HISTORY OF OTTERBEIN EUB CHURCH

The history of the Otterbein Church, Dover, goes back to the early 1840’s.  Several miles northeast of Dover there were a number of United Brethren families who banded themselves together for prayer and worship.  Services were held in private homes and there was occasional preaching by ministers of the York Circuit.  The interest ran high and in 1845, a Dover Circuit was formed by a number of York Circuit appointments and F. Flinchbaugh was assigned as pastor.  In 1851 this group of United Brethren families erected their church in the Village of Dover at 67 N. Main Street.  The structure was a 34’ by 40’ brick building.  The United Brethren were the first to build a church house in this village; the Lutheran Church followed in 1899, and the Reformed Church in 1902.  The church was never strong and at times there was serious talk of abandoning their interest there.  A series of renovations and building programs from 1953 through 1960 enlarged the building, including a basement and a new front and entrance.  This sparked new life into the church, which is a reflection of a new growth in the community of Dover.  The parsonage was built in 1884.

Just what appointments constituted the original Dover Circuit, after its severance from York Circuit, is not clear.  The first statistical chart in the old minutes of the conference was inserted in 1847.  At that point it was reported that there were sixteen appointments on Dover Circuit.  Tobias Crider was the pastor.  Among the appointments on Dover Circuit from time to time, in addition to the Dover Church, were Bethany, Liverpool (later called Manchester), Harmony Grove, Rohler’s, Maytown, Salem, Weiglestown, Elcock’s, Mt. Royal and numerous others.

In 1855 the conference took the Fishing creek (Salem) and Rohler’s appointments from Dover Circuit and added others to form what was known as Lisburn Mission; the remaining appointment of Dover Circuit were added to York Circuit and the name “Dover Circuit” was discontinued.  Here these churches remained until 1858 when they were detached from York Circuit and put to Liverpool (Manchester) Circuit.  In 1872 the conference boundary committee recommended that “Weigle’s (Bethany) Church and Dover appointments, on Liverpool Circuit, be added to Harmony Grove and be called Dover Circuit.”  Since 1872 there has been a Dover Circuit among the changes of the conference until 1962 when the York Parish was created including Dover, Emigsville, Longstown and Maytown.  Two ministers were assigned to the parish with one of them living in the parsonage at Emigsville and the other in the parsonage at Dover

From 1965 to 1974 Otterbein was a student appointment.  In 1974, Rev. Arthur Gladfelter was appointed as the first full time pastor.

When the Lutheran Church was built and a Union Sunday School was established there, Otterbein was left with occasional evening worship services.  An evening Sunday school was tried but this was abandoned in 1913. There was no Sunday school at Otterbein until Rev. Jacob Zeppo was assigned there in October 1950.  On February 4, 1951, a newly formed Sunday school and morning Worship was established with 25 persons in attendance.  Church membership had dwindled to nine persons (in a year and a half, five of these nine were dead).

In 1946 the Evangelical Associate ((E.A. Jacob Albright) and Otterbein United Brethren in Christ merged to form the Evangelical United Brethren denomination, who then merged with the Methodists in 1968 and Otterbein became a United Methodist church.  In 1964 the parish was discontinued and Dover-Maytown was made a charge and Emigsville-Longstown was made a charge.

In 1989 a larger, modern facility at 3005 Emig Mill Road, Dover, (across from Leib Elementary School) was consecrated. The previous church on 67 North Main Street is now the York Rescue Misson.  The new building along with all their records was completely destroyed by an arson fire on January 2, 1995 and the current building, again expanded was consecrated on March 10, 1996.  The only item remaining from the original church is a pulpit Bible that was in the possession of the United Methodist Church Council, in Harrisburg at the time of the fire.

Seeking to distinguish itself from five other churches in York County named Otterbein United Methodist, the congregation voted on October 25, 1999, to change the church’s name to New Creation Community Church (a United Methodist congregation).

Through the years, the attendance and membership continued to grow as it is today in the new facility.  The Sunday School enrollments are 138 with an average attendance of 126. Church membership is 194 with an average of 206 in the two morning worship services.