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PRINTER'S NO. 2367
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
473
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY ROTHMAN, NEILSON, BAKER, KINSEY, MEHAFFIE, BURNS,
DiGIROLAMO, SACCONE, MURT, READSHAW, HENNESSEY, GREINER,
MARSICO, PHILLIPS-HILL, WARD, MILLARD, MALONEY, D. COSTA,
WHEELAND AND A. HARRIS, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
SEPTEMBER 6, 2017
A RESOLUTION
Commemorating the 250th anniversary of St. Stephen Evangelical
Lutheran Church in New Kingstown, Cumberland County, which
coincides with the 500th anniversary of the Protestant
Reformation advanced by German theologian Martin Luther.
WHEREAS, St. Stephen Evangelical Lutheran Church is
celebrating these milestone anniversaries on October 29, 2017;
and
WHEREAS, Having well-established ties with local, regional
and global communities, the congregational community of St.
Stephen Evangelical Lutheran Church has affirmed many of the
practices and foundational documents introduced by 16th century
Protestant reformers and their successors; and
WHEREAS, Early German settlers in the Province of
Pennsylvania founded the Cumberland County church; and
WHEREAS, Their original log building was sited on the Henry
Longsdorf farm; and
WHEREAS, A meeting house was constructed in 1774, and a
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larger stone church was later built on a donated lot; and
WHEREAS, The congregation recognized the sacraments of
baptism and communion, recording the first baptism in 1775 and
the first communion in 1789; and
WHEREAS, Worship services were conducted in German through
the 1820s; and
WHEREAS, The original burial ground is maintained as the
Longsdorf Cemetery; and
WHEREAS, In 1844, the congregation became known as the
Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of St. Stephen at Kingston;
and
WHEREAS, The village name changed to New Kingstown when a
post office was established in 1851; and
WHEREAS, The congregation enjoyed a close association with a
congregation in Churchtown from 1854 through 1965; and
WHEREAS, On July 15, 1911, fires affecting multiple dwellings
and other buildings along West Main Street spread to the church;
and
WHEREAS, A bucket brigade of residents and parishioners,
joined by firefighters from Carlisle and Mechanicsburg, could
not stop the resulting property loss; and
WHEREAS, In September 1912, the congregation dedicated a new
church; and
WHEREAS, Moving forward in faith and service, generations of
St. Stephen Evangelical Lutheran Church leaders and members have
developed and participated in significant outreach ministries
and pastoral care programs; and
WHEREAS, In conjunction with the celebration of the 250th
anniversary of its founding, St. Stephen Evangelical Lutheran
Church is marking the 500th anniversary of the start of the
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Protestant Reformation; and
WHEREAS, Martin Luther, a theology professor and ordained
priest who had experienced Augustinian monastic life, sparked a
European movement in October 1517 by breaking with the Roman
Catholic Church on the late-medieval sale of indulgences; and
WHEREAS, Martin Luther and other dissenters and reformers
throughout the continent attained fundamental unity, variously
altering rites and liturgies, limiting church governance and
emphasizing the obligation of the individual conscience; and
WHEREAS, Their critiques of abuses, confessions of faith,
liturgical revisions and sacred writings demonstrably influenced
religious, political, legal, moral, linguistic and economic
traditions that arose in the New World; and
WHEREAS, The House of Representatives notes the imprint of
these historical figures who divided and transformed western
religious and secular spheres; and
WHEREAS, The House of Representatives applauds the vibrant
history and continuing stewardship of St. Stephen Evangelical
Lutheran Church and gives thanks for its steadfast presence in
our Commonwealth; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commemorate the
250th anniversary of St. Stephen Evangelical Lutheran Church in
New Kingstown, Cumberland County, which coincides with the 500th
anniversary of the Protestant Reformation advanced by German
theologian Martin Luther; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
St. Stephen Evangelical Lutheran Church, 30 West Main Street,
New Kingstown, PA 17072.
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