Gulph United Church of Christ
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Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Gulph United Church of Christ, long known as Gulph Christian Church, was gathered July 21, 1833, by the Rev. Frederick Plummer. The church was organized under an oak tree on ourb property, and the old Gulph School House was used as a meeting place until a church building could be constructed. The grounds were purchased and the first building erected in 1835. That original buliding, located to the rear of the present sanctuary, now houses the church office, parlor, and nursery. The Sunday School was organized on June 10, 1843, and met in the old school house for almost a century, when the church trustees were able to purchase the building from the Upper Merion Township School Board for educational purposes in 1932. In 1845 the cemetery was staked out in lots which sold for seven dollars each. During that year the congregation united with the Philadelphia Conference of the Christian Church, and on March 23, 1859, it was incorporated as the Christian Church at Gulph Mills. As the membership increased, it became necessary to build additional facilities. On July 29, 1893, a building committee was appointed and instructed to plan the erection of a new church at a cost of $5000, which was later raised to $6000. An edifice was erected on the model of St. Martin's Church of Canterbury, England. The cornerstone was laid in 1894, and in March 1895 the building was dedicated free of debt. In 1929 the Christian Church and the Congregational Churches merged to form the Congregational Christian Churches, the first two denominations in the United States to take such action. In 1957 the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church merged to form the United Church of Christ, and the congregation of Gulph Church voted to join that new denomination. After raising funds for ten years, an Allen Digital Computer Organ was installed in the sanctuary of Gulph Church on June 29 and dedicated on November 22, 1998. The United Church of Christ recognizes two sacraments: the Sacrament of Baptism and the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Infant baptism is the norm. The Sacrament of Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month and on the festivals of the Church. All baptized Christians are welcome to the Lord's Table. Grape juice is used. Gulph United Church of Christ is served by the Rev. Judith A. Meier, who graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and with a Master of Divinity degree from Lancaster Theological Seminary. Pastor Meier serves on the Worship Mission Team, the Professional Development Ministry Team, the Pastors' Spiritual Formation Group, and the Women's Clergy Ministerium of the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference. She is also active with the Ursinus Association and with a local Taize prayer community. She holds membership with the Mercersburg Society (Corporate Board Member and 1998 winner of the Mercersburg Society Prize), the Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society, The UCC Spiritual Development Network, and the Order of Corpus Christi (novice). She is active with the Greater Conshohocken Ministerium, the West Conshohocken Ministerium, and the Upper Merion Clergy Association. Pastor Meier is a widely published author of books and articles on local and church history, including the award-winning "Citizen Soldiers of Color: Biographical Sketches of Montgomery County Black Soldiers in the Civil War," published by the Historical Society of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, where she was assistant librarian for many years. Pastor Meier is currently serving as Elder of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She also belongs to the Daughters of the American Revolution, the National Society of Descendants of Washington's Army at Valley Forge, Magna Charta Dames, and Colonial Dames XVII Century. Because of her interest in history and genealogy, she is quite willing to assist people seeking information from the church and cemetery records. Pastor Meier is the wife of a retired general surgeon, mother of three daughters and one son, and grandmother of five boys. Pastor's study: 610-279-5650 Church office: 610-525-5693
Mission and Ministry
We commit ourselves to discerning the will of God for Gulph United Church of Christ, that we may be a community of faith in which and through which persons of all ages and conditions are enabled to develop a deeper relationship with God through worship, study, fellowship, and participation in the whole mission and ministry of the Church of Jesus Christ. In response to Christ's call to discipleship, we commit ourselves to make Christ known in the world through faithful service to the spiritual and physical needs of persons of all ages and conditions, and to understand this endeavor as our witness of faith. WHO ARE WE AS THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST? We are an AFFIRMING people, saying "Yes!" to God who is revealed in creation, disclosed in Jesus Christ, present through the Holy Spirit, and is known in the Bible, understood through the ancient creeds of the Church, and experienced through worship, preaching, the sacraments and rites, and fellowship with one another in community. We are a COVENANT people, joining with God and with one another in a unique relationship of promises which God initiates. We are a PILGRIM people, searching and seeking to discern God's will and way for us as Christ's disciples in the world today. We are a WITNESSING people, committed to demonstrate the Good News of God's love and mercy throughout all of creation. We are a WELCOMING people, a church which reaches out to invite and include persons of every age, tongue, race, and religious background. TO BELIEVE IS TO CARE TO CARE IS TO DO UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
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