Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/217

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

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under the charge o f Rev. Gcoige Ole ja r and is attemlcd by many different bninchcs of the Slavonic race. 'Flie fram e church was built in 1909. T h e Rulhenian Greek Catholic Church in W est Berwick is <lcdicatcd to Saints C y ril and Methodius, and is under the control of the Roman Holy See. l l i e serv'ices arc held here regularly by priests from W ilkes-Barre. The congregation numbers over 300 and is com­ p o s t o f many nationalities. The fram e church w as built in t(jo7 and ha.s been greatly en­ larged in 19 14 . i l i e total cost w ill be $8*000. T lic orthodox Kussiau C reek Catholic Church of the Annunciation, W est Berwick, w as organized in 1909* under the charge of Rev, A . Boguslavsky. The co n g rt^ tio n is composed mostly o f Russian Slavs from Austro-llu n gary and numbers about six hundred persons, speaking many different dialects. The church is a fine frame* the interior being decorated with excellent oil paintings o f B y­ zantine character, on sacred subjects. There are no pews in the church* a few seats being placed around the sides for the old people* but the main body of the congrim tion stand all during the long services. T lic cost of the church W'as $10,000 and it was erected in 19 10 . .* school is conducted on Saturdays in the N building. T h e successive fiastors have been: Revs. I^etcr Shiskin* N. Borisoff, J. Stcphano, O ther Churches John Dzvoncliik. Paul Bczkislikin* and the S t, PauVs Et'angelicat Church o f W est Ber­ present pastor* a native o f W ilkes-Barre and w ick was organized in 1903. and the frame o f Russian descent, Kev. Andrew ^anyush. church erecti^ in that year at a cost o f $5*500. T h ere are 302 members in attendance* and VOUNU s j k n ' s c h r i s t i .v n a s s o c c a t i o s the number o f scholars in the Sunday school is 450. T he present pastor is Rev. W. C. The Young Men's Christian Association o f I loch. Berwick was organizeil Ju n e 9. 1878, in the T he M ethodist Protestant Church in West basement of the Methodist Episcopal Cliurch, Berw’ick w*ns built in 1903 on Park avenue and by C. H. Zehnder, o f Danville, secretary o f Front street. ’ITierc w as no regular pastor, what w as known at that time as the Seventh the congregation having slowly reduced in l'cnnsylv,ania District, assisted by George S. numbers, and the serv ices here were abandoned Kippard and G o o ^ e S. Bennett, o f Wilkesin (9 11. Barre, all o f whom were connected .with the Calvary M ethodise Episcopal Church of Y . M . C A. movement at that period. 'Hie W est Berwick has a frame building* erected meeting was public and w as attended by the in 1904 and remodeled in 1907. The church representative men of the town. A n organiza­ property is valued at $7,200* the |>arsonagc at tion was cffectc<l by the election o f Col. C lar­ $3,000. It is a mission church and is under ence G . Jackson, of the Jackson & Wooilin the charge o f Rev. John F.. Beard. The M anufacturing Coni|Kiny. as president and mcm lKfship is 148. Isaiah Bower, as vice president. T h e Ckicsa Eti^ngelica Presbyteriana, or T he third floor of the Jackson & Woodin Italian Presbyterian mission o f W est Rcrw’ick, M anufacturing Company’s office buiUling was is under the chaigc o f k ev. A rture D'AIbcrgo* fitted up and placed at the disM sal of the A s­ who serves a large congregation. The frame sociation free o f charge, and here the first church was built in 1907. Young Men s Christian .Association rooms S t. P etcP s Slaz^iaftsky M ethodist Mission is were 0|>cnc<l, vith the bcgijining o f a library The meetings still contiinietl lo be held in the schoolhouse until the church building was erected on the com er o f Arch and Fairview avenues* and was fonnally dedicated to the s c n icc and glory o f God on Dec. 28* 1902. T he work growing too large for Rev. Mr. A llbcck to take care of the field along with his own pastorate, it w as decided to call a rerala r pastor. Rev. II. E. Ila n m n w as called and took charge on A p ril 15, (903. T he Sunday school outgrew its quarters, and Sept. (8. 1904. ground* was broken fo r the annex to the church building. The dedicatory scrv’icc w as held Jan. 24* 1 ^ 5 . T he bascmerit w as also fitted tip fo r church use. T itc parsonage was commenced Ju ly 3. 1905, and was occupied by the pastor and his fam ily on Feb. I* 1906. Since its founding the church has had the follow ing pa.stors: Nf. M. Allbcck* 1901 until A p ril 12* 19 0 3; H. K. Harman, A pril 15, 1903, until Feb, 1, 1 9 1 2; Clarence E. Arnold, April 10 . 1912* to the present time. T he membership of the church is 250* and of the Sunday school, 325. T he present offi­ ce rs arc as follow s: Riders— D. n. Beck, N. H. Ney, T. C. Kocher, William Pullen. Dea­ cons— 1. H. Shellhammer. Charles Hock* Roy Beagle, Andrew Beck.