Tioga church celebrates "150 years of Grace" this weekend

Pastor Nancy Nyberg stands at the pulpit of the newly remodeled sanctuary.

� years of Grace” is the theme for Bethany United Church of Christ as they observe their 150th anniversary in their newly redecorated church.

The main celebration will be on Sunday, Oct. 14, with Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. and a special service at 10:30 a.m. Former minister, Rev. Ermine Todd, will speak at that service.

At noon a dinner will be served. There will be an informal celebration in the afternoon with past ministers, members and friends. Officials of the Western Association of United Churches of Christ have been invited.

Sunday, Oct. 7, is a pre-celebration fun day at the church with Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. and church at 10:30 a.m. followed by a dinner at noon. In the afternoon the youth of the church are in charge of old-time games and activities for the children.

“The youth are planning croquet, a fishing game, guessing games, and small plastic “money” will be hidden to be for prizes,” said Pastor Nancy Nyberg.

The celebration committee has contacted several hundred past and present members inviting them to the celebration. They have created and printed a historical booklet, and will take orders for a DVD with an extensive photographic record of the church's history.

The church is an active center of the small community of Tioga.

“It is the community center. 4-H clubs meet here. They hold the bloodmobile here, and it is a polling place,” Nyberg said.

The church holds a vacation Bible school and participates with other UCC churches in a church camp at the Ursa Retreat House.

“We have an active quilters group who stitch quilts for people as a money raising project. There is an active women's fellowship and youth group. The youth lead worship about once a month,” Nyberg said.

The church has some long standing occasions, such as the mother/daughter and father/son banquets, senior appreciation, a soup supper in the winter and ice cream social in the summer.

“The church was active in getting public water into the community some years ago,” Nyberg said.

The church has recently had some major renovations in the past two years, starting with reroofing and adding a handicapped accessible ramp.

There are currently 162 individual memberships in the church. Records show it started with 12 families, when a divine worship service was held Oct. 13, 1857, by Rev. Blesene. The church was formally organized on Nov. 29, 1857, by the German-speaking folks of the Tioga community.

The 12 charter members and their families were Carl Lepper, Herman Limkemann, William Hufendick, Herman Linnenburger, William Koch, Wlliam Stremme, John Furhoff, Peter Fleer, John Bomback, John Diel, John Hoener and Herman Stronghoner.