Three churches of three different Protestant denominations crowd the Freysville crossroad in eastern York County, Pa. Background posts: Two York County union churches vestiges of bygone era, 'Chaplains: The Calm in the Chaos' and Abe, Gwyneth passed through Porters Sideling.
Continuing the series of telling York County, Pa.'s, history through images: ... .
Don Miller, St. Jacob's Church historian, walks through the cemetery where members of the union church, Lutheran and Reformed (United Church of Christ), are buried. The cemetery, a beautiful church building, a nearby picnic grove and bandstand and scenic setting encourage a Sunday afternoon stroll, a longtime York County custom. St Jacob's, also known as Stone Church, is one of two remaining union churches in York County. Background posts: York County's own Civil War - Part IV and The things you learn from reading local history.
The union church arrangement in York County was not a case of congregations banding together for collective bargaining with God or anyone else.
But the movement gave a nod to York County and Central Pennsylvania congregations developing a practical solution to a thorny problem.
The movement, stemming back to the 1700s, saw German churches - usually Lutherans and German Reformed congregations - sharing buildings and maintenance of those structures... .
Zion Lutheran, now empty, will become a senior-services agency.
St. Paul's Lutheran and the former Zion Lutheran churches have been in the news recently.
St. Paul's made headlines because a daughter of one of its parishioners was believed to have delivered a bouquet of flowers bearing a note detailing strategic Union defenses to rebel general John B. Gordon during the Civil War.
The Zion building, vacant for a decade, is being turned into a center for senior citizen services. http://www.ydr.com/newsfull/ci_5074715
But the two congregations made the news in the first half of the 1800s, too... .
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