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The Famous Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War. On July 1, 1863, 167,000 American soldiers, Confederates and Federals, merged near the quiet town of Gettysburg in the rolling hills of south central Pennsylvania. Three days of heavy fighting resulted in 51,000 casualties. Four months later, President Abraham Lincoln dedicated the national cemetery and delivered his immortal Gettysburg address. Among other things, Lincoln said,: ?It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task before us?.? About 117 years later, a different type of war began. The Eastern District Council of the Assemblies of God named Gettysburg its district project. In keeping with the fact that Gettysburg is a national shrine, the new church was named Heritage Assembly, depicting not only the national heritage but, more important, the spiritual heritage. President Lincoln?s words, quoted above, echo today?s challenge to the church. Several years before the Gettysburg church became a reality, a veteran pastor; the late Conrad Sheaffer and his wife Emma, visited the Gettysburg National Military Park. They became burdened to plant an Assemblies of God church in this historic town and began to pray. Pulling alongside the first transcontinental highway from New York City to San Francisco, they said, ?In the name of Jesus, we claim that property right there for an assemblies of God church.? You can imagine the thrill Sister Sheaffer felt when four years later, upon visiting Gettysburg she found an Assemblies of God church had been erected on the exact spot they had claimed. For 2 years, the Sectional Home Missions Committee, working in cooperation with the Eastern District Home Missions Committee, had been exploring the possibility of opening a church in Gettysburg and had been looking for property. At that time, Earl Ford was the Presbyter of the sectional committee. Heritage Assembly is located where the first shot of the Battle of Gettysburg was fired: This, in itself, is a miracle. The Department of Interior?s National Park Service has acquired thousands of acres of land for the National Military Park, but inadvertently left this choice 10 acres for an Assemblies of God church! Artifacts from the battle, such as a very rare South Carolina belt buckle, several mini-balls, and a uniform button, have been located on the church property. Authorities agree George Pickett?s army encamped on this property the evening prior to the famous ?Pickett?s Charge.? Joseph Fissel and his family lived in Gettysburg, and he was employed as a licensed Battlefield guide. In April 1977, after many months of planning and praying, the South Central Section opened services at the YWCA under the founding pastor, Joseph Fissel. The WYCA was located next door to the Wills House where Abraham Lincoln finished writing the Gettysburg Address. FROM the beginning, the blessing of the Lord rested upon this endeavor. It soon became evident that the limited facilities of the YWCA were hindering the churches potential for growth. On August 27, 1978, ground was broken. Construction soon began on a lovely colonial design building which seated more than 200 people. Besides the sanctuary, there were six classrooms, a nursery, and a fellowship hall. On July 1, 1979, the 116th anniversary celebration of the Battle of Gettysburg, Heritage Assembly's new church was dedicated. Philip Bongiorno, who was then superintendent of the Eastern District, was the dedication speaker. At the dedication service, he referred to our ?godly heritage?-both spiritual and national. The sanctuary was filled to capacity. Heritage Assembly then applied for district affiliation and later, for General Council status and became a sovereign church body. The late Dwight (Ike) Eisenhower was a resident of Gettysburg. His farm is open to the public on Memorial Day. Annually, nearly 3 million people from all over the world visit Gettysburg. They now can experience the Pentecostal witness of the Assembly of God. Pastor Fissel said, ?Gettysburg is known around the world; and now the attractive, new Assembly of God church adds to the area?s interest for the visitor. Our prayer is that the ministry of Heritage Assembly will encompass the world. We want visitors who vacation at Gettysburg, not only to remember the sacrifice of thousands of American men in giving their lives for their country, but also to remember the sacrifice of countless Christians of the past, like the Conrad Sheaffers, who have given their lives for the cause of Christ and our spiritual heritage. But, most of all, we want each visitor to Heritage Assembly to remember Christ?s sacrifice on the cross and to be confronted personally with the claims of Christ, if he/she has not already accepted Jesus as Savior.?
In 1985, Pastor Fissel and his family moved to Kentucky where he would be the pastor of a growing congregation. He was followed by George Aswad as pastor of Heritage. Pastor Aswad stayed for a brief period and as result of a decreasing attendance and other issues Heritage Assembly of God went through a church split in 1986.
The changes that took place lead to the people requesting help from the Pennsylvania Delaware Council of the Assemblies of God. Heritage Assembly was put on Home Missions status, the local Assemblies of God churches contributed to the church's support. A board of local Assemblies of God pastors governed the business of the church.
In March of 1986, Jeff Wilson was appointed to be the Pastor at Heritage. Jeff and Joyce were living in Mechanicsburg, Pa and were both working in social work at the time of their appointment. Palm Sunday of 1986 marked the Wilson's first Sunday at Heritage.
From the eleven people who were there that first, the church began to grow. Twenty-three plus years later, Heritage Assembly is on steady footing. Although the numbers of attendees has reached a plateau as of late, the church has a solid base of support.
Improvements to the church property were made as the years have progressed. The church parking lot was paved. The sanctuary under went remodeling and chairs replaced pews, new carpet was laid, and a new addition was added to the building. A pavilion and a storage building were placed on the property.
Over the years our fellowship has gone through different transitions. Like many churches we have experienced change in styles of worship, staff changes and the transition of people.
Missions is a large part of our fellowship. We have a variety of missionaries in throughout any given year. Usually eight to twelve missionaries visit Heritage. From supporting zero missionaries in 1986 to supporting over eighty in 2009.
We have sent out teams inside the United States and abroad. We have had teams go to Mexico, Dominican Republic, St. Lucia and to the Native American Youth Camp in Oklahoma. Individuals have gone on various trips as well, including Spain, Columbia, India, and the Dominican Republic.
Our purpose at Heritage is to "see the sons of God arise in the earth." We are endeavoring to promote the "Kingdom of God" in the earth. And to see "the children of God" raised to maturity so they can live out their destiny on the earth.
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