History

Local History of the Congregation and Buildings Swiss Evangelical Church of Ridgway

Economic hardship and a rapidly changing social order in Europe during the last quarter of the eighteenth century caused many Swiss, together with other Europeans, to respond eagerly to the steamship companies' advertising of amazing opportunities in America and to the American manufacturers' demand for cheap labor.

Many Swiss who came to America sought the farmlands of Pennsylvania and the West, while others sought opportunities in America's growing industrial economy. Thus it was that many groups of Swiss Reformed settled in Elk County to farm, or to work in the forests and tanneries of the county.

During the years preceding the organization of our church, many Swiss people had located in and about Ridgway. They had no church home of their own and, up to 1893, had worshipped with the German Lutheran congregation. That church, however, did not satisfy their needs, and they longed for a church of their own, patterned after the Reformed Church in Switzerland. On March 26, 1893, a special meeting was held in the Gruetli Verein Hall, at which it was unanimously decided to establish the "Swiss Evangelical Church of Ridgway." Early in 1895, a lot on Ash Street was purchased, and the first church was then built, partially by volunteer labor, at a cost of about $3200 for church and lot.

The congregation approved a change in its name in 1914, to "First Reformed Church of Ridgway," and in 1934, to "Evangelical and Reformed Church of Ridgway, Pennsylvania." All through these years, various Building Funds were begun in an effort to build a badly needed larger church. The congregation took the first definite step toward a new church in 1953, when it directed the consistory to determine the building needs and how this could be accomplished. This action resulted in a Building Fund Campaign, which resulted in total pledges of $112,000.

Early in 1955, the congregation authorized the construction of the new church building and the removal of the original church. In 1956, the congregation approved the legal name of "Faith Church of Ridgway, Pennsylvania" of the United Church of Christ.

The dedication of Faith Church was held July 14, 1957. It continues today in the service of God and His people.

Rev. Jacob Signor	1894-1900	Rev. V. D. Weidler
Rev. Eugene DeGeller	1900-1907
Rev. John G. Bosshart	1907-1910
Rev. George L. Heck	1910-1912
Rev. Herman Struebing	1912-1914
Rev. William Huber	1914-1918
Rev. Richard A. Most	1918-1927
Rev. Clarence L. Schmidt	1930-1937	Rev. Ira R. Harkins
Rev. George Meischner	1938-1940
Rev. Victor D. Weidler	1940-1944
Rev. Ira R. Harkins	1944-1947
Rev. Harold L. Hess	1948-1951
Rev. Richard E. Kneller	1952-1961
Rev. William Flickinger	1962-1967
Rev. Don R. Quayle	1968-1974
Rev. Stephen Robertson	1976-1978
Rev. Marshall Riu	1978-1987
Rev. Richard Vaught	1988-1994
Rev. Robin Clouser	1995-1995
Rev. Paul A. Harman	1997-1999
Ron Burkett (Lay minister)	2000-2003
Rev. J. Stephen Fair, O.C.C.	2003-

Local History of the Congregation and Buildings

History of the United Church of Christ

Our Pastors