History of St. Paul’s UCC Church in New Oxford

In the middle 1700s  German settlers, mostly from the southwestern part of Germany, began pouring into Pennsylvania, attracted by generous land grants and religious freedom.  After the Revolution they began moving into what is now York and Adams counties.  Another group of settlers from Northern Ireland (the Scots-Irish) had preceded them.  Most of the Germans were Lutheran and Reformed; the Scots-Irish were Presbyterian.  The area watered by Conewago Creek offered fertile farmland. Itinerant clergymen moved in and preached among the settlers.  In the 1780s Friedrich Wolf and Peter Zollinger, who lived in the Paradise section of what became Abbottstown, were active in trying to organize a Reformed church in the area in which Henry Kuhn would soon  develop a community called Oxford Town (later renamed New Oxford).

By 1820 the Germans and Scots-Irish were appealing to the Coetus (Synod) of the German Reformed Congregations of Pennsylvania to establish a church in Oxford Town.  This was granted and in 1821 a Union church was organized to provide worship for the Germans, both Reformed and Lutheran, and the Scots-Irish Presbyterians.  Union churches were numerous throughout the state.  The German Reformed and the Presbyterians were Calvinist in their theology.    In 1820 a subscription list of 357 villagers was collected.  A land lot for a church was purchased from William Sturgeon, a tavern owner.  The cornerstone of a brick church was laid in 1821, south of the Abbottstown  Road on what became South Peters Street.  The current church is on the same location.  The church elected a ruling body called the Vestry; this would later be called the Consistory, and even later, the Council.  The Union Church was dedicated on June 13, 1822 and in November of that year, they installed Jacob Henry Wiestling, an eloquent young preacher as pastor.  Wiestling was based in Hanover, the local center of German Reformed preaching.  Like so many of the early ministers, he served five churches in the “Hanover Charge” and he could preach in both English and German.  Present at his installation were the Rev. Lewis Mayer (York), representing the Reformed Church; the Rev. Charles G. McLane (Gettysburg), representing the Presbyterians; and the Rev. John Herbst (Gettysburg), representing the Lutherans.  The leading officers of the church were Trustee George Bange and Elders David Showalter and John Lauch.  In 1823, the list of the founding members (communicants) included 35 people, 21 of whom were women.

Pastor Wiestling died in 1826 and the Hanover Charge, which included New Oxford,  came under the leadership of Samuel Gutelius.  Despite infirmities, Gutelius was quite energetic.  Under his leadership, in 1830, the Union Church adopted a constitution which was designed to settle much of the confusion and contention in the church.  On February 25, 1830 the church voted ten to three in favor of using half English in the services, rather than all German.  In September the congregation adopted “Articles of Association.”  The Articles included the decision to allot one fourth of the services to the Presbyterians and divided the remaining three fourths between the Reformed and the Lutherans.  The church apparently altered services from Sunday to Sunday.  Samuel Gutelius was the leading minister for the German Reformed members and the Lutheran leader was the Reverend Jonathan Ruthruff.  St. Paul’s church has, among its historical records, an 1856 Lutheran hymn book and an 1860 German Reformed Gesangbuch (songbook).

The Union Church continued until 1860 when the Lutherans sold their interest for $400.00, withdrew and organized their own church which still exists.  Only one Presbyterian family remained and they gave their interest to the Reformed congregation with the understanding that occasional services would be held for them.  This arrangement continued, however, for only a short time. 

After the Lutherans departed, the German Reformed congregation erected a handsome new church on the site in 1861/62.  The church was built in the Gothic style.  It should be noted that, since at least 1823, the church building shared its space with an adjoining burial ground, the oldest cemetery in New Oxford.  When the new church was dedicated on June 21, 1862, the congregation assumed the name St. Paul’s.

In 1874 five churches were included in the Charge: New Oxford with 235 members, Abbottstown, 235, Hampton, 85, East Berlin, 185 and New Chester, 110.  In 1879 East Berlin and Hampton were removed and the three-church charge continued until 1914 when New Chester withdrew.  The New Oxford Charge, as it was named in 1898, continued with Abbottstown until 1969 when, by mutual consent, the two churches became independent. At that time St. Paul’s purchased for $8,500 Emmanuel  Church’s share of the Carlisle Street parsonage, which had been erected during the pastorate of the Rev. William F. Davis in 1865 at a cost of $3,435.  In 1889 under the pastorate of the Rev. William H. Herbert, the church building was extensively remodeled. The side galleries were removed and a Sunday School Chapel costing $2,700 was added.  In 1882 a new parsonage was built on what is now Lincoln Way East.  Abraham Sheely oversaw the construction, working with builder Elias Roth. Half of the parsonage was owned by Abbottstown’s Emmanuel Church until 1969. This second parsonage remained in service until it was sold in 1980.  During Pastor Herbert’s energetic ministry, the “Ladies’ Mite Society” was organized and became a social and economic backbone for St. Paul’s.

In 1912 the construction of the third and present church building was begun under the leadership of the Rev. William A. Korn.  After much discussion, the church voted to use white Pennsylvania limestone for the new building.  A Meneely bell was placed in the church tower and oil lamp chandeliers were installed. In March, 1912 Deacon W.F. Sheely moved to get legal advice about removing the graveyard before signing the construction contract. On May 3, Elder S.F. Keeny moved that a full record of the graveyard be made and all the tombstones be removed for safekeeping. The motion passed and the tombstones were placed in the basement of the new church.  The north side of the church yard was opened in 1905 to provide a hitching yard. A shed, which was built later, stood until 1928 when, no longer needed, it was removed.  The area is now used for parking.

Worship through music was enhanced in 1872 when the first organ was purchased during the ministry of the Rev. William Davis.  When the current church building was completed in 1913, a new organ was installed with 650 pipes and a tubular-pneumatic action.  The current organ was installed in 1969.  A new piano was purchased in 1949 and in 1972 a memorial gift led to the installation of a Carillon and Westminster Chimes.

In 1934 St. Paul’s Reformed Church became St. Paul’s Evangelical and Reformed Church with the union of the Evangelical Synod of North America and the Reformed Church of the United States.  In 1957 the Evangelical and Reformed Churches united with the Congregational Christian Churches and the congregation was renamed St. Paul’s United Church of Christ.

The1940s and 1950s were busy decades for St Paul’s and the church flourished.  The kitchen was enlarged and completely renovated.  The practice of receiving Holy Communion in the pews was begun. In 1960 ground was broken for the construction of a Christian Education addition to the church building.  This too, was built of white limestone matching the main building, and it provided four classrooms and other facilities on two ground levels.  The cost of the addition was approximately $77,000 and it was dedicated September 17, 1961. The early 1970s saw a number of changes. Church membership had grown to 325 by January, 1973.  A striking dossal curtain was installed behind the altar and in 1983 lovely etched glass doors were installed at the entrance of the sanctuary.  With the 1980 sale of the parsonage, St Paul’s was in need of a church office, so the Primary Sunday School room was divided in half with the office being established in the north section.  In 1983 a new piano was purchased for the sanctuary. Improved church facilities were put to good use by the Senior Center, Hanover YMCA, 4-H, the New Oxford Community Band, A.A., and Boy and Girl Scouts.

In 2007 the Reverend Rob Shoup was called as a part-time pastor. The congregation began to hold communion monthly rather than quarterly. The landscaping on the south side was much enhanced with a lovely memorial garden as well as a bench to sit and reflect.  Though, as with most mainline churches, membership began falling off, church activities remained robust.  The Sunday School continued and the calendar of events included ice cream socials, the church picnic at Codorus State Park, a fall hayride, a Christmas workshop, and Christmas caroling at Homewood.  The church focused on both foreign mission work and on home missions.  Free meals were made available on Wednesday along with bible study.  Clients from the New Oxford Food Pantry were welcomed.   Outreach missions also included Toys for Tots, Operation Christmas Child, and Christmas cookies for the truck stop ministry in Carlisle.

In 2016 the Reverend Tom Lush became part-time pastor.  The church continued to partnership with the New Oxford Food Pantry, now called New Hope.  An afterschool program called “Formation” was started in 2018 with a dozen children meeting every Wednesday for activities, discussion, lessons and snacks. A new heat/air system was installed in the junior room and office areas. In 2019 a new bulletin board was installed on the front lawn area.  In 2020 under Pastor Lush, a quite successful initiative called Dinner Church was undertaken.  Once a month on Wednesday evening people gather for a meal, singing, and discussion led by the pastor.  Then, in March of 2020 the nation was hit by a viral pandemic called Coronavirus—Covid 19.  St. Paul’s members devised creative ways to keep worshiping.  Church was held through the Zoom app.  By summer, members were worshipping together, but masks, hand sanitizers, and social distancing were the norm. The Christmas Eve service was held outside. The pandemic intensified again in 2021, and the pastor and worship leader led from the church as the congregation worshiped at home through Zoom or Facebook live.  During this period a sloped sidewalk was constructed on the north side of the sanctuary for easier access to the fellowship hall.

In September, 2022, St. Paul’s celebrated it’s 200 anniversary, still worshipping on the same lot where the United Church was erected in 1822.  The Reverend Tom Lush stepped down in March, 2023, and the church continued for a year with the support of faithful supply ministers.  Finally the church called the Reverend Preston van Deursen, a retired minister, who was hired as part-time pastor, beginning March 24, 2024.  Pastor Van Deursen committed himself fully to a caring church ministry.  The ongoing commitment to the church property led to the installation of a new roof as well as restoration of the fine organ.  St. Paul’s was beginning its second century with a renewed spirit and hope.