About Our Church
The ground St. Paul's United Church of Christ is located on was part of a tract of land granted by William Penn to a Peter Bonn in 1704. A gentleman named David Hary became the owner in 1716, later selling ninety-nine acres to a John Boyer, while one acre was set aside, presumably for a burial ground.
Although the Swedes were the first white settlers of Amityville, they rarely left the banks of the Manatawny. Germans, who came in great numbers after 1725, were largely of the Reformed and Lutheran faith and were without the services of a regular pastor for a long time. In Morlatton (present-day Douglassville), services were held in Swedish or English, neither of which could be understood by the Germans, who were extremely poor and could not employ a pastor or build a church in these early years. There is evidence that a Pastor Brunholz was preaching in Amityville homes as early as 1745. These gatherings for worship most certainly hastened the setting aside of a parcel of ground for the burying of the dead. Two tombostones inscribed with the dates 1742 and 1740 respectively, indicate a burial ground before a church was erected.
The first church (of log construction) was built in 1753 and was used as a church and school. In 1754, Reverend Henry M. Muhlenberg visited Amityville and found a union meeting house erected by the two congregations. The cornerstone was laid on September 18,1795 for a new stone church measuring 40 x 50 feet with a seating capacity of 500 people. The building cost approximately $2,325. In 1797, the new stone church was dedicated and the log meeting house was torn down. The debt was fully paid by 1816. An organ was purchased at a cost of $889 in 1817.
In 1840, the young people of St. Paul's became dissatisfied with the use of the German language in the church services. A petition to change the services to English was denied by the elders leading to a division and in 1844, a group of young Lutherans broke away and built a small church just north of the present building on newly acquired ground, joined shortly by the young Reformers. Four years later, the mother church, in an effort to appease, began conducting alternate services in English and German with German services finally being discontinued in 1890. The small church built by the young Lutherans stood for over 100 years. At one time it was used by the Church of the Brethren and from 1928 it was used as the Amity Historical Society Museum. The roof was severely damaged by a thunderstorm in the early 1950's and was torn down when the church ground and the graveyard walls were renovated for the 200th Anniversary celebration of St. Paul's in 1953.
On August 12, 1872, the cornerstone was laid for a new brick church. The stone church was torn down and services were held in the small church. Dedicated in August of 1873, the new brick church measured 52 x 81 feet, seated 700 people, and cost $21,635. It's steeple stood 123 feet high. In 1892, a clock was placed in the steeple, where it could be heard tolling every hour at a distance of up to three miles. A tornado struck and leveled the brick church on June 11, 1922. Men, women, and even children donated one day's work each week until the wreckage was cleared.
The present yellow brick church was dedicated in May 1925 and cost $121,000. A union building fund remained in effect until this church was paid in full. During 1952 and 1953, extensive improvements were made to the outside church grounds, largely through the generosity of Mr. John Z. Harner, a Reformed layman.
Throughout their long history, both congregations of the Union church belonged to parishes, meaning their pastors served one or more congregations. On November 3, 1958, St. Paul's Reformed Congregation hired the Reverend William H. Solly as their full-time pastor. The Lutheran congregation soon followed suit. At this time, each congregation held weekly services, alternating between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.
At the annual joint congregational meeting on January 9, 1963, a report cited that conditions teaching Sunday School had become intolerable because of overcrowding. On July 28th, ground-breaking services were held and by April 26, 1964, a Service of Dedication was held for the new Christian Education Building. The two story building measured 50 x 82 feet and was built at a cost of $92,337.00, with the cost being shared equally between both congregations. In February 1969, the Union Sunday School was discontinued, with each congregation becoming responsible for its own educational program. Beginning in February 1969, each congregation had its own regular hour for worship.
A Union Study Committee was organized in 1967. The Lutheran church soon indicated the desire to terminate the Union church relationship that had existed since 1753. After many discussions and a lengthy period of negotiation, a dissolution agreement was signed on March 21, 1973 to become effective July 1, 1973. Under the terms of the dissolution agreement, the United Church of Christ congregation purchased the Lutheran congregation's equity for the sum of $100,000 with the Lutheran congregation paying rent to the UCC while their new church was being built.
On May 25, 1975, a Joint Service of Thanksgiving was conducted. By June 1, 1975, the Lutheran congregation had moved into its new church and the United Church of Christ congregation became the sole occupant of the church in Amityville. The final payment of $20,000 was made to the Lutheran congregation on July 1,1975.
The present communicant membership is 700 +/- people. The congregation holds two services of worship each Lord's Day at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. with Sunday School being held at 9:00 a.m.
About Our Chapel
St. Paul's chapel dates back to 1794, when a log house was built on the site next to the church. In 1839, the log house was demolished and a brick schoolhouse was erected on the site. Considering German frugality, the logs from the old school were used to build a horse stable, known as the "minister's stable"...read more
Chapel Restoration
During the annual congregational meeting of St. Paul's United Church of Christ in November of 1995, approval was given for a committee to be formed that would study the future of St. Paul's chapel. The chapel had gone unused for many years and the time had to come to either restore it or demolish it. Harold (Butch)...read more