Pictures of the Churches GRACE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Grace United Methodist Church was formed on January 1, 1972 in a merger of two congregations with long histories of worship and service in Pen Argyl – Zion Methodist and Bethany Evangelical United Brethren (EUB).  Reaching back to the time when the Slate Belt was first being settled, these two congregations offered newcomers to the area a similar message of salvation through faith by the grace of God.  On numerous occasions in the past century, they were the center of local revivals that brought word of Christ to the local population. Reverend Warren Mohr, pastor of the Bethany congregation at the time of the merger in 1972, suggested the name for the church we know today, noting that "only by the grace of God" would it be successful.  The cornerstone for Grace's new church building (see some pictures here) was laid on April 15, 1973 with services of consecration held from June 24-28, 1973.  Almost 30 years after its founding, Reverend Mohr’s words still reflect Grace UMC’s reliance on God’s direction as it moves into the twenty-first century. Just as the Zion and Bethany churches played important roles in the spiritual life of the town and surrounding areas for over a hundred years, Grace United Methodist Church today shares the same message of Christ’s love and sacrifice for all people.  Grace Church carries on traditions from both its Methodist and EUB roots and strives to reach people of all ages and backgrounds in various ways, but with one idea – that God offers us his grace, if we are willing to accept it.       ZION METHODIST CHURCH Methodism has been a force in the spiritual life of Pen Argylites since before the town was officially founded.  As early as the middle of the nineteenth century, Pen Argyl was included on a circuit of traveling Methodist preachers, with services held outdoors in the area that is today Weona Park. Over the years, the Methodist congregation in Pen Argyl experienced several important revivals.  The first of these was in the winter of 1877-1878, when a quarter of the town’s population came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior.  On one Sunday morning after this revival, it is said, the pastor concluded his regular message and found so much interest and excitement in the congregation that he continued an alter service for the next twelve hours straight – until finally concluding at 11:00 pm.  Later, another revival swept the congregation and the area (and the rest of the nation) in 1914, when hundreds of men and women organized praying bands that toured the countryside. Following the tradition of music and song that reaches back to Methodism’s founders, Zion Methodist was a singing church.  Even today, many remember Helen Finkbeiner’s Senior and Rainbow Choirs, church hymn sings, booming tenors and basses singing "Crown Him with Many Crowns," and the whole congregation singing Charles Wesley’s "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" on Easter Morning. As the town was established and began to prosper in its early days, construction on a building that would house the Zion Methodist Church congregation began in March 1894 and was completed in September 1895.  This building was located downtown on the corner of Jory and Schanck Avenues at a cost of about $30,000.  It seated 1,000 in the auditorium (the number was reduced to 750 in a renovation in 1913) and 600 in the Sunday School rooms.  Three large, stained-glass memorial windows valued at $3,000 each adorned the north and south walls.  In 1904, a pipe organ valued at $3,000 was installed. Half of this amount was paid by Andrew Carnegie as a matching gift for the funds raised among the members of the congregation. This church was home to Zion until February 18, 1970, when a spectacular night-time fire destroyed the 75-year-old building as it was in the process of being renovated.  Services were subsequently held in the Pen Argyl High School auditorium and Bethany EUB Church, until a new church building could be constructed.   THE BETHANY EVANGELICAL UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH  Like its Methodist counterpart, the Bethany Evangelical Church served the spiritual needs of citizens of Pen Argyl from the early days of the town’s settlement.  Its beliefs were similar to that of Methodism, but its traditions were tied less to the English church and culture of Methodism and more to the culture of what is now Germany.  In fact, services in the Evangelical church in Pen Argyl were held in German at the turn of the last century. From its beginnings around 1860, when services were held in various homes (including those of John Moyer, Quintus Sandt, and Mrs. Milton Bitz), the Bethany congregation grew to the point in 1863, when it was decided to construct a church building.  This was completed in 1885 at a cost of $4,724.  Bethany continued to grow from these modest beginnings. During 1913 and 1914 the church experienced a great revival, when 152 new members joined the congregation, increasing its membership to 297.  As a result of the merger with Zion and the building of Grace Church, the old Bethany EUB Church was razed in the summer of 1975. Many members of Grace Church fondly remember the traditions of Bethany, several of which are linked to families that are part of Grace today. Bethany Church had an active and popular orchestra under the direction of Frank Smith, who also composed and arranged many of the group’s numbers.  A male quartet composed of George Miller, Frank Bieler, Samuel Harding, and Adam Moyer sang together at Bethany for over fifty years, beginning in 1900.  And the Albright Brotherhood, Women’s Missionary Society, and Ladies Aid Society offered congregation members opportunities to work with and support each other, while reaching out to others in need in the community and elsewhere.   Thanks to Walter Cole for helping compile the history of our church.