FIFTH SEMI-ANNUAL CONFERENCE
November, 1861
Proceedings of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference
First Meeting
Tuesday, November 5, 1861 – Morning
The members of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference met in the Meeting House in Haycock Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, as it had been decided before. The forenoon was an open worship service. Brother Eusebius Hershey opened the service with hymns and prayer. After reading the fourth chapter of the first letter of Paul to Timothy, he preached about the words of the last verse: “Pay attention to yourself, and the teachings, persist in these Words, because when you do this, you will make yourself glad and also the ones who listen to you.”9
The powerful and pointed lesson of the sermon left a deep impression on the members and gave the servants new courage to work in the vineyard of the Lord. Brother Jacob Gottschall urged the members on and closed the meeting with a hymn and prayer.
Second Meeting
Tuesday, November 5, 1861 – Afternoon
The afternoon meeting was opened with singing and prayer by the Chairman of the last Conference, Brother David Henning after a short opening message to the assembled servants, thanking God most humbly for His love, blessing and patience, and especially for His fine ruling Spirit, when He has His Word preached by His humble servants, and urges sinners to make amends and be converted through belief in Jesus Christ and to God who has kept us all alive and in fair health since our last Conference. All honor to our Lord.
Preachers present : David Henning, Abraham W. Stauffer, William N. Shelly, Jonas Musselman, William Gehman, Abraham Kauffman, Eusebius Hershey, Abel Strawn, Henry Diehl, Jacob Gottschall.
Deacons10 present: Joseph Schneider, David Gehman.
After the meeting was called to order, Brother David Henning was re-elected as Chairman, and David Gehman as Recording Secretary.
RESOLVED: That Brother Jonas Schultz was to be accepted as an advisory member of this Conference session and be permitted to take part in its decision making.
Then the article on baptism was discussed somewhat at length in brotherly love and it was unanimously
RESOLVED: That God’s Word and the teaching of our author Menno Simons in this as well as in all other articles of faith shall be taken as our fundamental rule and way.
The afternoon meeting was closed with singing and prayer led by Brother William Gehman.
Third Meeting
Tuesday, November 5, 1861 – Evening
In the evening, Brother Jonas Schultz preached from 1 Corinthians 3:11, “For other foundation can no man lay other than that wherein is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” God’s Spirit permeated the meeting so that joyful visions were flowing. Brother William N. Shelly admonished and closed with prayer.
After the sermon, an additional meeting was held in which many things were in brotherly love proposed and discussed. Brother Hershey, an experienced travel preacher and missionary, told of many of his trials and struggles which he previously experienced so that there was encouragement and comfort as well as joy in the meeting.
RESOLVED: That we, through God’s Spirit, grace, and prayer, endeavor to walk willing in teaching, life and business according to the example of our Lord and the Apostle as well as our author in humility and uprightness.
RESOLVED: That each preacher especially, as well as each member of our society11, shall make himself familiar with the doctrinal teachings of the earlier Mennonites in order to take into consideration at the next conference whether to have it printed in German and English.
RESOLVED: That the next conference shall be held in the Upper Milford Meeting House, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania on the first Tuesday in June, 1862, and that in the morning an open worship service shall be held.
In the afternoon at 2:00 p. m., the conference session will begin and will end at 5:00 p. m. In the evening, there will be preaching. 0 n the next day at 9:30 a. m. the Conference session will begin and go on until all business is finished.
Signed by the Chairman David Henning
David Gehman, Secretary.
9 The reader should remember that divergence from the King James Version is attributable to translation.
10 The German word is Vorsteher: “Deacon” was the English translation chosen in the 1867 Doctrines of Faith. The usual German word for deacon is Diener (“servant”). Vorsteher implies some degree of authority or oversight. It is consistently rendered “deacon” in this translation.
11 German- Gemeinschaft