History

Around the year 1723 Lutheran immigrants were found along the Tulpehocken and the twin Northkill Creeks. As early as 1729 Rev. John Casper Stoever gathered them into a congregation. The services were held in homes and in barns.

There seems to be no exact record as to when the first church was built but written agreements copied in German into an early record book by the Rev J J Cressman in 1891, show that Gottfried Fidler and Samuel Filbert, sons of Palatinates who migrated from the Schoharie to the Tulpehocken, each donated one acre of ground for church purposes. The two agreements are identical except for the individual signatures. Both bear the date of December 25, 1745, and were witnessed by the Rev John Casper Stoever, Jacob Hoffman, John George Haag and Albert Strause. The English translation, as shown below the German copy of the agreements, follow:

These agreements were considered legal. Twenty-Six years later, Samuel Filbert confirmed his gift of one acre ground to the church by a deed recorded in Volume B1, page 39, Berks County Records and dated November 27, 1771. Christopher Minnich, et al, were named wardens for the congregation. By a deed recorded in Volume 209, page 687, Berks County Records and dated July 26, 1758, Stephen Fidler also confirmed the one acre gift, on the part of his father, Gottfried Fidler, who had passed away. John Nicholas Haag was named trustee for the congregation.

Although the name Evangelical Lutheran Friedens Church appears in this early document, most early records refer to it as the Northkill Church and it appears to have been the most commonly used name. There is confusion as to when the first building was actually constructed. One account reads, according to the first minute book, the church had been completed prior to 1745, another, the first home of the Northkill Lutheran Congregation was erected in 1746, and the 1980 history booklet refers to it as being built in approximately 1742.We do know that the first house of worship was constructed of logs and stood in a corner of the old cemetery.

Stoever continued his preaching at Northkill (or also recorded as Dordkill) until 1747 when he was called to Earltown (New Holland), PA. On June 13, 1747 and again on July 5, 1747 Henry Melchior Muhlenberg preached, baptized, confirmed and dispersed the Lord Supper at the Northkill Church . In the Journals of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg (Volumes I and II), the church is mentioned at least 15 times. In December of 1746 Rev. John Nichols Kurtz moved to the Tulpehocken and began ministering at the Northkill in 1747. He was not yet ordained, but he was the first Lutheran pastor receiving synodical ordination at the first meeting of the Synod in Philadelphia on August 14, 1748.

The Northkill (also listed as Nordkill and Bern ) was one of the ten congregations present at the gathering of congregations and pastors when they organized the synod that was later known as the Ministerium of Pennsylvania and Adjacent States From this grew the Lutheran Church in America . So Friedens was not only one of the ten original churches in the synod, but also had the first pastor the synod ordained in this country. Rev. John Nicholas Kurtz continued at Northkill until 1762 when he was called to Germantown , PA. For the following eight years John Casper Stoever returned to Northkill as a supply pastor.

By the year 1791 the approximately forty-five year old, original log structure was in poor condition and a square, colonial church was erected on the same site, with locally made brick. Inside, there was a high pulpit on the east wall and the gallery was on the other three sides. Above the doorway, at the west entrance, appeared this inscription:

Was diese Gemeinde Lust hat enbaut. Sei Dir, O wahrer Gott, im Segen nun vertraut

That which this congregation has been inclined to build, now may it be entrusted to Thee for Thy Blessing, O True God

There were two wooden, curved stairways that ascended to the right and to the left of the alter. Above the alter hung a Hartford pendulum clock, manufactured by the E Ingraham Company in Bristol , Conn. The church is still in possession of this clock, although its pendulum no longer sways.

On March 26, 1799, additional land consisting of 2 acres and 84 perches was purchased for 17 pounds and 10 shillings by the Lutheran congregation from the same Samuel Filbert and Eliza, his wife, who donated one of the original acres.

In 1834, forgetting the stipulation of the land donation, to be an Evangelical Lutheran Church forever, sixteen Reformed families joined 36 Lutheran families to form a Union Church, which existed for the next 62 years. In 1896 the congregation was reminded that the church was to remain a Lutheran congregation and therefore it was decided upon to build a strictly Lutheran Church. On May 16, 1896 the Union Charter was broken and the Reformed congregation was paid one thousand dollars in settlement.

On September 7, 1896 the church was incorporated and on December 11^th the constitution was adopted. The third building was also built on the original land grant. At this time the name was changed from Northkill to Friedens. The cornerstone was laid on October 3, 1897 and the church was dedicated on September 18, 1898. It was built of brown sandstone, in a Gothic style, with an attached chapel. It has a seating capacity of 750 and cost twelve thousand dollars to build. This church is greatly admired for its rare memorial windows. One, considered among the most artistic in Berks County , is of a non-spiritual subject. It portrays Martin Luther holding a Bible of the format used at the time when he translated the Bible into the German language, circa 1530. There are two separate windows in memorial to the donors of the land; Gottfried Fidler and Samuel Filbert. The large, four-part window at the front of the edifice depicts the four evangelists - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - and their appropriate symbols. This window was presented in honor of the building committee; Jonathan B Miller, Moses S Shock and Levi Geiss.