Upper Spruce Creek Presbyterian Church

Upper Spruce Creek Presbyterian Church (USCPC)

The USCPC congregation celebrated the 150th anniversary of the church building in 2008. The current pastor, John M. Diller, has served the congregation since 2006 and was deployed as an Army chaplain in Iraq during the 150th festivities. The year-long celebration was marked by a prayer shawl project whereby 150 shawls were knitted by the congregation and sent to Iraq and given as gifts to Iraqis.

Children and adults of the church crafted Victorian-era Christmas tree ornaments (appropriate for the church building’s period) and decorated a special anniversary tree.

All churches in the Huntingdon Presbytery were invited to gala celebration that launched the 150th year festivities. And, all women of the church (aged 2 to 92) enjoyed an All Daughters banquet featuring fabulous food and entertainment provided by the Sweet Adelines.

The congregation supports local causes such as the Krislund Camp and Conference Center in [where?], The Presbyterian Homes of Philipsburg, the Tyrone and State College food banks, the State College Women’s Resource Center. It contributes support as well to worldwide mission projects such as the International Heifer Project, Pahk Five Nan in Thailand, and the Presbyterian Disaster Relief Fund, which provides emergency aid to victims in the United States and around the world.

Sunday worship begins at 10:30 a.m. preceded by Sunday School for adults and children at 9:30 a.m. Special services and events include the Christmas Eve candlelight service, Easter sunrise service and breakfast, summer outdoor service along side the scenic Spruce Creek. The church hosts a midweek, informal soup and sandwich supper that includes and encourages conversation, singing and worship.

HISTORY
The following narrative comes from the 100th anniversary celebration program, June 14, 1958.

The congregation was formed in 1798 when the Reverend Samuel Bryson was called to serve as the first pastor. The congregation celebrated its bicentennial in 1998.

The beautiful stone church building was dedicated March 26, 1858, and is still home to a Presbyterian congregation. The new church had its inception as early as April 12, 1856. A statistical report of the First Church, April 1856 to April 1857, submitted to presbytery at Lewistown records, “a subscription of about $4,000 to put up a new building...” and also “$200 toward Church extension in Tyrone City.”

While this congregation seemed to find the wherewithal to build for themselves and at the same time help others, they were evidently somewhat lax in their religious zeal. In the same report, the pastor stated, “Our religious services are usually well attended, but I cannot say that there is any special religious interest in either of my congregations.” “The good work of the Lord, however, we believe is going forward and not backward.”

The stone church stands on a section of land purchased December 12, 1843 for the consideration of $1 by “Adam Rankin, John Ingram, and John Bailey, Jr., Trustees of the Spruce Creek Presbyterian Congregation, adjoining other lands of trustees of the congregation, beginning at a post by the public road and containing 12 2/10 perches, Part of a land grant by the Commonwealth of Pa., 1810, to Alexander Ewing, for the use of said Spruce Creek Congregation of Presbyterians.” This land was purchased from James and Esther Ewing and Martin and Elizabeth Gates.

The “other lands” referred to in this record was purchased at $25 per acre in 1832 from James and John Ewing and was the land on which the old Frame Church stood. This church was built there about 1830 when it replaced the Congregations’ first church of logs.

“The first log church was about thirty feet square and had galleries on the two sides with one opposite the high pulpit “being for that day quite a spacious building. It was not finished before 1805 and at first had no seats, the congregation sitting on the sleepers” followed by board seats without backs.

It was in the frame church that the controversy over the use of Rouses’ version of David’s Psalms versus the General Assembly’s Psalms and Hymns was recorded in the session minutes of February 22, 1847. On March 20, 1847, the Session proposed that a congregational meeting to be held on April 12 should pass a resolution to “ask Presbytery to organize a new church to be built West of the Spruce Creek Church for the accommodation of those who prefer the General Assembly’s Psalms and Hymns, the friends of the book now in use in the church to have the exclusive use of the present church edifice (frame church) and to obligate themselves to pay the sum of $500 for the purpose of erecting the new church West” reserving the right to the use of the burial ground for both congregations.

A committee composed of Jonathon McWilliams, Adam Rankin and John McCurdy, upon ascertaining that the congregation was not willing to approve such a resolution, asked to be dismissed and the Session decided to ask the Presbytery to send a commission to settle the controversy which had started during the ministry of the Rev. John White, who served as pastor from September 3, 1845 to April 1847.

The split in the congregation, however, was effected on October 25, 1847, when the First Church elected as elders Christopher Wigton and William Riley, who were ordained, and John Gardner and James Oliver who asked for time to consider their election. They never did accept the office, but Adam Rankin was elected and ordained instead. The Rev. Daniel L. Hughes was called as the first pastor on March 12, 1848.

The First Church, which was in the majority and preferred the General Assembly’s collection of Psalms and Hymns was called the First Church and an application was made to Presbytery for that part of the congregation preferring the use of David’s Psalms to form the Second Church. Both congregations used the frame church on the cemetery lot until the present stone church was built. The excavation and foundation for this church was started in the fall of 1856. Bruce McIlwain tells that his father, who was born in 1830, and his father being a mason, told him that a number of German Masons came in that fall, found the quick sand, made their mortar and buried it deep, as was the practice of the early masons, to ripen until spring when they actually laid the foundation.

Mr. W.B. Johnston advocated the use of cedar logs and Mr. L.W. Bathurst suggested walnut logs; but upon which it was decided to lay the foundation we are not certain. Which ever were used proved adequate.

The carpenters were Washington Reynolds, William Riley, Dan Frank and Squire Leech. Mr. Leech was an operator of an up and down sawmill, run by water power, near the old grist mill at Graysville.

W.B. Johnston, who also operated an up and down sawmill, donated some lumber and Jonathon McWilliams donated some lumber sawed by Mr. Leech. Christopher Wigton also furnished some lumber, including wild cherry which was used for the old pulpit. The shingles were made of split shingle oak, a very straight-grained wood. It was probably that the Grafiuses around Alexandria made the shingles for they made such shingles which were used all around the county.

James Oliver, who had been a contractor in building canals, was experienced in handling stone. The stone for the church was quarried on his farm, which is now owned by Mr. Ellery Ellenberger, and hauled to the site by sled and two-wheeled dump cart.

The church measuring 45 x 76 feet was “built of blue limestone, heated from the basement and was one of the most complete country churches in the county.” It was built in the pastorate of the Rev. John Elliott (1857) and cost about $6000.

Soon after the dedication, a notice published in the Presbyterian stated, “It is neatly finished within and without, pews handsomely upholstered, pulpit a model of elegant simplicity, carpets, lamps, everything complete. The ladies of the congregation having attended to the furnishing of the interior, a very reasonable request was made from the pulpit viz:, that gentlemen would use no tobacco in this church.”

The Second Church, or Psalm Singers, continued to use the frame meeting house until May 1859 when the two churches reunited under the Rev.John Elliott. The old frame church was then taken down and removed to Rock Springs to be used for afternoon meetings held by the residents in that part of the valley and for Sunday School until in 1873 when it was sold to private parties.

The Rev. J.C. Kelly said in his historical sermon on Thanksgiving Day of 1876 that before the dedication prayer on the day the church was dedicated in 1856 it was announced that, “The church was paid for and was the property of the people who were about to offer it to the Lord.”

And not an uninteresting part of the history of the day was the fact that the morning service wound up with a collection of nearly one hundred dollars for the Board of Eduction. How many congregations would have been disposed to say, “Oh, we can’t give to the Board now, we have just spend $6000 on our own church, we pray they have us excused this year.” Thanks to God for this example and for the pleasant prospects before the Past of Spruce Creek. From the Historical Memorial of the Centennial Anniversary of the Presbytery of Huntingdon we learn that the congregation had given $625 for church extension in Tyrone City during 1858.

Over the years since 1858, various changes and major repairs have been made. On October 12, 1897, a congregational meeting instructed the trustees to proceed to roof the building with the roofing which they thought best and cheapest and again in 1936, money totally $865 was raised to roof the church and do other repairs.

Adult and youth Sunday school: 9:30 a.m.
Sunday worship: 10:30 a.m.