvania. George was well read and informed in doctrine and Christian theology because his father, Caspar Weiss, was also learned in religious, philosophical, and educational subjects. As a copyist, George assisted his father in transcribing the Schwenkfelder hymnal of 1709 which consisted of 874 hymns. This gave him extensive knowledge and helped him prepare the Confessions of Faith that were required of the Schwenkfelders before they departed Harpersdorf. He also served his small flock of Schwenkfelders aboard the St. Andrew

on their passage across the Atlantic Ocean, only to have his wife die on the day of their arrival in Philadelphia. He found the fortitude to gather those who were not sick to a place on Market Street where they could give thanks for their safe arrival in the Pennsylvania colony, an annual service that has been continuously observed to this day. It is always amazing to discover the amount of documentation available about the early leaders of the Schwenkfelder faith. The article goes on to describe his confrontations with Christopher Wiegner and his associations with Spangenberg, Whitefield, Böhler, and others. There is a section that contains his discourses with the Moravian leaders and why the Schwenkfelders had no desire to join them as a religion. The piece tells of his hymn-writing capabilities, his participation in writing the “Glaubens-Bekenntnisz” [Confession of Faith] and meetings with Jesuit priests, Milan and Regent, while still in Harpersdorf. It also goes into more detail about his writing of the Catechism and starting the observance of Gedächtnistag. Rev. Weiss was an itinerant preacher who traveled about visiting his parishioners in their homes. He promised to preach the pure theological and orthodox doctrine, conduct weekly devotions, catechize the youth, and offer formal instruction to those contemplating marriage. Like Caspar Schwenckfeld before him, he was a prolific writer. He states that letter writing can be beneficial because one can “stay on topic” and not get diverted onto other subjects. Being diplomatic, he would begin with a subject of mutual interest and then go on to express his views using biblical references to support his viewpoint. His letter writing diminished between 1733 when the group was preparing to leave Saxony and 1738 when the emigrants were struggling to establish themselves in the new land. Other writings of George Weiss exist. From the 1720s, we can find poetic writings titled “Meditationes,” a view on the Sacraments and in 1734, a suggestion for a New Mode of Life in America. The article concludes with two lengthy letters where he is lamenting on his concerns that he has not been able to communicate successfully with his fellow Schwenkfelders in Pennsylvania. Rev. Balthasar Hoffman succeeded George Weiss as the spiritual leader of the fledgling Schwenkfelders in America upon Weiss’ death in 1740. Balthasar was highly regarded by the immigrants. That admiration began while they still resided in Europe, for it was Balthasar, who at age 34, along with his father, Christopher Hoffman, Sr., and Balthasar Hoffrichter, went to Vienna to petition the court for relief from the oppressive Jesuits in Harpersdorf. The three-man group over a five year period presented seventeen petitions to Emperor Charles VI only to have each turned down. It is reported that the Schwenkfelders spent 19,000 rix-dollars to support the delegation and their court representatives. By September 1725, they were told that no more petitions were to be offered to the Court of his Majesty. They were forced to return to Harpersdorf in a surreptitious fashion as they were hunted men. It is interesting to note that Balthasar made good use of his time in the capital city. One of his endeavors consisted of transcribing hymns. Another was studying and writing on scriptures. He produced a handwritten volume of 554 pages of explanations of the Book of Hebrews and another volume contained 1,422 pages of handwritten text that was a postil, or brief comments, about Scripture passages of the Bible. He sometimes used an alias of Barachiah Heber, or simply B. H., which in Hebrew means “Blessed Companion.” It may

be noted that it also duplicates his own Balthasar Hoffman (B. H.) initials. He possessed three reference books: Hebrew-Latin Lexicon, Latin-German Lexicon, and Biblia-Sacra (Vulgate), each of which was over 1,000 pages in content. These books were his constant companions while waiting for a favorable Court response that never came. Rev. Balthasar Hoffman was one of the most profuse hymn-writers of his day and spent much time composing, transcribing and studying hymns. His analyses, or meditations, of many hymns has been preserved. Thirty-eight of his hymns appear in the first Schwenkfelder hymn book printed in America in 1762. Among his other writings are correspondence with many of the Schwenkfelder faith, particularly with Rev. Christopher Schultz, when he acted as a mentor to Schultz. Much of this material is preserved at The Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center including a letter of grandfatherly advice to his granddaughter, Susanna Seipt, in 1762. Balthasar Hoffman was a learned individual who mastered Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. He was a man of great modesty, unassuming, and sincere. He shunned notoriety and publicity, because to him that was a display of self-importance. Much of what is written by Elmer S. Gerhard in the Schwenkfeldiana publication centers around Hoffman’s scholarly aspect. It mentions that he was a weaver by trade and worked as a day laborer during the warmer months. He is known to have resigned his position as minister three times. The first two times because of disagreements with his fellow members of the faith and the last time because of health problems. Rev. Christopher Kriebel was covered by two articles. The first one is by Selina Gerhard Schultz and the second by Rev. Levi S. Hoffman. Selina captures the historic background giving his lineage and life before immigration. She notes that he was an early financial supporter of the Schwenkfelder School System and participated in The Friendly Association, a group that was interested in preserving peace with the Indians along the frontier. By the time he was elected to be minister in 1782, the Schwenkfelders had settled in two main areas. Christopher Kriebel served those in the area of the middle of Montgomery County (the Lower District) and his cousin Rev. Christopher Schultz served those around the juncture of Montgomery, Bucks, Berks, and Lehigh Counties (the Upper District). Both Christophers were involved with teaching and training the Schwenkfelder youth. Rev. Kriebel met with his catechumens on Sunday afternoons throughout the year for 33 years! And it was Christopher Kriebel who opened his home for the first Schwenkfelder Conference in 1762. This early attempt at solidifying the unity of a band of emigrants from Berthelsdorf laid the groundwork for the constitution that would be passed two decades later. Like his predecessors, Rev. Kriebel wrote a lot of letters. Many still exist, because he made copies of the letters that he sent. Rev. Christopher Schultz and Rev. Christopher Kriebel determined that they would like to keep in touch with their fellow Schwenkfelders in Silesia and wrote letters back to them. Presumably, it would take some time for a reply to come back, so a copy of the letter was retained to match the reply. Their contact in Silesia was Carl E. Heintze, who initially wrote the responses for Balthasar Kurtz, and the packet of letters is now known as the Heintze Correspondence. Like Balthasar Hoffman, the man he succeeded, Christopher spent much of his later years writing and spinning. Rev. Levi Hoffman took a different tack. His writing focuses more on Christopher Kriebel’s influence and spiritual guidance during the THE SCHWENKFELDIAN

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late 18th century. One of the changes that Levi Hoffman noted was that Christopher Kriebel changed the order of worship. It was the practice of Schwenkfelders to have a standard order of service in the home in which a sermon or Postil was read and then talked about. Rev. Kriebel was less disposed to sticking to this standardized service and often gave his interpretation, an understanding that might have been more liberal than that of George Weiss or Balthasar Hoffman. In Christopher Kriebel’s collection is found a copy containing all the Gedächtnistag [Memorial Day] sermons preached from 1782 to 1799. Levi Hoffman concludes by digressing somewhat from the subject matter. Rev. Christopher Schultz is reintroduced by Selina Gerhard Schultz. She notes that Rev. Schultz was instrumental in organizing the Schwenkfelder Church in America. She writes about the factors that led to this need, picking specific dates and the actions that took place among the believers. Selina concludes with the sermon that Rev. Christopher Schultz preached on that September 24, 1782, Memorial Day when the organization of the Schwenkfelder Church formally took place. Rev. Christopher Hoffman, the son of Rev. Balthasar Hoffman, was the only preacher of the five mentioned to live into the 19th century, dying January 29, 1804. He and his wife, Rosina (Dresher) Hoffman left no offspring. Christopher thought so much of his father that he wrote an account of his life and work. He also spent over two years (1758-1760) copying a Schwenkfelder hymn book of 1,559 hymns! It should be noted that the Schwenkfelder Heritage Center has many manuscript bound volumes displaying his articulate penmanship. Hoffman, himself, was a bookbinder by trade, and was also an excellent teacher. Elmer Gerhard, the author of this short piece, offers a Rev. Christopher Hoffman quote: “Oh how good it is to be able to remain humble!” n 1Elmer Schultz Gerhard translated the “Erläuterung”

into English and it was published by the Board of Publication in 1942.

2It was written in German in 1783 and translated

by Elmer Schultz Gerhard.

3It was written in German in 1784 and translated

by Selina Gerhard Schultz.

4Taken from Howard W. Kriebel’s book The

Schwenkfelders in Pennsylvania.

5Adapted from Howard W. Kriebel’s book The

Schwenkfelders in Pennsylvania.

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I

Interest ospels G in other

BY H.H. DRAKE WILLIAMS, III

DEDUCING SCHWENCKFELD’S OPINION

T

he picture that most have about Jesus is largely provided by the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. While creeds, art, song, and stories may round out one’s viewpoint, these other sources largely derive from the New Testament Gospels. In recent years, scholars and popular authors have been challenging our understanding of Jesus by drawing attention to other Gospels. These gospels are not a part of the New Testament and have largely been out of the public eye. Some of the most notorious of these have been: Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Philip, Gospel of Mary, Gospel of Truth, Gospel of Peter, Gospel of Judas, and most recently the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife. Some scholars will appeal to non-canonical gospels to imply that the church has gotten Jesus wrong or unfairly limited him, but few take time to look at these other gospels even though they are readily accessible. There are nearly forty of them, and they can be read in books and over the internet.1 Many would call them apocryphal, meaning heretical or unorthodox. In the past, they were considered to be of questionable value and authority, but recently many people are taking fresh interest in these non-canonical gospels. This fascination is well illustrated in Amsterdam. At the center of the city, there is an American book store, which our family now and then visits for books in English. A few years ago when our family went to the store, we went to the religion section to see what was being sold. Within the Christianity section, nearly all of the books were about other Gospels. Some of the titles on the shelves were these: The Five Gospels: What Did Jesus Really Say? The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus;2 The Gnostic Gospels of Jesus: The Definitive Collection of Mystical Gospels and Secret Books about Jesus of Nazareth;3 and Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths we never knew.4 Clearly, this is what this bookstore finds is the most fascinating (and likely lucrative) topic about Christianity. With this interest in other Gospels, it is worth thinking about

it in the light of Caspar Schwenkfeld’s thinking. In other words, what would be a reasonable way to evaluate this modern interest from a Schwenkfelder perspective? We know Caspar Schwenckfeld to be an educated lay person who was well read in the Old and New Testament and early church history. He was also willing to embrace many who named the name of Jesus but did not think exactly as he did. What might Schwenckfeld think about these other Gospels? Several things should be said before answering this question. Firstly, this essay is making a projection. It would be better to have Schwenckfeld himself present, or it would be helpful to have direct quotations from his writing that comment on this trend. We do not have these, and hence, we must take the recent trend and then evaluate it in the light of our understanding of Schwenckfeld’s viewpoint. Most of these other Gospels were discovered centuries after Schwenckfeld had passed away. He would not have known about many of them. Secondly, other Gospels outside of the New Testament were not his concern in the sixteenth century. Reformation concerns involved the understanding of salvation, grace, faith, and the relationship to the church of the day. During the Reformation, the New Testament Gospels were assumed to be the only Gospels. Schwenckfeld’s concern at the time of the Reformation was keeping the church unified amidst the splintering that was happening. With this background, Schwenckfeld’s perspective can now be developed. The first thing to remember about Schwenckfeld was that he was a great supporter of the early Christian church. By this, he supported the Bible with the 66 books within it as we have it currently. When he composes his personal statement of faith, it is in relation to the 66 books of the Bible. When he composes his “Theology for God fearing Laity,” which was composed at the end of his life, he used the 66 books of the Bible as we have it currently. When it comes to references about Jesus, there are extensive references to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The other Gospels are not included. Furthermore, Schwenckfeld was a supporter of the early church fathers. Within the margins of his theological treatises, there are also many references to early church documents. These would THE SCHWENKFELDIAN

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‘‘

Others again declare that Cain derived his being from the Power above, and acknowledge that Esau, Korah, the Sodomites, and all such persons, are related to themselves. On this account, they add, they have been assailed by the Creator, yet no one of them has suffered injury. For Sophia was in the habit of carrying off that which belonged to her from them to herself. They declare that Judas the traitor was thoroughly acquainted with these things, and that he alone, knowing the truth as no others did, accomplished the mystery of the betrayal; by him all things, both earthly and heavenly, were thus thrown into confusion. They produce a fictitious history of this kind, which they style the Gospel of Judas.6

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Irenaeus refers to the Gospel of Judas, and he is not positive towards it. He also knew of something like the Gospel of Truth, another Gospel that is drawing attention today. He writes in Against Heresies 3.11.9:

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But those who are from Valentinus, being, on the other hand, altogether reckless, while they put forth their own compositions, boast that they possess more gospels than there really are. Indeed, they have arrived at such a pitch of audacity, as to entitle their comparatively recent writing “the Gospel of Truth,” though it agrees in nothing with the gospels of the Apostles, so that they have really no Gospel which is not full of blasphemy. For if what they have published is the Gospel of truth, and yet is totally unlike those which have been handed down to us from the apostles, any who please may learn, as is shown from the Scriptures themselves, that that which has been handed down from the apostles can no longer be reckoned the Gospel of truth. But that these Gospels alone are true and reliable, and admit neither an increase nor diminution of the aforesaid number, I have proved by so many and such [arguments].

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Irenaeus seems to have known the Gospel of Truth that is fascinating some today. As with the Gospel of Judas, he is negative towards it. Irenaeus made many other statements that supported the superiority of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The most noteworthy is found in Against Heresies 3.11.8. He writes:

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It is not possible that the Gospels can be either more or fewer in number than they are. For, since there are four zones of the world in which we live, and four principal winds, while the Church is scattered throughout all the world, and the “pillar and ground” of the Church is the Gospel and the spirit of life; it is fitting that she should have four pillars, breathing out immortality on every side, and vivifying men afresh. From which fact, it is evident that the Word, the Artificer of all, He that sitteth upon the cherubim, and contains all things, He who was manifested to men, has given us the Gospel under four aspects, but bound together by one Spirit. As also David says, when entreating His manifestation, “Thou that sittest between the cherubim, shine forth.” For the cherubim, too, were four-faced, and their faces were images of the dispensation of the Son of God. For, [as the Scripture] says, “The first living creature was like a lion,” symbolizing His effectual working, His leadership, and royal power; the second [living creature] was like a calf, signifying [His] sacrificial and sacerdotal [priestly – Ed.] order; but “the third had, as it were, the face as of a man,”—an evident description of His advent as a human being; “the fourth was like a flying eagle,” pointing out the gift of the Spirit hovering with His wings over the Church. And therefore the Gospels are in accord with these things, among which Christ Jesus is seated. For that according to John relates His original, effectual, and glorious generation from the Father, thus declaring, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Also, “all things were made by Him, and without Him was nothing made.” For this reason, too, is that Gospel full of all confidence, for such is His person. For the living creatures are quadriform, and the Gospel is quadriform, as is also the course followed by the Lord.

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include references to a group of writings called the Apostolic Fathers. These writings were from the late first through early second century A.D. Yet, there are other references to other church fathers.5 This point is highly significant. Many of these early church fathers spoke directly of some of these other Gospels that are gaining attention today. They commented on these Gospels and condemned a number of them. For example, Ireanaeus, who lived in the second century, wrote about the Gospel of Judas. In his volume Against Heresies 1.31.1, he writes:

The repetition of the idea “no more, no less” than four gospels is repeated in Against Heresies 3.11.9.1 and 3.11.9.12. It is a famous phrase for which Irenaeus is known as a church father. This phrase implies a closed canon for gospels—only Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—by the end of the second century A.D.7 Irenaeus’ clear statements on the superiority of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were then followed by declarations from other church fathers about authoritative Scripture. Tertullian, the church father who wrote from Carthage in Africa, cites all four gospels (c. 160–225). Others composed lists of Scriptural books that include only four gospels, such as Eusebius (c. 260–340) and Origen (c. 185–254).8 In A.D. 367, Athanasius gave his famous Thirty-Ninth Festal Letter. This document lists the books of both the Old and New Testaments. Only four gospels are represented. While these

later church fathers clearly state the superiority of the four gospels, the process had already been in progress long before. There is one other significant early church father which should be considered in this short article. The church father named Eusebius had things to say about Gospels other than Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Eusebius was the Bishop of Caesarea from A.D. 314 through 399. He is the first church historian after Luke, who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Eusebius supported the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as the only ones for consideration of a Christian’s faith. He also criticized some of the other Gospels that some modern authors are pointing towards today. Eusebius wrote this in his History of the Church 3.25.6-7:

‘‘

But we have nevertheless felt compelled to give a catalogue of these also, distinguishing those works which according to ecclesiastical tradition are true and genuine and commonly accepted, from those others which, although not canonical but disputed, are yet at the same time known to most ecclesiastical writers—we have felt compelled to give this catalogue in order that we might be able to know both these works and those that are cited by the heretics under the name of the apostles, including, for instance, such books as the Gospels of Peter, of Thomas, of Matthias, or of any others besides them, and the Acts of Andrew and John and the other apostles, which no one belonging to the succession of ecclesiastical writers has deemed worthy of mention in his writings. And further, the character of the style is at variance with apostolic usage, and both the thoughts and the purpose of the things that are related in them are so completely out of accord with true orthodoxy that they clearly show themselves to be the fictions of heretics. Wherefore they are not to be placed even among the rejected writings, but are all of them to be cast aside as absurd and impious.

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Eusebius knew of the Gospel of Peter and the Gospel of Thomas. He does not support these, but clearly states that they are outside of true Christian tradition.

CONCLUSION Caspar Schwenckfeld clearly supported the use of the Bible primarily but also early church tradition for the understanding of the Christian faith. If Schwenckfeld’s support of the Bible and early church thinking is the guiding light in the fascination of other Gospels, then, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John should be seen to be clearly superior to any of the others. He would have taken the same view of these Gospels as the early church. He would also be well aware that much of the recent interest in other Gospels has already been addressed by the church years ago. n 1See http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/index.html. For the Nag Hammadi Gospels see

http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl.html. In printed form, see B. D. Ehrman, Lost Scriptures: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths we never knew (New York: OUP, 2005). See also R. Cameron, The Other Gospels: Noncanonical Gospel Texts (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1982), and M. W. Meyer, The Nag Hammadi Scriptures The Revised and Updated Translation of Sacred Gnostic Texts (New York: Harper Collins, 2007).

2See R. W. Funk, The Five Gospels: What Did Jesus Really Say? The Search for the Authentic

Words of Jesus. (San Francisco: HarperOne, 1996).

3See Meyer, Gnostic Gospels of Jesus. 4See Ehrman, Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths we never knew (Oxford:

OUP, 2005).

5See further H. H. D. Williams, Caspar Schwenckfeld: Eight Writings on Christian Beliefs (Kitchener:

Pandora, 2006).

6The translations from Irenaeus are taken from volume 1 of A. Roberts and J. Donaldson, eds.

The Ante-Nicen Fathers: Translations of the writings of the Fathers down to AD 325 (10 vols.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1969).

7G. N. Stanton, “Jesus Traditions and Gospels in Justin Martyr and Irenaeus,” in The Biblical Canons

(J. M. Auwers and H. J. De Jonge, eds.; BETL CLXIII; Leuven: Leuven University Press, 2003), 370.

8Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 3.25.1–7. The translation is from Eusebius. The Ecclesiastical History

(LCL; J. E. L. Oulton, trans.; Cambridge: Harvard, 2001). Origen’s list of books can also be found from Eusebius’ history. See Ecclesiastical History, 6.25.3–14. Cf. L. McDonald, Biblical Canon: Its Origin, Transmission, and Authority (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2007), 305–10.

Jesus Tried & True Are the gospels found within the New Testament superior to others? Has the church unfairly chosen Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John while leaving out many others? Are there truly lost Christianities that would enrich our understanding of Jesus? Would modern-day seekers as well as followers of Jesus be better served by including gospels that are outside of the New Testament in their understanding of Jesus?

Jesus Tried and True, a book by H.H. Drake Williams III, answers these questions by examining the date, source, and reception of the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and then comparing this data with the other gospels. It assesses this information by looking within these gospels and also evaluating early church history, examining the writings of early church writers such as Papias, Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Eusebius. It then compares these findings with the date, source, and reception of the non-canonical gospels that have received the most attention lately such as the Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Mary, Gospel of Judas, Gospel of Philip, and Gospel of Peter. There is also a brief survey of thirteen of the most important non-canonical gospels. The survey provides an opinion on the dependence of these upon the gospels within the New Testament. Jesus Tried and True affirms the superiority of the New Testament gospels. It concludes by addressing whether these non-canonical gospels are lost Christianities and also whether the designation apocryphal is appropriate for other gospels. THE SCHWENKFELDIAN

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M

Foster and Ruba (Hoffman) Schultz.

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MyStory I

PA RT I I O F A N A U T O B I O G R A P H Y B Y F O S T E R S . S C H U LT Z

have decided to continue this autobiography after a period of over a year. My health is fair for my age now 741/2 years. Now to get back to the biography. As a teenager my dad was in the potato and poultry business. I missed some days at school both elementary and high school in the spring when plowing, disking, and planting were done. I also missed school in the fall, when we harvested potatoes. I drove the tractor for simple jobs like harrowing when I was twelve years old. The wife of one of our older neighbors couldn’t see such a youngster driving a tractor all day long, but she got over it. She lived on the first farm on Kraussdale Road coming in from Route 29. Our last field was directly across the road from their farm and many a time I went there for a drink of water at their pump in the yard. She liked to talk. She had no children and was an old lady and enjoyed my visits.

NOVEMBER 24, 1987 Spraying the potato fields was my job. We had a 100-gallon sprayer, pulled by two horses or mules, and it had a small gas engine which drove the pump. It had a four-row boom. Later, Dad replaced the small engine with a Model T Ford motor. This ran the pump faster and supplied a six-row boom with 400-PSI pressure—quite an improvement. We used this sprayer for over 12 years. There were three nozzles to the row and if one clogged up I often jumped off and unplugged the nozzle with a small piece of wire while the sprayer was moving. The horses stayed in between the rows. We sprayed a bordeaux mixture, (copper sulfate and lime) for blight and lead arsenate for leaf eating bugs. I mixed four pounds of arsenate of lead in a bucket of water by hand. Today, if you did this you would be dead in short order (according to the environmentalists) but in spite of it, I’m still here. We used nicotine sulfate for sucking insects. I always used the same overalls for this job because water would not affect this mixture and by summer’s end they were so stiff you didn’t have to hang them up, they stood up by themselves. You had to use vinegar to get the stuff off your hands (they got kind of rough). When you finished spraying one week, it was time to repeat so you were never done. Harvesting potatoes was hard work. Before I was strong enough to help load the filled bushel crates on the wagon I had to help pick them up and dump the buckets full into the bushel crates. This was a backbreaking job. Later, I helped load these crates onto a wagon and hauled them home. We dumped them into the cellar (through holes in the floor) in the old house on the farm. This cellar had a ground floor and was ideal to store potatoes over the winter and it held a lot when it was filled to the top. Later, perhaps 1925, dad bought a 11/2 ton Republic flatbed truck. It had solid rubber tires on the rear wheels and pneumatic on front. It had gas headlights and a kerosene taillight. We used this to haul potatoes from field to cellar. We also used it to deliver potatoes locally and now and then to Philadelphia. Top speed was 15 to 20 m.p.h. on the level and on a hill you could walk after it if it was loaded. It was some haul to Philadelphia. A man from Philadelphia bought a small farm next to ours. He had a small merry go round that he moved from place to place in Philadelphia. This contraption was built on a wagon and pulled by a horse.

He made the thing turn with a crank on the side. He got dad to tow it from Philadelphia to his new home with the Republic truck. He then took it to Millside and other places in the local town and gave kiddies a ride for a small fee. I guess this did not pay for the horse and feed because he was soon out of business. Soon after Dad went into the potato business, the Depression of 1929 was upon us. I know that he sold some potatoes locally for one cent a pound and if he got $2.00 a hundred weight in Philadelphia, he was fortunate. These prices continued long into the 1930s. Finally in about 1934 he discontinued growing potatoes. Financially, he was ruined. He continued the poultry business and also raised steers, but he never got on his feet financially until he sold the farm in 1939 or 1940 and got a job running a milling machine at Jacobs Aircraft Co. in Pottstown. They manufactured aircraft engines for the military. He held this job until the Second World War ended and he was laid off. During these years, I graduated from elementary school and entered high school in 1928. My childhood on the farm was a happy and contented one. I worked hard before and after school and especially during school vacation. But my sister and brothers and I also had time to play and frolic. We didn’t get very far from home but I do remember going to the Sesquicentennial in Philadelphia and also to the zoo. Our Sunday School made a tour every summer by car. I remember going to Lititz, Easton, and to a Cathedral at Bryn Athyn. Sometimes one of the cars got a flat tire. Remember this was in the 1920s. During summer vacation, our cousins—Lyndale, Robert, Ernest, Jack, and Pete and also some of the girls—at times spent the summer with us. This was a hilarious time for us kids, but think of the work this made for Mama! They could help on the farm. We always had work during this time— cultivating, haying, cutting wheat, and thrashing just to name the big jobs. We also went to the top of Mill Hill to cut down trees for firewood in the kitchen stove and also for the pipeless heater. This was during the Depression and their parents were glad to send them on the farm so it did not take so much food at home. All this time, my grandparents— Henry and Clara Seibert—were living in the same house. They had their own rooms and made their own meals but it was one big happy family. They also helped on the farm and did housework as they could. THE SCHWENKFELDIAN

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The Schultz family’s horse-drawn sprayer.

When I started high school in 1928 we were still raising potatoes. I missed many days of school both in the spring and in the fall to help plow and prepare the soil, then in the fall to harvest them. I was not the best scholar in school but I always had passing grades. Studying in some of the subjects came kind of easy to me. I took the agriculture course (a mistake) but along with this course I also took science, biology, chemistry, and physics. They were extra courses and were not included in the agriculture course. Thus, I did not have many study periods in school, but those courses along with math and geography have been very beneficial to me throughout my life. I never considered going to college because we had no money and my help was badly needed on the farm. I often wondered if this was a legitimate excuse. Loyalty sometimes interferes with life. By this time, I was well aware that there were two kinds of people—male and female. While in high school, there was a girl in our class that attracted my attention. But because of lack of money our dates were kind of infrequent. My Dad did however allow me to use the car for this and other purposes.

MARCH 1, 1988 After an interlude of three months, I want to continue this biography. Before continuing I might say that this winter was uneventful but we did a lot of running around by car and visiting friends. Also, it was kind of cold but not much snow so far. For some reason or other I think my penmanship has deteriorated lately. While at High School I was allowed one activity: football. I enjoyed it and was on the varsity two years as right guard. I played almost all the time. For these two years we had a new coach and he and we were not too successful. After two years he was replaced. Our high school class (1932) made a trip to Washington D.C. shortly before graduation. You will find some snapshots of this trip in my old photo album. My parents gave me a folding camera for a high school graduation present and I valued it very highly. In the old photo album

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you will find many pictures taken on the farm of my brothers, my sister, as well as parents and grandparents. I often had this folding camera in my overalls pocket as I worked in the fields. I became interested in photography primarily through an old man who was a neighbor of ours. He lived on the small farm on Mill Hill Road where my grandfather, Frank Schultz, lived when I was born. This old man’s name was Edmund Cellison. He was born in Germany, and learned the machinist’s trade there. He learned the right way as an apprentice. He came to the U.S. years before the First World War. His expertise was in gasoline engines and electricity. He designed engines and helped build them. I have glass slides that he made of designs and engines he built. He was a resourceful fellow. He entered an auto race as a driver. The car had solid rubber tires as there was no racetrack then. It was a 50-mile race from one point to another. It started to snow and got slippery. He stopped and bought rope and wrapped it around the tires and wheels and won the race because of this. Because he photographed many things, he developed and printed his own pictures. I got interested and began developing and printing my own pictures. I bought an old plate camera and took quite a few pictures of reunions, family groups, individuals, and developed and printed them myself and sold them. I started this as a teenager and continued it until I left home to work in Conshohocken. Mr. Cellison gave me old high-tension coils, meters, and generators to experiment with. I was very interested along this line and spent a lot of evenings with this gentleman. He was a terrible businessman. When he moved to his place he had no experience in anything but mechanics. He started his farm as a poultry farm and lost money, then a rabbit farm and lost more money. Then he equipped the barn into a machine shop and made dies for local manufactures. This also cost him more money. When he died shortly after I left home he did not even own his own home. He had a very highly educated and sophisticated wife. She was a fine woman but terribly lonesome. When I was with Mr. Cellison for an evening when we closed shop (I learned

to operate all kinds of machinery), we went into the house and she prepared a snack. The old couple were my best friends at this time. I owe Mr. Cellison an awful lot, he got me started in photography, electricity, and in all phases of machine shop work. When I was about 12 or 14 years old, my father bought a 32-volt light plant. This consisted of a gas engine and generator mounted on a base. It also had 16 large storage batteries on a rack behind the generator. This system worked like the electrical system on an automobile. The generator charged the batteries and they supplied the current when the generator was not running. This system supplied 32 volts of direct current. Dad had the barn and house wired. Now we had electric lights, iron, and water pump. There were no refrigerators made for 32-volt systems. This system was later used to light the poultry houses from 4:00 a.m. to daylight. With all these conveniences the drain on the batteries was rather large and someone, usually Dad, got up at 5:30 a.m. to start the plant. It took a new set of batteries every year at a cost of about $400.00 (quite expensive at that time). We finally got 110-220 current in about 1936. We had a spring and springhouse below our house. On the first floor was Grandpa Seibert’s carpet loom. He used to make rag carpet from strips (1" wide) of material. This material was cut and sewed together (end to end). Wrapped on balls and with many cords on the loom was woven into carpet (runners 3-feet-wide and any length). These were laid side-by-side to cover a whole floor. To clean them they were taken outside and with a strong person at each end were whipped up and down real hard. Grandpa Seibert discontinued weaving about the time I was born but Dad said he helped his father-in-law when he first came there. The basement of the springhouse had a cement floor and walls about 4-feet-tall and was about 21/2 to 3-feet-deep where milk cans could be set in the water to cool. The milk cans had to be brought from the barn to the springhouse. This was done before I was born. In my time we had a cooler in the milk house where the milk ran down over coils. The coils were kept cool with water from a spring located a short distance north of the house and ran by gravity through a lead pipe to the milk house and then into a large cement water trough under the overshoot. We had running water to this trough as long as I was at home. This spring has been filled in and is no more to be found in this small field. The spring at the springhouse is just outside of the building under a stone archway leading to the first floor and the building is still standing today but the water is no longer used except to fill the dam below the springhouse. This spring was our source of water for both the house and the barn. We had a gasoline engine on the first floor and a pump on the walkway in the basement. They were connected by belt to pump water into the cistern located just east of the lane from the barn up to the hill. The cistern was a cement tank (part was underground and part above ground) but covered with earth. It is still easily seen. This cement enclosure held enough water for about two week’s normal use. The water from this cistern supplied water even to the bathroom on the second floor of our

house. After the bathroom was put in we heated water with a wood or coal stove in the kitchen. This stove had a water back and we had running hot and cold water both in the kitchen and bathroom when I was 7 or 8 years old. When we got the 32-volt current we installed an electric pump with a pressure tank in our basement and surprisingly could draw water from the springhouse all the way to our basement. We used this method then as long as I lived there. A few years before I got into the photography game I became very interested in radio. This was when crystal sets and the first battery sets were used. My first set was a crystal set and it needed no batteries—what a novelty! I doubt whether my grandchildren were ever enthralled or interested in any hobby as I was in my first two radios. I made the crystal set myself after purchasing a crystal and headphones. My second set was a two-tube Crosley radio that I got for selling seeds—sound familiar? With the crystal set I could get only two stations. With the two-tube Crosley radio, I got stations from Boston, Mass., Schenectady, N.Y., Philadelphia, Pa., Florida, Iowa, and Illinois. I was on top of the world! What a simple thing to keep me occupied and happy into all hours of the night. At this time Paul Bieler was working in Klinks Appliance (electric) Store and when they sold radios and got the old one back, Paul gave them to me. This way I got ample parts and tubes to repair and experiment with them. I made several short wave radios and received stations around the world. What a thrill! I had a room of my own in the old house—the one we used for storage. The room was on the second floor and I put a small wood stove in it to keep warm in winter. Paul Bieler was further advanced in radio then I was, as he worked with it every day. We sometimes got together at his home or mine and we used our best radios to see who could get a California station the best. To do this we had to stay up beyond midnight as the midwestern stations closed down then. The California stations often used the same frequencies as the eastern and midwestern stations. Then, without interference and a good set, we could receive some AM California stations. I was interested in radio as long as I lived at home and for the next eight years or so. I bought some elaborate instruments and repaired radios until the FM radios came in. By then, I was working on the Fetterman farm and had no time for a hobby. By the way, when Gayle [Foster’s daughter – ED.] was in high school, she had a project and chose to build a multiband radio. She asked if I would help her build one. I said,“Sure,” and we bought a kit from a radio store. This filled me with enthusiasm and I built the set. She hardly got a chance at it. The set worked perfectly on the first try. I believe that she still has this set. As a child I was taken to Sunday School and Church every Sunday. In Sunday School we got a lesson sheet every Sunday in which a Bible character or some story or incident was explained. Later on in the Junior and Intermediate Department we had what we called supplemental work. They were small booklets, usually two per year. They dealt with things like the names of all the books in the Bible. I can still name them all. They also dealt with Bible characters like Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Old Testament prophets, and New Testament characters such as the Gospel writers, Paul, Christ, Peter, and others. This way I received a good education on the Bible, characters, chronological events, etc. I am very sorry that this method of teaching is no longer used. We committed many passages to memory and had respect for God and his church (fellow Christians). At this time everyone went through the Teachers Training class (about 16 years of age). I started to teach a class of Intermediates (boys 12 to 13 years old) when I was 18 years old. I have taught ever since. When I worked on the Fetterman THE SCHWENKFELDIAN

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farm I could not teach every Sunday (maybe twice a month) then Bill Schultz and I had a class and we rotated teaching. The Sunday School sent the young people to a Sunday School camp at Spruce Creek, Pa. It is located a little west of State College, Pa., in the mountains. We went every summer for a two-week period. We were taught religion but also had a lot of swimming and other sports. We enjoyed these vacations very much. It also did our religious thinking and practices a lot of good. When I was about 17 years old I no longer went because we were too busy on the farm. Our parents car-pooled and took us to camp and fetched us again. It was quite a trip in those days. We had our entire Sunday School lessons and teaching in the English language. However, there was one adult class consisting mostly of grandparents who had a class in the German language. We had German church services once a month until I was 19 years old (1932). All preaching, prayer and singing were done in the German language. I did not understand much because this was done in the High German language (like in Germany), but I did enjoy the singing. I still remember many of the tunes and hum them in my mind. Because of this background in German and trying to read it, I was able to hold a conversation in every day words. I understood the Pennsylvania-German Dialect very well because my parents and grandparents used it at home when speaking together. But to us children they always used English. This knowledge of German came in real handy when we met with Ruba’s pen pal and her husband in East Germany later in life.

It is now a little over a year since I last wrote in the autobiography. I believe that I covered my High School years before so I will continue after my graduation in 1932. There were about 33 graduates in the class. We went to Washington D.C. as a class with two chaperones. We stayed for three days, which was quite an experience in those days. After graduation, I worked on the farm for my parents until September 1935. At this time I was 22 years, 4 months old. Up until this time, I received no wages but I earned a little money repairing (overhauling) cars and shoveling snow on the country roads in wintertime at 25 cents-per-hour. I started courting Ruba Hoffman sometime in 1934. One evening in Sept. 1935, I got a telephone call from Lyndale Schultz (a cousin) living in Collegeville. He was going to Drexel at the time and was on some kind of a program where you went to College for a time and then they got you a job for a time so you could earn money to pay the tuition. He was working at C & D Batteries Inc. at the time and they started hiring because they were always busy from September to April or May. Lyndale said that maybe if I applied I could get a job at least until spring. So somebody (maybe Mama?) took me to Uncle Abner’s and Aunt Irma, as I wanted to apply the next day. Aunt Irma said I could board there if I got a job and I could go to work with Lyndale. So the next morning I went to C & D Batteries, Conshohocken with Lyndale.You must remember that these years were still Depression years. Jobs were hard to come by. I had tried at local factories before with no success. Well there were about 50 applicants there for two or three jobs. The Superintendent of the outfit, a Mr. Dempwolf, did the interviews. When it was my time I told him I was a farm boy from 25 miles to the north and had no factory experience. He asked me,“Why did you come so far to get a job?” I told him that my cousin Lyndale Schultz told me about the hiring and that I had a place to stay. He said, “Yes, I know about Lyndale and he is a good intelligent worker and maybe you are from the same mold. I’ll give you a job.” He said, “I think I detect an accent in your speaking, could it be German?” I said, “Yes, my parents and grandparents generally spoke in the Pennsylvania-German tongue and some of it rubbed off on me.” He said that his parents came from Germany and that he was raised in the German language. He then spoke several sentences in German, which I understood perfectly. We remained good friends as long as I was there. n This article is an excerpt from a handwritten journal recounting the events of Foster S. Schultz’s childhood. Unfortunately, after his April 11, 1989, entry, Foster discontinued his practice of recording regular entries and his autobiography was never completed. The first part of his narrative was published in the Winter 2013 issue of The Schwenkfeldian. Photographs courtesy of the Foster S. Schultz family.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY JERRY HEEBNER

APRIL 11, 1989

HERITAGE SITES In 1984, the Board of Publication of The Schwenkfelder Church created a self-guided tour of points of interest to Schwenkfelders to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the arrival of the Schwenkfelders to Pennsylvania in 1734. The booklet, titled From One Place to Another, grew to be a valued publication. By 2009, the realignment of roads and new housing developments deemed many of the routes out of date. A subcommittee of the Publication Committee was appointed to update the piece.

of Schwenkfelder immigrants. In front of each grave site was placed a small stone marker, engraved with his or her immigrant or “E” number as assigned by the authors of The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families, published in 1923. A series of memorial services was held that included unveiling of the monuments, reading of brief biographical sketches, and decorating of the individual immigrant graves with flowers.

The original booklet was presented as three separate and distinct tours, with guided driving directions from site to site. In this revision, the individual sites can be conveniently visited within three geographical districts: upper, middle, and lower. This way, people can explore the sites as their time and interest allow. Inset maps as well as GPS coordinates are also included. For those interested in visiting multiple sites, they are listed in a logical, drivable order.

The reader will note that the names of the immigrants have been anglicized and standardized throughout this publication, most notably in the appendix. The historical record refers to these people at various times as “immigrants” and “emigrants.” The committee has established the position that an immigrant is one who is entering a country, while an emigrant is one who is leaving a country. While the “E” in “E number” stands for “emigrant” as provided by the authors of The Genealogical Record, the committee decided to use the term “immigrant” for continuity and clarity throughout the text.

The Schwenkfelders established meetinghouses in two distinct areas that became known as the Upper District and Middle District. When new churches were established in Philadelphia and Norristown, they were referred to as the Philadelphia District and Norristown District. For ease of use, the committee has organized this booklet into three sections using these general areas as their guide. The Middle District was sometimes referred to as the Lower District. There is no clear indication of when one name became preferable over the other and why the district was called both names at various times. For clarity, the committee has chosen to use the term Middle District consistently throughout the text. As part of the 1934 Schwenkfelder Bicentennial celebration, monuments were erected at each burial ground known to hold remains

It’s the sincere hope of the committee that this booklet provides a concise introduction to the rich heritage of the Schwenkfelders. It tempts the traveler to explore the topics in much greater depth. And, like most adventures, this is only a beginning. The booklet sells for $15.00 and is available at each Schwenkfelder Church. Also, it may be purchased at the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center. The Heritage Center will ship the book, but an additional cost of $3.95 per book should be added to these orders. Orders may be placed at the Heritage Center by telephone or by mailing a check payable to: Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center, 105 Seminary Street, Pennsburg, PA 18073.

Tour Booklet Planning Committee: Linda Grisdale (Central Schwenkfelder Church), Jean Ross (Palm Schwenkfelder Church), Luanne Stauffer (Palm Schwenkfelder Church), and Everett Tyson (Olivet-Schwenkfelder UCC). Publication Committee of The Schwenkfelder Church: William Dill, Rev. Karen Gallagher, Linda Grisdale, Gerald Heebner, Rev. Leslie Kearney, Rev. David Luz, Jean Ross, Luanne Stauffer, Leah Tyson, and Rev. Edward Winslow. THE SCHWENKFELDIAN

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sitespecific Church Briefs

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The end of 2012 at Central Church meant an array of Christmas music, which included beautiful musical contributions to our Sunday morning worship services, caroling, and the always popular United Choir Christmas concert. December also meant the Angel Tree Project, which provides gifts to children of incarcerated fathers or mothers. Pat Marburger, once again, did a superb job of organizing this project and seeing that the gifts were distributed at a Christmas party at the Philadelphia Church. Women’s Christian Fellowship sponsored a successful sale of jewelry, scarves, glass ornaments, and other handmade articles. The proceeds went to Women At Risk International (W.A.R.) to aid victims of human trafficking. It was a wonderful way to start the Christmas season by shopping with a purpose. January saw the beginning of a new 13-week catechetical class and sign-ups for a variety of small groups that started in February. The youth participated in various activities, including a super bowl party for Crave/Wired youth, Awana super bowling, and Encounter 2013. The Junior and Cherub choirs presented the musical, “Oh Jonah” at church as well as at Meadowood and Dock Woods. The month of March found the Wired/Crave groups in the Poconos for a ski trip where they enjoyed winter activities and hearing guest speaker Scott Smith, Director of Interns at the Philadelphia Project. The same group also held a bake-off 2013 to raise money for the Youth Scholarship Fund. Diana James and Claire

Dragwa won first place with an Angry Birds cake. Second place winners were Sophia Skrzat and Tori Bikel with a piggies in mud cake. Sydney Wurtz came in third with the classic chocolate cake and Denise Skrzat won fourth place with an Easter bunny cake. An Easter egg hunt was held for preschool ages 3 through sixth grade. Women’s Christian Fellowship (WCF) had their annual silent auction in March and attended the Women’s Retreat weekend, on March 15-17, at Linck Hill Inn in Morris, PA. The retreat, thanks to the expert planning of Joanne Lepping-Irving and her committee, had more than 40 attendees. The theme for the weekend was “In the Margins of My Bible,” with guest speakers Sheryl Vasso and Cammy Tidwell. A light snow enhanced the beautiful setting at the Inn where the women experienced great food, fun, and spiritual renewal. The Men of Central continued to hold their breakfast meetings at Mal’s in Skippack. During the months of December and March, Central hosted the Red Cross blood drives, which included the platelet bus. Both drives were successful, with above average participation in the March drive. During Lent, luncheons were held in the Fellowship Hall each Wednesday, affording opportunity for Bible study and prayer. During the first service on Palm Sunday, the Chancel Choir presented the cantata “Here is Love” by Larry Shackley. Pastor David McKinley narrated. The choir was accompanied by piano, organ, and an instrumental ensemble. Pastor Julian Scavetti preached during the Easter dawn service, followed by the tradi-

The month of December at Olivet-Schwenkfelder Church began with our holiday craft and vendor show on December 1. Despite the chilly temperatures, everyone had a good time stocking up on gifts for their loved ones or themselves. As in the past, all proceeds from the event went to the church’s capital improvement fund. We took time out to offer comfort through poetry, scriptures, and singing to those struggling with the holiday season during our annual Blue Christmas service on December 12. The activity continued on December 16 as our youth (and the young at heart) presented the annual Sunday School pageant. Gregory Briggs, Alex Nyce, Aaron Nyce, Kyle Sakamoto, Sheila Tornetta, Bill Hallman, and Doug and Cheryl Emerson delighted the congregation with songs and also educated us with a history lesson about two of our favorite Christmas decorations—wreaths and Christmas trees. Our Christmas Eve candlelight service was a

Central Schwenkfelder 2111 Valley Forge Rd., Lansdale, Pa. 19446 610-584-4480 www.centralschwenkfelder.com Worship: 9:00 a.m., 11:15 a.m. Church School: 10:00 a.m.

Olivet-Schwenkfelder United Church of Christ 619 Township Line Rd., Norristown, PA 19403 610-539-7444 • www.osuccpa.org Worship: 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. Church School: 9:00 a.m.

Palm Schwenkfelder P.O. Box 66, Palm, PA 18070 215-679-5321 www.palmschwenkfelder.com Worship: 10:15 a.m. Church School: 9:00 a.m.

tional breakfast in Fellowship Hall. The traditional and informal worship services were led by Rev. David McKinley and were assisted by Pastor Bill Kalajainen. Participation by the Junior Choir, Chancel Bells, Celebration Brass, and Chancel Choir gave sound and voice to the message of the risen savior. Infant dedication took place on March 24, at which time Sean Mills Brenn, Callen J. Johnson, and Joshua Robert Neff were presented for dedication. ✞

OLIVET

CHURCH PHOTOGRAPHS BY JERRY HEEBNER

our facilities

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musical event filled with terrific music from our choir, the bell choir, and soloist Megan Williams Pilz. As we did last season, we continued the Christmas mitten tree tradition from our time on George Street in Norristown. This year, we collected a total of 80 items to donate to the Cradles to Crayons organization. We said our goodbyes to 2012 with a service of carols on December 30. We opened 2013 quietly as the Li’l Angels sponsored a Burger King night on January 10. A portion of the proceeds raised on that day benefitted the Li’l Angels Christian Preschool. Our Mission and Benevolence Committee collected items for the Norristown Ministries Hospitality Center, a day home in Norristown for those in need of meals or spiritual guidance. We also resumed our monthly Taizé services on Sunday, January 13. On January 20, we installed our new Church Council officers, including a new president, Vince Nyce. We also celebrated health and human service Sunday on January 27. Youth Serve kicked off the month with the annual Souper Bowl of Caring after the worship service on February 3. Attendees were treated to homemade vegetable or chicken noodle soup prepared by the youth (Gregory Briggs, Alex Nyce), volunteer Kyle Sakamoto, and Youth Coordinators Doug and Cheryl Emerson. Anyone attending was asked to bring canned goods for donation. A good will offering was also taken. All totaled, the youth collected over $200 and nearly 40 cans of food for Interfaith. Our annual congregational meeting took place on February 10 and we gathered after the 10:00 a.m. service for a light

lunch to break bread and discuss the matters of the church. The following Saturday, we held a family bowling night at Facenda-Whitaker Lanes in Norristown. Organized by Sheila Tornetta, it was a terrific night filled with music, laughs, and an occasional strike or two. Rev. David Luz stopped by on February 17 to serve as guest preacher for the morning. It was great to see him as usual. On Wednesday, February 20, we served as the host church to begin the season of Lent. The worship service featured a sermon from Rev. Michael Meneses of the Wellspring Church of Skippack and the offering from the service was presented to Project Hope, an HIV/AIDS services program in Montgomery County. At the conclusion of our Sunday service on February 24, Linda Serverson, a Li’l Angels teachers’ aide and American Heart Association instructor, held a CPR/AED training certification class. A big thanks to her for giving of her time and talents to help people prepare. On March 10, we collected our One Great Hour of Sharing offering which directly supports such things as food for impoverished communities, education, and health care for those in need. The Women’s Fellowship began their plan to fatten us up by hosting an Easter egg candy sale from March 17 to March 31. The Youth Serve hosted a baked ziti dinner fundraiser on March 23. As we wound down the month to Easter Sunday celebrations, we partnered with various Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist congregations across the country by celebrating Palm Sunday on March 24 with ecologically friendly Eco-Palms. The holiest week

on our calendar began on March 28 with our Maundy Thursday service, which included communion and the sacred act of foot washing. The solemn Good Friday (or Tenebrae) service followed the next evening where members of the congregation came forward and hammered a nail into Christ’s cross. We celebrated our Lord’s resurrection on March 31 with a breakfast cooked by our Men’s Club. ✞

Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center 105 Seminary St., Pennsburg, PA 18073 215-679-3103 www.schwenkfelder.com Mon.: Closed • Tues., Wed., Fri.: 9–4 Thurs.: 9–8 • Sat.: 10–3 • Sun.: 1–4

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PA L M What a winter we had at Palm Church! The season started off with a showing of the nativity story movie, held at Lisa Stitt’s house on December 7, for the youths in fifth grade and up. Marshmallows were roasted in the fireplace and hot chocolate was served to get everyone in the mood. On December 16, the confirmands and their mentors enjoyed a Christmas luncheon in our Fellowship Hall. Time was spent getting to know each other and discussing their faith journey timelines. December 16 was also the date for the performance of our children’s Christmas program. This year, the program was entitled “Christmas: Where, When and Why!” Thanks to all of the children for a great job on the show and a really big thanks to Barb Master and Gail Ferry for all of the hard work they put in working with the children and organizing such a wonderful event at our church. Christmas Eve is always a special time at Palm Church. We had our annual Christmas Eve cantata, featuring “A Celebration of Carols” by Joseph M. Martin, and a candle

Schwenkfelder Missionary 2010 Reed St. Philadelphia, PA 19146 215-334-4658 Worship: 10:45 a.m. Church School: 9:30 a.m.

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THE SCHWENKFELDIAN

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lighting service. It is always one of the most beautiful services of the year. The Ladies’Aid held their annual Epiphany party on January 8, 2013. A covered dish luncheon was organized and donations for Open Line were collected instead of a gift exchange. The Palm Relay for Life Team held a fastnacht sale this year to raise money. Many church members bought some of the good Pennsylvania Dutch doughnuts to help support the team! Valentine’s Day cards were collected for about 25 of our elderly church members. The youth of our church collected, sorted, and delivered the cards and some much needed happiness! The Family Glow bowling day was held on March 2 at Limerick Bowl. We had a good turn out for this event and lots of fun was had by all! We are starting to organize our college goodie boxes again this year. This is the second year we are sending boxes out to our young college members. The boxes are filled with all kinds of things to help them get through this last bit of the school year— treats, notes from friends and family, and anything else we can think of to give them support. I will let you know how this event went in the next issue of The Schwenkfeldian. The Easter Season was already in full swing when we held our Easter egg hunt on Palm Sunday, March 24. Everyone gathered for punch and pretzels before the big hunt began. The weather was perfect and the children raced and found the eggs in record time! It was lots of fun for the children and the spectators. Our Easter services were great celebrations of the resurrection of Jesus. Our Easter dawn service began at 7:00 a.m. with a breakfast served immediately afterwards in our Fellowship Hall. The regular service time was another opportunity for celebration for our members. The special music, flowers, and meaning of these services are so uplifting to our church members. We have a new church mission group at Palm Church—Hearts of Palm. This is a new committee formed to provide meals for members in need. It is a wonderful program that is being run by Nancy Hoffman and Barb Master. More information can be obtained from our church office if you would like to help out or if you know of a family in need. ✞

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personal notes MARRIAGES

DEATHS

Chris Groce to Cynthia Benham in Harrisburg, PA, on December 1, 2012. (Central)

Gladys (Bernhard) Beyer, age 94, wife of the late John I. Beyer, of Worcester, March 11, 2013. Graveside service March 16, 2013, at Worcester Schwenkfelder Cemetery. (Central)

Eddie Hernandez to Brittany Stitt at Palm Schwenkfelder Church on October 20, 2012. (Palm) James Kipp to Amy Siegfried at Central Schwenkfelder Church on November 3, 2012. (Central) Ryan C. Stauffer to Jennifer L. Doyle in Lancaster, PA, on January 5, 2013. (Palm)

BIRTHS Dylan Thomas D’eramo, son of Greg D’eramo and Kara Walter, October 8, 2012. (Palm) William Alan Gunderman, son of Mark and Stacy (Winder) Gunderman, November 29, 2012. (Central) Andrew Wayne Heebner, son of Joshua and Laura Heebner, October 6, 2012. (Central) Kayden Paige King, daughter of Ryan and Kelly King, Tuesday, October 9, 2012. (Central) Trevor Jackson Schmidt, son of Thomas and Lisa Ann Schmidt, January 14, 2013. (Central) Piper Josephine Stiteler, daughter of Andrew and Niccole Stiteler, November 17, 2012. (Olivet) Eliorah Jane Thacker, daughter of David and Xarisse Thacker, February 1, 2013. (Olivet)

DEDICATIONS Sean Mills Brenn, son of Jeremy and Beth (Sensenig) Brenn, dedicated and baptized on March 24, 2013. (Central) Thomas Gerard Colvin, son of Andrew and Erica Colvin, December 23, 2012. (Central) Callen J. Johnson, grandson of Patricia Marburger, March 24, 2013. (Central) Joshua Robert Neff, son of Michael and Robin Neff, March 24, 2013. (Central) Ian Richard Ross, son of Christopher and Kimberly (Karschner) Ross, December 23, 2012. (Palm)

Ray F. Bittenbender, age 63, of Boyertown, December 21, 2012. Services December 29, 2012; interment at Palm Schwenkfelder Cemetery. (Palm) Marjorie S. Cantner, age 91, wife of the late Ira A. Cantner, of Lansdale, January 17, 2013. Services January 21, 2013; interment at Sunset Memorial Park. (Central) Victor A. Focht, Jr., age 82, husband of Joan E. (Fitzgerald-Postell) Focht and the late Mary Jane (Young) Focht, of Lansdale, March 21, 2013. Services March 26, 2013; interment at the Garden of Memories of Worcester. (Central) Norma (Kriebel) Krauss, age 92, wife of Robert M. Krauss, Sr. of Towamencin, formerly of Worcester, March 27, 2013. Services March 30, 2013; interment at the Garden of Memories of Worcester. (Central) Michele (Morrow) Neff, age 65, wife of David E. Neff, of Towamencin Township, January 22, 2013. Services January 26, 2013; interment at Garden of Memories in Worcester. (Central) James R. Pfister, Sr., age 82, husband of Lorraine (Wambold) Pfister, of Green Lane, formerly of Mainland, January 9, 2013. Services January 16, 2013; interment at Towamencin Schwenkfelder Cemetery. (Central) Elizabeth (Ivanoff) Plavcan, age 85, wife of the late Eugene P. Plavcan, of Myerstown, formerly of East Norriton, February 7, 2013. Services February 14, 2013; interment at Garden of Memories in Worcester. (Central) Lenore (Hoffman) Stauffer, age 83, wife of Wallace C. Stauffer, of Pennsburg, March 24, 2013. Services April 1, 2013; interment at Palm Schwenkfelder Cemetery. (Palm) Brent Robert Swartz, age 42, husband of Traci Roth, of Wayne, March 23, 2013. Services March 28, 2013. (Central) Beverly A. (Miller) Wohlbach, age 71, wife of Leon F. Wohlbach, of Zionsville, December 23, 2012. Services December 27, 2012; interment at Palm Schwenkfelder Cemetery. (Palm) Larry J. Yokl, age 76, husband of Patricia A. (Bleiler) Yokl, of East Greenville, October 17, 2012. Services October 20, 2012; interment at Palm Schwenkfelder Cemetery. (Palm)

heritage In Retrospect 50 YEARS AGO Sunday evening, December 23, 1962, the choir of the Lansdale Church presented the traditional “Hanging of the Greens.” White gifts were also brought to be donated to the Paoli School for the Blind. The death of Wayne C. Meschter, at his home in Glenside on January 5, 1963, terminated a long and full life dedicated in large measure to furthering the interests of the Schwenkfelder Church. Mr. Meschter was a member of the First Schwenkfelder Church in Philadelphia. On Saturday evening, January 12, a dinner meeting was held to complete the United Choir season. Robert Krauss, chorister of the Central Church, led the singing of popular songs throughout the dinner hour as well as a hymn-sing later in the evening. Mary Jane Ellis, pianist, accompanied the singing. Fourteen persons from the Palm Church attended the Christian Endeavor banquet at the Central Church on February 2, 1963. ✞

25 YEARS AGO

was the fifth year of his leadership of this combined choir. On Sunday, December 20, children of the Lansdale Church Sunday school celebrated Christmas with a special program which included recitations about the birth of Jesus, talks about Christmas traditions, and singing “Away in a Manger.” Pastor David Luz concluded the celebration by posing Christmas trivia questions to all in attendance. In January, 1988, a Junior Handbell Choir was added to the musical program of the Central Church. On February 28, 1988, during the 84th anniversary celebration of the Norristown Church, Elizabeth Weber was honored for her many years of devoted service to the church and missions. A gardening seminar series was held at the Schwenkfelder Library beginning in February. The meetings were held monthly from February to June. Presenters were Peter Erb, Alan Keyser, Nancy Roan, and Marian Bardman. Included topics were local folk culture, plants, and herbs. Perkiomen School announced the availability of a competitive scholarship of $1,000 for Schwenkfelder boys and girls for the 1988-89 school year. Present Schwenkfelder scholarship students included Radcliffe Farley, Ian Wood, and Julie Murphy. ✞

10 YEARS AGO Central Church joined in giving and sharing the joy of Christ’s birth by participating in an angel tree gift program that collected presents for the 67 children who attended the First Schwenkfelder Church’s holiday party. On January 25, 2003, the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center hosted an exciting closing event for its “Happy Birthday, Teddy” exhibit. The exhibit showcased various teddy bears which were dressed by members of the community to commemorate the 100th birthday of the teddy bear. The exhibit was sponsored by Univest. During a congregational meeting at the Lansdale Church in January, Arthur Anders, Waldo Johnson, and Frank Schlegel were honored for their many years of dedicated service to the church council. At the Palm Church annual congregational meeting in February, 2003, Todd and Carol Snyder were honored by the Palm Church congregation for their 25 years of ordained ministry. The confirmation class of 2003 at the Palm Church was unusual in that the confirmants were all boys. Up to the challenge, though, was member Luanne Stauffer, teacher for the class. ✞ PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE SCHWENKFELDER LIBRARY & HERITAGE CENTER

Edward Bieler, choir director of the Palm Church Senior Choir, directed the United Schwenkfelder Choir in two concerts, held on December 6, 1987, at the Central Church. This

BY LENA JOHNSON

The Washington Meetinghouse was taken down in 1911. However, the cemetery and a monument to the Schwenkfelder immigrants still remain at the site. THE SCHWENKFELDIAN

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J U N E 2 , 2 0 1 3 • 6 : 0 0 P. M . Julian Scavetti, Central Schwenkfelder Pastor, will be the featured speaker. A graveside talk will follow his presentation. The evening will conclude with an ice cream social in the pavilion. PHOTOGRAPH BY JERRY HEEBNER