While many of us have begun (or thought about beginning) to downsize the extraneous “stuff” in our lives, remember that there are some things that are pretty important to keep. Ridge Valley United Church of Christ must have understood this importance; their preservation of the original deed to their building preserved their very existence.
The beginnings of the Ridge Valley United UCC in Sellersville, PA can be traced back to 1792 when land was sold by Henry Guttleman for five pounds “in trust to and for the use of Lutheran and Reformed Calvinist societies and their successors to erect and build a church on the said premises with a graveyard, for the use of the said congregations and their ministers and elders, and to and for no other purpose.” It was that line taken from the original deed, along with testimony from individuals about the transition of the German Reformed church into the United Church of Christ (UCC), that the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County, PA referred to when passing judgment over a dispute between the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference of the UCC and the Ridge Valley Evangelical and Reformed Brethren in 1984.
Since 1792 the land was used by the German Reformed, Lutheran, and Mennonite congregations as a union church. Over time the Mennonites left and the Lutherans built their own church across the street, allowing the Reformed congregation sole ownership of the property. Over that time the congregation and church building grew and changed; the denomination merged with the Evangelical Synod of the United States in 1934, and then again with the Congregational churches to form the United Church of Christ.
Around 1973, the church acquired the services of a temporary, licensed but not ordained, minister who began to turn the church toward a more “fire and brimstone cult,” according to many of the statements from former members collected for the court. The Sunday school and choir had been disbanded, women were no longer allowed to hold leadership positions in the church, and they no longer supported the United Church of Christ because of their acceptance of women and homosexuals into the ministry. Above all the services dropped the traditional liturgy of the Reformed church. Original members left and new faces began to attend worship but did not join the church. By 1979, the pastor left the church and was replaced by one of these new faces. This new layman had ties to the Brethren congregation of the Tylersport Chapel and invited them to use the church for two weeks while renovations were made to their building. The Brethren did not return to their church but instead merged with what was left of the Reformed congregation. The once 134 member congregation had dwindled to nine, seemingly exhausted by the power struggles, the new pastor’s negative attitudes toward other denominations, and being told that many of them would be going to hell.
In 1982 the church officially changed its name to Ridge Valley Evangelical and Reformed Brethren. Though the Brethren had claimed that they had no interest in the building, when the remaining members of the original congregation who remained faithful to the UCC attempted to reclaim the building for worship, they found that they were locked out and physically prevented from entering. Instead, at their invitation, they held services across the street in the parking lot of the Lutheran church and eventually moving inside the church as the weather cooled. For eleven months, 33 original members of the Reformed church gathered for services at they filed a legal complaint against the Brethren.
This particular property dispute issue, according to the court, was narrowly defined because of the existence of the original deed in that the land can only be used by the Lutheran and Reformed Calvinist Societies and their successors. During the three and half day trial, the Brethren argued that they were closer to what those successors “should be.” The court seemed to be relieved that they did not need to resolve the issue based on religious doctrine but that the property was deeded to a specific faith and not to be transferred to another. Because of major fundamental changes that the Brethren made to doctrine and rituals that were not in alignment with the UCC and the UCC had proven their direct lineage from the German Reformed church, on February 10th, 1984 the court ordered that the original Reformed congregation had sole ownership of the property, giving the Brethren 30 days to vacate. A Service of Renewal was held at the church on April 8, 1984 with over 100 people in attendance.
On Sunday, September 26, 2021, the Ridge Valley UCC will be holding a Heritage Day to celebrate their Deed Restoration, which is arguably one of the most important documents for the existence of their church. A remembrance and celebration service begins at 9:30 am and an open house will be held 11:00 am to 1:00 pm with refreshments and an opportunity to see the paper that was instrumental for the church’s survival as well as other historic memorabilia. If you attend, please bring a non-perishable food item for the local food bank. For more info, check out the Ridge Valley UCC Facebook page. www.facebook.com/events/2879342335654435?ref=newsfeed
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