Historical Highlights, The Evangelical Covenant Church of Port Allegany, PA. 1900-2014:
The Port Allegany Covenant Church is a member of the Evangelical Covenant of America which "has its roots in historical Christianity as it emerged in the Protestant of Reformation, in the Biblical instruction of the Lutheran Church of Sweden, and in the great spiritual awakenings of the nineteenth century." (Quote from the booklet entitled "Covenant Affirmations.") It was started by Swedish immigrants under the able leadership of a young man named Emil Berggren who came to this country in 1895 and worked as a tailor in Austin and Emporium before moving to Port Allegany in 1896. Berggren had a deep concern for the spiritual needs of the immigrants which undoubtedly stemmed from his spiritual conversion at the age of seventeen. One gets a sense of his intense desire to share the "Good News" from his own words concerning his conversion. "When I was reading the Word of God, my heart was touched and I once thought God would not save my soul. But one night I was alone in the shop and I read the tenth chapter of Romans. I read "if thou shalt confess with the mouth that Jesus is Lord and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved...". Those words were really used of God and I was saved, received peace with God, and became one of the most happy persons on earth, blessed by thy God." Berggren's leadership resulted in the establishment of a church in 1899 at Birch Grove, seven miles from Port Allegany. (This church was later donated to the Mennonite congregation which has had an effective ministry for more than forty years.) Recognizing the need for a church in town, Berggren was successful in getting a few people to start a Sunday school and regular worship services in Port Allegany in 1900. On April 5, 1902, the small group constructed a church building at a cost of $2,365 and organized under the name "The Swedish Mission Church Society." This building is the existing sanctuary. After the building of the original church in 1902, the property remained unchanged until 1957 when a new house on adjoining property was purchased to be used as a parsonage and Sunday school. In 1965, a house on the corner of BEnton Avenue and Church Street was purchased to provide space Sunday school classrooms, social rooms, and a Pastor's study. Gradual increases in membership after 1965 made it necessary to consider expanding facilities. Plan for an addition to the sanctuary were approved in 1992 and the building was completed and dedicated in October, 1994. This two-story addition provides 5,000 square feet on each floor for a kitchen, fellowship hall, classrooms, Pastor's study, nursery, and restrooms. Through the sacrifical giving of the congregation, the $225,000 building project will be paid for in April 2003. As we enjoy this beautiful, functional building, we thank God for all who have so faithfully served in the past one hundred years and those who serve today. May each one share the experience of our founder and first pastor, Emil Berggren, who testified after his conversion that he "received peace with God and became one of the most happy persons on earth, blessed be thy God."
