Memoirs of Rev P. Cober
Memoirs of Rev P. Cober
MENNONITE PIONEER
Tells the Start
of Work in Michigan
Sept. 12, 1929
A very interesting talk was given by Rev. P Cober, of Kitchener, ONT., at the Mennonite Camp Meeting and because of its significance to the people of this community, the Banner asked Rev. Cober to write down, in substance, what he had told. He kindly complied and the article is printed herewith. Rev. Cober was the missionary who started the Mennonite work in MI and tells about the early history of Brown City and vicinity.
“I have certainly enjoyed the atmosphere of this grand testimony meeting. I suppose however, there is not a single person here in this large audience who is able to gully enter into the feelings of my own heart as I look over this congregation of mostly Mennonite Brethren in Christ and think back forty-eight years when I became the first pastor of the Mennonite Church, then called the Deanville class.”
“I have on my mind to speak to you about things that happened before there was any Brown City.”
“I was born and raised on a farm in Canada, about two miles out of Hespeler. At the age of 21 I was clearly converted on Nov. 22, 1874. In the month of June 1875, I was clearly sanctified. In Feb. 1880, with wife and two children, I moved on a farm four and one-half miles west of Piggets Corners (now called Ubly.) I had felt some inward convictions before leaving Canada that the Lord was calling me to preach the Gospel which convictions seemed to grow more. I wrote to Rev. Daniel Brenneman of Goshen, Indiana, who was then presiding elder of the Indiana Conference, who came and organized a class near where I then lived and from there went down to what is now called Brown City. After much persuasion, I went with him.
“At this time a new railroad was being built from Port Huron, called the Port Huron and Northwestern. This was a narrow gauge road. Up our way its terminus at that time was Minden which was fifteen miles from my home. Rev. Brenneman and I came to Minden, took the train at 7 a.m. and got as far as a junction which I think used to be called Kingsley’s Junction. There we had to wait until near evening when a Construction train with a passenger coach hitched on the rear brought us to a stopping place called Brown City. This was along about the 16th or 18th of May 1881, but here was no building to call it a station. The train stopped in the open country but called its stopping place Brown City which was named after a few families living a mile or so west of the stopping place. Neither was there any house or residence near the place except the regular farm buildings on adjoining farms. However, a day or two after our arrival Brother Brenneman and I were walking along the road and got to where a few carpenters were at work and they having laid the foundation we saw them raising the first bent for the first store in the place.”
“After preaching an evening or two in the Deanville school house, Brother Brenneman organized a class of eleven members of which only three remain alive to this day and only one, (Mrs. Geo. Burkholder) living in Brown City.”
“This Deanville class being organized I was appointed as its pastor and made my first attempt to preach the Gospel on May the 21st 1881 and used for my text “Come for all things are now ready.” ‘I was supposed to go down and preach to them every four weeks which I did. But traveling at the time was much more laborious than it is now with our autos. As already stated, Minden was my nearest railway station, that was fifteen miles and I usually made that on foot. Sometimes what I got by of offerings and otherwise, would pay my railway fare and sometimes wouldn’t. But we had such a grand spiritual meetings and our souls were so wondrously blessed that we soon forgot all about our long walks and our hardships.”
“The same summer, in the month of July, on hearing that there were three of our members living a few miles east of Brockway Center, Yale now, I took up the appointment at the Scramms school house.”
“We also shared with many others a considerable loss in the great MI fire which took place on the fifth of Sept. 1881.”
“I continued as the first pastor on this field until the fall of 1882 when the conference moved us to what was known as the Bethel Circuit, Ind. I suppose that I should say here that when the class was first organized at Deanville which was a few years afterward moved into Brown City, where their first church was built. It at first belonged to the Ind., conference, but the general conference held in the Bethel church near Goshen, Ind., in Oct. 1884. The eastern part of MI was annexed to the Canada conference and was supplied with both the preachers and presiding elders from the Canada conference. This lasted till the spring of 1895 when at a conference held at Breslan, Ont. This eastern part of MI was made a mission conference and Rev. E Anthony appointed as, presiding elder. The Canada conference coming to their help by giving them a certain percentage of their Home Mission money and otherwise. This continued for a number of years when the Mother Conference thought the Child was of age and could look out for herself and MI was made a separate independent conference.”
“Now Brethren in looking over your beautiful town with all its business places, schools, churches, and of various industries which, to me seem to have sprung up out of nothing. When I look at this beautiful camp ground, this large tabernacle well filled with largely members of the M.B.C. Church and think of how the work has spread north, southwest and somewhat east, when I think of the number of preachers then to think of the little beginning a class of eleven members. A mighty oak sprung up out of an acorn, an ant hill developed into a mountain.”
“Who will any longer despise the day of small things. Do you believe me now when I say that I do not think there is a single person in this congregation who can in any great degree enter into the inmost feelings of my heart?”
“Now my dear brethren, I do appreciate here in the kind providence of God I am permitted to meet here in your first camp meeting here in this your new camp ground. My prayer is that it may be a Spiritual birth place of many souls for whom Christ has died. To God be the glory.”
P.COBER. 21 Chapel Street, Kitchener, ONT.
A very interesting talk was given by Rev. P Cober, of Kitchener, ONT., at the Mennonite Camp Meeting and because of its significance to the people of this community, the Banner asked Rev. Cober to write down, in substance, what he had told. He kindly complied and the article is printed herewith. Rev. Cober was the missionary who started the Mennonite work in MI and tells about the early history of Brown City and vicinity.
“I have certainly enjoyed the atmosphere of this grand testimony meeting. I suppose however, there is not a single person here in this large audience who is able to gully enter into the feelings of my own heart as I look over this congregation of mostly Mennonite Brethren in Christ and think back forty-eight years when I became the first pastor of the Mennonite Church, then called the Deanville class.”
“I have on my mind to speak to you about things that happened before there was any Brown City.”
“I was born and raised on a farm in Canada, about two miles out of Hespeler. At the age of 21 I was clearly converted on Nov. 22, 1874. In the month of June 1875, I was clearly sanctified. In Feb. 1880, with wife and two children, I moved on a farm four and one-half miles west of Piggets Corners (now called Ubly.) I had felt some inward convictions before leaving Canada that the Lord was calling me to preach the Gospel which convictions seemed to grow more. I wrote to Rev. Daniel Brenneman of Goshen, Indiana, who was then presiding elder of the Indiana Conference, who came and organized a class near where I then lived and from there went down to what is now called Brown City. After much persuasion, I went with him.
“At this time a new railroad was being built from Port Huron, called the Port Huron and Northwestern. This was a narrow gauge road. Up our way its terminus at that time was Minden which was fifteen miles from my home. Rev. Brenneman and I came to Minden, took the train at 7 a.m. and got as far as a junction which I think used to be called Kingsley’s Junction. There we had to wait until near evening when a Construction train with a passenger coach hitched on the rear brought us to a stopping place called Brown City. This was along about the 16th or 18th of May 1881, but here was no building to call it a station. The train stopped in the open country but called its stopping place Brown City which was named after a few families living a mile or so west of the stopping place. Neither was there any house or residence near the place except the regular farm buildings on adjoining farms. However, a day or two after our arrival Brother Brenneman and I were walking along the road and got to where a few carpenters were at work and they having laid the foundation we saw them raising the first bent for the first store in the place.”
“After preaching an evening or two in the Deanville school house, Brother Brenneman organized a class of eleven members of which only three remain alive to this day and only one, (Mrs. Geo. Burkholder) living in Brown City.”
“This Deanville class being organized I was appointed as its pastor and made my first attempt to preach the Gospel on May the 21st 1881 and used for my text “Come for all things are now ready.” ‘I was supposed to go down and preach to them every four weeks which I did. But traveling at the time was much more laborious than it is now with our autos. As already stated, Minden was my nearest railway station, that was fifteen miles and I usually made that on foot. Sometimes what I got by of offerings and otherwise, would pay my railway fare and sometimes wouldn’t. But we had such a grand spiritual meetings and our souls were so wondrously blessed that we soon forgot all about our long walks and our hardships.”
“The same summer, in the month of July, on hearing that there were three of our members living a few miles east of Brockway Center, Yale now, I took up the appointment at the Scramms school house.”
“We also shared with many others a considerable loss in the great MI fire which took place on the fifth of Sept. 1881.”
“I continued as the first pastor on this field until the fall of 1882 when the conference moved us to what was known as the Bethel Circuit, Ind. I suppose that I should say here that when the class was first organized at Deanville which was a few years afterward moved into Brown City, where their first church was built. It at first belonged to the Ind., conference, but the general conference held in the Bethel church near Goshen, Ind., in Oct. 1884. The eastern part of MI was annexed to the Canada conference and was supplied with both the preachers and presiding elders from the Canada conference. This lasted till the spring of 1895 when at a conference held at Breslan, Ont. This eastern part of MI was made a mission conference and Rev. E Anthony appointed as, presiding elder. The Canada conference coming to their help by giving them a certain percentage of their Home Mission money and otherwise. This continued for a number of years when the Mother Conference thought the Child was of age and could look out for herself and MI was made a separate independent conference.”
“Now Brethren in looking over your beautiful town with all its business places, schools, churches, and of various industries which, to me seem to have sprung up out of nothing. When I look at this beautiful camp ground, this large tabernacle well filled with largely members of the M.B.C. Church and think of how the work has spread north, southwest and somewhat east, when I think of the number of preachers then to think of the little beginning a class of eleven members. A mighty oak sprung up out of an acorn, an ant hill developed into a mountain.”
“Who will any longer despise the day of small things. Do you believe me now when I say that I do not think there is a single person in this congregation who can in any great degree enter into the inmost feelings of my heart?”
“Now my dear brethren, I do appreciate here in the kind providence of God I am permitted to meet here in your first camp meeting here in this your new camp ground. My prayer is that it may be a Spiritual birth place of many souls for whom Christ has died. To God be the glory.”
P.COBER. 21 Chapel Street, Kitchener, ONT.