Old First Reformed

Old First Reformed. , The Old First Reformed church, United Church of Christ, was organized in 1727 by the Rev. George Michael Weiss, who arrived in Philadelphia on the ship William and Sarah, along with about 400 persons from the German Palatinate. The first church, a hexagonal wooden building, was constructed on this site in 1747 on land deeded by Thomas Penn., It was here that the Coetus of German Reformed Church first met in 1747, making Old First one of the mother churches of the United Church of Christ. For 150 years this area was the center for the German community in Philadelphia.
, The second building (1772) was designed by Robert Smith, the most prominent builder-architect in Colonial America, and was erected during the pastorate of Dr. Caspar Weyberg. Dr. Weyberg, a founder of Franklin and Marshall College and a Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania preached to the Hessian soldiers during the British occupation of Philadelphia. He boldly asserted the justice of the patriot cause. As a result, the British threatened his life and threw him in prison. On September 17, 1777 the British occupied the new church, using it as a hospital and stable. The congregation moved to the adjacent schoolhouse. In 1828 the prominent revivalist Charles Finney preached a series of revivals in the church, the one of the largest auditoriums in the city. The present church was erected in 1837, using timbers from the 1772 building. The pastors of Old First's large mid-19th century congregations were influential leaders in the German Reformed Church. John Bomberger, pastor from 1854 to 1870, became the first president of Ursinus College., Changing neighborhoods led the congregation to move to North Philadelphia in 1882 and West Philadelphia in 1917. This building was sold to the Lukas Paint company and was used as a warehouse for 80 years. In 1967 the Old First congregation returned to this site and restored the building to its 1837 appearance., Today, as in the past, the congregation is committed to a strong program of community service, and sees itself as a wellspring of faith for a diverse people in the heart of the city.