Development of Church Life in the Older Congregations / 229

town in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. The efforts of Rudy Stauffer of the Ohio Mission Board contributed to this, as did also Maynard Ressler who in 1953 became the first pastor at Flat Ridge. Martin's Creek also was influential in planting a congregation in Millersburg, Ohio in 1934. D. D. Miller as bishop was active in the extension work of Martin's Creek.

In 1965 the Martin's Creek Church marked its centennial and published a Centennial Book. The book is a fine record of the church's past and the growth of its educational, youth, and women's activities. The role of music, Bible conferences, and Sunday school meetings must have been large in the life of Martin's Creek. Family life is reflected in the numerous family pictures which comprise nearly half the pages of this historical work on one congregation. Roman Stutzman is the present bishop, and he serves both the Berlin and Millersburg congregations as well as Martin's Creek.

The oldest Mennonite church in Holmes County, Longenecker's near Winesburg, has in recent years grown to be larger than at any time in its long history. Under the leadership of Albert C. Slabach the congregation has strengthened its program by electing stewards to perform church duties, and by enlarging the church building for Christian education.

Holmes County Ministers' Meetings

During the 1930's the ministers of Holmes County, Ohio, felt a need for fellowship and to seek ways of dealing with their congregational problems. From 1932 to 1955 there are carefully kept minutes of the quarterly meeting of this group of ministers. The preamble to the minutes states that they felt a need for "meeting regularly for prayer, meditation and consultation." The group met the first Thursday of each quarter of the year and oftener as necessity demanded or expediency suggested. The organization was to have no ironclad rules but should be open to "the immense scope of Christian liberty of conduct, and to the leading of the Holy Spirit." The first meeting was held at the home of Calvin Mast in Berlin, Ohio, on August 11, 1932. S. W. Sommer was chairman and D. M. Friedt was secretary.

Each meeting had a devotional period. This was frequently followed by a discussion of the need for doctrinal sermons with suggestions of topics. These included sermons on the Trinity, the Word of