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"From Small Beginnings..."

Bethel United Presbyterian Church is a vibrant church with a very rich tradition of serving the people of God and spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to the community around us and to the whole world.

In the mid to late 1700's, Western Pennsylvania was largely uninhabited, with the exception of the various Native American groups who still called this territory home. While white settlers attempted to establish themselves in the land northwest of what is now Pittsburgh, PA. However, because they were not at peace with the Native American population, it was thus not safe for them to stay. In the mean time, Moravian Missionaries came to the Beaver River Valley around 1770 to the place now known as Moravia, about three or four miles east of Bethel, as the crow flies. It is here that we think the Word of God was first brought to what is now Lawrence County.

Following General Anthony Wayne's Peace Treaty with these Native American tribes in 1795, it became safe for settlers to come to Western Pennsylvania. They were mostly of Scots-Irish descent, immigrating into the United States from Scotland and Northern Ireland because of the religious trials they faced in Europe. They were mostly of the Reformed Calvinist traditions, and also Presbyterian. And as we can see, the founding of churches was usually one of their top priorities.

The first settlers to what would become Little and North Beaver Townships in Lawrence County arrived here between between 1796 and 1800. It was in 1798 that Bethel Church was organized by the Chartiers Presbytery, as the Little Beaver Associate Presbyterian Church, coming from the "Seceeder" tradition of Scottish Presbyterians (one of three branches of the Presbyterian Church which began in Scotland). From what we can tell, the church was originally located along the North Fork of the Little Beaver Creek in southeastern Little Beaver Township. Summer meetings were held in the "tent" church, which consisted of a covered platform for the preacher, and rough wooden logs for the congregants with no protection from the elements. In the winter months, services were thought to be held in a nearby barn. Making use of Methodist circuit ministers, who rode from service to service through the wilderness, Bethel Church started out with no official minister. It did not take long to obtain its first minister, for in 1800, Rev. Duncan began his pastorate. At the time, he was shared between Bethel, the "Seceeder Presbyterian Church" (which is now the First United Presbyterian Church of Darlington, Beaver County, PA) and the Mahoning Presbyterian Church (in what is now Mahoning Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania).

In 1804, the trustees of the congregation were given the present tract of land on which the church now sits, about three miles north of the old site as the crow flies. The church moved there, becoming known as the Little North Beaver Associate Presbyterian Church. A log cabin church measuring 18 ft. by 20 ft. was constructed with greased paper windows, a clapboard roof and a fireplace so as to mildly protect from the elements. It survived until a new hewn log church was constructed in 1816 or 1817. We are missing the church session minutes from the early 1800's, but what we do know is that the first reference to this church by the name "Bethel" comes from the Trustee minutes of 1826. There is no doubt that they recalled the story of Jacob at the biblical "Bethel," and saw this place too as an awesome place, the house of God, a place to worship before the Lord.

The first frame church building was constructed in 1837, measuring 44 feet by 56 feet and surviving until it was replaced by in 1868. Bethel's congregation grew as more and more settlers moved themselves to the area.

The 1868 church building, measuring 40 feet by 60 feet, still stands today as the present front half of the sanctuary. This building had an 18 foot ceiling, a 10 foot high vestibule, and gallery; it was dedicated on December 24, 1870. It was remodeled in 1904, when the pulpit was moved from the south wall of the church to the east wall, new pews and art (not stained) glass windows were installed, and the chandelier was donated. The gallery was also removed.

In 1926, the church was moved a little further south from the road, and a basement was added below the church. In 1951, the church added an addition on to the Sanctuary, with new classrooms/fellowship hall constructed below, expanding worship capacity to 348 people. In 1973, the "Old-New" addition was added to the south end of the church, adding two new offices and a conference room to the building. In 1987, the current fellowship hall/kitchen/restrooms were added to the west end of the church, and the old fellowship hall/classrooms were remodeled. Also added were a new Pastor's study, Office and Conference Room adjacent to the sanctuary. The old offices were converted to Sunday school rooms. In 1998, Bethel Church celebrated its Bicentennial. Until the fall of 2000, Bethel held only one worship service at 10:00 am with Sunday School at 11:00. With the increasing growth of the congregation, the session decided to go to two services, one at 8:30am and the other at 11:00am, with Sunday School between at 9:45am. In 2004, A new addition was added to give six New Sunday School rooms/overflow room for the fellowship hall.

Bethel has had twenty-one ministers over the past 207 years. They include:

Rev. James Duncan (1800 - 1804)
Rev. David R. Imbrie (1806 - 1842)
Rev. John W. Harsha (1844 - 1852)
Rev. Samuel Alexander (1855 - 1872)
Rev. John Smith Dice (1873 - 1914)
Rev. Dr. Carl E. Persons (1916 - 1919)
Rev. M. J. Jerrow (1919 - 1924)
Rev. Dr. Robert N. Montgomery (1925)
Rev. George N. Neill (1926 - 1938)
Rev. Bradley Watkins (1939 - 1942)
Rev. Harold McCauslin (1942 - 1945, 1947-1948)
Rev. Marshall Wilson (1945 - 1947)
Rev. Willard George (1949 - 1954)
Rev. Hugh Rose (1954 - 1957)
Rev. J. Harry Fisher (1958 - 1964)
Rev. James S. Yount (1965 - 1970)
Rev. Dr. David Osborne (1972 - 1973)
Rev. James Thompson (1974 - 1977)
Rev. George Yates (1978 - 1983)
Rev. William Gestal, Jr. (1984 - 1992)
Rev. William S. Hoffman, Jr. (1994 - 2007)
Rev. Mark Tippin (2009 - present)

After 209 years, our Bethel congregation continues to grow. We have many families who have ties to our founding fathers and also many new families who are adding more growth to our foundation.

It is our prayer that Bethel continues to truly be the "House of God." We extend the hand of fellowship and the love of Christ Jesus to all who come to this, His house of worship.

Bethel's Cemetery	History Photos	Called Bethel	Celebrate History	History Committee	History Blog

"From Small Beginnings..." Bethel United Presbyterian Church is a vibrant church with a very rich tradition of serving the people of God and spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to the community around us and to the whole world. In the mid to late 1700's, Western Pennsylvania was largely uninhabited, with the exception of the various Native American groups who still called this territory home. While white settlers attempted to establish themselves in the land northwest of what is now Pittsburgh, PA. However, because they were not at peace with the Native American population, it was thus not safe for them to stay. In the mean time, Moravian Missionaries came to the Beaver River Valley around 1770 to the place now known as Moravia, about three or four miles east of Bethel, as the crow flies. It is here that we think the Word of God was first brought to what is now Lawrence County. Following General Anthony Wayne's Peace Treaty with these Native American tribes in 1795, it became safe for settlers to come to Western Pennsylvania. They were mostly of Scots-Irish descent, immigrating into the United States from Scotland and Northern Ireland because of the religious trials they faced in Europe. They were mostly of the Reformed Calvinist traditions, and also Presbyterian. And as we can see, the founding of churches was usually one of their top priorities. The first settlers to what would become Little and North Beaver Townships in Lawrence County arrived here between between 1796 and 1800. It was in 1798 that Bethel Church was organized by the Chartiers Presbytery, as the Little Beaver Associate Presbyterian Church, coming from the "Seceeder" tradition of Scottish Presbyterians (one of three branches of the Presbyterian Church which began in Scotland). From what we can tell, the church was originally located along the North Fork of the Little Beaver Creek in southeastern Little Beaver Township. Summer meetings were held in the "tent" church, which consisted of a covered platform for the preacher, and rough wooden logs for the congregants with no protection from the elements. In the winter months, services were thought to be held in a nearby barn. Making use of Methodist circuit ministers, who rode from service to service through the wilderness, Bethel Church started out with no official minister. It did not take long to obtain its first minister, for in 1800, Rev. Duncan began his pastorate. At the time, he was shared between Bethel, the "Seceeder Presbyterian Church" (which is now the First United Presbyterian Church of Darlington, Beaver County, PA) and the Mahoning Presbyterian Church (in what is now Mahoning Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania). In 1804, the trustees of the congregation were given the present tract of land on which the church now sits, about three miles north of the old site as the crow flies. The church moved there, becoming known as the Little North Beaver Associate Presbyterian Church. A log cabin church measuring 18 ft. by 20 ft. was constructed with greased paper windows, a clapboard roof and a fireplace so as to mildly protect from the elements. It survived until a new hewn log church was constructed in 1816 or 1817. We are missing the church session minutes from the early 1800's, but what we do know is that the first reference to this church by the name "Bethel" comes from the Trustee minutes of 1826. There is no doubt that they recalled the story of Jacob at the biblical "Bethel," and saw this place too as an awesome place, the house of God, a place to worship before the Lord. The first frame church building was constructed in 1837, measuring 44 feet by 56 feet and surviving until it was replaced by in 1868. Bethel's congregation grew as more and more settlers moved themselves to the area. The 1868 church building, measuring 40 feet by 60 feet, still stands today as the present front half of the sanctuary. This building had an 18 foot ceiling, a 10 foot high vestibule, and gallery; it was dedicated on December 24, 1870. It was remodeled in 1904, when the pulpit was moved from the south wall of the church to the east wall, new pews and art (not stained) glass windows were installed, and the chandelier was donated. The gallery was also removed. In 1926, the church was moved a little further south from the road, and a basement was added below the church. In 1951, the church added an addition on to the Sanctuary, with new classrooms/fellowship hall constructed below, expanding worship capacity to 348 people. In 1973, the "Old-New" addition was added to the south end of the church, adding two new offices and a conference room to the building. In 1987, the current fellowship hall/kitchen/restrooms were added to the west end of the church, and the old fellowship hall/classrooms were remodeled. Also added were a new Pastor's study, Office and Conference Room adjacent to the sanctuary. The old offices were converted to Sunday school rooms. In 1998, Bethel Church celebrated its Bicentennial. Until the fall of 2000, Bethel held only one worship service at 10:00 am with Sunday School at 11:00. With the increasing growth of the congregation, the session decided to go to two services, one at 8:30am and the other at 11:00am, with Sunday School between at 9:45am. In 2004, A new addition was added to give six New Sunday School rooms/overflow room for the fellowship hall. Bethel has had twenty-one ministers over the past 207 years. They include: Rev. James Duncan (1800 - 1804) Rev. David R. Imbrie (1806 - 1842) Rev. John W. Harsha (1844 - 1852) Rev. Samuel Alexander (1855 - 1872) Rev. John Smith Dice (1873 - 1914) Rev. Dr. Carl E. Persons (1916 - 1919) Rev. M. J. Jerrow (1919 - 1924) Rev. Dr. Robert N. Montgomery (1925) Rev. George N. Neill (1926 - 1938) Rev. Bradley Watkins (1939 - 1942) Rev. Harold McCauslin (1942 - 1945, 1947-1948) Rev. Marshall Wilson (1945 - 1947) Rev. Willard George (1949 - 1954) Rev. Hugh Rose (1954 - 1957) Rev. J. Harry Fisher (1958 - 1964) Rev. James S. Yount (1965 - 1970) Rev. Dr. David Osborne (1972 - 1973) Rev. James Thompson (1974 - 1977) Rev. George Yates (1978 - 1983) Rev. William Gestal, Jr. (1984 - 1992) Rev. William S. Hoffman, Jr. (1994 - 2007) Rev. Mark Tippin (2009 - present) After 209 years, our Bethel congregation continues to grow. We have many families who have ties to our founding fathers and also many new families who are adding more growth to our foundation. It is our prayer that Bethel continues to truly be the "House of God." We extend the hand of fellowship and the love of Christ Jesus to all who come to this, His house of worship.

Why Are We Called Bethel "United" Presbyterian Church? (Based on the September 2006 issue of the Bethel Light by Nancy Gibson) A History Committee member was asked, "Why are we called Bethel 'United' Presbyterian Church and not just 'Bethel Presbyterian'?" Over the years there have been many mergers within the denomination to which we belong. We started out as Little Beaver Associate Presbyterian Church in 1798 (Editorial note: This was one of three Presbyterian branches in Scotland: The Associate Presbyterians or "Seceeders," the Reformed Presbyterians or "Covenanters," and the Church of Scotland). In 1858, the Associate Presbyterian Church and Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church merged to form the United Presbyterian Church in North America (UPNA). This was our first use of United in our name. Again in 1958, the United Presbyterian Church in the North America merged with the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (Editorial Note: the Northern branch of the mainline church which split from the south before the Civil War) to form the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (UPCUSA). In 1983, the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. merged with the Presbyterian Church in the United States (the Southern branch, [PCUS]) to form the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Our session minutes of July 22, 1984 read: "No action is necessary on changing Bethel United Presbyterian to Bethel Presbyterian on all correspondence and such for a church. It is to be left as is as Bethel United Presbyterian Church. Motion passed and seconded." (Although not officially stated by the congregation, part of the "legend" of why this occurred had to do with a theological discontent with the merger and the leadership of the denomination at the time).

Why Celebrate History? Some may indeed ask what it is that why history is so important to a church. The answer to this question is that our heritage and our traditions shape who we are as a congregation and also helps us to understand and learn our past, which guides us in the present and the future. Tradition in and of itself is not a bad thing - in fact, it is an important teaching and unification tool. It gives us a corporate sense of identity and, especially for our church, our heritage of serving God in our community for over 200 years continues to remind us that we are to always fulfill this legacy in the modern day and the future. In many modern churches, there is sometimes a disregard for the things of the past to make room for the wave of the latest and greatest. In other churches, sometimes tradition continues "for tradition's sake" until they become meaningless and harmful. While there is certainly room for and almost a necessity for being relevant to the modern world, there is still so much to be learned and gained from the faith of those who have gone before us, and the teachings they have passed down. We at Bethel make every attempt to incorporate both, creating a healthy blend of modern style with an emphasis on the heritage, history and traditions of our congregation. In doing this, we feel that we are honoring the faithful who have gone before us and the life lessons they've passed down, while still presenting the message of the Gospel in meaningful and relevant ways. In doing this, we feel we can equip our congregation with the ability and desire to serve our neighbors and ultimately/supremely the ability and desire to serve Our Lord Jesus Christ. If you wish to read more about our history, please contact the church (specifically the webmaster), who can relay you to Mrs. Nancy Gibson, the Historical Committee Chair and the keeper of the all things Bethel church history. You may also obtain a copy of our church's 190th Anniversary Book from 1989. We also have a cemetery listing that we will try to keep updated and accurate as we can do so.

Members of the History Committee Nancy Gibson, chair Lloyd Raney Betty Scott Kathleen Wagoner