Report of the
Historical Committee
With this Annual Conference, our celebration of 150 years of service for our Lord Jesus comes to an end. It has to come to an end because our 151st year has begun. The anniversary celebration is over. The past 150 years were merely the beginning of our future. It is time to begin the next 150 years.
We came from humble beginnings. A group of men met in the parlor of David Musselman on Friday, September 24, 1858. We don’t know when the meeting began or when it ended. They did not keep any minutes. Yet, we know what they decided. They were determined to share the good news of Jesus Christ whenever and wherever they could. And they would keep meeting to pray that their unsaved neighbors would turn to Jesus. If their church could not accept what they saw as clear Scripture truth, they would band together to encourage each other in the work that God had called them to do. In this meeting and these unrecorded decisions, the Bible Fellowship Church was born.
Would the men who gathered in David Musselman’s parlor recognize the church born out of their decisions? We know they would not recognize our theology but they would be pleased that we studied the Scriptures to get where we are. We know they would not recognize our buildings but they would be pleased to see that God had provided such places for us to meet. We know they would not recognize some of the people that sit in our pews but they would be pleased to see color and hear a tongue they did not know. We know they would not recognize our technology but they would be pleased to know that we preach Jesus every chance we get.
As we begin our second 150 years, perhaps it is not too much to hope that these men who gathered at the Musselman home would be pleased. It would not be a bad thing to aspire to the same things that drove them. And, if it should be that Jesus tarries to allow a 300th anniversary, perhaps the writer of that year’s historical report will be able to speak of us and how we kept alive the decisions made on a Friday afternoon in 1858.
The Historical Committee accepted the opportunity to help in planning the program for this Annual Conference. Our thanks to the speakers who accepted our invitation to bring a biblical perspective to our history. Our special thanks to Ron Kohl and Jonathan Armstrong for their hours of preparation for the video presentations at this conference.
The Historical Society met this year at Fellowship Community which extended its wonderful hospitality to the Society. Richard E. Taylor presented a paper on the ministry and life of William Brunner Musselman, founder of the Gospel Worker Society and the Union Gospel Press. Andy Geissinger introduced us to the music that shaped and molded our worship.
Next year’s program for the Historical Society will include a presentation by Ronald W. Hoyle on the history of the Zionsville Church and will give more background on the Gehman family which was so instrumental in our beginnings. Jill Davidson will introduce the Kauffman family who were part of the new church in 1859 and have served us since. The annual meeting will be held at the Zionsville Church, which will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the dedication of its building during this year, on October 31, 2009.
Historical Committee: Jill Davidson, Chairperson; Richard E. Taylor, Archivist and Secretary; Carl C. Cassel, Ronald W. Hoyle, Ronald L. Kohl, Harold P. Shelly.