The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-08-08
ANOTHER OLD STONE CHURCH
by REV. WILLIAM A. WEST, D. d.


old "Stone church., "near Web
ster Mills, built in 1928.
This has suggested the publish
ing of a sketch of stone church
at McConnellsburg, erected one
year prior to that at Webster
Mills. What the writer has to
say will be based almost exclu-
sively on documentary evidence.
IT'S ORIGIN AND TIME OF ERECTION
By the resignation of the Rev.
Isaac Keller April 13, 1924, the
Great Cove Tor McConnellsburg)
Presbyterian church was left
without a pastor. When in this
condition it was visited by Mr..
Merrick A. Jewett, young man
and licentiate who preached and
labored among the people with
great acceptance.
At the fall meeting of the Pres
bytery of Carlisle Sept. 1926 Mr..
Jewett appeared and asked to be
received as a member of that
body, presenting testimonials of
having been licensed to preach
the gospel by the Association of
North Worcester Congregation
aD and having been ordained July
IA, 1925 by a council of the Con-
gregational church composed of
ministers and lay delegates, "con-
vened by letters missive." This
was the first intimation had that
Mr.. Jewett was not Presbyteri-
an minister.
Though Mr.. Jewett's creden-
'tials were not deemed entirely
satisfactory, Presbytery expess-
ed its willingness to receive him
on condition of his accepting the
Westminster Confession of Faith.
Hereupon Mr.. Jewettt withdrew
his application for bership
and requested the return of his
credentials. His request was
complied with.
Shortly after this had taken
place and upon the same day COM
missioners from the Great Cove
congregation appeared in Presby-
terry and presented a call for the
pastoral services of Mr.. Jewett.
Presbytery very properly declin-
ed to place the call in his hands,
on the ground that he was not a
member of the body. This occa-
stoned great disappointment not
only to the commissioners but also
to the congregation; for many of
the people had become greatly at
tached to Mr.. Jewett. Presby-
terry sent one of it's members, the
Rev. Amos A. Mckinley, to Nc
Connellsburg to preach to the
congregation and explain it's ac-
ton. Mr.. Jewett did not how
ever withdraw from the field, as
a sense of propriety would seem
to have dictated, but returned
and continued his labors during
the following year.
The congregation having learn
ed by the foregoing occurrence
that Mr.. Jewett was Congrega-
tional or Independent minister
and still desiring to have him for
their pastor sent to the Presby-
terry of Carlisle at it's meeting
September 26, 1926 the following
Reference" viz;
"Whether certain rule found
in the General Assembly's Di-
gest, edition 1920, page 297, as a
plan of union between the Pres
byterians and Congregationalists
in the new settlements could be
applied to the congregation of
Great Cove without infringing on
the rules or constitution of the
church. ."-Presbytery answered
this Reference" in the negative
on the two-fold ground that Nc
Connellsourg was not a new set.
tlement and there were no Con
gregationalists there.
Notwithstanding this, Mr.. Jew.
EFT returned (as he had done the
year before) and continued his
labors. This he did in defiance Of
the authority of Presbytery: con
sequently on Sabbath, Dec. 81
1926 the door Of the Presbyterian
church was closed against him.
Mr.. Jewett then went IA Pale;