Valley Forge Commemoration — 2000
The 112th Annual Church Service of the Society to commemorate the 223rd anniversary of the Encampment of the Continental Army at Valley Forge in 1777 and in memory of the members of the Society who have died during the past year was conducted on Sunday, 30 April 2000, at 5 p.m., at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 763 Valley Forge Road, Wayne, Pennsylvania. The Reverend William Franklin Allen, Sr., Rector of St. David’s Church, officiated and Robert Gallagher, Organist, performed the sacred music. Mark Frazier Lloyd, President Emeritus of the Society, read the Old Testament Lesson. Curtis Paul Cheyney, III, President of the Society, read the Sermon Lesson. Jonathan Henry FitzGerald, Assistant Secretary of the Society, read the Necrology. Rev. William Preston Proctor, Chaplain of the Society, delivered the sermon.
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THE ORDER FOR EVENING PRAYER
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| PRELUDE | Ciancona | Pachelbel |
| PROCESSIONAL HYMN: |
Holy, Holy, Holy |
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| PRESENTATION AND POSTING OF THE COLORS: | The National Anthem | |
| CALL TO WORSHIP: | Psalm 100 | |
| PRAYER OF PRAISE | Rev. Proctor | |
| CONFESSION OF SIN (In Unison) | ||
| ASSURANCE OF PARDON | Rev. Proctor | |
| HYMN: | For All the Saints (Verses 1, 2, 3 and 8) | |
| OLD TESTAMENT LESSON: | Genesis 17: 1-8 | Mr. Lloyd |
| SERMON LESSON: | Hebrews 12: 1-2 | Mr. Cheyney |
| SERMON: | "The Great Cloud of Witnesses" | Rev. Proctor |
| WASHINGTON’S PRAYER (In Unison) | ||
| THE OFFERING | ||
| THE PRESENTATION: | The Doxology | |
| PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING | ||
| NECROLOGY | Mr. FitzGerald | |
| MEMORIAL PRAYER | ||
| BENEDICTION | ||
| RECESSIONAL HYMN: | God of our Fathers, Whose Almighty Hand | |
| ORGAN POSTLUDE | Voluntary in A | Selby |
A reception followed at "Waynesborough," the historic home of Brigadier General Anthony Wayne, 2049 Waynesborough Road, Paoli. John Marshall Groff, Historian of the Society and Curator for the Wyck Association, wrote an introduction to Waynesborough and the Society’s role in its preservation and furnishing.
138 adults and 28 children, a total of 166 members and guests were in attendance. George Shaffer Wood, III was Chairman of the Valley Forge Commemoration Committee.
"The Great Cloud of Witnesses"
Hebrews 12: 1-2
by
Reverend William Preston Proctor
Chaplain of the Society
"As I begin my words to you this afternoon allow me to begin by stating a few disclaimers.
"First, I was asked to keep my comments short and so I shall. I have a five-year-old son sitting out there in the congregation who is surely already tired of sitting still and whose tummy is ready to eat, so the sooner we all get out to Waynesboro the better.
"Second, I have already preached one sermon today, so I do not have an overwhelming urge to preach again at length for you, many of whom have already been in worship yourselves this day.
"Third, Frank Allen, the Rector of this large and dynamic congregation, is a busy man and he does not need to be bored by this Presbyterian pastor.
"With these things said, allow me to make some comments and observations related to the scripture text before us.
"In the first verse of our sermon text the author of the Letter to the Hebrews refers to a great cloud of witnesses, telling us that they surround us. Who are these witnesses? Some commentators suggest that at least one of the witnesses is Christ himself, who sees and knows our every thought and move. In addition, these same commentators suggest that the witnesses who surround us may also be those who lived lives of great faith — and who are looking down upon us from heaven, watching to see how we are living our lives of faith today.
"The Bible is not very clear when it comes to describing exactly what heaven will be like. Oh, we know a number of general details, such as when Jesus told his disciples that there are many rooms in his Father’s house. But when it comes to specifics, such as whether or not the streets are really paved in gold, or whether or not we all get a pair of angel’s wings, or whether or not Saint Peter will actually be the one who meets us at the Pearly Gates and lets us in — none of these things are very precise in Scripture if they are found there at all.
"But here we are told that we are actually surrounded by a great cloud of heavenly witnesses. Here we are told that we need to be living our lives of faith as if we are in a race with a great crowd of onlookers cheering us on.
"I do not know if any of you have ever at any time in your life run track or participated in any other field event. I myself was never a fine athlete — not even close — but yesterday morning I got up early and ran in the annual Narberth Run. The run is only five miles in length, which, when compared to the recent Boston Marathon , do not really require a participant to be a world-class inner — which is why I was able to run in Narberth yesterday. But the Narberth Run does have two things that I always try to avoid — the first are real hills. The second thing that is characteristic about the Narberth Run, but is also something that I try to avoid, is the crowd of people watching the runners pass by.
"You see, I am one of those early morning runners, hitting the streets long before most people are awake. There are several advantages to being an early morning runner. For example, there are few cars on the road with you, the streets are quiet and empty and best of all, no one can see what goofy-looking combination of old sweatpants, t-shirts, and baseball caps I managed to grab and put on while still half asleep myself. If I am running fast, slow or, excuse the expression, sweating like a pig, it does not really matter when no one is watching me.
"But the Narberth Run is different. The sun is up and the crowds of onlookers are thick. That is why yesterday I was careful in my selection of outerwear and also why I tried not to look as if I was about to expire when I crossed the finish line.
"In short, since all of us are human, I think it is fair to say that we tend to act and behave somewhat differently when we think we are alone verses when we know we are being watched. And what the author of Hebrews is telling us is that in truth, all of our life is being observed — we are not living our lives in the dark, nor are we living our lives of faith unobserved.
"Since this is a hereditary society, I wonder if any of our forebears looking down from heaven and watching us each day. I wonder if the same great cloud of witnesses who are watching me are also watching you.
"I feel a rather awesome sense of duty as the Society Chaplain when this date rolls around each year, for several of my ancestors actually served at Valley Forge, an event that we honor with this worship service. I wonder if any of the four sons of one of my forebears, Joseph Philips — all of whom served at Valley Forge — served or fought alongside any of your relatives? I wonder if any of our distant relatives ate together, marched in a drill formation together or hunted together? Joseph Philips, my Welsh-born grandfather eight times back or so, was a weaver by trade when he and his wife Mary immigrated to Philadelphia. I wonder if he helped to provide some of the clothing or a uniform or two that were worn into battle against the British? Surely he helped to clothe his own sons as they headed from their home near present-day Exton over to Valley Forge, but I wonder if he helped to clothe others?
"What the great cloud of witnesses causes me to contemplate is the possibility that all of us are connected much more tightly than we may realize. Our lives are not lived in isolation. We may think that we are independent, free-thinking, self-sufficient individuals — and in many ways I suppose we are those things — but we are also interconnected to one another and to our God and Creator in ways that we may have overlooked or simply never considered before.
"For example, did you know that neither the good Rector, Frank Allen, nor I are native to this area? No, what we discovered prior to this service is that we both grew up in Dallas, Texas — in the same zip code, no less — I went to the local public high school with his older siblings — Frank, on the other hand, attended the same private Episcopal boys’ school with my younger brother. Frank and I have probably been at the very same places at the very same time years and years ago — and had no idea until we finally met here, so far from the place we once called home.
"Likewise, I had a most amazing encounter last 4th of July, when one of the members of this Society, accompanied by his mother, introduced himself to me during the Society’s annual luncheon prior to the gathering at Independence Hall. What they told me was that not only had she grown up in the house across the street from mine in Rosemont, but that her father had designed all six homes on our street, including my own. What are the odds of that kind of encounter taking place? Our old house was built back in 1930; the odds against my meeting any of the family of the designer of our home would have to be astronomical. And yet, because of this society, we were brought together. I think that is rather remarkable.
"Yesterday, the people who lined the streets of Narberth cheered for and encouraged those of us who ran. Their encouragement and affirmations made running the race that much more enjoyable and doable. Whenever we receive the encouragement of others in this life we almost always do well.
"The author of the text before us is simply reminding us of this basic principle. For God does not ask us to live the life of faith on our own. We are not asked to be a solitary runner in a race of one. No, instead we are being asked to remember that God and all of heaven are watching over us, seeking to encourage us, cheer us and give us what ever it is we need to finish well this life faith that we calm as our own.
"Moreover we are told to look for Jesus who we are told is, and I quote, ‘the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.’ These are wonderful words to hear so soon after Easter, for they remind us that Jesus has already gone before us, and that he will be waiting for us at the end.
"All of us are here today and members of this Society because of the remarkable bravery and faith lived out by members of our families over two hundred years ago. Whenever we meet we do so to honor their memory and their service in the cause of freedom. We of all people have quite a remarkable cloud of witnesses watching over us.
"May we remember who we are — and to whom we belong — and live each day accordingly. For we are blessed to be linked through the generations with those who won our nation’s freedom, and we are blessed by faith to be linked to the one who won for us our eternal freedom, Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen."
"The Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution
and
Brigadier General Anthony Wayne"
by
John Marshall Groff
Historian of the Pennsylvania Society
"One of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution's strongest ties is with ‘Historic Waynesborough,’ the home of Brigadier General Anthony Wayne in Paoli. This beautiful colonial fieldstone house, now one of the museums of the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks, showcases Wayne and his family. Over the past two decades the Society and its Color Guard have supported the preservation of Waynesborough and placed on loan there noteworthy objects from its historical collections. These include 18th century furniture, and instruments such as a telescope, surveyor's rod and chain, and a rare brass surveyor's compass made in Nottingham, Pennsylvania. General Wayne's wine colored silk sash, c. 1775, which also belongs to the Society, was recently conserved and is on a display at Waynesborough.
"Other significant Anthony Wayne material owned by the Society is on view at the United States Mint in Philadelphia. This includes Wayne's telescope, two English silver and steel dress swords and most notably, a medal awarded to Wayne by the new Federal government in 1789. Congress presented this beautifully engraved gold medal to Brigadier General Wayne in gratitude for his leadership in recapturing Stony Point on the Hudson in 1779, a key action for the Americans' cause. It was engraved and struck in France by Nicholas Gatteaux. Nearly two centuries later, in 1978, the Society was able to purchase this medal and make it available for permanent public exhibition."
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Copyright 2000 The Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution