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The Hepburn Baptist Church is celebrating its 150th anniversary, beginning with its annual outdoor service this Sunday, Sept. 11.
Celebration events will continue with a concert by local band Redeemed at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17.
A memorial group photo will be taken at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18, followed by a special worship service with Pastor Mark Mahserjian-Smith sharing the Message. There will be a catered lunch after.
"Sometime later in the fall, we'll be burying a time capsule including various items from the church history. It will be reopened 25 years from now," added Pastor Dave Parker.
The Hepburn Baptist Church began in 1840 as a mission station. The work was started by Brother Michaelis, a missionary.
"In the year 1841, there was a great revival among the stations. The first baptism was held in winter when the ice had to be cut to allow people to step into the water for total immersion. Some people traveled a distance of 10 miles," according to "History of the Hepburn Baptist Church, Cogan Station, Pennsylvania," written by Betty Confer, church historian.
"Some folks in the area started meeting together in homes and also in local schools. It was not until Konrad Fleischman was hired by the Pennsylvania Baptist Association to come and minister to the German immigrants in this area," said Parker. "There was a lot of revival where some-200 were baptized and became baptists."
The church became official in the year of 1872.
"This land closely resembled their homeland. All of the people came together from this large area to worship and support each other. In 1872 the Hepburn Mission organized as a church of believing, baptizing Christians of Hepburn Township," according to the historian.
"The church, for most of history, was the center of social life and activities," Parker said.
"COVID has impacted us, but we're trying to reach out to the community and reconnect. When I came here, there were very few families with young children -- now there are more," he added.
Parker and his wife, Candy Parker, joined the church in 2012.
"We were living in upstate New York for seven years and felt that it was time to move. We wanted to be closer to our grandchildren," Parker said. "I'll be retiring by the end of the year and we are looking for a pastor to lead the church."
To learn more about Hepburn Baptist, visit www.facebook.com/hepburnbaptist or call the church at 570-998-2070.