Welcome to Society Corner

The Historical Society of the Bible Fellowship Church is people who appreciate the history and heritage of the Bible Fellowship Church. During the year, members receive a newsletter containing articles relating to the history of our church. Once a year, the Society meets to hear presentations of interest.

In October, 2001, our meeting was held in Lebanon Pennsylvania. Mrs. Judy Althouse presented the story of the Lebanon Bible Fellowship Church from its Gospel Herald Roots in the center of Lebanon until the present day in its beautiful new location near Lebanon.

At this meeting, Richard Taylor gave the story of Mennonite Brethren preacher, George A. Campbell who survived a Confederate prison camp. His later days were a battle with the physical problems that resulted from those hard days in his life. If you would like to investigate further, you can see a Chronology of his life. For some of the research notes, go to Notes.

On October 27, 2002, Grace Bible Fellowship Church in Reading, Pennsylvania, hosted our meeting. Pastor Randy Grossman read a paper prepared by Ruth Hartman which surveyed the story of the church from its beginnings in the 1880's until the present. If you would like to see some of the references to our work in Reading, go to Reading Notes. For references to Berks County, go to Berks Notes.

Dr. Harold Shelly presented a paper on the life of Charles Henry Brunner. Brunner was a pastor in the Mennonite Brethren in Christ Church. He served as secretary of the Annual Conference for over 40 years. His work of preserving the stories and data of our church has helped greatly to preserve the story of our church's formation.

October 25, 2003, found our society meeting at the Wissinoming Bible Fellowship Church in Philadelphia. Wayne Clapier, pastor at Wissinoming, presented the story of the church and how it became part of the story of Philadelphia. Robert Smock gave a presentation on some of our churches which did not survive and offered reasons for the closings. These two presentations gave valuable insights into the development of some of our churches.

For its October 30, 2004, meeting, the society traveled to Terre Hill in Lancaster County. The dreariness of the October day was replaced by the warmth of the hospitality from the Terre Hill folks and the excellence of the presentations. Kevin Kirkpatrick, pastor of the Terre Hill Bible Fellowship Church presented a historical summary of the life and ministry of the Church. Jill Davidson introduced us to significant lay people who have been part of the legacy of the Bible Fellowship Church.

In 2005, the Historical Society meeting was moved to the Lehigh Valley area where it was hosted by Ebenezer Bible Fellowship Church of Bethlehem on October 29. A beautiful fall day only added to the joy of the gathering. LeRoy Wilcox presented a paper that reviewed the history of Bethlehem and Ebenezer entitled, "The Church That Began at Camp Meeting." Dr. Harold Shelly took us to the formation of our denomination with a paper entitled, "Sivvah Mennah, kfild met em Hielicha Geisht" or "The Founding Fathers of the Bible Fellowship Church."

Berks County welcomed us in 2006. Faith Bible Fellowship Church of Fleetwood was our host on October 28. The church rolled out the welcome mat as we heard the story of the church and its formation from Jim Mortland, one of its elders. Jill Davidson dug into our history to find the story of women's apparel and what was proper attire. Her presentation raised the issues of legalism and how restrictive were the expectations for men and women regarding dress.

The society met in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, for its 2007 meeting.   At this meeting, Richard Taylor presented the history of Grace Bible Fellowship Church of which began in Chester and moved to Wallingford.  The paper briefly presented the history and provided analysis of evangelistic methodologies and changes in the last 25 years.  (A booklet on the history of the church is available at its website.  Carl Cassel, grandson of Emanuel N. Cassel, presented a brief biography of EN and a very helpful analysis of his doctrine and sermons.

Next year's meeting is planned for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, October 25, 2008.  The agenda includes a history of the Harrisburg church and a presentation on the music of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ / Bible Fellowship Church.

Each year, our society issues a publication filled with reminiscences and reprints. Several of those issues are reprinted for you here. As you read them, you might find something to tickle your fancy or stir your memory. Past issues are available to you. Go to Reminiscences and Reprints.

If you would like to become a member of the Historical Society of the Bible Fellowship Church, the annual dues are $18.00 per individual or $25.00 per married couple. If you are joining for the first time, your initial dues are $12.00 per individual or $18.00 per married couple. Send your name and address to John English, 19 Arbor Drive, Myerstown PA, 17067-3114. Make your check for the appropriate amount payable to THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.