Maine – Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society

The Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society does not have any church record groups from the State of Maine. However, the society has a wide variety of types of records and various information on churches and pastors can be found in our vertical and printed ephemera files. In these files, you can also locate photographs, if any are available. These materials have not been digitized, but are available on-site in our research room. Some are available as original documents, whereas others might be on film.

Please contact the Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society for more information and we will gladly assist you in your search.

Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society

6 days ago

Timeline PhotosEden Seminary Archives | #tbt in Eden History
October 27 | Erasmus of Rotterdam

Erasmus of Rotterdam, a prominent Dutch Catholic scholar, was born Oct. 27, 1466, in Rotterdam. Although many details of his early life are disputed, he received the best education available in his time. He was ordained into the priesthood in 1492. He taught at Oxford in 1499 and graduated as Doctor of Divinity from the University of Turin in 1506. He later taught at Queen’s College, University of Cambridge, 1510–1515. He lectured at Leuven and then moved to Basel. When Basel accepted the Protestant Reformation in 1529, Erasmus moved to Freiburg im Breisgau. He died of dysentery in Basel during a visit on July 12, 1536.

Erasmus was the most prominent public scholar of the early northern Renaissance. Through his numerous wrings, teaching, and extensive correspondence at a time of great intellectual and religious ferment in Europe, he had a significant impact on Western culture. He was critical of abuses of the Roman Catholic Church and, during the Reformation, of Luther and other Protestants over concerns about mounting disorder. In general, he attempted to avoid the fierce theological disputes of the time and to remain focused on his scholarship.

Eden’s most direct connection to Erasmus is a copy of the 1516 first edition of his Novum Instrumentum omne… in the Good Collection of rare books in Eden’s library. This work contains both his Latin translation of the New Testament and his Greek text, which he included so readers could check the integrity of his Latin translation. His Greek text was the first published Greek New Testament, and it and later editions were important to subsequent biblical translators and commentators. ... See MoreSee Less

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Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society

1 week ago

Church Spotlight- Grace Reformed Church, Covington, KY
Established-April 27, 1862
Closed-October 29, 1995

The roots of the E&R church and the roots of the United States are deeply entangled throughout history. It is impossible for the walls of the church to prevent the current events of the day from seeping into its own history. For Grace Reformed Church in Covington, Kentucky and many other churches, the events of the time leave lasting imprints on their DNA.

Founded in 1862, Grace Reformed traces its roots to a small group of German immigrants who desired to provide a German education for their children. Led by John Schleutker, a baker by trade, this group purchased land to build a church and establish a day school to serve both the spiritual and secular education of the growing German population in the area. The cornerstone was laid on July 13, 1862 but work was halted by late summer due to rumors about Morgan’s Raiders plan to be in the area. The German workers, who were loyal to the Union, left to join in fortifying the battlements around Cleveland and the surrounding area. The building was completed almost a year later and became known as the pumpernickel church, in recognition of the type of bread Schlentker baked.

After the Civil War, a large wave of German immigrants to the United States allowed the German Reformed churches of the country to grow at a steady pace. As is common with the early churches, the services and documentation continued in the German language, slowly adopting some English as their population grew. Though speaking German was seen as a positive during the Civil War, it was a detriment during the First World War. On April 12, 1918, all German was dropped in order to head off any preconceived notions of their loyalty to the United States.

After the Second World War, the population of urban areas began to change dramatically with an exodus to the suburbs and an influx of a poorer population from the rural areas of Appalachia. Many churches moved with their congregations to more suburban areas but Grace Reformed stayed true to its urban roots, ministering to the urban inhabitants of the city. It is here that the problems of the church greatly reflect the problems of urban America of the time. The population became older or abandoned the cities, reducing the economic base. Problems with parking and building upkeep arose and the church struggled. By the 1990’s it had become apparent that the future of the ailing church was in question and in 1995, its 17 members voted to shutter the church.

Though the United States strives to hold the wall separating church and state, the rich history of our religious institutions reflect the country’s history. Church archives are full of stories that not only preserve religious history but also shine a light on US history. ... See MoreSee Less

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Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society

2 weeks ago

Timeline PhotosEden Seminary Archives | #tbt in Eden History
October 24 | Siegfried Reinhardt

Siegfried Reinhardt, a prolific St. Louis painter, stained glass artist, designer, and teacher, died on October 24, 1984. His works adorns numerous public buildings and worship spaces, including Eden’s chapel.

Reinhardt emigrated to the U.S. from Germany with his parents in 1928. In 1950, Life Magazine listed him among nineteen important new American artists and published a feature article about him in the April 21, 1952, issue. His developing style combined elements of realism and surrealism in a style known as “supersurrealism.” From 1949 to 1984, he worked at Emil Frei Studios designing stained-glass windows. His designs include the “Easter Window” in the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Sunset Hills, Missouri.

From 1955 to 1970, Reinhardt taught at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts at Washington University. He also served as artist-in-residence at SIU-Carbondale and taught at St. Louis Community College, Meramec from 1971 until his death.

Two of Reinhardt’s works are displayed at Eden. His painting, “The Baptism of Christ,” is a prominent feature of the chapel space. The artist described the painting as an “icon,” in which the main elements are three dimensional, while symbolic elements are two-dimensional. Rheinhardt presented the painting to the seminary on April 21, 1976 in honor of Dr. Jürgen Moltmann’s appearance at Eden’s 42nd Annual Convocation. ... See MoreSee Less

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Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society

2 weeks ago

ERHS regrets to announce the loss of one of our own, Kathleen Kuzmiak, who passed away on October 5, 2021. Please take a moment to read this beautiful tribute written by the Rev. Richard Berg, former ERHS president.

In Memoriam — Kathleen Kuzmiak (1947-2021)

Education and working with students was her calling and her life work. Kathy was born and grew up in Ephrata, PA graduating from Ephrate High School and receiving a bachelor of science degree from Bloomsburg State College and a master of education degree in secondary counseling from Millersville University. She taught English and history at Edward Hand Junior High school in Lancaster, became a counselor there and subsequently at McCaskey High School. Kathy earned supervisory and principal certification from Temple University becoming a house principal at McCaskey and then principal at Reynolds Junior High. Of her career, Kathy often said that being a guidance counselor was her favorite part as she touched the lives of students who were facing personal challenges. She gave pep talks to students doubting their abilities and having academic problems. She often had to dry tears and redirect anger helping students choose a path for their future and building their self esteem.

After her retirement, Kathy worked as an adjunct professor at Millersville University mentoring graduate students pursuing their principal certification. She also served for forty years on the board of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Fund and was an active member and officer of the local chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society which raised funds for scholarships.

With all of her activities after retirement, Kathy enjoyed working part-time as an archives assistant at ERHS. She loved history and genealogy and worked diligently sorting and organizing church records. She was gracious with researchers doing either historical or genealogical at the Society and engaged in conversation with them to determine what documents they needed for their research. Kathy always had a smile and warm personality which put people at ease and promoted interest in the work of the Society.

Kathy died on October 5 after a lengthy battle with multiple myeloma. She will be dearly missed by her many friends and former students but her influence will be felt in their lives and work. Rest in peace, dear friend. ... See MoreSee Less

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Our prayer group has been praying for Kathy for a long time. God rest her soul !

Oh, I’m so sorry. She was a patient and kind teacher when I came to work at the archives.

She was my neighbor and Jr. High principal!

Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society

2 weeks ago

2021 ERHS Annual Meeting Presentation

Beginning at 1:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday, October 16, to conclude the annual meeting of the Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society, we will offer a panel discussion of participants of the National Youth Caravan. The Caravan program had its beginnings in the Evangelical and Reformed Church in the St. Louis area in 1948 and extended its reach throughout the country and into the newly created United Church of Christ coming to a conclusion in 1968. More than 700 college-age young people participated in the Caravan program during those 20 years. A number of participants went on to become ordained ministers, Christian education workers, and missionaries. Caravaners were sent out in teams of four, a carefully balanced team consisting of men and women of various races, and even denominations. For more than a month each summer the teams would spend a week at a host church, participating in work projects, preaching, and meeting with youth groups. Then they would move on to the next host church.

Registration is required for this event at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSewq9jSs4G39MKYieRsMh5xtpUODcFYYSgl81Mly4DnuK0LRA/viewform. Registered individuals will receive a secure Zoom link via email the day prior to the event. We are very excited about the excellent work that our Program Committee has done to put this event together. Please join us Saturday for this exciting panel discussion on the National Youth Caravan program in the former Evangelical and Reformed Church. ... See MoreSee Less

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This will be a wonderful program sharing an impressive story about how the Evangelical and Reformed Church had an impact on our nation. I will miss this as l have two weddings this Saturday afternoon, but l am blessed with knowing much of the story. Enjoy, but take notes!