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May 27, 1832: The nucleus of the church assembles.

Nathan Michell and Sarah Bye Packer were united in marriage on Jan 12 1832 in Mierevam, Stark co, Oh. Just after his marriage, Nathan and his bride set out in a carriage to visit Sarah’s parents in Howard, Center. Co, Pa. Nathan had been Baptist 5 years earlier (1827) by John Secrest who had studied under Barton Stone and was also a friend of Alexander Campbell. Through elder Secrest, Nathan adopted the Christian principles championed by Stone and Campbell.

With preaching stops along the way, Nathan and Sarah arrived in Howard on April 12. On the third Lord's Day in April, Nathan made an appointment to preach at his mother-in-law's home. The house was filled to capacity, with many others standing in the yard. The next three Sundays, Nathan preached in the meeting house of the Mennonites which resulted in several baptisms. Many from the Beech Creek community, some six miles down the Bald Eagle Valley, heard Nathan and invited him to preach in their community.

In Beech Creek at Nestlerode Island, Nathan preached three Sundays to a large assembly. On the third of those Sundays, Nathan preached for almost two hours. He gave an invitation and nine persons responded to the gospel. The people assembled on both banks of the beautiful stream of Beech Creek. Nathan stood on the shore and spoke for half an hour on the design of baptism and then entered the water and immersed the candidates. Thus on the fourth Lord's day in May 1832, nine persons were immersed into Christ in the waters of Beech Creek. The same year that the Stonites and Campbells joined forces, the nucleus of the Blanchard Church of Christ was formed making her one of the oldest congregations since the inception of the movement.

The congregation worshipped at the grove until cold weather drove them to a nearby barn. Shortly after, cold weather forced another move to a nearby log school house, but this was too small for the growing congregation. In the course of a few months (ca. Oct. 1832), Nathan immersed ninety persons in the area, and organized a church by appointment of three elders and two deacons. Growing in number, also in faith and doctrine, the congregation determined to build a house of worship. A plot of ground was secured from Simon Lingle. The ground was a portion of the cemetery that is across the street from our present building. Men and boys were organized from the community to build the structure. They came with teams, axes, picks, shovels and other such tools. They dug the foundation, hauled stone, built walls, secured lumber and framed the building. It was 40 feet wide by 45 feet long. The building was a one story, plastered frame structure with two aisles leading to the back room. Thus persons might enter late with little embarrassment. Within months the structure was complete and put to use without any formal dedication of the building.

The congregation worshipped in this facility until 1869. Today if one wishes to see how the original building looked, the old white church in Howard and the church building in Romola are similar structures.

From 1832-1839, Nathan continued his influence on the area. As an officer, he assisted in developing the schools of Center and Clinton counties. He also established churches in Spring Creek, Marsh Creek, Cedar Run, Salona, Bald Eagle Bridge (now Mill Hall), Howard and Beech Creek. From 1839 to 1843 Nathan spent his Sundays preaching at each of the latter four churches.

February, 1869: The erection of our present church building.

The young congregation prospered until the close of the Civil War. Hatred engendered by the war and politics greatly reduced the membership. On February 21, 1867 until March 13, a revival meeting was held each day in which more than 90 persons were added to the church. Again the church building was too small. At a church business meeting, the members decided to erect a house of worship 48 feet wide by 70 feet long, two stories high, made of brick. A plot of ground was purchased on the opposite side of the road for the new structure.

182,112 baked bricks were used on the building. William Fearon paid an extra $50.00 for the extension in the front of the church. The building was completed in February 1869 at a cost of $11,000.00. While the first regular services were held on the seventh of February, 1869, the upper room was not furnished until 1874. On December 6, 1870, the Centre County Court granted the church a charter. With no belfry to adorn the building, on July 27, 1887, the church decided to erect a belfry not to exceed the cost of $200.00. When all accounts were paid there was a balance of 7 cents.

Between 1870-1877, W. A. Ridge served as pastor of the Blanchard Church of Christ for some time; however, he withdrew taking some of the leading members with him and organized the Baptist Church in Blanchard.

At different times during the century, the method of lighting and heating the church varied according to the way then in vogue. First it was lighted by six large kerosene lamp chandeliers that hung from the ceiling and two extra lamps from the pulpit. Then there were gas lights, the gas being generated in the ante room on the first floor. These were an improvement over the kerosene lamps, but as soon as electricity was brought to the Blanchard/Beech Creek areas from Milesburg, electric lighting was installed. Up until July, 1928, the church was heated by coal stoves, which answered their purpose well except in very cold weather when it was almost impossible to keep the upper room comfortable. During these times in the winter, services were held downstairs in the Bible room. The second week of July, 1928, the members met at the church and decided to install a vapor heating system for the sanctuary and to install first floor bathrooms below each set of stairs.

By 1932 the congregation had grown in membership to over 400 and Bible School averaged over 200. Between, 1939-1945, the church organ was installed. The church structure in its present form took shape during the 1950's with the addition of a second and third floor for the primary Sunday school department, a new heating system, a baptistery and the rebuilding of the organ. The effort was complete by November 1958.

The Present: Where God is leading us in ministry.

Our church has been blessed with so many wonderful ministers throughout the years. Our present minister, Russel Moldovan, came to us in November 1993 with his wife Raylene and 6-month-old son, Zachary. As the church has grown so has the Moldovan family with the additions of Alex, Michael and Madison. Russel's ministry has emphasized the gospel as being both words and deeds that are interlocked and inseparable. It is a gospel that is evangelical as well as socially concerned and responsible. This emphasis has resulted in the growth of our church's cross-cultural ministry-- the most evident being the annual inner-city of Pittsburgh mission trips which began in 1994.

Our present pastor believes that the church's theology emerges primarily through the corporate worship experience of the church. He has articulated and implemented our vision for worship in what he calls "A Kingdom of God philosophy of worship." This philosophy invites a variety of music and worship styles. It seeks to accommodate the worship heart-language of everyone. Each week members and guests are invited to encounter God in worship through the Lord's supper, Scripture reading, meditation, devotion, prayer, music, drama, preaching and fellowship.

The church has seen renewal in a variety of ways. Since 1994, the church has enjoyed the blessings of summer interns and full-time associate ministers. In 2000, a membership study revealed that 62% of those attending worship had only begun doing so in the last 7 years. With little space to accommodate all of our growth, in January of 2000, the church purchased the Violet Coldren estate which includes a house and 2.8 acres. The house serves as a parsonage for our associate minister, and we are waiting to see what kinds of plans God has for the land. Presently, we await God's guidance as to whether he wishes us to expand our present building or build a completely new worship facility.

In this venture, Scott and Jennifer Johannes and their two sons, Cory and Reggie were invited to minister with the Blanchard Church of Christ with Scott serving as associate minister.

Our church has a high view of God's providence. We believe that God is involved in every aspect of our lives-- our relationships, spouse, children, job, possessions, etc. and that it is the job of every Christian to live in the mature wholeness of the Gospel by experiencing these as an act of faith. God is already doing something special in our lives even before we are aware of it. Thus, it is not our responsibility to get God to do something we think needs to be done; moreover, it is our job to become aware of what God is already doing so that we can respond to it, and participate and take delight in it. The Russian novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn articulates it this way: “God has a purpose for each person, and it is the purpose of each person to figure out what that purpose is.” We are confident that if each church member lives in mature wholeness of the Gospel, we will discover as a congregation what God has planned for the Blanchard Church of Christ so that we can respond to it, participate and take delight in it.

   

 

 

 

Loc Haven: (Approx. 8 miles) Take Route 150 south through Beech Creek, cross green steel bridge, turn left onto Beach Street. .