No better phrase than 'Hall of Peace' would describe the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania, known in German as Friedensaal. Not only is the rural setting around the church peaceful and picturesque, but the people within welcome all newcomers, are from families who have been members since its inception , are benevolent stewards of the Word who inspire fellowship.

Celebrating its 250th anniversary in 2002, Friedensaal boasts a rich history that has earned it recognition as a landmark of early Lutheranism in York County, Pennsylvania. The first German settlers in this region constituted the original membership, both Lutherans and Reformed. The exact date of Friedensaal's organization has been debated. But it is likely that the core of an unincorporated congregation was formed in about 1752 as the oldest available record of ministerial acts shows a baptism on May 23 of that year.

Until 1848, Friedensaal was known as Schuster's Church after Nicholas Schuster, a successful and well-known blacksmith in the area. Schuster owned property adjacent to a triangular-shaped tract identified in a land survey of March 1, 1753 as 'church land' where Friedensaal now stands. But the church's first land grant was not issued until March 30, 1774. It was an original grant from the proprietors of the Province of Pennsylvania, brothers Thomas and John Penn, sons of William Penn. They directed a survey to the land office in Philadelphia for a tract of land called the church lot. [It contained] eight acres 110 perches of land situated in Shrewsbury (now Springfield) Township in York County, made by virtue application No. 5270 for John Hella and Nicholas Henry in trust for the Lutheran congregation now founded thereon.

The first church was of log construction and its congregation relied on occasional visits of ministers who served as itinerant missionaries to a wide circuit of congregations. According to the book 'A History of Seven Valleys Pennsylvania' researched by Auburn V. Thompson and written by Armand Gladfelter, the establishment of Shuster's was a blessing, as it filled a great void in the life of the early settlers. Gladfelter writes that Friedensaal was the mother church for the Seven Valleys area for many of the early settlers. In addition to worship, Friedensaal was initially the sole source of education for the Seven Valleys basin.

After the Revolutionary War, some or all of the Lutheran [members of Shuster's] joined the Reformed [members] in building a union church about one-half mile southeast of the first Shuster's, writes Charles H. Glatfelter in his book Pastors and People, German Lutheran and Reformed Churches in the Pennsylvania Field, 1717-1793. It is unclear exactly where the second church stood, but it is believed to have been where the cemetery now stands next to St. Peters United Church of Christ (known as the Yellow Church since the 1800s). According to the York County deed, writes Glatfelter: On Sept. 3, 1783, Jacob Korfman sold to Daniel Peterman and Barned Bop one acre of land, together with the church buildings now on said one acre of land erected, in trust for the German Lutheran and Reformed Calvinist Congregations. A register for the Reformed ŒSalems Gemeinde, in Strasburg township was begun in 1784.

The original log structure stood during and after the erection of the second building (which was said to have been a white-painted frame structure) as recorded in the Minutes of the Ministerium of Pennsylvania June 5, 1792. It is not clear whether the Lutheran and Reformed members of the Schuster's community intended that everyone would worship in the new church, writes Glatfelter. If that was the expectation, it never became a reality. Instead, there was soon division and strife. The Ministerium minutes state that a letter from the so-called Schuster's congregation was read and resolved that the members who belong to the new church retain their right in it, but that they attend worship in the old church and shall contribute to it. The preacher shall also preach in the old church. Glatfelter writes that eventually the Lutherans returned to the old church, while the Reformed used the new one.

Both Lutheran and Reformed services continued until January 1848 when the Reformed members bought out the Lutheran interest in their property and eventually created St. Peters Reformed Church, dedicated as such in 1876 after the erection of a new brick structure on the site. Glatfelter records that the Lutherans had already returned to their original church.On December 25,1848 a new constitution was adopted and a charter of incorporation was granted. The former is on record in German and the latter in English. These documents bear the name Friedensaal, which translates into 'Hall of Peace. The third and present building, a white brick structure on the original plot, was erected in 1868.

Until 1964, Friedensaal was a part of different multi-church charges in the region through the years. The last and longest union was with neighboring Trinity Lutheran Church (since 1874) and St. Paul Lutheran Church (since 1894). While Friedensaal is no longer a member of a charge, it is one of 10 churches of various denominations that make up the Community Church Witness Council (CCWC). These churches, from the Jacobus-Loganville-Hametown area, maintain collective activities such as joint worship and pulpit exchanges, local community service projects, and charity benefits. One of its most successful activities is its annual CROP Walk for world hunger. One-quarter of whatever is raised locally comes back to York County for food relief.

Over the years Friedensaal has seen many improvements, changes and milestones in the church and its congregation. Today, it is at a crossroads in terms of which path to pursue to ensure its future. The challenge for Friedensaal is in how to best meet the needs of our ever-changing community, says Pastor Richard Hair, who began his ministry here in February 1999. The congregation is considering the construction of a new fellowship hall that would allow for future growth. It is proposed that the structure will house a social hall, kitchen, office, and classrooms that would help better serve the community and reach out to new members, and afford the ability to add on a new church structure if necessary to accommodate a larger congregation.

UPDATE!

Our new pastor The Rev. Margareta Breden started her call in April of 2007. She is excited with the possibilities awaiting her and the congregation as they work together in this ministry.