| The History of the Church | | Print | |
|
On June 24, 1930, the synodical Board of Home Missions of the Pittsburgh Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church instructed the Rev. John J. Myers, Missionary Superintendent, to lease a lot in this district, and to erect thereon a frame chapel. The land was leased from Mrs. Louisa Braun, who was to become one of the early members, for the nominal sum of $1.00 per year. She later made a gift of this lot to her church. The chapel was erected during the summer of 1930. The chapel was first used on August 10, 1930, with Sunday School service at 9:15 A.M. There were 26 present, 12 of whom were adults and 14 children. the first offering amounted to $5.19. The Dedication Service was conducted the same day at 3:00 P.M. by the Rev. E. B. Burgess, President of the Synod. The congregation was formally organized on September 14, 1930, with 62 members. Student William B. Claney was to be called as the first Pastor of the congregation on completion of his seminary training in May, 1931. Meanwhile, Mr. William Meyer, a layman, conducted the worship services. Pastor Claney was graduated from Mt. Airy Seminary in May, and assumed duties as the first regular Pastor on June 1, 1931. The young congregation received many gifts of chancel furnishings from her sister congregations in the synod. The early members also gave unsparingly of their substance and labor to their church. One of the projects still in the memory of the older members was the excavation of a basement under the chapel. Church records show that the building of this basement room was started January 10, 1933, and was completed March 6, 1933. the total cost was $634.03 , of which only $3.00 was spent for labor. This saving in labor cost was made possible because many of the members were unemployed during this period and gladly gave their services to their church. The congregation rapidly outgrew its chapel, but due to the building restrictions of the Second World War, construction of a larger building was deferred. On June 27, 1943, the congregation decided to build a new church building at a more favorable location, as the center of population of the Glenshaw district was changing. A committee was appointed to secure a new site, and it recommended the purchase of three lots on Mt. Royal Boulevard at Campbell Place. this property was purchased on January 2, 1944, and an adjoining lot was purchased later. Construction of the new building was deferred again until May 18, 1947, but this time because of high building costs. The congregation then authorized the Building Committee, under the chairmanship of Mr. Charles L. Kammer, Sr., to proceed with the erection of our new church, known as the Chapel Unit. Ground was broken on August 2. 1948, and the corner stone was laid September 26, 1948. Construction was completed in time to hold the 1949 Easter Services in the new building. The formal Dedication Service was held April 3, 1949. Under the dedicated leadership of Pastor Herman Schmid, the congregation continued to grow, almost bursting at its seams. In October, 1954, two services each Sunday were begun in order to accommodate all of the worshippers. There was serious concern about the growth of the Sunday School in particular. The average Sunday School attendance in 1950 was 131 and had grown in 1954 to 184. By 1955, the year of the 25th anniversary of the Congregation, the baptized membership was recorded at 633 and the Sunday School enrollment at 310. By 1958, the mortgages on the Chapel Unit, in the amount of $112,000 were fully paid, and a mortgage burning was held on Anniversary Sunday, September 14. The congregation was confidently looking forward to the early construction of the main church. The Building-Planning Committee, with Harvey J. Houghton as Chairman and Gilbert R. Voltz as secretary, proceeded with plans for the new building which would seat 400 and provide Sunday School capacity of 300 students. It was in the midst of this planning that Bethlehem was faced with the tragic loss of Pastor Schmid to an untimely death. Working through this loss and seeking to keep on with the growth in mission that his ministry had significantly inspired was a challenge for the congregation. However, in 1959, the congregation formed a call committee even as it continued to work on the building plans and called the Rev. Walter Koehler to be its next pastor. With much of the planning in place, Bethlehem continued toward the goal of a larger church building to meet the ministry needs of the growing congregation. The ground breaking for the major addition occurred on January 1, 1961. Pennsylvania sandstone was used and the distinctive front of the building features a white marble panel which serves as the backing for a 22 foot red granite cross. The church is topped by a 41 foot high aluminum spire. Total cost of construction was $285,000. The formal dedication service was held on December 3, 1961. A Moller Pipe Organ was installed in 1962. It is a two manual instrument with 996 pipes and greatly enhanced the worship of the congregation in the new church. In June of 1965, our congregation helped establish Nativity Lutheran Church as a Mission Congregation in Allison Park, thus passing along the support and assistance which was given us when we were first established as a Mission Church. In addition, throughout all the years of mortgage payments and building funds, Bethlehem maintained a fine record of benevolence giving in support of the developing Western-Pennsylvania Synod, a precursor to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America of which we are now part. In the 1970's Bethlehem's vibrant ministry continued. A particular focus was with the youth. Each summer Pastor Steve Myers and a team of adults and youth would travel to West Virginia to do improvements on homes and even a church building that needed repair. These trips had such impact that they live on in stories told today around the congregation. Mark Nurnberger, current Director of Music and Christian Education, first came to Bethlehem as our part-time organist/choir director in the fall of 1979. Also, a new pastor arrived in 1980, the Rev. Gerald Huhn. The demands of the congregation's ministries grew, the mortgage was paid off, and so Bethlehem grasped the opportunity to call Mark, as he has been known by young and old alike, to full-time service in 1982. He continued his work in music and took on the responsibility of all of the aspects of the Christian Education ministries, as well. Bells were purchased and a new Bell Choir was begun. Also, a new area of ministry that developed was drama. The highlight of this was the presentation of Amahl and the Night Visitors on Epiphany Sunday, January 10, 1988. The 1990's brought the opportunity to reach out to people new to the North Hills. Established neighborhoods were changing from older generations to younger ones. Some new housing was being built. Bethlehem also called a new pastor in 1990, the Rev. Blair Morgan. Bethlehem worked to become a congregation of disciples that could better reach these new people. This work included:
We celebrated 75 years of ministry together on Reformation Sunday, 2005. Bishop Donald McCoid was the guest preacher. Former pastors - Walter Koehler, Steven Myers, and Gerald Huhn - along with our retired pastor in residence, Warren Bieber, helped Pastors Morgan and Schneck lead a festival service. A wonderful meal followed with a program that included a Power Point presentation of our history, stories shared from all of the pastors present, and a plaque honoring our 75 years of ministry given from the synod by Bishop McCoid. Especially significant was the fact that our building was in the midst of a renovation. This showed that even as we honored our past ministry we were planning and working toward our future ministry together in the name of Christ! This renovation was completed in the summer of 2006. The dedication of the renovated portions of our building took place on Reformation Sunday of 2006. A significant part of the celebration was the acknowledgment of the over 3000 volunteer hours that were invested by members of Bethlehem to help keep the cost of the renovation down. A new entranceway was constructed with an elevator installed there to make all floors of the building accessible to all people. Air conditioning was made available to the sanctuary and narthex. The narthex was expanded to make more room for fellowship between services. Schmid Hall was remodeled and all asbestos was removed from the ceiling and floor. The pastors' offices were moved into the office hallway by dividing the former library. The room behind Schmid Hall was made into the new library. Flooding problems that had troubled our foundation for many years were alleviated through the installation of three sump pumps and repair of the drainage tiles along Campbell Place. The sanctuary was remodeled with new chancel furnishings that are removable when necessary. A new sound system was installed as well as the ability to project visual information on two screens in the front of the sanctuary. A new high efficiency hot water boiler was installed. New pole lamps were installed outside along Campbell Place with bars to hang festive banners and new landscaping went in. All of this was accomplished with $1.2 million. We have worked together for over 75 years to both BE disciples and MAKE disciples as our Lord commanded us. Through those years one more accomplishment is noteworthy of mention here. This congregation has given from its membership to the greater Lutheran Church eight ordained ministers. It is with a deep sense of gratitude to God that we look back on all that has been accomplished through the faith and vision of the members of Bethlehem. Dependent upon God's grace we look forward to a future of vital ministry and pray for God's continued blessing as we enthusiastically seek to serve our Lord each day. |
