OLD ZION’S TRUMPET …Blow ye the trumpet in Zion…

Volume 3 7 Number 2 Brickerville, PA November 2019

Christmas Carol Sing: Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 2:00 PM and 4:30 PM

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

The Christmas spirit will be present at Old Zion’s

Carol Sing on Saturday, Dec. 14th at 2:00 pm and

4:30 pm. This will be in evidence in the old church

building, which will be lit by both candlelight and the

glow of the kerosene chandelier, and by the sounds of

the traditional, beloved holiday carols.

The Carol Sing will be led by local vocalist,

songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Liz Fulmer.

She has studied at Millersville University and the

Berklee College of Music and is currently pursuing a

Master’s of Divinity degree at the Lancaster

Theological Seminary.

Liz states that she has found a “home in the church,

using music to create experiences of divine

encounter”. She describes herself as a “storyteller at

heart by pairing lyrics and melodies to share the

stories”. The Christmas stories will be told as the

congregation’s sings the traditional carols and when

Liz shares her original, sacred music.

Because the church is without heat or electric light, it

is important to dress warmly and to bring a flashlight

to view the song sheets and to guide your way along

the church’s pathways.

Tickets for this special annual event are free, but

need to be obtained in advance by completing the

attached request form. Mail the completed form and a

self-addressed stamped envelope to the address

below after November 15th. The free tickets will

then be sent to you.

Old Zion Church and grounds are not equipped to

handle winter weather. For safety reasons, ice or

snow on the ground on Saturday, December 14

will result in a cancellation of the event. Please

check Old Zion’s website for information,

www.oldzionchurch.org or Blue Ridge cable 11 TV

announcements.

Complete the enclosed free ticket request form.

Then send the form with a self-addressed stamped

envelope after November 15 to:

David Hoffman

1263 Ash Lane

Lebanon, PA 17042

RECOGNIZING THE PAST

Have you ever walked into the cemetery at Old Zion

and wondered about the names and dates of the past?

Board member and retired pastor Rev. Bill LaSalle

took an interest in names and dates of several Civil

War veterans. His research cultivated an incredible

Anniversary Service in September 2019 that shared

links to the past and modern day concerns.

His sermon entitled, “Rich Man’s War, Poor Man’s

Fight” painted a picture of several men that were

members of the church and also enlisted to serve their

country. Rev. LaSalle was able to rent a pastor-like

costume from Fulton Opera House to add to the

historical nature of the service. He introduced the

historical members of the congregation as their pastor

by interpreting Rev. William Troutman Gerhard.

A sampling of some of the history shared follows.

Samuel Ressler, a married wheelwright who lived

with his mother. He enlisted in November 1862 and

did garrison duty until he mustered out in July 1863.

After the war he returned to Clay Township where he

worked as a day laborer.

Reuben Habecker lived and worked at Jacob

Brubaker’s Elizabeth Township farm. He enlisted in

1864 and was a private in B Company, 79th regiment.

He was active in the campaign leading to the fall of

Atlanta, Georgia and was involved in the Battle of

Bentonville, North Carolina. Following the war, he

lived in Clay and Warwick Townships where he

worked as a wheel right apprentice and a day laborer.

Farm friends, John Enck and Isaac Walter enlisted in

Company G, 195th Infantry. They spent time in West

Virginia and Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley guarding

river ford and keeping the peace. Their duty tour also

included guarding government property in

Washington, DC. They returned to Brickerville

where Isaac worked as a saddler. John was a day

laborer and farmer who became a deacon at Old

Zion.

Rev. LaSalle’s sermon continued highlighting

contemporary conflicts and existing Christian

attitudes toward war and peace.

JP Welliver and Lily Moore added beautiful music to

the service with pump organ and violin respectfully.

Dan Lingle, a Civil War reenactor, interpreted Private

Reuben Habecker, Civil War veteran buried at Old

Zion Cemetery. Special thanks to all the friends of

Old Zion who filled the church with one of the

largest congregations in recent times.

OLD ZION’S ORDNUNG If you’ve ever wondered whether the organization of

Old Zion church has changed over the years, this

project sheds light on that question.

Board member, Rev. Bill LaSalle was researching

some archival documents at Bethany UCC in Ephrata

and found some handwritten papers with what

seemed to reference Zion Reformed Church in

Brickerville. The handwriting was difficult to read as

it was written in Kurrant Script and written in

German. Bill enlisted the help of Old Zion Board

Secretary, David Hoffman, to transcribe and translate

the “Ordnung” or organization of Old Zion Church

from 1827.

The original document remains in Bethany’s

archives, but the copy David transcribed is also at

Old Zion in both German and English. When the

church is open for various events, the Ordnung can

be displayed to allow everyone to see what has

changed in the past 192 years and what has remained

the same.

CEMETERY CONSERVATION

PROJECT Old Zion’s historic cemetery is a sacred resting place

for 18th century Revolutionary War soldiers and

individuals from the 18th- 20th centuries in addition to

the modern area of the cemetery. The board acting

on its firm commitment to perpetual care recently

approved a project to conserve and restore the

headstones within historic area of the cemetery.

Roth Cemetery Services of Lancaster will be

completing the project. Roth will carefully map the

cemetery using aerial photography, followed by a

comprehensive inspection of each stone to document

needed repairs. Estimated 101 headstones will be

restored and conserved. Work includes plumbing

and leveling headstones on tamped gravel beds,

repairs to headstones, re-setting tablet stones into

notches, and patching and reconstructing broken

headstones.

Visitors to Old Zion are invited to walk through the

cemetery and admire the results as they are

completed.

An Old Zion burial plot is available for $450.

Ground openings at Old Zion are $150 for cremains

and $450 for a standard burial.

Old Zion Church’s Board of Directors provides

perpetual care. Cemetery ground maintenance is

ongoing. If you’re interested in more information

regarding burial plots, please email

oldzionchurch@gmail.com .

UP IN THE ATTIC The attic windows at Old Zion have been restored

after damage from squirrels along with the weather.

They will be reinstalled soon. The half-moon style

windows add light to a small crawl space beneath the

roof of the building. Within this crawl space are the

enormous beams that arc to give the ceiling a

beautiful shape and add incredible acoustics. An

intricate pulley system was used in 1813 to bend the

beams. A unique and special feature of the building.

Soon the windows will be reinstalled, and the outside

face of the building will return.

CALENDAR 2020

EASTER DAWN SERVICE – APRIL 12

STRAWBERRY SOCIAL – JUNE 13

3:30 – 6:30 PM

ANNIVERSARY SERVICE – SEPT. 13

4:00 PM

CAROL SING – DECEMBER 12

2:00 AND 4:30 PM

PROPERTY UPDATES

Caring for Old Zion’s 1813 building and the

surrounding property and cemetery is an ongoing

challenge. To maintain this historic site the Board

has approved several varied, current and future

projects.

Metal fencing: Recently, sections of the wrought

iron fencing along Reifsnyder Rd. were removed for

restoration. The sections will be powder-coated

before being returned to their original locations.

Signage: A new sign will be placed on the property

to provide visitors with historical church and

cemetery information. This project is scheduled for

springtime so post holes can be dug when the ground

is softer.

Shutter repair/replacement: Old Zion’s early 19th

century shutters are showing their age. North side

shutters have shown the greatest wear due to weather.

In the springtime Old Zion will have a carpenter

further assess the need to either repair or accurately

replace them.

“Critters”: During warm weather wasps seem to

enjoy making their nests at Old Zion. Chris Walker,

“The Wasp Expert, Inc.” has checked on this

situation and indicated that the nests will be inactive

until spring. The existing dormant nests are in the

upper areas of the building. Tentative plans include a

spring clean out of these attic level nests. At the

same time features at the roof level will be closed to

deter squirrels from seeking shelter in the attic.

Organ Repair: One of the pump organ’s straps

snapped during September’s Anniversary service.

Fortunately, organist, J. P. Welliver, managed to

continue playing for the remainder of the service.

Arrangements for the installation of a new strap are

underway.

Shed Roof : New roof shingles have been ordered to

replace the leaking shed roof.

Maintaining Old Zion continues to be possible

because of offerings collected at the Anniversary

Service, Carol Sing, Strawberry Social, and from

private donations. Thank You!

CHRISTMAS 1813

For many people in the 21st Century, December 25,

2019 will be a holiday from work and a day spent

with family and friends. It’s hard to picture

December 25, 1813. Old Zion Church would have

been celebrating services in a new church that was

only a couple months old. While the day itself may

have included some scripture reading chances are it

didn’t include an entire morning to open presents and

a day off for everyone.

Elizabeth Furnace just north of the church would

have been in blast 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Employing hundreds of workers that worked inside

and outside the furnace many families were

connected to this type of business in the Brickerville

area. Likewise, farm families were just as busy as

many farm families today without the benefit of

modern technologies.

Take a moment to imagine the teamster wagons

pulling loads of charcoal to the furnace or wagons

filled with pig iron that left the furnace for Speedwell

Forge on Route 501 and 322. Imagine breaking a

layer of ice from the morning water bucket to water

the cow and horse in the barn just off Brubaker

Valley Road. Sometimes a brief look at the past

helps us all put a different focus on the present.

As we gather together

during this holiday season,

we can honor the past with

an appreciation for all that

we have to share today.

And as always, be on the

look-out for the Belsnickel!

. SPOTTED LANTERNFLY

Old Zion Church property is within the multi-county

quarantine area for the invasive spotted lanternfly. If

you have the bug in your neighborhood you have

probably also heard about possible control methods

to help reduce the population. The bug lays eggs on

trees from September through November until a

heavy frost affects the adults.

Take time to look for egg masses throughout the

winter. The egg masses can be scraped from trees

and placed in a baggie or bucket. Then cover the

eggs in hand sanitizer to kill them.

This leafhopper bug, while beautiful, enjoys taking

sugars from trees as their food source. This process

can stress and weaken a tree over time. Winter is a

good time of year to make a plan for your property

preparing for the spring. Nymphs will begin to

immerge in March and April.

Visit https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly for

more information.