Bucks
Dear Friends,
Good morning. At the end of this column, you’ll learn why car thieves leave Richlandtown alone. I learned the answer at the 200th anniversary celebration of St. John’s United Church of Christ. The November 11th weekend was a special time for one of St. John’s parishioners as well. Harriet Smith, daughter of former Pastor Wilber Jere Kohler, celebrated her 95th birthday.
Harriet Smith is one amazing woman. Her mind is as sharp as I remember her, decades ago. And she must have been proud as punch to see her daughter, Mariellen Schwentker, give the sermon.
The Smiths are unusually bright. At 14, Harriet entered Ursinus College and graduated at the tender age of 18. She was a graduate student at Cornell University when she married John Smith, who’s family owned the major furniture store in Quakertown.
Incidentally, Mildred Hagan, Harriet’s Ursinus roommate of 4 years, was at the 200th celebration as well. St. John’s pastor, Dr. William Neiman, reminded the congregation that Mildred Hagen gave a valuable Walter Emerson Baum painting of the church to the congregation.
Harriet’s four children have their parents’ genes. Mariellen graduated from Bryn Mawr College; sons Jack, Jere, and Andrew have sheepskins from Haverford College. The three sons were also golf champions and served as Captains of their college golf teams.
The front rows were packed with 32 members of the Smith family that had come from Arizona, Florida, Illinois, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Texas, and points in between. With the exception of one grandchild missing, the three generations were in church together.
The full cycle of life with its appropriate church sacraments were illustrated too. Harriet’s four children were baptized at St. John’s. Harriet, Mariellen, and Jack’s daughter, Dana Swanson, were married there. And the funerals of Harriet’s parents were held there as well.
In Mariellen’s sermon, she spoke about her grandfather who was St. John’s pastor for 23 years. She remembered stories about Reverend Kohler meeting weekly with his friends from different religious backgrounds…where a protestant (Reverend Kohler), a Roman Catholic and a Jew gathered for theological discussions over a glass of wine.
Mariellen also told a funny story about her brother, Jere. As a youngster, Jere was learning the trumpet. Chosen to play a solo at a St. John’s service, Jere got stuck while playing variations on "Finlandia." He told the congregation that he was starting over again. As the parishioners began to titter, Jere solemnly put down his trumpet and sternly admonished, “It’s not nice to laugh at children!”
Pastor Neiman displayed a hand made quilt, which Harriet gave to the church. I read hundreds of names from that congregation so many years ago. He also reminded the members that the 13 stained glass windows had been recently restored. They are extremely valuable because they’re the work of George W. Sotter, one of Bucks County’s most revered artists.
Next week, I’ll write about those stained glass windows, which have graced St. John’s since 1917.
The 200th anniversary was a full court press. Besides Reverend Neiman, previous pastors also participated: W. Donald Smith, Guy Wenck, and Ernest Diefenderfer. Even the conference minister of the Penn Southeast Conference, Dr. F. Russell Mitman, addressed the congregation.
The senior and children’s choirs sang quite well under the direction of Larry Benner and Carol Horton, respectively. And there were solos from Eleanor Fly, Jason Horton, and Jessica Seachriest. Mary Schwer and Larry Benner performed a piano/organ duet…a nice touch.
All in all, it was a perfect day in the life of a small American town…faithful, positive parishioners remembering their past as well as looking toward their future. I’d bet that all of them are volunteers. And as pastor Mariellen Schwentker urged in her sermon, all were striving to be “stichers,” a Biblical reference meaning to create tents and clothing…items of value.
It was good to be there.
Now here’s reason why I know that Richlandtown doesn’t experience car thefts. When Mighty Betsy walked into St. John’s, there was a parked car sitting unattended in the middle of the road with lights blinking and the engine running. Apparently, a parishioner was helping a family member into the church. Nearly two hours later, when the services concluded, the car was still sitting where the forgetful parishioner had left it…with the engine still running, the lights blinking, and the doors unlocked.
Bravo honesty in Richlandtown! My friend John Moyer who sings in the St. John’s choir told me that he thinks that villains did not steal the car fearing that the cops had set up a trap.
Sincerely,
Charles Meredith