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  Rehoboth Lutheran Church

Rehoboth Lutheran Church History

     Sometime near the middle  of the nineteenth century, the Rehoboth United Presbyterian Church was organized  and a building was erected on the hill about three miles east of Remington,  now known as Conway.  This church was one of a charge consisting of the  Remington United Presbyterian Church and the Oakland United Presbyterian Church  in New Sewickley Township near Sunflower Corners.  The Trustees named on the old  deeds  (John Cummins, William Dunlap and G. C. Minis) purchased several pieces of  ground; one from Simon and Naomi Cottom, 53 perches for $1.00; one from William and Catherine Dunlap, 40 perches for $1.00 and one from Thomas and Mary Whipple,  90 perches for $40.00.

    In the early 1870’s the congregation of this  church, because of dissension, became inactive and the church building was used  as a sheep shelter.  In 1875 this property was purchased by Dr. William A.  Passavant and Dr. George Y. Boal from the Sessions of the Oakland and Remington  United Presbyterian Churches and was held in trust for a Lutheran congregation.   Kind and willing hands thoroughly cleaned the old structure.  In 1876 a  congregation was organized and a Sunday School of 80 students began.  For a  number of years previous to this time, Dr. Passavant served as a missionary  among the hills and valleys of Beaver County.  In connection with his work at  Rochester, he began preaching in a car shop.  He visited the village of Baden on  Sunday afternoons where he preached, at first in a schoolhouse and afterwards  built a neat frame church.  After Dr. Passavant gathered a sizable congregation and built a church in Rochester, he resigned that congregation and devoted his Sundays to Baden and the surrounding region.  Congregations and churches were  established at Logstown, Rehoboth and Crows Run.

    Dr. Passavant's life covers a most important  period of American Lutheran Church history. It was a formative period and the  threw his heart and soul into the life and development of that part of his  church which God, in His Providence, had planted first on our shores.

    Dr. Passavant was born on October 9, 1821.   His mother’s name was Zelie, daughter of the founder of the city of Zelienople.   He was a rare man, being the founder of 34 charitable and educational  institutions including the Zelienople Children’s Home, Rochester Epileptic Home,  Thiel College, Chicago Seminary and other hospitals and orphanages.  He also  introduced the deaconess work into America.  With all this, he was unassuming,  plain and modest.  A lawyer expressed in London, England, “why his face is a  benediction.”  Altogether, he was a great gift from God to the world and a most  signal blessing to our church.  He passed away June 7, 1894 and was buried near Zelienople.

    Dr. Passavant’s duties were taken over by his son, William Alfred Passavant, Jr., who served the church from 1879 to 1885.   Tradition has it that in the absence of the Passavant’s, Mr. A. F. Forsyth or  Dr. Boal would conduct the services.  The old church looked so beautiful at  Christmas time with rope festoons of evergreens hanging from the large beams and  evergreen stars between the windows and a very large decorated tree.  Folks  spent three days decorating for this special occasion.

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