Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-03-20
WILLIAM PENN CHANDLER.
The First Secretary OF Tho Philadelphia
Annual Conference

The First Secretary OF Tho Phliadelphia
Annual Conference.
The journal of the conference dates
from 1900. Prior TO that the record of the
proceedings of conferences were kept by
clerk, appointed by Bishop Asbury, and
these were kept by the bishop. The gen.
eral conference of 1900 instructed each
annual conference to appoint secretary
of its own, and to carefully preserve its
journal. The records as kept by Bishop
Asbury were destroyed in the
nre which consumed the book con-
cern, February 1S, 1886. The first
journal is in the handwriting of Rev. VIM.
Penn Chandler. He was a noted revivalist
ing camp meetings. He was the instru-
ment, under God, of a glorious revival of
religion on Chester and Lancaster circuits
in 1898. In its sweeping spread it reached
Boehm's chapel. As early as 1775 a class
was formed at Rev. Martin Boehm's, the
father of Rev. Henry Beohm. The
mother of the latter was one of the first
who joined. Until the chapel was built,
the grandfather's house was used as the
preaching place, except on great occasions,
when it was too small : then they used the
barn. Boehm's chapel was erected in
1891 80 called as it was built upon
Boehm's land in Boehm's neighborhoOd,
and because the different families of
Boehms did much toward its erection, and
were regular attendants there. Jacob, the
brotherof Henry Boehm, gave the land for
the house and the burying ground. "Here
lieth the dust of William Jessop and
Michael r. Wilson," Jessop was stationed
in Wilmington, Delaware, in 17S9-its
first pastor-Chandler at the request of
Rev. Thomas Ware had been appointed to
the circuit in 1898.
Thomas Ware was the presiding elder,
William Colbert and William Chandler the
circuit preachers. We note one of the
places where this wonderful revival broke
out-at Boehm's. Henry Boehm records
that ''the meeting began on Saturday, and
while the presiding elder Ware] was pray
ing the Holy Ghost filled the house where
vival commenced, and such were the cries
of distress, the prayers for mercy heard
all over the house, in the gallery as we'll as
the lower part, that it was impossible for
Mr.. Ware to preach. He came down
from the pulpit, and the brethren went
to the penitent ones, as they found
them in different parts of the house, and
pointed them to Jesus, and prayed with
them. They were assembled in different
groups praying for the broken hearted,
and one after another found redemption in
the blood of the lam6. 1t was impossible
to close the meeting, SO it continued all
day and most of the night. Sunday morn.
ing came and they attempted to hold
regular love-feast, but all in vain. The
cries of mourners, the prayers for mercy,
and shout after shout as one after another
passed from death unto life, made it i'm
possible to proceed. On Saturday,
when beheld my niece Nancy
Keaggy kneeling near me in an
agony of prayer asking for mercy, the
comparatively innocent child SO intent on
forgiveness, my heart was melted, my eyes
were filled with tears, and again knelt
down and there gave my wanderings DER
by giving God my heart There God
restored to me the joy of his salvation.
Then I united with the church, duty |
ought to have performed years before. I
was admitted by Thomas Ware" Boehm
lived to be the centenarian of the church,
and died over hundred years old. He
always claimed Chandler as his spiritual