[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21923]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE AUGUSTUS LUTHERAN CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM GERLACH

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 29, 2005

  Mr. GERLACH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Augustus Lutheran 
Church in Trappe, Pennsylvania on the occasion of their 275th 
anniversary.
  The Augustus Lutheran Congregation was founded with its first baptism 
on May 8, 1730. From there, the first church was built. Originally 
described by an early Church press release as a ``shrine of 
Lutheranism,'' the Augustus Lutheran Church has diligently served its 
community since 1743. The first church building was constructed by its 
first pastor, Henry Melchior Muhlenberg. Its construction, according to 
church documents, marks the beginning of the Lutheran movement in 
America.
  This unique church also stands as an extraordinary symbol that 
emphasizes the impressive 275 years that the Augustus' ministry has 
served its community in Pennsylvania. The Augustus Lutheran Church has 
always had a close and reciprocal relationship with its community. 
Prior to the construction of the Church, the Augustus congregation 
built the first schoolhouse in Providence Township, Pennsylvania, where 
Muhlenberg served as one of the teachers. Consequently, in 1743 when 
the congregation decided to build a church, men in the community 
donated their labor and materials by hauling stone and timber, while 
the women and children split and shaved shingles for the roof. The 
official dedication ceremony took place on October 6, 1745 when a 
dedicatory stone was placed in the wall over the main entrance. In 
1751, the gallery was erected to house the newly purchased pipe organ 
that was brought from Europe. This pipe organ was unique in that it was 
one of first pipe organs in any country church in America.
  As the congregation grew throughout the next one hundred years, so 
did the need for a new church that could adequately accommodate its 
members. In 1852, a new cornerstone was laid and a new brick church was 
constructed. Throughout the following years, extensive reconstruction 
was done on the new church. Sunday school facilities were created, the 
pulpit was refurnished, and the pipe organ was electrified and enlarged 
by the addition of an echo organ chamber and chimes. In 1960, a new 
parish house was added and in 1987, new stained glass windows were 
added. Today, the Augustus Lutheran Congregation has grown 
substantially to include 480 families with 1,000 baptized members.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing the 
Augustus Lutheran Church for its rich and honored history and its 
exemplary contributions to the religious and community life of the 
Trappe area for the past 275 years.

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