Evening star., 1944-12-03
Bv CASPAR NAMES.


Building a church has more thar
spiritual meaning for the Rev
Russell G. Lengel, pastor of FAITH
Church of the NaZarene at Seat
Pleasant.
1t means over 2,100 hours of dig.
ging unyielding ground, laying
bricks, cutting wood. putting electri-
cal fixtures in place and fixing
small breaks in the growing struc-
ture. 1t means uncounted. hours
over the 2,100 recorded ones OF
labor, making sketch of the build
ing and then trudging from store
to store getting material after the
priorities had finally been granted
1t means constructing a house OF
worship from cellar to roof.
When Mr. Lengel. came in August
1912, to take charge of the recently
organized church of II members
he found his congregation meeting
in a small tent in the Seat Pleasant
ball park. The formal church or
ganization had been inspired by
James Bagelman, son of the pas
tors right-hand man in the build
ing of the church, Albert Bagel-
man. James, bedridden for three
years with an incurable disease
each Sunday had listened in the
Bagelman home near the ball park
to the music from the tent services
One day that spring Mr.. Bagelman
~ q h OF y,
meeting.
Father" James said, you must
organize the church,
Mr.. Bagelman carried the thought
to other members of the group. The
church was organized August 25,
1942.
Mr.. Lengel met with his congre-
cation in the tent until cold wealth
er set in. The group then moved to
a hall at Foote street and Roose-
velt avenue. Shortly afterwards
they bought the present parsonage
then known as Community Hall
Halt of the parsonage served as the
church.
An increasing membership made
larger quarters essential. The lot
beside the parsonage was bought
and the project started. Mr.. Lengel
said the name Faith Church" was
selected by him during the early
building stages.
Building plans, sketched by Mr.
Lengel, were drawn in March, l943
Priorities were received from the
War Production Board, and work
began.
Mr.. LengeI and Mr.. Bagelmar
turned the first shovel of grouno
together. Twelve helpers were pres
ent the first day. The number from
then to today varied from two, in
Guiding the pastor and Mr.. Bagel-
man, to IS persons. In hot weather
pretty Mrs. Lengel made lemonade
Moving Trees Problem
Removing fallen trees without 6
derrick was a big problem. Ont
huge tree, felled on a mound OF
dirt, rested its trunk on the ground
Mr.. Lengel got six not so thin
women members to sit on the raised
tree top. This brought level the
trunk, and the men showed it away
Raising side wall supports with.
cut a derrick was another big job
1t was solved by erecting a series OF
steps and lifting the supports from
one step to another.
One fresh start was necessary
when young worker decided, after
the outer building structure had
been put up, to save time by climb
ing up the scaffold He started up
pulled at the supports and the whole
side came down.
With the outer walls up, the jot
of putting in rafters and wooden
fixtures began. Mr.. Lengel cut the
wood to the architects plans ano
supervised placing the pieces. The
Rev. j. Thomas Spiker, pastor OF
Reading PaJ Church of the
Nazarene, contributed weeks labor
supervising setting the heavy beams
Last June Carlton Sanger, riding
to work, heard bus drivers discuss
the project. That is the kind OF
church I want to belong to- he said
joined and has given nearly 10C
hours of work to date.
The cornerstone was laid Decem-
ber 19. 1943. The first service was
held in the building August 81
1914, two years after the church's
organization. Stairways, asphalt
tile for the basement floor, ceiling
fxings and other trimmings are
tstill being added, Mr.. Lengel said
He put in electric wiring this sum
mer.1 The pews are expected any
day, he added.
Mr.. Lengel has kept an hourly
work record of every person who
helped. Mr.. Bagelman. has given