The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1946-10-03

| lOIil anu Idll. LII ltilS COnneCtlOn
| it is interesting to note that plans
are already underway for the com
plete restoration of the original Col
onial simplicity of the church, with
the architect who designed the beau
tiful Colonial chapel at Gettysburg,
in charge of the restoration.
Among the most prominent of the
Funkstown Lutheran ministers was
the Rev w. L. r. Remsburg, D. D.,
who became pastor in 1908. Known
as a man of pleasant wit, he was also
gifted musically, and during the
years of his pastorate, he greatly en-
riched the musical life of the church.
Many important improvements were
/ accomplished in DR.. Remsburgs day,
including lin 1890 the construction
of the present fine brick parsonage.
DR.. Remsburg, who retired from the
active ministry in 1884 was granted
the title of Pastor Emeritus by
grateful congregation, which he had
served and inspired for 26 years
ed anecdotes, DR.. Remsburgs deter
mination to drive his Model A Ford
while in his eighties was a cause of
great concern to his many friends.
He drove it, it is said, with a fine
disregard for either caution or traf-
fic signals, and, in spite of all this,
this fine old man of the church died
peacefully in 1914, aged SO years.
In 1885 the Rev. Harry Young,
who had served as assistant pastor
of St. Marks Lutheran Church in
Hagerstown, became the pastor of
ST. PauPs and under his leadership
many changes in the corporate life
of the church, in keeping with con-
tempory trends in the Lutheran
Church, were accomplished well
as wealth of physical improvement.
st. PauPs present pastor the Rev
Raymond Miller, accepted a call to
the church when he was pastor of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church at
Mcdonald, Pa, and began his min
istry in Funkstown on September
20, 1912.
The Reverend Miller, who is
known as an original and courag-
eous thinker, has brought to the
Funkstown congregation the benefits
of distinguished academic back
ground. His preparatory work was
taken at Gettysburg Academy and
he was graduated from Gettysburg
College in 1885, with the coveted
Phi Beta Kappa Key-highest award
for academic eXcellence-and,as
major in classical languages, the ad-
ditional honor of having had more
Greek than any graduate during the
preceding Is years. From Gettys-
burg the Reverend Miller went on
to the Yale School of Graduate Stud
! les, Department of Greek New Tes-
| lament.
Under his pastorate the financial
condition of the church has been
improved, not only in an increased
budget, but in benevolent giving
In 1945 the congregation paid 1870
per cent of its Benevolent Airport
ionment and ITO per cent on Luth-
eran World Action. Average yearly
attendance at Sunday morning SER
vice during 1945-46 was lit and at
/ tendances during Holy Week this
year were reported to be the largest
in the long history of the church. The
Remsburg Memorial Bible Glass for
Men was organized and has had a
satisfactory growth, as well as the
Mariana Missionary Society for
young women. A contributory Pen
sion Plan has been adopted by the
congregation and for the past three
years the Washington County Free
Library has used the facilities of the
Sunday School as a community Ii
brary. In addition, physical improve
ments have been made to the church
and parsonage.
The installation of the specially
built Moller organ of the latest type,
described as matchless in quality of
tone and perfect performance, marks
an important step in the long life of
a church which, from its humble be-
ginnings ITS years ago, has gone
steadily forward, offering the bene-
fits of its comfort stimulus and spir-
itual grace as an inspiration to the
community that it has so faithfully
served.
Civil War vets attended the GAR
encampment this year in Indianan-