By Dr. Milton Loyer, Conference Archivist
September – 100 years ago
On September 24, 1922, the cornerstone was laid for the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church at 915 North 17th Street in Harrisburg. The congregation had begun with a nucleus of 13 members from Stevens Memorial who lived in the immediate area and was being served by Elvin C. Myers as the Trinity-Bressler appointment. In 1970, Trinity merged with Sixth Street (formerly United Brethren) and the old Paxton (formerly Methodist) congregations to form the present Paxton UMC on N. Progress Avenue. The property of 17th Street was sold to the Harris AMEZ congregation.
While District Superintendent Edgar Heckman officiated at the 1922 ceremony, the address was given by former missionary to China, Dr. Isaac T. Headland, who was well-known across Central Pennsylvania in many denominations as a speaker and author.
October – 50 years ago
A formal reception for our new newly-elected bishop and his wife, John B. and Annie O. Warman, was held Friday evening, October 13, 1972, at the Zembo mosque in Harrisburg. All members of all the conference churches were invited to attend the dinner and special proceedings. Tickets were $4.00. The Warmans were temporarily living in the former EUB Mission House in Camp Hill until the recently-purchased (for $45,000) episcopal residence at 1 Frances Drive in Harrisburg could be vacated and renovated. Bishop Warman (1915-1993) came from the Methodist Protestant tradition and served the Harrisburg Episcopal Area from 1972 until his retirement in 1984.
Also elected bishop at the 1972 Jurisdictional Conference was ministerial son of Central Pennsylvania, Joseph H. Yeakel. Bishop Yeakel (1928-2021) came from the United Brethren tradition and served the New York West Area 1972-84 and the Baltimore-Washington Area from 1984 until his retirement in 1996.
