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For
all the saints who from their labors rest ...
Our church has a rich heritage. We are grateful to those
who, inspired by God, established and sustained our place of
worship. Praise be to God for their perseverance, character,
and hope. May God grant us the wisdom and strength to
continue to serve Him as He commands. By and through the
grace of God we endeavor to fulfill the Great Commission, making
and incorporating disciples of Jesus Christ, in our community and
throughout the world.
The following is a timeline of our ministry as a body of Christ.
It is an excerpt from a publication
entitled The Big Spring Presbyterian Church: An Historical
Sketch. It was written by Belle McKinney Swope, Robert
McKinney Hays and Rev. William T. Swaim, Jr. for our
congregation's bicentennial observance which was held June 20-21, 1937.
SCOTTISH SETTLERS SEEK TO ESTABLISH CONGREGATION
The Cumberland Valley was purchased from the Indians in
1736. From the early thirties whites had been living as
"squatters" on the land of the friendly Indians.
No one knows how soon ministers of the Gospel came hither with the
first pioneers, but by June 22, 1737, the Scottish settlers who
had come by way of Ireland and Lancaster to this section were
sufficiently strong numerically and spiritually to make
application to Donegal Presbytery for a permanent pastor. A
conference was held at the home of Mr. James Macfarlane beside the
Conodoguinet Creek between the people of Big Spring, known then as
Lower Hopewell, and a Committee from Presbytery as to the location
of the Church and the establishment of the congregation. A
point of discussion was Presbytery's rule that the churches in
this section could not be less than ten miles apart; this rules
explains the regular location of towns in this valley today.
GROUND FOR THE GLEBE BEQUEATHED
The people had been worshipping in the open air on a claim of
William Laughlin's along the Big Spring and probably also in
private homes. In 1737, Mr. Laughlin presented the
congregation with ground for the glebe, or church property.
For this he gave about eight-nine of his six hundred acres.
On this, at the sharp bend in the Spring, was erected the log
church building, just north of the large oak tree* in the
present graveyard. This structure was used until 1790, when
the present stone building was built to accommodate the rapidly
growing congregation which then numbered about one thousand.
THE BUILDING, PAST TO THE PRESENT
On the north side of it there was a high pulpit with circular
steps and with a sounding board overhead. There were boxpews,
three aisles of brick, three stoves, and the three doors faced the
graveyard. In 1796, a stone building was erected at the
north side of the Church, called a Study House or Session
House. This was in service for a Latin School for a
number of years, and stood until 1840, when it was taken
down. From then until 1880, a brick building at the east end
of the Church served sessional purposes and for a private school.
In 1841, the pulpit was moved to the east end and the arrangement
of the aisles was changed, two to run east and west and one north
and south in front of the pulpit, where communion tables stood
until September, 1864. A gallery was placed at the rear of
the building for the use of the choir. This was removed
during the Civil War. The present bell was purchased in
1854.
Brick additions
were made to the building in 1881, consisting of a Sunday School
room and of a vestibule on each of three sides. Three aisles
running east and west were made instead of the two former ones,
and new pews were purchased. In the summer of 1896, the
interior of the sanctuary was remodeled, and the walls and ceiling
were handsomely frescoed. In 1906, a new pipe organ replaced
the one purchased in 1865 and was placed on the other side of the
pulpit.
The Marie Andrews Chapman Memorial Painting, presented by her
father and mother, Mrs. and Mrs. James K. Andrews, was unveiled in
the deep recessed wall behind and above the pulpit on October 30,
1927. This mural was painted by Taber Sears and is entitled,
"Vision of Our Lord Enthroned."
The original church grounds consisted of 89 acres and 105 perches,
being the north ward of the present borough of Newville. The
official warrant for the tract was issued from the Land Office of
the Provence March 2, 1744 to members of the Church for the use of
the congregation. This trust was called "Reliance"
and was held under the original warrant until September 23, 1794,
when it was patented by the legislature of the newly formed
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The church was incorporated in February 27, 1785 under the title
of "The First Presbyterian Church in Newton Township in the
County of Cumberland."
The first
parsonage was built on high ground north of Main Street, near the
Spring. The ruins stood until a few years ago**. The
present parsonage was built in 1857 at a cost of $2,322.00.
Parsonage Street is so named because the parsonage was the first
home built on the tract.
*This oak tree was felled in
December of 1989 due to disease.
**This publication was written in 1937. |
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VISION OF OUR LORD ENTHRONED
This painting was given by Mr. and Mrs. James K. Andrews in
memory of their daughter Marie Andrews Chapman in October of
1927. The artist, Taber Sears, in a letter to Rev. William
T. Swaim, Jr., pastor at the time, wrote:
"The opportunity which you kindly offer me to send my thought
about the mural painting is much appreciated. Uppermost in
my mind is a hoped for accord between those who look on the
picture and the work itself. It should carry its
lesson."
"The great "company of angels," a hierarchy
bequeathed to us by the accumulated art of many centuries and
countries is a fortunate language of expression. It is for
the artist of today so to use this language in the creation of a
new design that its teaching will make for good in the world, as
any teaching should."
"We have today the identical attributes of the angels,
although in less imaginative form. What are these
attributes, these qualities? They are good will, aspiration,
inspired action, benevolence, fruitfulness, victory. Others
will occur to you."
"It required the inventive labor of all ages to give visible
and artistic form to these attributes. All people have
looked upon these records of their race's aspiration and have been
touched and inspired. That our aspiration should center
about Our Lord is itself the victory."
"So we present in this painting a new version, a new
arrangement of age-old ideals. May it stimulate our human
efforts and our faith."
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Taber Sears studied art in Boston, Florence, Rome, and Paris,
where he was the pupil of the renowned Jean Paul Laurens and Luc
Olivier Merson. "Who's Who in America" lists the
following among his paintings:
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"Adoration of the Magi, a
Triptych, Church of the Intercession, New York City" |
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"Joshua Crossing the
Jordan," Grace Church Choir School, New York City |
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"Te Deum," a
Reredos, Old First Presbyterian Church, New York |
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"Holy Innocents in
Glory," Church of the Innocents, Brooklyn, New York |
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Frieze of the Apostles and
Stained Glass Windows, Church of the Nativity, Brooklyn,
New York |
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"Christ with the
Doctors," a Triptych, Trinity Church, Buffalo, New
York |
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"Vision of Our Lord
Enthroned," Mural, Big Spring Presbyterian Church,
Newville, Pennsylvania |
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"The Resurrection,"
Triptych, St. Thomas Church, New York City |
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"The
Transfiguration," Mural, St. James Church, New York
City |
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