{"id":22430,"date":"2023-08-22T18:40:17","date_gmt":"2023-08-22T18:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/?p=22430"},"modified":"2023-08-23T02:20:30","modified_gmt":"2023-08-23T02:20:30","slug":"celebrating-300-years-at-germantown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/2023\/celebrating-300-years-at-germantown\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating the Germantown Church: 300 years of Brethren in the Americas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u201cWe have come this far by faith, hallelujah!\u201d sang members of the Germantown congregation in a worship service that opened a day celebrating 300 years of the Brethren in the Americas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The celebration on Saturday, July 29, was the culminating day of the 7th Brethren World Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s celebrate!\u201d said pastor Barbara Elizabeth Short-Clark, in an affirmation of the faithfulness of the congregation. \u201cThree hundred years of this church being in existence,\u201d she emphasized. \u201cThat means you\u2019ve been faithful!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The worship celebration held in the historic Germantown sanctuary was led by pastor Richard Kyerematen, pastor Short-Clark, and others from the congregation, alongside leaders from the planning team for the assembly. Visiting dignitaries and guests brought greetings in person and onscreen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Annual Conference moderator Madalyn Metzger and general secretary David Steele represented the Church of the Brethren leadership. \u201cPastor Richard, and to the congregation, thank you for all your hard work,\u201d Steele said, characterizing the celebration as a homecoming. \u201cThe sacredness of being together and coming home, what it means to be family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also representing Church of the Brethren leadership from around the world were Ekklesiyar Yan\u2019uwa a Nigeria president Joel Billi, who brought greetings from the Brethren in Nigeria, and Theoneste Sentabire, who attended from Rwanda Church of the Brethren. Video greetings were shared from the Church of the Brethren in Burundi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The July 29 worship celebration in the sanctuary of the historic Germantown Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia. Photo by Glenn Riegel<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Please pray… <\/strong>For the Germantown congregation as they continue celebrating the 300th anniversary of their church as the “mother church” of the Brethren movement, and as they consider what God may bring to them as they enter the next 300 years of ministry and service in their neighborhood, their city, and the wider world.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Members of the congregation present a 300th anniversary banner. Photo by Glenn Riegel<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Germantown pastor Richard Kyerematen (from left) with EYN president Joel Billi and Annual Conference moderator Madalyn Metzger. Photo by Glenn Riegel<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Representatives from other Brethren bodies that trace their roots to the Germantown congregation also took the podium to share greetings and congratulations. Politicians who congratulated the congregation on its milestone anniversary included Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney, who sent a special video message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bringing greetings in person was state senator Art Haywood, who noted the congregation\u2019s role in working against gun violence and its involvement in programs reaching out to young men, making connections, and meeting needs in the neighborhood for food and health care. \u201cYour faith is encouraging us,\u201d he said. Over the centuries, he noted, the faith of the Germantown congregation has been \u201ca consistent witness for peace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pastor Kyerematen preaching at the celebration of 300 years at Germantown. Photo by Glenn Riegel<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Preaching for the morning service, Kyerematen gave a sermon titled \u201cThe Brethren Experiment: Unfinished Business.\u201d He spoke about the significance of the 300th anniversary not just as a celebration of the congregation but of the Brethren movement as a whole and of what God has done and can do through it. It\u2019s about \u201cappreciation for what God has done,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He thanked the Germantown Trust, which helps care for the church facilities and grounds with a committee including representatives of various Brethren bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He noted as well that he wanted to speak about the congregation as it is today, how it has survived and continues in faith with support and prayer from the wider community including Atlantic Northeast District among others. \u201cThis congregation can be used by God to be a blessing to the city,\u201d he said, emphasizing \u201cwhat we can do to bring healing to this city and to the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kyerematen, who is of Ghanaian heritage, raised up the role of Africans in the anniversary, the presence of African Church of the Brethren leaders at the celebration, and his own leadership as the Germantown pastor for 34 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho could have thought 300 years ago a son of Africa would be pastoring the mother church?\u201d he said, noting that the trajectory of the Brethren movement is moving to Africa as shown in the rapid growth of African Church of the Brethren bodies that now outnumber Brethren in the United States.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Expunge racism, eradicate poverty, and expand the concept of peace<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Germantown pastor posed a three-part challenge to the Brethren movement, and to the Church of the Brethren in particular, to consider what the church will look like in these next 300 years. Expunge racism, eradicate poverty, and expand the concept of peace, he urged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding a fourth point, Keyerematen said, \u201cExalt the name of Christ\u2026. We will lift up the name of Jesus in Nigeria, we will lift up the name of Jesus in Burundi, we will lift up the name of Jesus in Lancaster\u2026 We have to lift up and exalt the name of Jesus because that\u2019s what our ancestors did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Events later in the day included opportunities to visit the church\u2019s historic graveyard, where early Brethren leaders are buried, and an opportunity to visit the site of the first Brethren baptisms in the Americas at the nearby Wissahickon Creek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The baptism site is identified by a historical marker set on a walking path above the creek edge, where the baptisms are thought to have taken place on Christmas Day 1723. The baptisms are considered as the official start of the first Brethren congregation in the Americas. The Germantown congregation has been in continuous existence since Dec. 25, 1723, and continues today as a Church of the Brethren congregation and a predominantly Black church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The congregation gave a warm welcome and hospitality to the assembly guests, with a lunch cooked and served by church members as well as iced bottled water for the hot day. Unfortunately, some workshops that were planned by congregation members and others were canceled, after the schedule ran over time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The historical marker at the site of the first Brethren baptisms in the Americas, at Wissahickon Creek in Philadelphia. The baptisms held on Christmas Day 1723 mark the beginning of the Germantown Church as the oldest continuously existing Brethren congregation. Photo by Glenn Riegel<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Find out more about Germantown Church of the Brethren<\/strong> at www.gcob1723.com<\/a>. Click on \u201c300 News Alert\u201d to find information about more anniversary events to be held through 2023. Click on \u201c300 Anniversary Poem\u201d to read a poem by RuNett Ebo, a poet who is a member of the congregation, celebrating the church\u2019s anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2011\u2011\u2011\u2011\u2011\u2011\u2011\u2011\u2011\u2011<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find more Church of the Brethren news:<\/p>\n\n\n