OUR FIRST CHURCH WORKERS

Names of some of the first ministers that held protracted meetings. Before Bishop Peter Cober of Markham and Peter Winger of Black Creek and Peter Holm of Waterloo died, around 1877, Markham had one of the biggest revivals in the history of the church without any special meeting and I think it also could be said of the other two as well. These three bishops died from 1879 to 1883 so they saw the fruit of their labor. Then around 1885 they got ministers from other districts to hold special meetings. Some of the first ministers were Asa Bearss, John W. Hoover, George Detwiler, Isaac Trump, Benjamin F. Hoover, Noah Zook, John H. Smith, J. R. Zook, John Sider, Lafayette Shoalts, Bert Sherk, John Nigh, Willie Meyers, Moses Doner, J. W. Hoover Vernon Stump, Jonathan Lyons and Henry Schneider, which brings it up to around 1920. I will also give the names of some of the first Sunday school superintendents which was started around 1885. At first it was held just every two weeks and taught some German so as to keep up the German language, but that was soon dropped and at present hardly any one can talk it any more. First superintendent was Deacon David Lehman, second was Deacon John Doner, and next were John Bestard, Jonathan Lyons, Albert Williams, Levi Heise, Thomas S. Doner, D. W. Heise, Peter Stover and David Hilts. This concerns Markham district.