Russell (PA) Church to Mark 125th Anniversary

Incoming Great Lakes Conference Supt. Dick Lucco will be the guest speaker during the morning service on August 18.

The celebratory weekend will begin with an overnight youth event August 16. At 3 p.m. on August 17, the congregation will commemorate its history in a worship service that will allow parishioners and friends to recall stories from the church's past. A local bluegrass band, "Country Conversion," will perform in a 6 p.m. concert at a pavilion that is located behind the church.

During the Sunday school hour August 18, parishioner Dr. Julie Boozer will present a formal history of the congregation prior to the 11 a.m. worship service. Lunch will follow the service.

Scandia Evangelical Covenant Church is located in Russell, a town of 400 located in northwest Pennsylvania. The congregation, which has an average worship attendance of 100, joined the denomination in 1939.

The church grew out of the Augustana Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church - the congregation withdrew from the Augustana Synod October 15, 1877. The congregation, originally known as the Evangelical Lutheran Lebanon Church, changed its name to the Swedish Lebanon Church in 1884. It became the Swedish Christian Church of Quaker Hill in 1885.

A Sunday school ministry was formed in 1879 under Supt. August Forsberg. The congregation had 48 members by 1887, according to church records. A new building was dedicated in 1892 and built with volunteer help from parishioners and friends. In 1903, the church was prospering as 28 new members were received that year.

During the early years, a key leader in the congregation's life was Gust E. Hagberg. His family became an integral part of the church's history. Two Hagberg descendents decided to follow a call into full-time ministry: Levi R. Hagberg, who helped develop a ministry to Mexican migrant workers in southern Texas, and his nephew, Charles R. Hagberg. Levi's brother, Victor N. Hagberg, was Sunday school superintendent for more than two decades. Later, Levi's son, Franklin, served as the church's pastor during the 1970s and 1980s.

In recent years, Swanson said that numerous community activities with the church are giving the congregation good visibility in the region. The church has aided the local volunteer fire department with volunteer help and funding and parishioners have helped keep a local school running as a historical museum and community center.

On October 13, the church will continue celebrating its 125th anniversary with Donn Engebretson, executive vice president of the Evangelical Covenant Church, preaching at the morning worship service.

For more information about the church and its upcoming anniversary events, call Swanson at 814-757-8052.

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