History of Forks Church

In Stocker’s barn, these settlers gathered to worship- Reformed and Lutherans together. They were united by their native German tongue and by their hardships. Later in 1798, worship was held in a log schoolhouse located across the road at Township Road and Old Easton-Wind Gap Road. The cemetery behind the church was created out of necessity. It was used by the people of this area to bury their dead, and we are told by the Native Americans of the area as well whose village was along the Bushkill Creek somewhere between here and Tatamy.

1808:

Henry Laux of the German Lutheran congregation and David Beidelman of the German Reformed congregation conveyed with Andrew Stocker to have one acre of land along the road leading from the Wind Gap to Easton for a burial place and to construct a church. This property was called “God's Acre Cemetery”. The original deed for this land reads:

“It was under date of February 6, 1808, that Andrew Stocker conveyed to Henry Laux, trustee of the German Lutheran congregation, and David Beidelman, trustee of the German Reformed congregation, in and for the Township of Forks, beginning at a stone in the road leading from the Wind Gap to Easton, etc., etc., one acre, strict measure, in trust, nevertheless as for, and, concerning, the said described premises, as a burial place for the use of the German Lutheran and German Reformed congregations, in the township of Forks, aforesaid, and, also, for a site for erecting a church or house of religious worship, thereon and such other buildings as may be deemed necessary of the convenience of the said congregations.”

1811:

Papers were drawn up to construct a practical church in January of this year.

1812:

Forks Church officially begins in January. Officers elected were Michael Messinger, Daniel Brown, Adam Shook, and George Kessler. Church officially started on January 3, 1812. The cost of the church built was $2,684.16 1/2 cents.

An early photo of Forks Church, date unknown.

Forks Reformed Church’s first Pastor was Rev. Dr. Theodore Ludwig Hoffeditz, born near Kassel, Germany. He came to this country around the turn of the 19th century, landing in Baltimore and moving to Berks County where he made his living teaching in a German School. Later he would be received in-care of the Synod of the German Reformed Church of the United States, study for the ministry under the directions of a pastor in Philadelphia, and move to these parts and accept the pastorate of what was then known as the Mt. Bethel Charge.

At the time, Hoffeditz's charge included a church in Mt. Bethel, Plainfield Township, and two churches about 25 miles north of Mt. Bethel in the Poconos. It wasn't until, as his biography says, a church was built on the main road between Easton and Wilkes Barre, or the Sullivan Trail as we know it today, that Pastor Hoffeditz also included the congregation at Forks among his fold. Forks Township now had its first church and was called "German Evangelical Reformed Congregation of Forks".

Like most churches at the time, Forks began as a "union church", the home of a Reformed and Lutheran Congregation. This accommodation was reached because the congregations were unable to afford two churches, but working together could use the same building. Forks shared its building with the Lutheran congregation until 1970.

Hoffeditz traveled to all of these churches on horseback, and the travel took its toll because the roads were so primitive and often impassable during the heavy winter snows. He would later persuade the churches north of the mountain to go their own way, assuming himself the pastorate of what became known as the Plainfield Charge. The Forks and Plainfield churches were yoked together, and Hoffeditz moved his residence from Mt. Bethel to Nazareth where our pastor would live until his death in 1858. He and his wife are buried in Forks Cemetery beneath the marble monument which resembles the Washington Monument.

1856:

The interior of the church was remodeled, the specific work done is unknown. In the below photo, take notice of the altar, lectern, baptismal font, piano (purchased in 1908), pulpit chairs, and hymn boards- all of these items are still in our sanctuary today!

1858:

Forks Reformed Church’s second pastor was Rev. Ernest W. Reinecke. He was born in Germany, but his family settled in Frederick, MD. Pastor Reinecke was ordained in 1848 and began his ministry in Millersville, but later moved back to Frederick where his aging father, also a pastor, was having increased difficulty making his rounds and fulfilling his task. In 1858, Reinecke was called to be the pastor of the Plainfield Charge of which our church here at Forks was a part. The Pastor was married with 10 children and lived in Nazareth until his death. Among other things, he was interested in education, tutored at Marshall College, and served three terms on the Nazareth School Board. In November 1890, he had a stroke, suffered from paralysis, and was bedridden until his death in May 1891. He is buried in Forks Cemetery.

Reinecke was our pastor for 33 years, and like his predecessor before him, was greatly revered and loved. Thus for the first 80 years of our life, Forks Church was served by a total of two pastors!

1891:

Two pastors were in the running for the job: one named Kessler, the other Weaver. Kessler had been one of the speakers at Reinecke's funeral (perhaps the choice of Pastor Reinecke to succeed him), and his opponent Robert Charles Weaver, a son of this congregation, confirmed in the sanctuary in 1859. Weaver won by a unanimous vote. Pastor Robert C. Weaver served here until his death in 1910. He lived in Bethlehem, although his family (and later he) owned the farm located just outside of Tatamy across the street from the baseball field.

Pastor Weaver would make his way here from Bethlehem by horse and buggy every other week, each of the sister congregations taking turns for worship. Weaver would come here from Bethlehem for church, lead worship, and then have dinner with his tenant farmers, the Albert family at the farm just mentioned.

Church services were held at 10:00am and Sunday School was at 2:00pm.

On one Sunday of each month, the service was held in the German Language. George Held was the Choirmaster, organist, and pianist. Rev. David Kuntz was the Lutheran Pastor at this time.

Although the Rev. Weaver is buried in Bethlehem, a monument is erected in Forks Cemetery in his honor.

1906:

Rev. George Kleckner was installed as Lutheran pastor after the death of David Kuntz.

1910:

Rev. Floyd Raymond Shafer was installed as pastor of Forks after the death of Rev. Weaver. He was a young seminarian preparing for a life of ministry at Lancaster Theological Seminary. He was ordained here in this sanctuary and began his ministry at Forks Church on June 10, 1910.

1912:

In April 1912 following a March 4th Congregation meeting, a plan was proposed for rebuilding Forks Church, and a new church publication "The Parish Tidings" was initiated. A portion of Vol. 1 No. 1 including the reason for starting this quarterly publication is shown below.

Forks Church was set to be rebuilt to great extent, creating its present-day appearance. However, rebuilding was not an easy matter. The major concern was with the balconies that stood on three sides of the building. They were not sturdy enough to support the weight of all the people gathered for worship on special occasions. In addition, many wanted a Sunday school room.

The congregation was fairly split over the idea of whether to renovate or not. In fact, they were so split over the decision, that reportedly half of the membership left the church in order to voice their disapproval, but the renovations went on. The ceiling was lowered, the large Sunday school room (our current Social Hall) was added on, the balconies removed, an organ was built, and radiators were installed as well as the present arrangement of the chancel.

On Sunday, August 11th, 1912, a service was held for the laying of the cornerstone for the new church building. The articles placed within the lead sheet box were as follows: A bible, Lutheran Church Book, Reformed Hymnal, Luthern's Smaller Catechism, Heidelberg Catechism, Home Missionary of Lutheran Church, Outlook of Missions, Ref. Ch., The Lutheran, Reformed Church Messenger, Constitution of Reformed Church, Constitution of Lutheran Church, names of members of both congregations, names of pastors and officers of the congregations and the various organizations connected with the church, a copy of The Easton Argus containing an account of the cornerstone laying, a copy of The Easton Free Press containing like account, a historical address of W.J. Heller delivered at centennial exercises, The Parish Tidings, Lutheran and Reformed Church almanacs, minutes of Conference and minutes of Classis, a short historical sketch of Salem Union by the Pastor as read at the anniversary services, in abstract form, and a copy of Free Press containing an account of anniversary services.

1931:

The Messinger Memorial Home located next door, which the church still owns and rents out today, was a gift of Freeman and Agnes Schug Messinger in 1931. The home was dedicated on June 14th, 1931. The dedication included the following statement: "This memorial gift was formally tendered and accepted at a largely attended joint congregational meeting held May 10, 1931. The legal investment of transfer is a deed of gift in fee simple, giving to the Church a full and clear title to the property in question - a gift so valuable and beautiful that it cannot but inspire the sincere appreciation and gratitude of one member of Forks Church as well as the whole-hearted sense of responsibility of council, consistory, and cemetery board for its stewardship."

1935:

Forks Reformed Church’s congregation celebrates the 25th anniversary of Rev. Floyd R. Shafer as their pastor.

1953-54:

New construction took place for a two-story stucco addition, 64 feet by 36 feet. This addition provided inside bathrooms, new Sunday school rooms, a kitchen, a stage area, and a fellowship hall.

1960:

The church celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Rev. Floyd Shafer as pastor on June 19th. Rev. Shafer served Forks Reformed Church for 57 years before retiring in 1967. The Lutherans (we still were a Union church at this time) had several pastors. Their last pastor was Rev. Charles Orem, who was also serving at Hope Lutheran Church in Tatamy at this time.

1967:

Rev. John Z. Martin is called as pastor of Forks Reformed Church. He served until 1975.

1970:

After many years of joint ownership of the church building at Forks, The United Church of Christ bought out the Lutheran equity effective July 1, 1970.

1973:

A highlight of the annual congregational meeting was a symbolic burning of a note by Walter Clemis, who at the time was the congregation President. The note represented the completion of the payment of $52,000 one-time Lutheran equity in the church property by the United Church of Christ Congregation.

1975:

Forks UCC and St. Peter’s UCC in Tatamy shared the same pastor for many years. Forks was again determined to go her own way, for the second time in our history, and the charge with Tatamy was dissolved on December 14, 1975, at which time Rev. Craig MacCreary became pastor of Forks UCC. Rev. MacCreary had been a senior in seminary and a student pastor here at Forks; Rev. Martin remained with St. Peter’s in Tatamy.

1980:

The congregation calls the Rev. Charles E. Strasbaugh to be pastor of Forks United Church of Christ. He had previously been serving as assistant pastor of Neff's United Church of Christ.

1981:

The sanctuary was renovated, which included carpeting, organ grill covers, ceiling fans, pew covers, a communion table, and vestibule lights. A service of dedication was held on March 22, 1981.

1982:

The pavilion in the grove was built by the Forks UCC Youth Group and several men in the church. This was the culmination of a dream of Roy Dewalt. He and the youth ran a Palm Sunday breakfast and ice cream festival for many years to raise the money to make his dream a reality.

1983-86:

Renovations of the Sunday School area (our current Social Hall) took place. Individual handicapped-accessible bathrooms were added on the main floor. The balcony was removed and replaced with classrooms (our current Upper-Level Sunday School classrooms). The work was dedicated in May 1985. Also, church offices for the pastor and the office manager were added.

1987:

In January of 1987, a plaque was hung in Classroom A to recognize Walter Clemis, who served as a member of the Consistory from 1943-1977 and 1981-1985. He served as President of Consistory for 17 consecutive years from 1960-1977.

1988:

Rev. Rainelle Kimmel served as Interim Pastor in July 1988.

1989:

The Rev. Kenneth E. Nichols was called as pastor in December 1989. He served as Pastor until 1992.

1990:

A capital Fund Campaign to finance numerous church improvement projects was undertaken. Some of these projects included installing the elevator, replacing a 30 year old fuel tank, memorial home repairs, repainting and upgrading the kitchen, and providing additional parking.

1992:

Rev. John Weiler and Rev. William Falla serve as interim pastors.

1993:

The Rev. Curtis Kemmerer was called and served as pastor until 1996.

1997:

Ready Set Go Preschool begins at Forks UCC in September after Pastor Curt Kemmerer recognized the need for a quality educational program dedicated to the enrichment and development of young children in our community.

1997:

Rev. Barry Durie was called and served as pastor until retiring in May 2009.

2000:

The church was refaced by removing part of the stucco from the front exterior of the building exposing the original stone underneath. This made the church look the way it does today. Also, new blue carpeting was installed in the social hall.

2004:

A surprise concert was held to celebrate Cheryl Hahn's 40 years of dedicated service to the Music Ministry at Forks UCC. Our Clavinova was purchased in her honor. The lighted marquee sign was installed along the road, completed in June of ‘04. In August, a classroom was removed in the back west wing to enlarge our choir room to the size it is today.

2005:

New playground equipment was purchased and installed in the grove. This replaced older playground equipment that was in the grove at the same location.

2007:

A new sound system, speakers, and audio recording system were installed in the sanctuary by Dave Phillips Music and Sound, coordinated by Christopher Beers.

2008:

In the summer, our front landscaping was redone as an Eagle Scout project by Matthew Johnson. The front evergreen bushes were removed, a new border was installed, and new stone and ornamental bushes and flowers were planted. This was dedicated in ______ 2008.

2009:

Beginning in September, Rev. Daniel Moser served as Interim pastor. He served until June 2011.

2011:

Pastor Bob Gutekunst begins his ministry at Forks UCC on July 1st, 2011, and served until April 9th, 2023.

2012:

In this year, Forks UCC’s congregation celebrated the church’s 200th anniversary. Many anniversary events and activities were held this year including honoring the first four ministers of Forks UCC by placing a flower at each of their monuments in the cemetery, honoring those who have been members or associated with Forks UCC for 50 years or more, a dedication of the Anniversary Quilt, a 200th anniversary banquet at the Bushkill Township Firehouse and special worship service at the church, a special musical service, and a special joint Thanksgiving service held at Forks UCC with St. Peter’s UCC in Tatamy.

A special quilt commemorating this milestone was made. It was unveiled and dedicated during our August 26th worship service. The quilt was put together by a group of dedicated church women who planned and worked on the quilt for the better part of a year. The quilt was subsequently displayed at the 200th anniversary banquet and then hung on the wall of the sanctuary for all to see for years to come.

2013:

We held a mini capital Campaign to refurbish our historic church organ. The organ was refurbished throughout the year in 2 phases.

On August 4, 2013, Cheryl Hahn retired as the Director of Music. Cheryl served as music director since she was 16 years old. She retired after 49 years of music ministry. She continued as church secretary until September 2021, a position she held since the late 1980’s.

2015:

In January 2015 Sam Kemmerer resigned as Chair of the property committee at 82 years old. As a thank you, Sam received a Golden Hammer and plaque during worship commemorating his service. Sam served as the property chairman for many years and grew up in the Memorial Home. He was the last of the “Three Musketeers” (Sam Kemmerer, Roy Dewalt, and Frank Mengal Sr). The “Three Musketeers” faithfully executed most property projects for decades.

The round stained glass window above the altar was refurbished in May. This project was completed in memory of Frank Micklos Jr. In further years, other windows in the church were refurbished including replacing old protective storm glass.

2019:

Rev. Bob Gutekunst was ordained in Forks UCC on Sunday, March 3rd, 2019.

A 12’x16’ bandstand was constructed in our grove as an Eagle Scout project by Brandon Cressman. The bandstand is used for outdoor services and for bands at our yearly festivals. It was dedicated on Sunday, September 15th, 2019 after an outdoor worship service.

2020:

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, beginning on Sunday, March 22nd, we could not hold worship services inside the church. All worship services were only live-streamed on Facebook (later Facebook and YouTube). On Sundays with nice weather, we held socially-distanced worship outside the church.

2021:

After a year and a half of only worshipping online, the church officially “reopened” for in-person worship on September 5, 2021.

2022:

On Sunday, September 11th, we adopted our ONA statement and became part of the UCC Open and Affirming Coalition. The vote by our congregation to adopt this statement was nearly unanimous.