{"id":751,"date":"2007-09-18T00:00:44","date_gmt":"2007-09-18T00:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.brethren.org\/news\/?p=751"},"modified":"2018-08-23T00:47:45","modified_gmt":"2018-08-23T00:47:45","slug":"newsline-special-300th-anniversary-opening-event-at-germantown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/2007\/newsline-special-300th-anniversary-opening-event-at-germantown\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsline Special: 300th Anniversary Opening Event at Germantown"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>September 18, 2007<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Germantown Church hosts opening event of the 300th anniversary celebration<\/p>\n<p>(<a href=\"https:\/\/secure2.convio.net\/cob\/site\/#esp\">La Iglesia de Germantown patrocina la abertura para celebrar el 300avo aniversario<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On Sept. 15-16 Germantown Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia hosted the opening event of a year-long celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Brethren movement, which began in Germany in 1708. Events took place at the &#8220;mother church,&#8221; the first congregation of Brethren in the Americas, and featured worship, workshops, tours, exhibits, and music. About 150 people registered Saturday, and close to 220 attended worship on Sunday, filling the Germantown sanctuary to capacity.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the weekend, the historic setting remained at the center&#8211;alongside recognition of the current ministry of the Germantown church. &#8220;For 285 years&#8230;the gospel of Jesus Christ has been preached&#8221; at Germantown, said pastor Richard Kyerematen as he led worship Sunday morning. The congregation was founded on Christmas Day 1723 by German immigrants to the Americas, and its meetinghouse built in 1770 was the first Brethren meetinghouse in the US. Today the predominantly African-American congregation includes several members from African countries, with pastor Kyerematen himself coming originally from Ghana.<\/p>\n<p>Festivities kicked off with a lunch served by the Germantown Women\u2019s Fellowship under a tent on the church\u2019s front lawn. The tent also housed exhibits by the 300th Anniversary Committee, Brethren Press, the Brethren Church, the Germantown Trust, the Brethren Encyclopedia Inc., and the Atlantic Northeast District Historical Committee.<\/p>\n<p>Following lunch, participants chose from a variety of workshops on subjects such as the Sauer Bible, outreach ministries at Germantown, the history of the congregation, a Bible study on the anniversary theme, and several others. A Germantown Cemetery Tour was led by Ken Cosgrove, a Grace Brethren member and treasurer of the Germantown Trust, featuring the gravestones of Alexander Mack Sr., the founder of the Brethren movement, and several other important Brethren figures. A Wissahickon Creek Tour took participants to the site of the first Brethren baptisms in the Americas in 1723.<\/p>\n<p>Children\u2019s activities were designed to give hands-on experiences of the life and work of early Brethren leaders. The children did paper stamping after talking about the Sauer press, for example. As a service project, the group of about a dozen children planted bulbs to create a flower border around the Germantown parsonage. The planting project harked back to the farming profession of the founder of Coventry Church of the Brethren in Pottstown, Pa., which is the second oldest Brethren church in the US. The children\u2019s activities were led by Karen Christophel, a member at Coventry.<\/p>\n<p>Late afternoon Saturday, an adventurous group participated in a humorous re-enactment of the crossing of the Atlantic about 1730, led by members of the 300th Anniversary Committee. The group sat in a &#8220;ship&#8221; in an arched tunnel leading to the Germantown Cemetery, to get a taste of some of the hardships experienced by the first Brethren to travel to the Americas.<\/p>\n<p>A worship concert by musicians and ministers at Germantown closed out the first afternoon of the celebration, and offered a reminder of the fundamental reason for the church\u2019s existence. &#8220;Standing in this great church that we love, we desire that God minister to you, as he does to us,&#8221; said Joseph Craddock as he gave a welcome. &#8220;This is a happening church!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Craddock is one of the Germantown ministers involved in the church\u2019s ministry of visitation to nursing homes. Other outreach ministries include a food pantry, involvement in Philadelphia\u2019s &#8220;Point Man Ministries&#8221; for veterans with Germantown minister Lester Outterbridge serving as coordinator, a developing youth program, and a beginner\u2019s class taught by pastor Kyerematen &#8220;for people who desire to learn the Bible and live right,&#8221; as Outterbridge told his workshop group. Part of the offering from the weekend will go to a new multipurpose center, housed in a building next door to the parsonage, which will provide space for community events and ministries such as a computer lab for seniors and tutoring for children.<\/p>\n<p>That evening, Coventry Church of the Brethren hosted a hymn sing and pastor Sandy Christophel gave a presentation on the history of the congregation and its links to the Germantown church.<\/p>\n<p>Worship continued on Sunday with a morning service led by the Germantown congregation, and an afternoon service sponsored by the Church of the Brethren denomination, with a catered lunch between.<\/p>\n<p>Earl Ziegler preached for the morning service, with pastor Kyerematen as worship leader and Germantown musicians leading praise hymns and songs. Ziegler, former executive minister of Atlantic Northeast District and a former Annual Conference moderator, called for continuing balance between sharing the Gospel and the work of serving others as the church moves into the future. In the past, as Brethren witnessed for peace during times of war, witnessed against the slave trade, started international missions, birthed Heifer International, and were active in Brethren Service and disaster relief, &#8220;Brethren moved forward with vision and courage,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Our witness has been a powerful witness in the national and international communities. All of this was launched in the Schwarzenau beginnings.&#8221; Referring to Acts 1:8, the account of the first Christians receiving the Holy Spirit, Ziegler said, &#8220;We have the power. Do we have the vision worthy of that power?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Afternoon worship began with a procession of pastors and district and denominational leaders, and greetings were given from the denomination, district, and congregation. Belita Mitchell, who moderated the 2007 Annual Conference and pastors First Church of the Brethren in Harrisburg, Pa., gave the message. Robert Kettering, pastor at Lititz (Pa.) Church of the Brethren and a former associate minister for Atlantic Northeast District, directed the hymns and served as worship leader. Music was brought by the Inspirational Choir from Harrisburg First.<\/p>\n<p>Preaching on Acts 19:1-6, and continuing the theme from the morning of receiving power through the Holy Spirit, Mitchell said that sharing the good news of Jesus Christ through the grace of God is the witness of the Spirit. &#8220;That\u2019s what the early Brethren did, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re to do too&#8230;. The Holy Spirit gives you the power, power to anticipate the future,&#8221; she said, as she called the church to look ahead with hope, to plan for diversity, and to welcome new people into the Brethren movement. &#8220;We who are here need to leave a little room for the brothers and sisters who are coming,&#8221; she said. &#8220;If we\u2019re doing it right, they\u2019re coming. Don\u2019t you feel the Holy Spirit?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A comment from Renee Ibo of the Germantown church summed up the celebratory atmosphere of the day\u2019s worship services: &#8220;It gives me such a blessing to be part of a church that has such a rich heritage.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Major support for the celebration came from the Germantown Trust and the five agencies of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference: the General Board, the Association of Brethren Caregivers, Bethany Theological Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust, and On Earth Peace.<\/p>\n<p>The Germantown Event Committee that organized the weekend included pastor Kyerematen, Marilyn Ansah, George Ansah, Sandy Christophel, Karen Christophel, Joseph Craddock, Norma Keith, Jeff Bach, and Lorele Yager. The Church of the Brethren\u2019s 300th Anniversary Committee includes chair Jeff Bach, director of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College; Dean Garrett, an ordained minister at Poplar Grove Church of the Brethren in Union City, Ohio; Rhonda Pittman Gingrich of Open Circle Church of the Brethren in Burnsville, Minn.; Leslie Lake, associate pastor of East Chippewa Church of the Brethren in Orrville, Ohio; and Lorele Yager of Churubusco, Ind.<\/p>\n<p><em>A photo journal of the Germantown event is online at www.brethren.org, click on &#8220;Photo Journal.&#8221; For more about the 300th anniversary celebrations, go to http:\/\/www.churchofthebrethrenanniversary.org\/.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><a class=\"mceItemAnchor\" name=\"esp\"><\/a><br \/>\nLa Iglesia de Germantown patrocina la abertura para celebrar el 300avo aniversario<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>El 15 y 16 de septiembre la Iglesia de los Hermanos de Germantown en Filadelfia patrocin\u00f3 la apertura del evento que comenz\u00f3 todo un a\u00f1o de celebraci\u00f3n en conmemoraci\u00f3n del 300avo aniversario del movimiento de los Hermanos, el cual empez\u00f3 en 1708. Los eventos se llevaron a cabo en la \u201ciglesia madre,\u201d la primera congregaci\u00f3n de los Hermanos en las Am\u00e9ricas, con cultos de adoraci\u00f3n, talleres, recorridos, exposiciones y m\u00fasica. Alrededor de 150 personas se registraron el s\u00e1bado, y casi 220 asistieron al culto el domingo, llenando el santuario de Germantown a su capacidad.<\/p>\n<p>Durante el fin de semana, este lugar hist\u00f3rico fue el enfoque. Al mismo tiempo que se dio reconocimiento al ministerio actual de la Iglesia de Germantown. \u201cPor 285 a\u00f1os el Evangelio de Jesucristo ha sido predicado\u201d en Germantown, dijo el pastor Richard Kyerematen durante el culto del domingo por la ma\u00f1ana. La congregaci\u00f3n fue fundada el d\u00eda de Navidad en 1723 por personas alemanas que emigraron a las Am\u00e9ricas, y su casa de reuni\u00f3n, construida en 1770, fue la primera en los Estados Unidos. Hoy en d\u00eda, esta congregaci\u00f3n predominantemente afroamericana tiene miembros de varios pa\u00edses africanos, el mismo pastor Kyerematen es originario de Ghana.<\/p>\n<p>Las festividades empezaron con un almuerzo en una tienda de campa\u00f1a en el patio de la iglesia, organizado por la Asociaci\u00f3n de Mujeres de Germantown. En la tienda hubo exposiciones del Comit\u00e9 del 300avo aniversario, la Editorial de los Hermanos, la Iglesia de los Hermanos, el Grupo Fideicomiso de Germantown, la Enciclopedia de los Hermanos Inc., y el Comit\u00e9 de Historiadores del Distrito Atl\u00e1ntico Noreste.<\/p>\n<p>Despu\u00e9s del almuerzo los participantes escogieron entre una variedad de talleres como la Biblia Sauer, ministerios de alcance comunitario de Germantown, la historia de la congregaci\u00f3n, un estudio B\u00edblico acerca del tema del aniversario, y otros. Ken Cosgrove, miembro de la Iglesia de los Hermanos en Gracia, y tesorero del Grupo Fideicomiso de Germantown, dirigi\u00f3 un viaje al cementerio donde se enfocaron las tumbas de Alexander Mack Sr., el fundador del movimiento de los Hermanos, y varias otras figuras importantes. Otro grupo visit\u00f3 el sitio donde los primeros bautismos de los Hermanos tomaron lugar en las Am\u00e9ricas en 1723 al riachuelo Wissahickon.<\/p>\n<p>Actividades para ni\u00f1os fueron designadas a darles experiencias vivenciales acerca de la vida y trabajo de los primeros l\u00edderes de los Hermanos. Por ejemplo, los ni\u00f1os hicieron sellos en papel despu\u00e9s de hablar de la imprenta Sauer. Como un proyecto de servicio, una docena de ni\u00f1os plantaron un borde de flores alrededor de la casa del ministro de Germantown. Este proyecto se remont\u00f3 a la profesi\u00f3n de agricultor de los fundadores de la Iglesia de los Hermanos Coventry en Pottstown, PA., la cual es la segunda m\u00e1s antigua de los Estados Unidos. Las actividades de los ni\u00f1os fueron dirigidas por Karen Christophel, miembra de Coventry.<\/p>\n<p>El s\u00e1bado por la tarde, un grupo con esp\u00edritu aventurero particip\u00f3 en una divertida recreaci\u00f3n hist\u00f3rica dirigida por el Comit\u00e9 del 300avo Aniversario que trat\u00f3 de revivir la experiencia de cruzar el oc\u00e9ano Atl\u00e1ntico en 1730. Tratando de vivir en carne propia las dur\u00edsimas privaciones por las que los primeros Hermanos pasaron al viajar a las Am\u00e9ricas, el grupo se sent\u00f3 en el \u201cbarco\u201d en un t\u00fanel arqueado que lleva al cementerio de Germantown.<\/p>\n<p>La primera tarde de la celebraci\u00f3n termin\u00f3 con un concierto\/culto dirigido por m\u00fasicos y ministros de Germantown que record\u00f3 a los participantes la raz\u00f3n fundamental de la existencia de la iglesia. \u201cParados en esta iglesia que tanto amamos, deseamos que Dios te ayude tanto a ti como a nosotros\u201d dijo Joseph Craddock al dar la bienvenida. \u201c\u00a1Esta es una iglesia donde las cosas pasan!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Craddock es uno de los pastores de Germantown envuelto en el ministerio de visitaci\u00f3n a casas de ancianos. Otros ministerios de alcance comunitario incluyen un almac\u00e9n de alimentos para los necesitados, Ministerios \u201cPoint Man\u201d para veteranos en Filadelfia, el cual es coordinado por Lester Outterbridge, un programa en desarrollo para j\u00f3venes y una clase para principiantes que ense\u00f1a el pastor Kyerematen. Seg\u00fan Outterbridge, este \u00faltimo ministerio es \u201cpara gente que desea aprender la Biblia y vivir bien.\u201d Parte de las ofrendas del fin de semana es para un nuevo centro al lado de la casa del ministro, que se usar\u00e1 para prop\u00f3sitos m\u00faltiples y proveer\u00e1 espacio para eventos comunitarios y ministerios como clases de computaci\u00f3n para ancianos y tutelaje para ni\u00f1os.<\/p>\n<p>Esa noche, la Iglesia de los Hermanos Coventry fue anfitriona de un culto de himnos y el pastor Sandy Christophel dio una presentaci\u00f3n acerca de la historia de la congregaci\u00f3n y su conexi\u00f3n con la congregaci\u00f3n de Germantown.<\/p>\n<p>Los cultos continuaron el domingo por la ma\u00f1ana, con un culto dirigido por la congregaci\u00f3n de Germantown, y otro por la tarde patrocinado por la Iglesia de los Hermanos, con un almuerzo entre los dos.<\/p>\n<p>Earl Ziegler dio un serm\u00f3n durante el culto de la ma\u00f1ana que incluy\u00f3 m\u00fasica de alabanzas y cantos dirigida por el pastor Kyerematen de Germantown. Ziegler, anterior ministro ejecutivo del Distrito Atl\u00e1ntico Noreste y anterior moderador de la Conferencia Anual, dijo que mientras la iglesia se mueve hacia el futuro debemos continuar el equilibrio de compartir las Escrituras y servir a otros. En el pasado, cuando los Hermanos atestiguaban por la paz durante tiempos de guerra y en contra del comercio de esclavos, tambi\u00e9n empezaron misiones internacionales, dieron nacimiento a Heifer Internacional, y participaron en el Servicio de los Hermanos en tiempos de desastre y \u201clos Hermanos avanzaron con visi\u00f3n y valor. \u201cNuestro atestiguar ha sido poderoso tanto en comunidades nacionales como internacionales. Todo empez\u00f3 en Schwarzenau.\u201d Ziegler habl\u00f3 de Actos 1:8 que se refiere a los primeros cristianos que recibieron el Esp\u00edritu Santo. \u201cTenemos el poder. \u00bfTenemos la visi\u00f3n para merecer ese poder?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Los cultos de la tarde empezaron con una procesi\u00f3n de pastores y l\u00edderes de la iglesia y el distrito, los cuales brindaron saludos de parte de la iglesia, el distrito y la congregaci\u00f3n. Los predicadores fueron Belita Mitchell, moderadora de la Conferencia Anual de 2007 y los pastores de la Primera Iglesia de los Hermanos en Harrisburg, Pa. Robert Kettering, ministro de la Iglesia de los Hermanos en Lititz (Pa) y ministro anterior del Distrito Atl\u00e1ntico Noreste, dirigi\u00f3 los himnos y el culto de adoraci\u00f3n. El Coro Inspirador de la Primera Iglesia de Harrisburg estuvo a cargo de la m\u00fasica.<\/p>\n<p>Mitchell predic\u00f3 acerca de Actos 19:1-6 y, continuando el tema de la ma\u00f1ana, dijo que compartir las buenas nuevas de Jesucristo a trav\u00e9s de la gracia de Dios es testimonio del Esp\u00edritu. \u201cEso es lo que los primeros hermanos hicieron, y eso es lo que nosotros necesitamos hacer\u2026 El Esp\u00edritu Santo nos da el poder, el poder de anticipar el futuro\u201d dijo ella al hacer un llamado a la iglesia para ver adelante con esperanza, planear para diversidad, y recibir a nuevas gentes en el movimiento de los Hermanos. \u201cNecesitamos dejar un poquito de lugar para nuestros hermanos y hermanas que est\u00e1n por venir,\u201d dijo ella. \u201cSi lo estamos haciendo bien, ellos vendr\u00e1n. \u00bfNo sienten el Esp\u00edritu Santo?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Un comentario de Renee Ibo de la iglesia de Germantown resum\u00f3 la atm\u00f3sfera de celebraci\u00f3n durante los cultos de adoraci\u00f3n: \u201cSer parte de una iglesia con tan rico patrimonio me hace sentir muy bendecida.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>La mayor aportaci\u00f3n financiera para la celebraci\u00f3n fue de parte del grupo Fideicomiso de Germantown y cinco agencias de la Conferencia Anual de la Iglesia de los Hermanos: La Junta Nacional, los Proveedores de Cuidado de los Hermanos, el Seminario Teol\u00f3gico Bethany, el Grupo Fideicomiso de Beneficios de los Hermanos y En la Tierra Paz.<\/p>\n<p>El Comit\u00e9 de Eventos de Germantown que organiz\u00f3 este fin de semana incluye al pastor Kyerematen, Marilyn Ansah, George Ansah, Sandy Christophel, Karen Christophel, Joseph Craddock, Norma Keith, Jeff Bach y Lorele Yager. El comit\u00e9 del 300avo Aniversario de la Iglesia de los Hermanos incluye al presidente Jeff Bach, director del Centro Young de Estudios Anabaptistas y Pietistas de la Universidad de Elizabethtown (Pa); Dean Garrett, un ministro ordenado de la Iglesia de los Hermanos Poplar Grove en la ciudad de Union, Ohio; Rhonda Pittman Gingrich de la Iglesia de los Hermanos Open Circle en Burnsville, Minn.; Leslie Lake, pastor asociado de la Iglesia de los Hermanos East Chippewa en Orrville, Ohio; y Lorele Yager de Churubusco, Ind.<\/p>\n<p>Un archivo de fotograf\u00edas del evento en Germantown puede verse en www.brethren.org, haga click en \u201cPhoto Journal.\u201d Para mayor informaci\u00f3n de las celebraciones del 300avo aniversario vaya a http:\/\/www.churchofthebrethrenanniversary.org\/.<\/p>\n<p><em>Traducci\u00f3n: Maria-Elena Rangel.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Correcciones del texto: Jill Gauthier<\/em><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *<\/p>\n<p><em>To receive Newsline by e-mail or to unsubscribe, go to http:\/\/listserver.emountain.net\/mailman\/listinfo\/newsline. For Church of the Brethren news online, go to www.brethren.org, click on &#8220;News&#8221; to find a news feature and links to Brethren in the news, photo albums, conference reporting, webcasts, and the Newsline archive. Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, cobnews@brethren.org or 800-323-8039 ext. 260. Newsline appears every other Wednesday, with the next regularly scheduled Newsline set for Sept. 26. Other special issues may be sent as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted if Newsline is cited as the source. For more Church of the Brethren news and features, subscribe to &#8220;Messenger&#8221; magazine, call 800-323-8039 ext. 247.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>September 18, 2007 Germantown Church hosts opening event of the 300th anniversary celebration (La Iglesia de Germantown patrocina la abertura para celebrar el 300avo aniversario) On Sept. 15-16 Germantown Church of the Brethren in Philadelphia hosted the opening event of a year-long celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Brethren movement, which began in Germany<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3,562,441,276,348,191,146,129,564,563],"wf_post_folders":[],"class_list":["post-751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-church-of-the-brethren","tag-coventry-church-of-the-brethren","tag-east-chippewa-church-of-the-brethren","tag-first-church-of-the-brethren-harrisburg-pa","tag-germantown-church-of-the-brethren","tag-germany","tag-lititz-church-of-the-brethren","tag-newsline","tag-open-circle-church-of-the-brethren","tag-poplar-grove-church-of-the-brethren"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=751"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":752,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751\/revisions\/752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=751"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}