A Brief History of the New Bethlehem Presbyterian Church

The first Church building: The Presbyterians began construction of a church building in the Fall of 1876, a few years after the end of the Civil War and completed and occupied the structure in the Fall of 1877, with services first held in the basement.  The beautifully designed structure with a landmark needle-point steeple was located on the north side of Penn Street at its intersection with Wood Street.  The frame structure was erected at a total cost of $6,500. The present church building is located on the same Penn-Wood Street site as the original frame building.

The Manse: The present brick manse, fronting on Penn Street adjacent to the church, was completed  in 1904.  Dr. John L. Proudfit and his family were the first occupants of the manse, beginning in 1904.  During the Spanish Influenza Epidemic of 1918, the manse served as a community hospital.

Organization: The New Bethlehem Presbyterian Church was first organized on September 21, 1850, within what was then known as the Clarion Presbytery. When the church began, Zachary Taylor had just died (July, 1850) bringing Millard Fillmore from the Vice-Presidency into office as the 13th president of the nation. The Slave Controversy was very vigorous and Texas had just been admitted (September, 1850) as a free state. The church was formed by a committee appointed by the Clarion Presbytery, which no longer exists.  The committee included the Rev. William McMichael, pastor of the Richland and Rockland churches and Elder Daniel Bick of Leatherwood. The initial church congregation consisted of ten charter members, eight of whom came by Letter of Transfer: Robert Morrison and Jane Morrison, John Girts and Nancy Girts, Craig Thom and Martha Thom, and Robert McMillen and Nancy McMillen. Two others, Stewart Campbell and Nathaniel McClure, joined the church by Profession of Faith.

Charter: Our Presbyterian Church, nineteenth on the roll of the Clarion Presbytery, was chartered by the Clarion County Courts on May 7, 1870, with 23 charter subscribers. They were: H.M. Wick, M.D., William Warden, C.R. Corbett, William H. Frazier, S.B. Corbett, Joseph Apple, James White, E.V. Marsh, Irvin Doverspike, C.W. Allebach, Martin Williams, A.A. George, R.C. Williamson, Alex Cathcart, John Cooper, F.C. Mohney, Henry Forbes, Adam Shankle, John Duff, J.S. Ferguson, Robert McMillen, John C. Himes, and J.F. McNutt.

Early Meeting Places: Since 1850, the Presbyterian congregation has met for worship services at many different locations. The first meeting place was in the Huffman residence, a log house, from 1850-1858.  In 1858, the congregation purchased the two-story Academy Building on Wood Street near the present church building. Services were held on the first floor until 1863 when the building was sold to the school board.  Subsequent services were held at the following locations: at the Methodist Church, from 1863 to 1875; at the Baptist Church, from 1875 to 1877; in the old landmark frame church at Penn and Wood Streets, from 1877 to 1923; and at the Andrews Theater from 1923 to 1924 during the period when the present church building was being erected. The Andrews Theater, later became the Arcadia, formerly housed the Laurel Eye Clinic and is located at 231 Broad Street. 

The Second Church building: The year 1922 brought the realization that the frame building erected in 1877 was no longer adequate and arrangements were made to sell and remove the old building.  A farewell service was held in the old church on April 4, 1923 and the next day workers began tearing down the building.  The Building Committee was composed of H.C. McEwen, W.P. Todd, James L. Graham, George W. Leach, J. Clyde Miller and Dr. C.V. Hepler.   On July 22, 1923, the cornerstone for the present house of worship was laid. The following year, on July 27, 1924, the new church was dedicated and services have been held there since then. The present church building, on the same site at Penn and Wood Streets, is said to be among the most beautiful in Kiskiminetas Presbytery. Thanks to membership support, the mortgage for debt incurred in the current building's construction was burned on December 13, 1944.

Features: The building has been an enduring landmark of the New Bethlehem community thanks to the dedication and stewardship of our members. The stained glass windows in the church are the gift of Mr. and Mrs. F.L. Bush in memory of their daughter, Mrs. Maude McEwen.  The window above the pulpit is based on the work of Bernhard Plockhorst and is entitled “The Annunciation of the Shepherds.”  Plockhorst (1825-1907) was born in Brunswick, Germany, studied in Munich and Paris, became a professor at the Weimar Art School, and devoted a large part of his life to portrait work in connection with religious art. His art was printed in Bibles of the 1890's. The window is particularly beautiful in late afternoon when the sun illuminates it.

In 2000 and 2001, a major renovation added an elevator and new entryway to allow easier access, replaced the roof and recarpeted and painted the sanctuary.   In 2005, the parking lot, which was the former site of the original New Bethlehem high school, was paved, and in 2006, kitchen renovations were completed and other maintenance and repair work was done to preserve the building's integrity. 

Community: The building serves as an emergency center for the community which was well utilized during the 1996 flood that devastated much of the downtown area and during the September 2004 flood.  The building hosts many community functions and groups.   Our congregation has been blessed, over the years, to be able to praise, to worship, and to serve God, Jesus Christ and the Christian community within the town of New Bethlehem. The members seem most happy when serving the community.

Ministers: Since its organization in 1850, twenty-one ministers have served as pastors of the congregation.  A review of the clergy roster during the 160-year period follows:

Rev. Laverty Grier, January 1851 - December 1852

Rev. Nathaniel Marcus Crane, September 1852 - August 1857

Rev. William Porter Moore, May 1858 - May 1859

Rev. James Sherer Elder, June 1859 - October 1863

Rev. Dr. Joseph Mateer, 1865 - October 1, 1883.

A special note about Rev. Dr. Mateer: He was described as an earnest and faithful worker. His family was from Inverness, Scotland.  He was a graduate from Belfast College, Ireland, and Western Seminary. During the Civil War he served as a Chaplain of the 155th Pennsylvania Volunteers. During his pastorate the missionary society was organized.  Rev. Dr. Mateer was the only pastor to die during active service of the church.

Rev. Lewis William Barr, January 1884 - September 1886

Rev. Oswell Gifford McDowell, 1887-1892

Rev. James Calvin Dible, January 1893 - September 1897

Rev. John Lyle Proudfit, January 1898 - February 1908

        Rev. Proudfit and his family were the first occupants of the manse on Penn Street.

Rev. Uriah David Reiter, June 1909 - August 1911

Rev. Frank Winfield Hays, January 1912 - August 1918

Rev. Maxwell Cornelis, May 1919 - April 1926

Rev. Dr. James Wallace Fraser, October 1926 - May 1959. 

A special note on Dr. Fraser's pastorate: Here for 33 years, he served the longest term of service to our church. He and members of his family helped identify the Presbyterian Church with the community. A skilled historian who carefully researched his work for many years, Dr. Fraser is credited with the description of "New Bethlehem, The Christmas Village On the Seneca Trail." He worked diligently with a local group in developing the Christmas Village theme. He also worked closely with the Greenville Presbyterian Church in the nearby Village of Limestone. This church was organized and chartered by the Clarion Presbytery. After observing its centennial year in 1958, declining membership forced it to be abandoned in later years. The beautiful old building still exists in its original Greenville setting and has been developed into modern residential apartments.

Rev. Dr. Rhys Price, September 1959 - October 1965

Rev. T. Donald Hamilton, June 1966 - August 1978. (Interim pastor, Sept. 1996 - Sept. 1997)

    Don Hamilton and his wife, Sadie, returned to New Bethlehem and purchased and remodeled a home. He served as Interim Pastor at several area churches and is now retired.  Sadie has served and continues to serve as a valuable member of the Deacons, Session, pastoral care team and committees.

Rev. Benton T. Newcomer, March 1979 - September 1987

Rev. Paul West, October 1988 - July 1991

Rev. Sarah Heppenstall, August 1992 - January 1996

Rev. Owen Lewis (Lee) Clark, October 1997 - April 2001

Rev. Dr. Jack Gareis, Interim Pastor, June 2002 - Sept. 30, 2003.

Rev. J. Richard Hartsfield, M.Div., October 2003 – December 14, 2008

Rev. J. Arthur Seaman, M.Div., Interim Pastor, March 8, 2009 – Sept. 7, 2010.

Rev. Cynthia Creighton Dixon, M.Div.,  Pastor, Sept. 8, 2010 - future years.

The above information is taken from the "Historical Review Of the New Bethlehem Presbyterian Church 1850-2000" prepared for the 150^th anniversary, "Campaign 2000" booklet, articles in The Leader-Vindicator, "Historical Sketches of the New Bethlehem Presbyterian Church", one of the last written works by Mr. Tom T. Andrews, Jr., retired publisher of The New Bethlehem Leader‑Vindicator prior to his death on March 2, 1996, as presented in the 1995 Membership Directory, other reference material and was compiled and edited by Sandra  Mateer.