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1769, Jun 25 - Dedication: Zion Church, Philadelphia City

Excerpt from Edward W. Hocker, The Fighting Parson of the American Revolution, 1936:

"While Peter Muhlenberg was in Philadelpia, in June, 1769, attending the meeting of the Lutheran Ministerium of Pennsylvania, when he was examined and licensed to preach, he also took part in the dedication of a new church for his father's congregation in Philadelphia. The church, named Zion, did not supplant old St. Michael's Church, but was needed in addition to the old church to accomodate the large congregations, the largest in the city. The chief pastor had the aid of the one and sometimes two assistant ministers.

On the morning of Sunday, June 25, 1769, the ministers attending the Ministerium meeting met in St. Michael's Church, Fifth street, above Arch, which had been dedicated in 1748. They led a procession comprising congregational officials carrying the communion and baptismal vessels, officials of the German Reformed congregation and lay delegates attending the Ministerium meeting. Thus with the church bells ringing, they marched about two blocks to the new church, at Fourth and Cherry streets.

The clergy walked in eight pairs, the youngest first and the elder Dr. Muhlenberg last, accompanied by the Rev. Casper Diedrich Weyberg, the Reformed pastor. Peter Muhlenberg and George Young, both of whom were licensed as assistant ministers at this session, made up the second pair.

Arriving at the new church, the choir, with two French horns, took the lead, and the procession passed into the church, singing the old German choral, "O heiliger Geist, kehr bey uns ein." It was stirring to the senses and impressive to the spirit," wrote the elder Muhlenberg.

After the procession had entered through the main doorway, four other doors were opened to the people, and soon the building was crowded. The elder Muhlenberg then conducted the consecration. In the ceremony each of the attending ministers, in the order of seniority, recited a passage from the Scriptures. Peter Muhlenberg, who came twelfth, being a native son of America, paid tribute "to the benefactors of the building of Zion in this country." His Scriptural citation was Psalm 122:6,7:

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within they palaces."

The elder Muhlenberg then preached the sermon, based upon Isaiah 43:1-6. He was sick and weak, being much concerned about the details of the service and having sat up until 3 A. M. the previous night, after which he had only three hours' sleep. The vapors from the fresh paint and plaster accentuated his fatigue and illness. Furthermore as he entered the church he was told that one of his grandchildren had just died. Thus he was compelled to curtail the sermon he had written. Upon going home he took to his bed, and could not take part in the afternoon service.

On Monday morning there was a further service in the new church in which the clergy of the English-speaking churches of the city, the faculty of of the college and city officials participated, the Rev. Richard Peters, of the Anglican church, preaching the sermon.

The church building in the dedication of which Peter Muhlenberg thus had a part was 108 feet long and seventy feet wide, and it had the largest auditorium in Philadelphia. Its interior was richly ornamented, and eight pillars supported the roof. Later an organ made by David Tannenberger, of Lititz, PA, was placed in position and was declared to be the largest and finest organ in America. At the time of the British occupancy of Philadelphia in the Revolution the church became a military hospital. Fire destroyed the interior of the Church in 1794; but it was rebuilt with the original walls. In Zion Church the official commemorative service following the death of Washington was held, under the auspices of Congress, on December 26, 1799."

Footnotes:

Sources:

Edward W. Hocker, The Fighting Parson of the American Revolution, A Biography of General Peter Muhlenberg: Lutheran Clergyman, Military Chieftain and Political Leader, Philadelphia, PA: Published by the Author, 1936. Page 34-36, Peter Muhlenberg attended the dedication of Zion Lutheran Church [Old Zion] located at Fourth and Cherry streets Philadelphia, PA.

Ibid., Edward W. Hocker, The Fighting Parson, Page 37-38, 1770, Nov 6 - Marriage: Rev. Peter Muhlenberg and Anna "Hannah" Barbara Meyer.