| St. John's -- A Brief History |
| St. John's (German) Reformed Church was founded in 1839. First meeting place was a school building on Dewart Street. In 1865 the first church building was erected on the present site. (Cost was $5,488.00.) Membership was 57. In 1893 the present church building was constructed. (Cost was $42,380.00.) Membership was 400. In May of 1891, The Rev. C. B. Schneder became the pastor of St. John's. He served as pastor until his death, November 1931. The membership was 430 when he began his pastorate, by 1931 the membership had grown to 1,618. In the 1920's the Boy Scout Troop and Cub Scout Dens were organized. In 1934 St. John's (German) Reformed Church became St. John's Evangelical and Reformed Church. In 1957 the Evangelical & Reformed Churches joined with the Congregational Christian Churches to form the United Church of Christ denomination. In July of 1963 the Schneder Memorial Sunday School and Lark Memorial Chapel Building was dedicated on the Grant Street side of the church. In 1970 the Rev. James W. Morris became the pastor of St. John's. Pastor Morris was one of the founders of the Meals-on-Wheels Program in the Shamokin Area. At the beginning of the program the preparation of trays and the distribution of the meals were made from the church. In November of 1987, the present pastor, The Rev. William H. Sherman began his pastorate of St. John's. In October of 1989, St. John's celebrated it's 150th Anniversary. The summer of 2000, an extensive Restoration Project was started. June 2, 2002, Pastor Bill Sherman conducts his last service before retiring from the ministry. September 1, 2002, Pastor Rick Stuempfle begins as Interim Minister. April 1, 2004, Pastor J. Denise Smelley begins as Interim Minister. September 13, 2005, Pastor John W. Silliman begins as Interim Minister. December 4, 2005, Pastor John W. Silliman elected as new pastor for St. John's. |
| A History of Pastors Richard Fisher (1839-1843) (1846-1854) Rudolf Duenger (1843-1846) Henry Hoffman (1855-1858) Charles A. Rittenhouse (1858-1860) Henry Losch, supply pastor (1863-1864) Henry H. W. Hibshman (1864-1868) Christian Scheel (1868-1870) David W. Kelly (1870-1874) David O. Shoemaker (1874-1878) Thomas J. Hacker (1879-1890) Charles B. Schneder (1891-1931) William C. Slough, assistant pastor (1905-1909) Lawrence E. Bair, assistant pastor (1910-1912) Edward O. Butkofsky (1932-1948) Walter E. Boyer, supply pastor (1948-1949) Harold C. Baer (1949-1958) George C. Bingaman (1958-1970) David F. Cervantes, assistant pastor (1959-1961) Paul T. Stoudt, Parish Minister (1968-1972) James W. Morris (1970-1976) David Hubner, assistant pastor (1973-1974) Robert E. Brown, assistant pastor (1975-1981) Donald E. Harpster (1977-1986) Thomas B. Musser, interim pastor (1986-1987) Harry J. Colver, interim pastor (1987) William H. Sherman (1987-2002) Richard R. Stuempfle, interim pastor (2002-2004) Jeanne Denise Smelley (2004-2005) John W. Silliman (2005- ) |