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"The beginning of the church takes us back to the time of the
French and Indian War, and more than a decade before the breaking out of the
Revolutionary War. The cornerstone of the first three church buildings erected
on the site where the present church now stands, was laid fourteen years
before the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and twenty-five years
before the signing of the Constitution of the United States. When Washington
became the first president of the United States, Wentz's Church was already
twenty-seven years old.
The founders of Wentz's Church were a stalwart group of pioneers
from the Palatinate (a section of Germany, generally west of the Rhine River,
was called Palatinate) who were seeking religious freedom. In order to fully
understand the background of the church, the pages of history must be turned
to 1710 when these German Reformed families came to the Perkiomen Valley. Many
of the German reformed people brought with them the German hymn books which
included the Heidleberg Catechism (a theological statement) and all or parts
of the Palatinate Liturgy, The Palatinate Liturgy was first published in 1563
and serves to this day as the Order for the Holy Communion
service."
This information is quoted from the 235th Anniversary Historical Booklet,
"Wentz's Church Through The Years 1762-1997" published by Wentz's Church
Historians Betty Wilkie and Robert C. Wilkie.
Today, we continue to faithfully minister to the people and families of our
area. Currently, our members are diverse in their ages, backgrounds, race and
nationality.
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