Church History

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 Manada Church

Beautifully situated on top of a hill just south of the Blue Mountain in Dauphin County is a small church once owned by Methodist Episcopal Church. It was known by residents of the area as the Manada Furnace Church. 

Prior to 1939 it was used very little for a number of years, we know that in 1933 three girls from God’s bible school in Ohio conducted a week of evangelistic services in the church, but we don’t know if any denomination sponsored these meetings. Apparently, these girls had a spiritual concern for this church and community. We have no record of them conducting services here at any later time. 

Even though the building wasn’t used regularly for services, some people in the community had a desire to see its doors open occasionally at least. For this reason, a congregation in Shellsville held services here sometimes so it would not be closed completely. This same attitude was evidenced by the fact that when the roof was blown off during a storm in 1936, people of the community quickly responded with donated materials and labor to repair it. 

In the summer of 1939, the United Christian Church conducted a tent meeting at Shellsville. This tent meeting was a preparatory step toward reopening the building. On September 30, 1939, the Palmyra - Sand Beach District Conference took action to hold services at Manada. These services were first held on Sunday afternoons and later changed to Sunday  evenings. The congregations at Sand Beach and Palmyra gave strong support to these meetings as an outreach of their own churches. 

In 1945, Rev. Elmer Dutweiler was sent here as the minister. While visiting in the community he was often confronted with the statement “If you had a Sunday School, we would send our children”. As a result, in 1946 a Sunday School was started and shortly after that efforts were made to purchase the building. When the Sunday School and church first were organized it was strongly supported by many of the members from the Sand Beach Church. This faithful support continued for years. When services by our group discontinued at Sand Beach many transferred their membership to Manada Church and their support continued and even increased. The group responded nobly to the task of building a Sunday School in this rural community. The area needed this outreach.

The affairs of the church building were somewhat interwoven with the estate of Reuben E. Runkle, the last surviving trustee. After quite a bit of correspondence and a long wait, we got the deed for the property on April 13, 1949. With the purchase of the church came the responsibilities of renovations and repairs. The first project was the new hardwood floor; the old floor was made of tongue and groove boards with cracks in some of them four to five feet long. The men of the church donated their labor to install the floor. The next project was the lighting system. The original system consisted of two large wheels suspended from the ceiling with six kerosene lamps mounted on each wheel and two lamps attached to the wall behind the pulpit (The two lamps on the wall are still there today). Electric lights were installed with the cost covered by the sale of the two large wheel lamps for $61.00. Along with the purchase of the church came the cemetery, located across the street. 

In 1951 additional land was purchased for a parking lot.

In 1953 the group decided to have a Vacation Bible School. It was held in June of that year and has been held every year since then. A contractor moved the church back further from the road so the hazards of backing out of parking spots directly onto the road would be eliminated.

Other improvements were made during these years such as a new roof, installing ventilators and interior and exterior painting. An oil furnace replaced the heatrolas. Another church bell and tower were purchased and erected in 1956. In 1957 a vestibule was added and aluminum siding installed. New pews replaced the old straight-backed ones in 1963. Restrooms were built in the basement in 1966. Wall to wall carpet was installed in 1972.

The congregation is not large by some standards, yet they continue to rejoice in the manifestation of the Holy Spirit among them. Remembering too, that Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”. Matt. 18:20

Conference History

Early Reformers & Settlers

In the late 1400’s and early 1500’s A.D. in the countries of Switzerland, Holland, Germany, England, and other European Countries developed what the world has known ever since as the Protestant Reformation. Certain leaders of the church protested some of the doctrines and policies of the church of their day and they were called “protestants”.

One of these was Menno Simons of Holland whose followers became part of Anabaptist movement and later to be known as Mennonites. Even though they were a peace-loving people like their leader they were often persecuted severely and many martyred by the Catholics and other Protestants. One reason for the persecution from other Protestants was the fact that the Anabaptists claimed infant baptism was no baptism. When a person becomes a believer, he needs to follow the Scriptures in believer baptism (Mark 16:16). Thus, many of their converts were rebaptized and the group was nicknamed Anabaptists (re-baptizers).

When William Penn welcomed anyone to come to PA who desired religious freedom regardless of creed, some of the German Mennonites were among the first to settle here and established Germantown, PA. Later other German speaking people of varied religious backgrounds arrived. Among these were the German Baptists, Germans Reformed, Lutheran, and Moravian churches. They settled in the fertile valleys of what is now Lancaster, Lebanon, Bucks, and other nearby counties of PA. 

Religious conditions among the German settlers were not good. Among the serious conditions facing the churches of America in the early part of the eighteenth century were the lack of church buildings and spiritual leaders. There was a great need for a spiritual awakening.

In 1746 a Swiss minister was sent to PA to inspire those of Christian faith and to awaken the people to new life. After a few years he returned to Europe with an appeal for more help in answer to the request of the people of PA. Six men responded and they arrived in America in July 1752.

Revivals often followed Philip Otterbein Preaching and he was joined by many of his converts in extending the work. While serving a church in the city of York, PA, he attended a barn meeting near Lancaster and met Martin Boehm, a Mennonite, and the speaker at the meeting. Martin and Philip joined forces in evangelism. These brethren had no intentions in forming a new church, but they desired to foster true spirituality. The main churches rejected this revivalism and forced their newly converted folks out of their fellowships. As this developed it eventually led to the formation of the United Brethren in Christ Church at a conference held in Maryland in 1800. 

The people who composed this new denomination were from various religious backgrounds. Therefore, there were many adjustments to be made to each other in respect to some of the practices in the church. 

Origin & Development

It is believed that the movement which later resulted in the organization of the United Christian Church had its inception during the Civil War or shortly after (1864 or 1865)

A number of ministers and laymen in the United Brethren in Christ Church were opposed on account of conscientious convictions to some of the doctrines and practices at that time. One of these issues was the practice of infant baptism. Anabaptist influence was strong among certain groups, and they found it difficult to accept something which Anabaptists in Europe had decided long before was unscriptural. Another issue was the voluntary bearing of arms and a third issue appears to have been the admission of members of oath-bound secret organizations into the church.

These concerned ministers and laymen finally decided to withdraw from the church. For some years they met for worship from time to time in private homes, barns, groves and a few meeting houses which were open for them to use. Others of like faith assembled with them. Before this group of worshippers organized, they were known as the “Hoffmanites named after the leader, Rev. George W. Hoffman. Their first object was to get along without organization, later Hoffman realized his mistake, confessed that he was wrong and helped to organize the United Christian Church.

We know that some of the early ministers were active in the United Brethren Church before coming to the new group. What eventually brought this new group to the point of organizing? Some of the events that led to that point was a newspaper article that was published that said “We believe in a universal United Christian Church and that all truly converted persons belong to this church. We repudiate infant baptism, human slavery, secret societies, and the voluntary bearing of arms.” 

The first conference was held in Campbelltown on January 27, 1877, at this conference the following Confession of Faith was adopted:

1. We believe the church of God is a community of saints united together for the worship of God according to scripture. We believe no church to be scripturally organized without a competent number of elders and deacons. She believes the Bible, the Old and New Testament to be the Word of God a revelation from God to man and the only authoritative rule of faith and practice. 

2. She believes in one supreme God consisting of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and that these three are one. 

3. She believes in the Fall and Depravity of man.

4. She believes in the redemption of man through the atonement of Jesus Christ.

5. She believes in the gifts and office work of the Holy Spirit to enlighten, regenerate, and sanctify the believers, body, soul, and spirit.

6. She believes that man is justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law.

7. She believes in the new birth without which no man can see the kingdom of God.

8. She believes in three ordinances in the church of God; Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and feet washing.

9.  She believes that faith is essential to baptism and that it should be done in the water if possible.

10. She believes the Lord’s supper should be administered to believers only and if it could be done, always in the evening. 

11. She believes that the church, if she can ought to relieve and take care of her own poor.

12. She believes that all wars are sinful and unholy and in which the saints of God ought never participate. 

13. She believes that the saints of God should not sue and go to law with each other. 

14. She believes that all governments are ordained of God and that Christians ought to be subject to the same in all things except what is manifestly unscriptural; and that appears to the law out of the church for rights, liberty, and life are not inconsistent with the Christian religion.

15. She believes in the resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

16. She believes in the immortality of the soul in a universal and eternal judgement and in future and everlasting rewards and punishments. 

At a conference held in Campbelltown May 9, 1877, it was decided that classes shall be organized by formally receiving members into the church. The following questions were to be asked to those wishing to join:

1. Have you now peace with God?

2. Are you a member of oath-bound secret combinations?

3. Conformity to the world in apparel, etc, shall not be allowed.

The term “class” has been used ever since in the United Christian Church to mean to local congregation of church members. At a conference held on October 27, 1877, it was resolved that the conference shall have a name. On January 1, 1878, the conference body met and the name “UNITED CHRISTIAN CHURCH” was adopted by a vote of thirty-three to one. Two years later at the conference of 1880 is when the classes were named. 

Conferences were held once a year or more often, the church now having a name and a Confession of Faith but no constitution nor discipline. At the annual conference on May 31, 1889, it was agreed that the conference shall be held according to the discipline of the United Brethren in Christ of 1841. 

At the conference of 1891 three ministers were appointed a committee to formulate a Confession of Faith, Constitution, and Discipline. At this conference the Confession of Faith adopted January 24, 1877, was unanimously repealed and the one presented by the committee was adopted. After a few alternations the constitution was adopted. It was agreed that the Discipline so far as formed should be used as a guide for the ensuing year. The conference of 1894 the discipline was read section by section after it was adopted. A committee was appointed to have combined Confession of Faith, Constitution and Discipline in book form. 

In course of time necessary changes were made to meet new and changing situations. At the annual conference of 1919 the elders of the church were appointed a committee to revise the Discipline and also write an article on the origin and history of the church. This committee reported to the conference of 1920. On July 31, 1920, a committee was appointed to publish the Discipline as approved. The Discipline was revised in 1945.

In 1920 a Board of General Church Trustees was formed their duties are to receive, hold in trust, or apply for the benefit of the United Christian Church, any and all funds, donations, grants, and bequests that are given, directed, or conveyed to the Board or the United Christian Church. 

When Jesus prayed for His disciples and said of them, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” the United Christians interpreted this very literally. Believing that we belong to a Heavenly Kingdom, our primary place of fellowship is with other believers and not with the unbelieving world. 

The annual camp meeting held near Cleona since before the turn of the century is probably considered by many to be the highlight of the church’s activities. 

As we have seen, the mother church was born out of a revival movement. Evangelistic type revival meetings have always been part of the United Christian Church. She believes that man without Christ is lost and that the church is responsible to evangelize to them by presenting the gospel to them. Revival meetings have been conducted in the churches with this in mind along with an emphasis on mission work.