[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 112 (Friday, August 1, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1603]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  125TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH IN PORTAGE, PENNSYLVANIA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN P. MURTHA

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 31, 1997

  Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to take this opportunity before the 
House to pay tribute to an historic church community in the 12th 
Congressional District of Pennsylvania.
  There were only 15 houses in the village of Portage, PA, when the 
Reverend Mr. Samuel Croft of Wilmore, MD, arrived to begin his 
missionary work in 1872. On August 21 of that year, 125 years ago next 
month, Luther's Monumental Lutheran Church was chartered with 10 
members. Two months later, on October 20, a small frame building, 28'-
45', was dedicated. It now stands as the oldest church in Portage, PA.
  In 1892, under the direction of the Reverend Mr. B.B. Collins, the 
congregation sought and was granted admission into the Allegheny 
Evangelical Lutheran Synod. One of the conditions for admittance to the 
synod was the forming of a parish relationship with another church 
nearby, St. Luke Lutheran Church in Lilly, PA. These two churches today 
are known as the Lilly Portage Lutheran Parish.
  In 1916, the Reverend Mr. B.R. Sheeder and the congregation had the 
frame building moved to its present site where a narthex and larger 
sanctuary was built and the entire building was bricked. Stained glass 
windows were installed. The original building now contains the nursery-
primary Sunday school rooms. The original roof beams can be seen in the 
loft.
  Luther's Monumental Lutheran Church became the First Evangelical 
Lutheran Church and is now known as the First Lutheran Church of 
Portage, PA. The longest pastorate, of 23 years, was served by the 
Reverend Mr. George I. Uhler (1925-48).
  Serving as the church's pianist, choir director, and organist for 
over 50 years, Ms. Viola Hess is fondly remembered for her lifelong 
dedication. She passed away in the church while doing the work she 
loved.
  Notably, the Reverend Ms. Karen Stiles was the first female pastor to 
serve the church, from 1987-89, followed by the Reverend Ms. Rochelle 
Melander.
  Currently, under the Reverend Mr. Steven Claycomb, the church 
registry lists over 300 members and is continuing to grow. The 
membership is active in both the religious and the civic secular 
activities of the area. An array of church artifacts is displayed at 
the Portage Station Museum and will later be returned for display at 
the church.
  Portage is located less than 20 miles from Johnstown, legendary for 
its tragic floods. The First Lutheran Church of Portage has endured 
through the horrible flood of 1889 in which over 2,000 lives were lost; 
since then it has helped to see its community through many types of 
hardship--from the hardscrabble days of the Industrial Revolution, when 
the area's miners and steelworkers endured long work hours, low pay, 
and abysmal working conditions, to the Great Depression. It has held 
its community together through the Nation's wars and seen it through 
more modern harship--the decline of the steel industry that brought 
lasting economic hard times and crippling unemployment. It also saw 
another devastating flood, in 1977. Through it all, the First Lutheran 
Church has been a source of support and sustenance, spiritually and 
otherwise, to generations.
  On Sunday, August 31, 1997, a dinner and mass of celebration 
commemorating the church's 125th anniversary will be held.
  I'd like to congratulate the First Lutheran Church of Portage, its 
pastor and his congregation as they celebrate a 125 year tradition of 
serving God and their community. May the church grow and prosper for 
another 125 years.

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