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Church Membership |
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| Did you know
that when Rev. D. J. Waller retired in 1871, after a pastorate of 33
years, the membership of First Church was 170? By 1888 the membership
had grown to 186, with a total Sunday School membership of 217. In 1891,
the year our current structure was dedicated, the membership was 200,
the Sunday School membership was 222, with an average attendance of 110.
The following year (the 75th of the church) the record shows a
membership of 245 in the church and 273 in the Sunday School.
From 1897 - 1900 there were 85 persons received on profession of faith. In the Presbytery reports of 1905, membership is listed at 333 and Sunday School membership of 336. Average attendance at the morning service was a whopping 250 (with 125 attending an evening service and 50 attending a Wednesday evening prayer meeting). In 1915, growth demanded the construction of the (old) Christian Education wing, and in 1917 membership was listed at 518, with a Sunday School membership of 290. Wars changed the population of the towns and the memberships of area churches. But during the year 1948 there were 74 new members received bringing the church membership back up to 505. The church membership at the close of 1950 is recorded as 528, the Sunday School as 240 (how many of you were on those rosters?). In 1956 the membership of the church was 593, the Sunday School membership was 231. Since the 1950's a number of new churches have been erected in Bloomsburg and the surrounding areas, making it easier for townsfolk to attend a church close to their homes. It is unclear to this writer whether or not the overall attendance at churches has increased per capita since the early 1900's. I suspect it has, though not dramatically. It is clear, however, that the big churches of Bloomsburg's early years (First Pres, St. Paul's, St. Matthew's, and Wesley) have lost some of their membership to the many different worship opportunities now presented the citizens of Columbia County and surrounding regions. Some of this loss is attributed to Sunday School members leaving the region once they have graduated from High School. Currently, our membership is 319 --- which is an increase of 10 new members from a year ago at this same time. And First Church is beginning another 'New Members' class to increase this number even further. There is an excitement brewing around First Church. New members are coming in, young people are attending our services and church schools and our long time members are just as committed as they ever were. Everyone is excited about the future of our church and the time is ripe to do what must be done to maintain our church home. Our Seeds of Faith campaign has been launched and we are just waiting for the fruits to bloom. As our rich history has demonstrated so many times in the past, we expect a spectacular harvest. |
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