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Old Zion Church

Brickerville, PA

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Old Zion German Reformed Church

Established 1747

HISTORY

Old Zion German Reformed Church

Old Zion German Reformed Church began in the early 1730s when a community of German Reformed farmers met informally in homes and barns.  This early group of believers was known as the White Oakland or White Oak congregation.  In 1747, the congregation purchased (or received) a three-acre plot of land from Sebastian Reyer (Röyer) and built a log cabin church for worship on this site.  Local citizens of the church cared for Revolutionary War soldiers, who were wounded during the Battle of Brandywine and Philadelphia campaigns in the fall of 1777.  Several of these soldiers are reportedly buried in the cemetery in unmarked graves.

In the late 1700s, the congregation formally organized as Reyer’s German Reformed Church.  Soon thereafter, the congregation constructed the present brick church building in 1813.  The building was constructed by Emanuel Deyer, whose name appears on the balcony near the center of the church.  The church was completed on October 2, 1813.  Jacob Hollinger, a member of the congregation, furnished the bricks.  The church featured a wine glass pulpit, and a wooden communion table, carved by Wendel Laber in 1743.  Later a large kerosene-lit glass chandelier was added, along with a reed organ.

The first published reference to the church as “Zion’s Brickerville” occurred in 1831.  Zion’s German Reformed Church was part of a group of several churches in northeastern Lancaster County that was served by a single pastor.  In the second half of the 1800s, for example, Old Zion Church was part of the Bethany Charge, which included other German Reformed Churches in Ephrata, Pennryn, and Kissel Hill.  About 22 pastors served at Reyer’s Church, as well as these other nearby congregations.

By the early 1900s, the congregation dwindled in size to 34 members.  The congregation ended in 1948, and during the four years which followed, the building and grounds deteriorated.  In 1952, the Men’s Brotherhood of St. Luke’s United Church of Christ in Lititz initiated repairs and assumed maintenance of the property.  In 1958, an interdenominational volunteer board of directors was organized.  The Board of Directors of Old Zion continues to maintain the church, grounds, and cemetery.  The Old Zion Board sponsors several annual events, including a Strawberry Festival in June, Anniversary Service in September, and Carol Sing in December.  Old Zion is used for weddings from April through October.  Grave plots may be purchased from the Board in the adjacent cemetery.  Old Zion Church does not have heat, running water, or electricity.  A story about the church is featured in the 1999 children’s book Pioneer Church written by Carolyn Otto and illustrated by Megan Lloyd.

May 2025

Old Zion Chronology

• Early 1730s – members of the German Reformed Christian faith gathered in homes and barns in Warwick Township (near today’s Brickerville), Lancaster County, Penn’s Province; this informal group was named the White Oakland (or White Oak) community
• 1733 – John Peter Miller is reported as the pastor of White Oakland and other congregations; ordained pastors were shared with other local Reformed Churches
• 1744 – The first recorded internment (Eliza C. Fortune) occurred in the burial ground
• 1747 – Peter Becker, Wendel Laber, Jacob Hagy, and Tillman Shitz obtained several acres of land from Sebastian Royer to build a church and burial ground; the deed records three different names for the church – German Reformed Church, Dutch Reformed Church, and Reformation Presbyteriors Meeting
• 1748 – The first log church building was erected on the grounds
• 1766 – Rev. John George Wittner started a written record of the history of the church
• 1777-78 – The church was used as a hospital for Colonial Revolutionary War Soldiers wounded during the Philadelphia campaign (September-October 1777); soldiers who died were buried in an unmarked grave
• Late 1700s – The church formally organized as Reyer’s (Röyer’s) German Reformed Church
• 1813 – The earlier church building(s) was replaced by the current structure on October 2, 1813, which was constructed by Emanuel Deyer of Manheim
• 1825 – The congregation reached its largest size, with 70 members partaking in communion
• 1869 – The church was incorporated as a non-profit corporation following Pennsylvania law
• 1875 – Sunday School began at Old Zion Church
• 1890s – Significant renovations of the interior were conducted, including removal of the wine glass pulpit, changes to gallery railing, installing a reed organ, and operating a ten-plate cast iron stove in the middle of the sanctuary
• 1917 – Sunday School ended due to insufficient leaders to operate the school
• 1922 – Emanual Lutheran Church gifted the glass and tin oil chandelier when the congregation returned to worship in their building
• 1940 – Old Zion congregation dwindled to 22 members
• 1947 – Congregation disbanded, and the church was effectively abandoned
• 1952 – Men’s Brotherhood of St. Luke’s Church in Lititz began making repairs and maintaining the church
• 1958 – An interdenominational volunteer board was established to oversee operations and maintenance of the church; the Board charter was approved by Lancaster County Court in 1959
• 1982 – The Board reinstalled the wine glass pulpit, replaced windows on the second floor, and replaced kerosene lamps with wall sconces on the first floor

For more information email at oldzionchurch@gmail.com