Christian Newcomer
Encyclopedia
Christian Newcomer was an American
farmer and preacher, who was elected on 5 May 1813 as the third Bishop
of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ
.
and Martin Boehm
, the founders of the U.B. Church
, had not established a succession in the U.B. ministry by any rite of ordination. The Miami Annual Conference
, therefore, in August 1813 addressed a letter to Otterbein asking him to ordain by the laying on of hands "one or more ministers who afterwards may perform the same for others." The letter reached Otterbein in late September 1813, with Newcomer visiting him soon thereafter. It was decided that Otterbein should ordain Newcomer, Joseph Hoffman and Frederick Shaffer (two other U.B. ministers). Accordingly, on 2 October 1813, after a solemn period of worship and meditation, with the assistance of an elder of the Methodist Episcopal Church
, the Rev. William Ryland
, Otterbein ordained by the laying on of hands these three men, the first to be ordained in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. This taking place just a few weeks before Otterbein's death.
from Switzerland
some time between 1719 and 1727. They settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
. They were of distinctly Mennonite
heritage. Christian was baptized
in and became a member of the Mennonite Church.
On 31 March 1772, he married Elizabeth Baer. He seems to have had little romantic feeling toward her, writing in his Journal "I had to seek a housekeeper, which I found in Miss Elizabeth Baer, and entered with her into a state of matrimony." When she died thirty-nine years later, however, he showed his affection had matured, as he wrote "This evening at 6 o'clock my dear companion departed this life, and resigned her immortal spirit into the arms of Jesus her Savior. Peace be to thy ashes: for many years thou has been a staff and comfort unto me; soon we shall be reunited where parting will be no more." Christian and Elizabeth Newcomer had four children: Andrew, Jacob, David, and Elizabeth. After his wife's death Christian made his home with Andrew.
As a young man, Christian Newcomer learned the carpenter's trade. In time, he inherited the family farm, so took up farming instead. Throughout these early years, his friends continually urged him to preach. This troubled him greatly. In 1775, to escape the issue, he sold his farm in Lancaster County and moved to another he had bought at Beaver Creek, Maryland
, seven miles south of Hagerstown
in Washington County. Shortly after moving he became seriously ill. He believed he was dying and cried out for divine help. The illness subsided, he was left with a determination no longer to fight the call to preach. Shortly after his recovery he came under the itinerant preaching of Otterbein and Boehm and resolved to throw aside his inhibitions and go forth to preach. Newcomer was also influenced in ministry by a close associate of Otterbein's, George Adam Geeting. Indeed, as Koontz states "Ere long the growing group known as Otterbein's People came to recognize not three great spiritual leaders (i.e., Otterbein, Boehm and Geeting), but four, and Newcomer was the fourth." The probable date for the beginning of Newcomer's itinerant ministry is 1777.
In 1834, four years after Newcomer's death, The Life and Journal of the Rev'd Christian Newcomer, Late Bishop of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ was first published. In covers primarily the period of 27 October 1795 to 4 March 1830. A copy of this Journal resides in the Library of Congress
, where it has even served to establish definite dates and events of early U.S. history.
Although there is scant record of Newcomer's first eighteen years of ministry, his name does appear in the lists of the U.B. conferences of 1789 (at Otterbein's parsonage in Baltimore) and 1791 (at John Spangler's in York County, Pennsylvania
).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
farmer and preacher, who was elected on 5 May 1813 as the third Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ
Church of the United Brethren in Christ
The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is an evangelical Christian denomination based in Huntington, Indiana. It is a Protestant denomination of episcopal structure, Arminian theology, with roots in the Mennonite and German Reformed communities of 18th century Pennsylvania, as well as close...
.
Ordination
Peculiarly, Newcomer was elected Bishop by the Church before he was even ordained to the ministry (though he did hold the status of a full minister). Philip William OtterbeinPhilip William Otterbein
Philip William Otterbein was a U.S. clergyman. He was the founder of the United Brethren in Christ, a group that is a forerunner of today's United Methodist Church.-Biography:...
and Martin Boehm
Martin Boehm
Martin Boehm was an American clergyman and pastor. He was the son of Jacob Boehm and Barbara Kendig who settled in Lancaster, Pennsylvania...
, the founders of the U.B. Church
Church of the United Brethren in Christ
The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is an evangelical Christian denomination based in Huntington, Indiana. It is a Protestant denomination of episcopal structure, Arminian theology, with roots in the Mennonite and German Reformed communities of 18th century Pennsylvania, as well as close...
, had not established a succession in the U.B. ministry by any rite of ordination. The Miami Annual Conference
Annual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...
, therefore, in August 1813 addressed a letter to Otterbein asking him to ordain by the laying on of hands "one or more ministers who afterwards may perform the same for others." The letter reached Otterbein in late September 1813, with Newcomer visiting him soon thereafter. It was decided that Otterbein should ordain Newcomer, Joseph Hoffman and Frederick Shaffer (two other U.B. ministers). Accordingly, on 2 October 1813, after a solemn period of worship and meditation, with the assistance of an elder of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
, the Rev. William Ryland
William Ryland
William Ryland was a Methodist clergyman who served several terms as Chaplain of the Senate.- Early years :William Ryland was born in Ireland in 1770. He came to the United States at the age of 18 and settled in Harford County, Maryland. For a time, he engaged in business in Baltimore; on May...
, Otterbein ordained by the laying on of hands these three men, the first to be ordained in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. This taking place just a few weeks before Otterbein's death.
Early life
Christian Newcomer was the son of Wolfgang and Elizabeth (Weller/Weber) Newcomer, the second of three sons born into this family, which included five daughters, as well. Christian's grandfather, Peter Newcomer, brought his family to AmericaUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
some time between 1719 and 1727. They settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
. They were of distinctly Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
heritage. Christian was baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
in and became a member of the Mennonite Church.
On 31 March 1772, he married Elizabeth Baer. He seems to have had little romantic feeling toward her, writing in his Journal "I had to seek a housekeeper, which I found in Miss Elizabeth Baer, and entered with her into a state of matrimony." When she died thirty-nine years later, however, he showed his affection had matured, as he wrote "This evening at 6 o'clock my dear companion departed this life, and resigned her immortal spirit into the arms of Jesus her Savior. Peace be to thy ashes: for many years thou has been a staff and comfort unto me; soon we shall be reunited where parting will be no more." Christian and Elizabeth Newcomer had four children: Andrew, Jacob, David, and Elizabeth. After his wife's death Christian made his home with Andrew.
As a young man, Christian Newcomer learned the carpenter's trade. In time, he inherited the family farm, so took up farming instead. Throughout these early years, his friends continually urged him to preach. This troubled him greatly. In 1775, to escape the issue, he sold his farm in Lancaster County and moved to another he had bought at Beaver Creek, Maryland
Beaver Creek, Maryland
Beaver Creek is an unincorporated community in eastern Washington County, Maryland, United States. It is located southeast of Hagerstown and north of Boonsboro near U.S. Route 40 and Maryland Route 66...
, seven miles south of Hagerstown
Hagerstown, Maryland
Hagerstown is a city in northwestern Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Washington County, and, by many definitions, the largest city in a region known as Western Maryland. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2010 census was 39,662, and the population of the...
in Washington County. Shortly after moving he became seriously ill. He believed he was dying and cried out for divine help. The illness subsided, he was left with a determination no longer to fight the call to preach. Shortly after his recovery he came under the itinerant preaching of Otterbein and Boehm and resolved to throw aside his inhibitions and go forth to preach. Newcomer was also influenced in ministry by a close associate of Otterbein's, George Adam Geeting. Indeed, as Koontz states "Ere long the growing group known as Otterbein's People came to recognize not three great spiritual leaders (i.e., Otterbein, Boehm and Geeting), but four, and Newcomer was the fourth." The probable date for the beginning of Newcomer's itinerant ministry is 1777.
His Journal
More is known of Newcomer's life and ministry than of any of the other United Brethren leaders because of the extensive journal he kept, in which he recorded his own activities, contemporary activities in the U.B. Church, and many public events, as well. Not long before his death, Newcomer and a long-time friend and co-worker, (the Rev.) John Hildt (who was a member of the Baltimore Church) began work on Newcomer's journal in preparation for publishing. Shortly after his death, the U.B. Conference appointed a committee to examine the original manuscripts, also with a view toward publication. Hildt was asked to undertake the task of transcribing, translating into English, and editing the personally written biography and journal of his close friend.In 1834, four years after Newcomer's death, The Life and Journal of the Rev'd Christian Newcomer, Late Bishop of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ was first published. In covers primarily the period of 27 October 1795 to 4 March 1830. A copy of this Journal resides in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, where it has even served to establish definite dates and events of early U.S. history.
Although there is scant record of Newcomer's first eighteen years of ministry, his name does appear in the lists of the U.B. conferences of 1789 (at Otterbein's parsonage in Baltimore) and 1791 (at John Spangler's in York County, Pennsylvania
York County, Pennsylvania
York County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 434,972. It is in the Susquehanna Valley, a large fertile agricultural region in South Central Pennsylvania....
).