250 Years of Faith, Witness,
and Ministry
For more than two hundred fifty years the
congregation now named Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Taneytown, Maryland, has been a family of God with its members sharing
a common faith centered in the Word and Sacrament.
It is a generally accepted fact that Trinity
Evangelical Lutheran Church, Taneytown, is the oldest Lutheran
congregation in Carroll County, although the actual date of its
founding is difficult to establish. It does pre-date the Revolution;
that much is rather certain.
German Lutherans, driven out of the Rhineland
by the persecutions of protestants under Louis XIV, moved through the
Low Countries of Europe and then on to England. Upon the invitation of
William Penn, some came to America and settled in Penn's Woods –
largely in the Colebrook Valley of Eastern Pennsylvania. In the early
1730s, many of these German Pilgrims in Eastern Pennsylvania, harassed
by Indian attacks, began migrating to Virginia, traveling south on
what during Indian times was called the Monocacy Trail, (later called
the Monocacy Rd., an important road in the colony leading north and
south). Some of them apparently liked the area that is now Taneytown
and decided to go no farther. Established in 1740, Taneytown is the
oldest town in Carroll County. The name Taneytown is credited to
Frederick Taney, who in 1740 was among some of the first settlers. In
1743 Raphael Taney and John Diggs were granted "Brother's Agreement" a
tract of 7900 acres.
The German settlers brought with them their
Catechisms, large German Bibles, Prayer Books, and, of course, their
strong faith. It is logical to assume that these stalwart people were
not long in arranging meetings in homes and barns. The first Lutheran
pastor, John Casper Stoover, visited the Monocacy settlement on June
23, 1734, to hold services, distribute Communion, and baptize. The
Reverend Stoover reportedly conducted services in a hayloft. Rev.
Solomon Sentman, in a synopsis of the history of the congregation,
written in 1844, says, "This congregation was doubtless organized at a
very early period in the history of the Lutheran church in America".
During this period, the faithful were served by a number of other
itinerant clergymen, including a Dr. Melsheimer, of Hanover, and a Dr.
Runkel of Gettysburg. Surely, the names of others were not recorded or
the records were lost.
The Maryland Synod has accepted the year of
1750 as the probable time of the birth of the Taneytown Lutheran
congregation, although there are no records to indicate that an
official church building existed prior to the Raphael Taney land grant
in 1762. In other printed sketches reference is made to the date of
organization as 1780, but no record of organization can be found.
Immanuael Lutheran church, Manchester, was organized in 1760, St.
Benjamin's, Westminster, 1761, and St Mary's Silver Run, in 1762.
About 1788, the year before George Washington
was inaugurated as the first President of the United States of
America, John Guenther Wingandt, the first regular pastor, was called,
A baptism in 1788 was the first Baptism recorded. After 1792 a more
complete record was kept, very likely due to Rev. Wingandt's
diligence. This book, known as "Book A" gives not only the name of the
pastor but also the names of the church council: Michael Null and
Ulrich Reaver, elders; Matthew Shriner and John Zumbrum, deacons.
The pastorate, while known as the Taneytown
charge, included other congregations and preaching stations which
changed over the years. It should be pointed out that in those early
days Taneytown was not only a voting place, but a post office for a
large portion of what is now the upper half of Carroll County. Some
other congregations included in the charge at different times were
Baust Church, Winters' Church, Fountain Dale, Emmitsburg, Keysville,
St. Mary's, Silver Run, Mt. Union, and Mt. Joy. It was not until 1878
that this church became a separate pastorate.
The first Constitution and By-laws of record
was adopted May 4, 1805, when the church was incorporated as the
German Lutheran Congregation of Taneytown. It provided for a vestry of
6 members, without distinction of rank. The pastor was made president
ex-officio and the annual election was to be held on Easter Monday, a
provision that continued for well over 100 years.
All records during those early years were
written in German, and services were conducted in German. English was
not used at all until approximately 1813, and even then it did not
entirely replace German. It is reported that one of the pastors at the
cornerstone laying for the first brick church in 1811 said that they
hoped no English would ever be spoken in this church. Not long after
that first brick church building was completed in 1813, some of the
congregation began clamoring for Services to be conducted in English.
By the 1820s the congregation was involved in a period of change that
was difficult for some of its members, including the pastor, to
accept. From the beginning the church had been deeply rooted in its
German heritage and so the services had been conducted in German. Now
there was concern that the church was losing the English-speaking
younger generations. Rev. Grobp was unable to preach effectively in
English, so in 1826 the congregation hired an assistant, Rev. John
Hoffman, to devote himself to the English language. Two years later,
on May 10, 1828, at a meeting of the vestry, a resolution was passed
that half of the Services were to be conducted in English and half in
German. Rev. Grobp, possibly a bit miffed, resigned and his assistant,
Rev. John Hoffinan succeeded him. From then on the transition was made
gradually with German being dropped completely in 1876, after the
Civil War.
A new Constitution and By-laws naming the
congregation the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Taneytown was
adopted by the vestry March 4, 1843. Formally acknowledged before two
justices of the peace, February 26, 1844. Since no "book of record"
was kept by the county at the time it was recommended it be sent to
the state legislature. The petition incorporating it as such was
passed by the Md. Legislature March 19, 1845. Even though the official
name did not include it, the church was to be known as "Trinity
Church".
Apparently a number of changes had come about
between 1805 and 1843, since that constitution provided for two
elders, four deacons, and six trustees to be elected, and the
proceedings were recorded in English. It might be noted that the
Maryland Synod had been organized in1820 and it is possible that this
conformed with the formula of government adopted by the General Synod.
An act of incorporation was approved at a
special congregational meeting held February 19, 1900, making the
name, "Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Taneytown, Carroll
County, Maryland." The act was acknowledged before Henry C. Wilt,
Justice of the Peace, on March 5, 1900, and duly recorded according to
law on March 6, 1900, at the county seat.
It is interesting to note that in the early
history of the church women were not allowed to vote, but a woman
might send her husband to vote, even though he was not a member of the
church. The right for women to vote at Congregational Meetings was
afforded in the new Constitution and By-laws enacted in 1900. In 1969,
during the pastorate of Rev. Maurice Arsenault, the first woman was
elected onto the church council – Mrs. Elwood, (Naomi), Baumgardner.
The first woman to serve as President of the Church Council was Mrs.
Theodore (Melba) Fair in 1975.
A "Harvest Home" ingathering was a
long-standing tradition with members bringing surplus food and canned
goods to give to Tressler Orphanage, Loysville, Pa., and National
Lutheran Home, Washington, D.C. Some remember when the front of the
chancel was literally filled with foodstuffs. Loysville and the Home
would bring jars for people to take home over the summer and can some
extras to give to those causes. In 1972 the Health Department would no
longer permit home-canned foods to be used by institutions and for a
number of years following, canned goods and staples were purchased and
donated.
Many also remember when the Tressler Orphan's
Home Band would present a concert in Taneytown, with members of
Trinity hosting a few of the youngsters overnight. In 1925 the concert
was held at the Taneytown Fair Grounds with an estimated 2500 people
in attendance. The free-will offering, which went to the Band,
amounted to $218.00 and the boys sold almost $28.00 worth of pictures.
A tradition for many years was the "White
Gift" Service held on a Sunday evening near Christmas. Gifts, wrapped
in white, would be brought to the service by parishioners. There would
be a Christmas drama, special music, an offering, and then near the
end of the evening the white gifts would be gathered by youth, often
dressed in white, and stacked inside the chancel railing. In the
earlier years the gifts were taken to the Tressler Lutheran Orphanage
for the children there, and in later years to other homes. On one of
these nights in the mid-1930s as participants entered the very dimly
lit church nave they were astonished to see the Altar Table covered
with silver. It turned out that Pastor Sutcliffe had saved the
aluminum foil from chewing gum wrappers for many years and had covered
the altar table with that foil. (This was before the time of aluminum
foil.) A labor of love which made for a very special memory.
Sunday evening Services were discontinued in
1946.
Two members of Trinity were killed in World
War II: Paul Copenhaver and Richard Sell. A "Service Flag" honoring
the 68 men and women of Trinity who served their country during World
War I1 was enclosed in a glass case and placed alongside a brass
plaque in the front vestibule. It was dedicated June, 1949.
A 200`h Anniversary Pageant, "The Seven Books
of Trinity", was presented in the church nave, January 22, 23, and 25,
1951, to standing-room only crowds. Written by Miss Dorothy Elderdice,
of the Westminster Seminary, it traced the history of the congregation
from the first German pilgrims coming down the Monocacy Trail, to the
shining, new, book VII, still to be written, presented to the young
people of the pastor's confirmation class.
The summer of 1962, an 8:00 A.M. Service, to
be held in the Chapel was authorized. Council voted to discontinue
those in 1965, only to be reinstated in 1967, when they were offered
in June, July, and August. In 1976, during the pastorate of Rev. Emil
Gustafson, this Service was expanded to year-round, using a spoken
Service.
A "Coffee Hour" following church the last
Sunday of each month was tried in 1964, but was discontinued a few
months later. This was begun again some years later and continues as a
monthly occurrence to this time.
In 1965 a number of ladies of the church,
under the direction of Mrs. Merle (Fannie) Ohler, made "Chrismons"
using white styrofoam, glitter, jewels, and gold braid. These were
used on the Christmas trees placed in the church during the Christmas
season. They have been used nearly every Christmas since then,
although the number still in good condition are diminishing.
Trinity church joined the Red Cross Blood
program in 1967 – affording coverage of all members of the
congregation with their blood assurance program. Although now a
community-wide program, the church is still very much involved.
The first Strawberry Festival was held June 5,
1971.
Historically, the Pastor served as President
of the congregation and church council. At a congregational meeting in
1972, the decision was made to have a layman serve as President.
Herbert Bowers was the first layman so elected.
The use of wine instead of grape juice for
communion was discussed in the fall of 1973, between pastorates. There
was still a good deal of opposition. By common consent of council,
wine replaced grape juice, November, 1974.
After a great deal of negotiating and
consideration of using the church's facilities for a community
day-care center the proposal was put before the congregation in July,
1976. The proposal was defeated 81 to 70. Also in 1976, at the urging
of Pastor Emil Gustafson, the Church Council was expanded from a
12-person board to 18 members by electing six members each year to a
three-year term. The expressed intent was to increase interest and
involvement. This was changed with the adoption of a new Constitution
and By-Laws in 1992, which provided for only four members to be
elected to three-year terms each year, thereby reducing Council back
to a 12-person governing board over a three-year period. That same
Constitution and By-Laws also mandated a change in the organizational
structure of the congregation from a "Committee" structure to "Boards"
for carrying out the mission of the congregation.
An Advent Workshop was conducted in 1974, a
tradition which has continued for almost every year since. In 1984, an
Ash Wednesday Lenten breakfast was initiated.
An informal abbreviated Communion Service each
Wednesday evening was begun during the pastorate of Rev. Arthur
Mentzer in 1986.
In November, 1998, the congregation voted to
change the time of the late Service from 10:00 A.M. to 10:15 A.M. to
allow more time for Sunday School and musical instruction.
The summer of 1962, an 8:00 A.M. Service, to
be held in the Chapel was authorized. Council voted to discontinue
those in 1965, only to be reinstated in 1967, when they were offered
in June, July, and August. In 1976, during the pastorate of Rev. Emil
Gustafson, this Service was expanded to year-round, using a spoken
Service.
A "Coffee Hour" following church the last
Sunday of each month was tried in 1964, but was discontinued a few
months later. This was begun again some years later and continues as a
monthly occurrence to this time.
In 1965 a number of ladies of the church,
under the direction of Mrs. Merle (Fannie) Ohler, made "Chrismons"
using white styrofoam, glitter, jewels, and gold braid. These were
used on the Christmas trees placed in the church during the Christmas
season. They have been used nearly every Christmas since then,
although the number still in good condition are diminishing.
Trinity church joined the Red Cross Blood
program in 1967 – affording coverage of all members of the
congregation with their blood assurance program. Although now a
community-wide program, the church is still very much involved.
The first Strawberry Festival was held June 5,
1971.
Historically, the Pastor served as President
of the congregation and church council. At a congregational meeting in
1972, the decision was made to have a layman serve as President.
Herbert Bowers was the first layman so elected.
The use of wine instead of grape juice for
communion was discussed in the fall of 1973, between pastorates. There
was still a good deal of opposition. By common consent of council,
wine replaced grape juice, November, 1974.
After a great deal of negotiating and
consideration of using the church's facilities for a community
day-care center the proposal was put before the congregation in July,
1976. The proposal was defeated 81 to 70. Also in 1976, at the urging
of Pastor Emil Gustafson, the Church Council was expanded from a
12-person board to 18 members by electing six members each year to a
three-year term. The expressed intent was to increase interest and
involvement. This was changed with the adoption of a new Constitution
and By-Laws in 1992, which provided for only four members to be
elected to three-year terms each year, thereby reducing Council back
to a 12-person governing board over a three-year period. That same
Constitution and By-Laws also mandated a change in the organizational
structure of the congregation from a "Committee" structure to "Boards"
for carrying out the mission of the congregation.
An Advent Workshop was conducted in 1974, a
tradition which has continued for almost every year since. In 1984, an
Ash Wednesday Lenten breakfast was initiated.
An informal abbreviated Communion Service each
Wednesday evening was begun during the pastorate of Rev. Arthur
Mentzer in 1986.
In November, 1998, the congregation voted to
change the time of the late Service from 10:00 A.M. to 10:15 A.M. to
allow more time for Sunday School and musical instruction.
