Meyersdale Church of the Brethren celebrating 100th anniversary of church building

MEYERSDALE ― It was about 175 years ago that the Meyersdale Church of the Brethren was built in the small community of Meyers Mill. It was 100 years ago that the first church service was held in its current church building.

The congregation will celebrate that milestone this coming weekend in the same fashion as the original dedication services, which was a replication in 2001 for the 150th celebration as well. It will include the same hymns and songs sung, and the sermon, "Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not."

A hymn sing will be held Saturday at 6 p.m. On Sunday, the church will have a service at 9 a.m. Senior pastor Eric Shaulis, associate pastor Mike Swick and licensed pastor Travis Shaulis will lead the service. District minister and the former pastor at Meyersdale, Pete Kaltenbaugh, will give the messages. Danny Conner, Lexie Wright, the youth and some members of BIG Soul will have special music.

"Celebrating 100 years in our current church building and over 175 years as a congregation in Meyersdale fills us with joy and gratitude. This milestone is a testament to our faith, commitment, and love that has sustained us through generations," Shaulis said in an email. "As we reflect on our past, we also look to the future with hope and anticipation, knowing that with God's grace, love and guidance, our journey together continues to be filled with purpose and blessings and we will remain in Meyersdale for centuries to come."

Humble beginnings

The first Dunkard meeting house in Meyers Mill was built in 1851 on the site of the present church, according to the church's history. It was a frame building, constructed following Brethren architecture with two front doors ― one used by the men and the other by the women. In the early Brethren Church, families never sat together.

The second meeting house, a two-story building, was erected in 1882, also conforming to the plain style. In 1923, the second structure was moved to the rear of the church property to make room for the current brick building.Lewis Keiper of Johnstown was hired as the architect with a contract of $71,300. Ground was broken May 7, 1923. The cornerstone was laid in a special service Aug. 26. In the cornerstone were placed copies of the Bible, a history of the church, several church magazines and the weekly copy of the Meyersdale Republican, as well as photos of the building committee and other personalities of the church.

The building was finished and dedicated during church services held May 25-27 and May 29, 1924, with a church membership of 550. The building cost came in between $85,000 to $100,000.

It had 25 or more individual Sunday school classrooms, a church office, a library, a nursery, a Ladies' Aid Society room for work, a kitchen, a serving room, toilets and a baptismal pool. There is an assembly room in the basement that seated nearly 800, and the main auditorium upstairs, with the balconies and classrooms, seating 1,000. Stained-glass art windows, paid for by donations of a few prominent church members, enhanced the beauty of the structure.The new church building was considered the largest and finest structure of its kind in Meyersdale and unsurpassed by any other similar structure in Somerset County, according to the "150 Year Celebration of the Meyersdale Church of the Brethren." The mortgage burning was held in June 1949.

The interior of the church was remodeled in 1966 and new carpet for the sanctuary was laid in 1970. The church building was valued at $451,495 in 2001.

Wilmoth Mansion

Next to the church is the red brick parsonage, built around 1964 on the old foundation of the Wilmoth Mansion.

The Wilmoth homestead overlooking Monument Square was built in 1901 by industrialist Henry Wilmoth. The home was considered by many contractors as the best of early-1900s homes built in the Meyersdale area.

The church purchased the Wilmoth property in 1954. It included the three-story mansion, known as Hillcrest, as well as a large portion of what is now the parking lot of the church. Several years later the house was dismantled and the new, modern parsonage was constructed.

Through the years, the congregation started the Christmas and Easter pageants that drew large crowds. The congregation created Friends of Compassion to provide support to people in need of assistance, the quilters, The Greasy Spoons Plus II, the Women's Fellowship, the junior and senior choir and the Seasoned Adult Leasure Time club as part of the church's history.

"Join us this weekend at the Meyersdale Church of the Brethren as we celebrate a century in our beloved church building and over 175 years as a congregation in Meyersdale," Shaulis said. "But let this invitation extend far beyond this special occasion – join us every Sunday and in every service that follows. Together, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we grow, we worship, and we find fellowship. Our doors are open, our hearts are welcoming, and we invite you to be a part of our journey as we walk in faith and community."

Madolin Edwards has been a journalist at the Daily American for 37 years, covering school boards and borough councils. She was the Home and Family editor for 20 years, and was the primary editor and reporter for a variety of special projects, features and tabs.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Structure built 100 years ago to house Church of Brethren family