1827

Among the many immigrants who came to this country more than a century ago, was a group of happy Swiss people. Soon after they had placed their foot on American soil, they set forth, with great anticipations as to the possibil ities of the future, to seek a spot in this blessed land of ours, which most nearly resembled the land from whence they came. Seemingly, the romantic hills and mountains of the southeastern section of the state of Ohio, where the ^"Beautiful Ohio^" winds its way, appealed to them most of all. Determined to make good they built their little log cabins, a task not without difficulties and then undertook the herculean task of clearing the timber-covered hills, to procure ground for cultivation. Their aim, however, was not merely to gain materials, but also spiritual wealth. Aware of the fact that mater ial wealth alone does not satisfy the craving of the soul, they opened their hearts and homes to such, who proclaim the Gospel of Jesus.

According to a report read at the seventieth anniversary of this congre gation, and from which many of the historical data here recorded are taken, Rev. Wagner, an itinerant preacher, was the first who, in the year 1827, visited the various families that had settled in this section of the state-- also known as the Switzerland of Ohio--and preached to the people the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The good seed of the word did not fall upon stony ground. On the contrary, the hearts of his hearers proved receptive for the good seed of the Word, and as a result, some twenty-five to thirty families united and purchased four acres of land from Jacob Lehman, upon which was erected their first small House of Worship. Small indeed! The dimensions were 30 feet long and 14 feet wide, height not given. It was a primitive log house, with pews made out of rough lumber. Of those who worshiped therein, all are now sleeping in the quiet church-yard, the sleep that know eth no awakening until the Master call eth, save two, Dan Steiner of Pitts-burgh, PA, and Philip Fankhouser. Upon the later is bestowed the privilege of being the oldest member of St. John^'s Evangelical Congregation. As we gaze upon this jubilant congregation, we realize more than ever before, what a source of blessing yonder log cabin was to the members of this community.

The congregation, then indeed small, not only grew internally, spiritually, but also numerically. Several years after the erection of the first church another group of immigrants came from Switzerland who also settled here. This caused not only an increase in popula tion, but also an increase in the mem bership of the congregation. Rev. Kueper, who gave his inaugural sermon on July 26, 1829, was then in charge of the constantly growing flock. The time he served as pastor of this con gregation is not known. He was suc ceeded by Rev. Renier. Due to the fact that the early history of this congre gation was not recorded, but carried on by word of mouth until the year 1841, the writer is not able to state how long the latter served here as pastor. In the year 1841, Rev. Alexander Schwartz was called, and for eight years labored diligently, proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus, which is a power of God unto sal vation. Having led the congregation on-ward and forward for eight years, he re-signed in October of the year 1849. How long the flock was without a shep herd cannot be stated. Nevertheless in the course of time Rev. John Baumberger took charge of the congregation, and continued the good work, already begun. Good work indeed! Because during the short period of approximately twenty-three years, the congregation had so greatly increased in number, that the little log church, around which clust ered many sacred memories, seemingly no longer was spacious enough. Con scious of the fact that the congre gation was rapidly growing in spite of all difficulties and hardships, the enthusiastic members called a meeting on March 2, 1851, and decided to build a larger church; the material to be brick, and the dimension: length 42 feet, width 34 feet, height not known. The resolution was carried out within the next year. On November 15, 1852, the newly erected brick church was dedicated to the honor and glory of God. It is needless to say, that this was a day of joy and thanksgiving for the pastor and members, to whose sacri ficial spirit the building stands as a memorial.

The following year, April 9, 1853, Rev. John Baumberger, under whose lead ership the congregation had erected the new brick church, resigned, and

the following June, Rev. Rahn took char ge of the congregation. His stay was brief. After seven months he again de-parted. For the next six months the congregation was without a pastor. On June 12, 1854, Rev. A. Binder was unan imously elected, but sadly the fact must be admitted, that his stay was even more brief than that of his pred ecessor. The congregation which faced these difficulties bravely, was able on January 1, 1855, to secure Rev. Con rad Kraus for its pastor. During his stay the following improvements were made: The parsonage--the time when built not known was remodeled; further-more, a new communion set was purchased for twenty dollars, and the old consti tution was revised and accepted by the congregation on May 10, 1857, as auth entic. The new year 1858 again brought about a change when Rev. Kraus, who had faithfully labored for three years, re-signed. The congregation again in need of a pastor appealed to the ^"Association of the West.^" Rev. Frederick Weisgerber, who was sent by the Association, was e lected on May 9, 1858, and served until May 1861. He was succeeded by Rev. Rieder, who ministered here from 1861-1865. The eleventh pastor, who took charge of this congregation in the spring of the year 1865, was Rev. J. B. Jud. During his stay the following note-worthy facts can be recorded: That in the year 1868 the congregation became a member of the ^"Evangelical Associa tion of the West,^" as the Synod was then called, and the first member upon whom was bestowed the privilege of rep-resenting the congregation at the con ference held the same year in Mansfield, Ohio was Nicholaus Walter. Moreover, in the same year, the congregation also erected a five-room parsonage. Here we may also insert that during the pre vious year, the first barn was built. In the fall in 1870, Rev. J. Jud acc epted a call from a congregation in Lippe, Indiana, and Rev. W. Walter be-came his successor. The latter, cons cious of the fact that a service is greatly enriched by song and melody, introduced the ^"German Evangelical Songbook,^" and in order to make the singing still more inspiring, the con gregation purchased a new melodeon, to lead the congregation in its song wor ship. After several years of faithful service Rev. W. Walter resigned and in the twelfth month of the year 1878, Rev. J. Bodmer took charge of this con gregation. During his stay the well near the parsonage, was dug, which has quenched the thirst of many, and even today giveth freely to all that thirst and desire to drink thereof. Beside the congregation purchased a plot of ground, joining the church property, from Mr. R. Siebert for the sum of two hundred and ten dollars. Having labor ed diligently for almost 4 years, Rev. Bodmer resigned in November 1882, and Rev. P. Schilling became his successor.

A stupendous task was confronting the congregation, circumstances demanded a new and more spacious House of Worship. Seemingly, the little brick church had served its time. Unhesitatingly, the courageous members and their worthy pas-tor, Rev. P. Schilling, undertook the task. In a meeting on May 8, 1883, it was decided to build a new brick church, considerably larger than the present. Plans having been made, all efforts were then put forth to carry them out. Many of the members lent a helping hand wher ever needed, until a stately brick church with a seating capacity of approximately three hundred and fifty, was erected, which church, even today, is our sacred place of worship. During the latter part of the summer of 1884, the building was completed and in the month of Novem ber, of said year, it was dedicated to the worship of the Triune God. The feel ings which undoubtedly permeated the heart of pastor, members and friends of St. John^'s Evangelical Congregation on this occasion, as they gazed upon a fin ished task, may be expressed in these words of the One Hundredth Psalm: ^"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness, come before his presence with singing. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him and bless his name.^"

Rev. Schilling, who had served the congregation for two years, and under whose leadership the present House of Worship was erected, resigned in the fol lowing year. The congregation then el ected Rev. J^r. Berges as their pastor and under his leadership the enthusiastic members continued making improvements. The church being completed, the members now started to remodel the house. To the parsonage, erected in the year 1868, were added four rooms, one of which was to be used for confirmation instruction; moreover, the interior of the church was papered, and the church debt was liquid ated.

The year 1894 again brought about a change in leadership. Rev. Berges, who had served the congregation for nine years, was succeeded by Rev. C. Loos, present pastor of Christ Evangelical Church, Erie, PA, and also president of the New York District. Having comp leted his studies at Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis, MO, entered this, his first field of labor, in the spring of 1894. During the time Rev. Loos ministered here, the congregation was privileged to celebrate its seventieth anniversary. On August 8, 1897, the jubilant congregation assembled thrice for services of praise and adoration. All the former pastors who were still living were present, with the exception of Rev. P. Schilling. They were: Rev. J. Jud, Rev. W. Walter, Rev. J. Bodmer, and Rev. J. Berges. In the morning ser vice on August 8, 1897, Rev. J. Jud delivered an impressive discourse based on Psalm 74:2: ^"Remember thy congregation which thou hast gotten, which thou hast redeemed to be the tribe of thine in heritance,^" and the pastor loci, Rev. C. Loos, read the history of St. John^'s Evangelical Congregation. In the after-noon services, the congregation again assembled in large number, was address ed by the two pastors Walter and Berges. The former delivered an inspiring dis course based on John 15:1-8, and the latter based his address on the Epistle text for that Sunday. ^"As the twilight of eve dimmed the sun^'s last rays^" the congregation once more assembled for worship. At this time Rev. J. Bodmer delivered an invigorating discourse ba sed on Psalm 103: ^"Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name,^" and Rev. Dietze, a nei ghboring pastor, delivered an appropri ate sermon, based on Psalm 23: ^"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.^" On Monday afternoon Rev. Berges and Bodmer again addressed the congregation, and in the evening service of said day, which marked the end of this joyous fes tival, the Revs. Jud and Walter once more spoke. After this glorious event was passed, Rev. Loos served the cong regation for eight more months, until March 30, 1898. Here we may also add, that in 1897, the Pennsylvania District Conference was held at St. John^'s Evan gelical Church for the first time.

Rev. C. Kette]hut, now pastor of St. Peter^'s Evangelical Church, Dubois, Indiana, then became the successor of Rev. Loos. Since the old church melo deon had served a considerable number of years, the pastor, soon after his arrival, started to solicit pledges among the members for a new organ. The following served on the committee: Rev. C. Kettlehut, J.P. Fankhauser, and J. J. Schnegg. Finally a new Vocalion Organ was purchased from Baldwin and Co., Cin cinnati, Ohio. Organ dedication was held May 1, 1899, at which occasion, Rev. 0. Breuhaus delivered an appropriate ser mon.

In the fall of the year 1899, a start-ling incident, both for pastor and cong regation occurred. ^"Twas on the twelfth day of September, a never-to-be-forgotten day, when the pastor and his family be-came aware of the fact that the barn, near the parsonage, was enveloped by smoke and flames. All efforts to exting uish the fire were in vain. In a few moments the barn was like a seething fur nace. Since the building was only about thirty-five feet away from the parsonage, this, too, started to burn, and in spite of the many members, who had hurried thither to help, the parsonage, too, was soon burnt to the ground. The loss was exceedingly great, both for congregation and pastor. The former lost two build ings, and the latter nearly all of his house-hold goods. Since the flames spread so quickly, not even the church-book was saved. All records up to the year 1899 were destroyed by fire. The pastor, Rev. Kettelhut, however, was able to secure from his predecessor, Rev. Loos, a report which the latter had writ-ten for the seventieth anniversary, con taining the most important facts, concer ning the previous history of the congre gation, and in this way could restore in part the early history of St. John^'s Evangelical Congregation.

Though the disaster was great, never theless the terror stricken congregation and their pastor did not lose heart. Two days later, September 15, 1899, the chu rch council met for the purpose of making resolutions concerning the erection of a new parsonage, and barn--It may also be of interest to state here that on the following Sunday, September 17, 1899, the congregation celebrated their planned annual mission festival; and the words of sympathy, spoken by the follow ing pastors: Rev. W. Schaefer, G. Gret zler, Rev. Ulhorn, who were invited to speak on this occasion, were especially appreciated by the congregation. The following Monday, September 18, a meet ing of the congregation took place in which the resolutions proposed by the church council, were taken into consid eration. In this meeting, the congre gation decided to erect, if possible, that same fall, a new two-story parson-age on the same place where the previous one had stood; moreover, it was also decided to build a barn, the latter, how-ever, to be a considerable distance far ther away from the parsonage than the previous one had been. The following were appointed to serve on the building committees for the parsonage: J. P. Frankhauser, F. Kindelberger, Charles Bigler, W. Simon, Jacob Fankhauser; for the barn: John Bigler, Sr., J. Schnegg, Sr., and Jacob Buri. Several of the members donated much of the rough lumber needed for the parsonage and barn, thus

making the erection of said structure possible at a considerable lesser cost. The barn was finished that same fall, but the parsonage was not completed un til the following June. On June 19, 1900, the newly erected parsonage was dedicated. For all those who were for ced to pass through the troubled waters of the previous year, this was a day of great joy. On this happy occasion the pastors: R. Ulhorn and Chr. Christian sen addressed the many who during the past year of trouble, experienced God^'s guiding hand, and had now assembled to participate in the dedicatory services.

After this year of unexpected occurr ences had passed into history, the con gregation was gradually restored to a normal bliss. lealizing the need of a revision of the old constitution, a committee was appointed in the annual meeting, held January 1, 1901, upon whose shoulders this task was bestowed. The following members served on this committee: Rev. C. Kettelhut, Gottlieb Franz, Jacob Forni, John Nicholaus, and Philip Fankhauser. In the following month the revised constitution was pre sented to and accepted by the congre gation, and the same was published in both the English and German language.

Rev. Kettelhut, having served the congregation faithfully for four and one-half years, and during whose time the congregation had some of the most trying experiences, resigned November 23, 1902. Immediately following the service a congregational meeting was held in which it was decided to urge Rev. Kettelhut to withdraw his resigna tion and remain. Since the latter, how-ever had already accepted a charge, his dismissal was finally granted.

After the congregation had been with-out a pastor for eight months, Rev. G. Gerhold, present pastor of St. Peter^'s Evangelical Church, Frankfort, Ill., took charge of the congregation. Soon after his arrival English services, held every other Sunday evening, were introduced. In the spring of the year 1904, the congregation for the second time entertained the Pennsylvania Dis trict Conference. The following year the interior of the church was renova ted; the church also was greatly beau tified by the two art windows, presented by the Sunday School, which were placed into the niche. Two other noteworthy incidents during Rev. Gerhold^'s capable leadership were: The organization of the Ladies^' Aid Society in 1906, and the confirmation of the first English class. The following were privileged to be mem bers of the first English confirmation class: George Schnegg, William Nicho laus, Carl Dotta, Henry Dotta, Frank Nippert, Lewis Winzenried, Eulea Seamon, Clara Schnegg, Adina Seamon, Arminta Walter and Beulah Walter.

Rev. Gerhold, now having served the congregation for almost four years, tendered his resignation on April 15, 1907, and Rev. O. Lauxmann, present pastor of Friedens Evangelical Church, Marshalltown, Iowa, became his success-or. The latter preached his inaugural sermon on September 1, 1907. In the fall of the same year, undoubtedly due to Rev. Lauxmann^'s influence, the Sunday School joined the ^"Sunday School Union^" of the Pennsylvania District. Moreover, seeing that individual membership prov ed profitable in congregations, efforts were put forth in 1908 to introduce in dividual membership.-- Another point of interest to be recorded is: The organization of the ^"Young People^'s League^" in the year 1910. The following year marks the close of Rev. Lauxmann^'s successful ministry here at St. John^'s. The congregation, again without a pas-tor, applied for a student at Eden Theo-logical Seminary. Rev. Wm. Hausmann, present pastor of St. John^'s Evangelical Church, Wheeling, WV served during the summer months of 1911.

In the fall of the year 1911, the congregation again was able to secure a permanent pastor. Rev. Theo. Beckmeyer began his ministry here September 1, 1911. In the summer of the year 1912, the congregation again entertained the Pennsylvania District Conference. The same fall, the St. John^'s Young People^'s League at Jenni School was organized with an enrollment of about forty mem bers. Seeing that it was somewhat diff icult for the coming generation to un derstand the German language, it was decided in the annual meeting of the congregation held on January 7, 1913, that English services should be conduct ed once a month on Sunday morning. The first of these services was held January 19, 1913. On this day, the congregation was also privileged to hear Rev. Ernst Schmidt, then secretary of our missions in India, speak to them. A very impres sive service was held.

In March of the year 1913 disastrous floods occurred all along the Ohio Valley and elsewhere, causing a loss of about $200,000,000. The waters of the flood covered the greater part of Pow hatan, forcing many from the lower sto ry of their homes into the upper story; and finally compelling them to leave their homes by way of boat. Realizing that many of those dwelling in the flood zone were greatly in need of sup-port, the members of St. John^'s Evan gelical Church presented a gift of $202.00 to the general treasurer of the Evangelical Synod of North America, Rev. H. Bode, for the relief of the flood sufferers.

On November 12, 1914, Rev. Beckmeyer left St. John^'s Congregation to continue his work at Elmore, Ohio. From Nov. 12, until August 1, 1915, the congregation was without a pastor. During the Chris tmas season Student George Hegely of Central Theological Seminary, helped out; and on Good Friday and Easter the congregation enjoyed the services of Rev. Fred Baltzer. On August 1, 1915, Rev. P. Krusius, PH.D., now the head of an institution at Halle a.d. Saale, Ger many, was elected as pastor of this con gregation. June 1, 1916, marked the tenth anniversary of the Ladies^' Aid Society. On this occasion Rev. Gerhold, during whose time the Ladies^' Aid Society was organized, and Rev. Krusius, the pastor loci, addressed the assembly. In spiring services were conducted, both in the afternoon and evening. During Rev. Krusius^' time, the Cradle Roll Department of our Sunday School also was int roduced, with an enrollment of twenty-eight. Rev. Krusius, a man of keen int ellect, having served this congregation for two years, was then called to be professor at Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, Ill., and in answer to this call left August 27, 1917. (Here the writer would like to insert that the picture and greeting of Rev. Krusius failed to arr ive in time.)

From August, 1917, until July 1918, the congregation was again without a permanent pastor. Rev. A. E. Kitterer, then pastor of Immanuel Church, Clar ington, Ohio, served as pastor whenever proper arrangements could be made. On Sunday, July 14, 1918, the congregation unanimously elected Rev. Kitterer as pastor of St. John^'s Evangelical Church, and found in him, a capable leader. Dur ing his ministry, not only an internal but also external growth of the congre gation was noticeable. Large sums of money were raised for benevolent causes, as well as for local improvement. App arently there was a hearty cooperation between the members and pastor, since without it, such achievements as were made, would have been extremely diffi cult. In March of the year 1919 the congregation decided to install a ^"Delco Light Plant,^" providing the necessary funds could be raised.

An attempt was made and the results were amazing. In a short time the sum of $1,217.00 were on hand, which was used to pay for the Delco and for the papering and varnishing of the inter ior of the church. For Synodical Bud-get and Memorial Library considerable sums were given. In the same year, the Sunday School also had a campaign, the result of which was, that the en rollment was greatly increased.

In the following years the congrega tion again proved very active. Benevo lent causes were heartily supported, and at home, the following improvements were made: Two furnaces, one for the church and one for the parsonage, were installed in 1920, the parsonage was painted, and the Young People^'s League purchased a De Vry steropticon machine. Besides, in 1921 and 22 the plot of ground, lying between church and parson-age, which heretofore had been marred by wagon wheel and horse hoofs, was tra nsformed into a beautiful lawn. Cement sidewalks leading from the parsonage, and from the road to the church were laid, a white fence was erected in front, and the rest of the yard was clothed with a green garment and beautifully decorated with sweet-smelling flowers, bidding ev eryone welcome. Then, too, in the year 1922, a neat looking bathroom was built in the parsonage, a costly dark green carpet was purchased by the Ladies^' Aid Society for the church, and an individ ual communion set was purchased.

It is not necessary for the writer to add words of praise concerning the good work done by both pastor and con gregation during these last four or five years. The facts related above, speak for themselves! Rev. Kitterer, now pastor of Trinity Evangelical Chur ch, Cleveland, Ohio resigned in the summer of 1923, and preached his fare-well sermon to a large congregation, on August 19, 1923.

Since Rev. F. W. Pfitser, who had been elected as pastor of St. John^'s Evangelical Church, Powhatan, refused to accept the charge, Rev. H. G. Sch uessler, one of the 1923 graduates of Eden Theological Seminary was then sent by the Evangelical Synod of N.A. to fill the vacancy. On August 26, 1923, the latter was installed by his predecessor, and ever since was priv ileged to labor here. Words fail to express the warm welcome which the members of St. John^'s congregation granted to Rev. Schuessler at his arrival. In a few weeks, the faces which at first seemed strange, became familiar and soon hands were firmly clasped in the one cause of furthering God^'s Kingdom at home and abroad. In the annual meeting, held on January 8, 1924, the congregation decided to pur chase the ^"Evangelical Hymnal^" provid ing the other organizations of the church would give their aid. The vari ous organizations of the church, con tributed liberally and in a short time, enough money was raised to purchase a considerable number of Evangelical Hym nals. Moreover, during the course of the year, the congregation also purch ased a new pulpit for the church, bro ught up $784.00 for Synodical Budget and for New Eden the sum of $622.00 --A special feature of the year was a concert, given by the Church Choir, con sisting at that time of twenty-four mem bers. That it is an easy task for the Swiss people to sing, was proven on the night of the concert, when such well known numbers as ^"Sing Alleluia Forth^" by Dudley Buck, ^"The Lord is My Stren gth^" by Caleb Simper, and many others were well rendered.

A few other noteworthy achievements of the recent past are the painting of the exterior of the church in 1926, papering and varnishing of the interior of the church, and the painting of the parsonage in the spring of 1927. These achievements of recent date bring us in-to the torrid zone of the centennial year.

St. John^'s at Its 100th Anniversary

At this time a few facts may be re-corded concerning the various organi zations of our Church. One praisewor thy fact about St. John^'s Evangelical Sunday School is this, that not only the children, but also many aged attend Sunday School regularly. In fact the oldest member of our church, Philip Fankhauser, who for many years also has served as Sunday School Superintendent, at present is teaching the largest class in our Sunday School. The main Sunday School, of which Mr. A. F. Walter is superintendent, has an enrollment of 150, divided into eleven classes, of which seven are organized classes. Due to the fact that some of our members live a considerable distance from the church, a branch Sunday School is also being conducted at Jenni School, of which Mrs. Mary Nippert is superintend ent. The latter also being superintend ent of our Cradle Roll Department, which has an enrollment of 26 babies.

The Church Choir at present numbers sixteen active members, and two passive members. Every Sunday morning our ser vices are beautiful and enriched by two anthems. Occasionally the male quartette also makes some musical contributions.

The Young People^'s League, of which Miss Louise Lehman is president has 25 members enrolled. Unless something un usual intervenes, the members of the Y. P. League meet every other Sunday eve ning for worship and prayer. -- At Jenni School, too. Young People^'s League is held occasionally, and conducted by Mrs. Mary Nippert.

Last, but not least, due recognition must be given to the Ladies^' Aid Society of our church and especially to its cap-able president, Mrs. Clifford Isaly. At present the society has forty-two members. Even though the society is not as large as that of many other churches, neverthe less, in service, it undoubtedly sur passes many other societies, which numer ically are larger. Regular meetings are held monthly, however, frequently the members meet for special work. Due to their untiring efforts during the past three years enough funds were rai sed to make it possible for them to have the interior of the church papered and varnished, and the parsonage paint ed in the spring of the centennial year. Whether these improvements would have been made without their help is very questionable. May God, therefore, rich ly bless the work of their hands.

At present the congregation as a whole numbers 252 individual members. From a little group numbering about 25-30 families, this congregation has in-creased to its present splendid member-ship.

Having climbed the Rock of Ages for a full century as a group of believers in Christ, we, who are privileged to see the centennial year, certainly have reasons once more to turn our faces backward. As we gaze upon the path we have come, as well as the joys and bles sings of the past, our thoughts find ex pression in these words: ^"Hitherto bath the Lord helped us.^" Then, too, con scious of the innumerable blessings, which God bath bestowed upon this con gregation during the past, we cannot re frain from turning our faces heavenward, asking Him, who has guided all the way, henceforth also to be our guiding star and to lead the way. -- And now, as we gaze into the unknown future, we know not what lieth before, yet, this we do know: ^"That we, as a congregation, have a mission to fulfill, have a part to do in the blessed work of kingdomi zing the world for Christ!^"

The History of St. John^'s Since 1927

During the years since the 100th anniversary, St. John^'s has continued to be a stable and reliable feature of this community. There are not many achievements or changes in the life of the church that were recorded during the 20^'s and 40^'s. But considering the kind of years they were it is more than enough that the church maintained a significant and vital witness during those years.

In 1927 the system of financial sup-port for the church was changed to a trustee system. The trustees of the four districts were responsible for collecting dues from the members. Dues were decided upon and recorded depend ing on an individual^'s ability to give. This system continued into the 60^'s. Shortly after this, in 1930, the cons titution was revised. Also, during this time there were many improvements to the cemetery, and the future of the cemetery was provided for by donations to a permanent fund for operating ex penses. These things occurred during the pastorate of Rev. H. G. Schuessler.

On July 19, 1931 the Women^'s Guild, then called the Women^'s Union, observed their 25th anniversary. Ada Warner was president at that time. During these years important annual events were the Sunday School picnic and the Women^'s Guild Bazaar held in Bigler^'s Grove. Entertainment was often provided by our own Switzerland Band.

In 1934, while Rev. Schuessler was still pastor, St. John^'s Evangelical Church became St. John^'s Evangelical and Reformed Church following the mer ger of the Evangelical Synod of North America with the Reformed Church in the United States. And so it was that St. John^'s was fortunate to be part of a larger church which dared to begin to overcome hundreds of years of Christian schism.

Shortly after Rev. Hilmer Grunwald came in 1937 the community benefited from rural electrification (1938). The progress in the community spurred dev elopments in the church. The first portion of the present church basement was excavated in the late 30^'s. The total excavation waited till the 50^'s. In addition a new organ was purchased (our present one), and landscaping in cluding shrubbery was done.

In 1942 Rev. Grunwald left. Rev. Fred Zimmerman came in 1943 to stay for 11 years. Two items that are well rem embered from his stay were the dedicating of the stained-glass windows on Nov. 20, 1949, and the publishing of the first church paper, ^"Our Witness^". Another item, fabulous Christmas Eve Pageants were directed by Rev. Zimmer-man. The church was always filled to capacity for these productions.

During these 50 years the church was blessed with stable ministerial lead ership. St. John^'s ministers have with few exceptions stayed for many years. Rev. Schuessler and Rev. Zimmerman are examples of this continuity in pastoral leadership.

St. John^'s has had a long history of support for missions and the larger church. In 1954 the church began the practice of setting aside the 2nd off ering of each month for the work of the larger church, including mission. The practice continues today.

In 1954 the Pioneer Larger Parish was formed. At that time it included 14 churches from three counties. In 1957 three more churches joined the Parish from Washington County. Prob lems with distance made the creation of a second parish necessary, and with the merger of other churches this left the Pioneer Larger Parish with six churches in Monroe County in 1964. The Parish is active to this day. One of the many things it did in those early years was the creation of a Rural Development Committee.

Rev. Fred Zimmerman who was with St. John^'s at the time of the creation of Pioneer Larger Parish left St. John's in 1954. His ministry was followed by that of Kirby Jenquins, who only stayed at St. John^'s for approximately one year. As he was leaving, the E & R church and the Congregational Christian churches were on the verge of forming the United Church of Christ. The action was completed and announced on June 25, 1957. Again the church had participated in another great merger.

In 1958 St. John^'s called Rev. Bernice Buehler to be pastor. She was the first woman pastor of St. John^'s and she had been one of the first three women graduated from Yale Divinity Sch ool with a B.D. degree. Miss B^'s love was Christian education. She streng thened the program here greatly-- int roducing the congregation to the new UCC curriculum and team teaching. Al ong with this concern for education was the concern for more space to con-duct classes. In 1958 the church began an expansion of the church basement which was completed and dedicated in 1960. This new area provided class-rooms and a kitchen.

There were other improvements which came about during the time Miss ^"B^"served as St. John^'s pastor. These in cluded the remodeling of the chancel in 1961 and the rebuilding of the church tower in 1963.

The structure of the work of the chu rch was not ignored while the building was being renovated, and so the consti tution of St. John^'s was revised in 1964.

After eight years of service Miss B left St. John^'s in June of 1966. Her service to the church was followed by that of Rev. Kenneth Heasley in April of 1967. With the idea of a pastor with a family in mind it became clear that the old parsonage was not adequate and a new one was built and the dedicated in 1967.

During the seven years that Pastor Heasley was at St. John^'s the church and the parish became involved in many community endeavors such as the region-al health planning council and the development of a rural water system for Switzerland Township and neighboring areas. Both of these efforts have had a profound effect upon the quality of life in our community and the county. We can be thankful for the pastoral and lay leadership of St. John^'s which help ed to see these projects through. Also, during this time the constitution of the church was revised again. About this same time a Senior Citizens group was formed. This group has added a new dimension to the life of the church in recognizing the needs and gifts of the senior members of our community.

Pastor Heasley left St. John^'s in September of 1974. During the time be tween his leaving and the coming of Rev. Richard Vaught in July of 1975 the Pioneer Larger Parish was busy creating a new way of utilizing the leadership of its ministers. The Parish with the help of Rev. Paul Olm, our Association Minister, developed a concept of shared leadership so that the ministers of the parish could share their gifts not only with their individual churches but also with the other churches of the parish. Each minister was asked to specialize in a certain area of the church^'s work so as to be a resource for the whole parish. This plan became a reality in the summer of 1975 with the coming of four new ministers to the parish.

During the last couple of years there has been some necessary work done to the church buildings -- new siding on the steeple and a new roof on the Christian Education Building (formerly the old parsonage). However for the church and community one of the most important e-vents was the completion of the water system in 1976. While this work has not contributed any new dimension to the church^'s facilities, it neverthe less revealed their continuing support and generous giving that this was all done without any campaign and without any sacrifice to the programs of the church.

Within the life of the church other changes were taking place in these most recent years. The UCC curriculum which had served us so long needed replacement. So a new concept of Christian Education was tried in relation to the Sunday Sch ool. This learning center style of edu cation was begun in the fall of 1976. Also, during this time the long history of St. John^'s generous giving toward Our Christian World Mission was recognized. For a number of years we have given an amount equal to 25% of our budget for the larger work of the church. Because of this the church was allowed to re-late itself directly to a mission vent ure. In 1977 St. John^'s took on a Sec ond-mile project with the VanSant miss ionary family in Indonesia. This is quite an honor for a smaller church. Rev. Vaught told the congregation in 1977, ^"St. John^'s is one of the very few churches of its size supporting a full-time minister that has been able to be such a generous giver for the larger work of the church.^"

St. John^'s At Its 150th Anniversary

In comparing St. John^'s 1977 with St. John^'s 1927, it is difficult to comprehend all the change which has taken place in the world around us in that time. However, you do get some sense of what has happened by looking at a picture of the congregation at that time and looking at the people of the congregation today. I wonder if those who are doing this task in 2027 will have the same difficulty. While there is always change to note in the progress of 50 years, it must also be observed that this last 50 has seen immense change. During these years progress has often been synonymous with change. Will we continue to think so in the future?

Through all this change the Church has stood proclaiming the timeless and changeless Word of God. Yes, the chur ch has been taxed to proclaim that Word in a way which is meaningful to differ ent people in a different time, but it has and is doing so. It will continue to do so as the Church has done for nearly 2000 years.

St. John^'s has responded to this new time with new programs to better empow er its witness. It continues to witness to the faith and nourish its members.
We still have a strong adult education program with four different classes. The Sunday School has continued to use the learning center style of Christian Education. There is more cooperation between teachers and students in this style and lessons are reinforced by activities and projects related to the subject.

The church responds with special pr ograms to meet the needs of its people in life^'s different states. A past ex-ample of this is our Senior Citizen^'s group. Today we are looking more to-ward young adults to see if we can be of more service to them. But other programs continue year after year. The Women^'s Guild still provides fellowship and a creative outlet for the women of the church. The Youth Fellowship also fills an important need even though there are so many programs for youth to-day. The continuing programs of the church are still enabled by a full-time minister, but the expanding work of the church is better maintained by six comm ittees which branch out from the Council.

But the real thrust of Christ^'s work in the world today is mission, and St. John^'s is heavily engaged in mission and common efforts with fellow Christians. St. John^'s strong support for mission (we have given an amount equal to 25% of our budget for many years) is an ex-ample for our fellow churches. And be-cause of this the United Church of Chr ist has allowed St. John^'s to become directly related with mission work in Indonesia. This year St. John^'s compl eted its first Second-mile project with the Van Sants and it has decided to con tinue the Second-mile venture.

St. John^'s in the Pioneer Larger Parish helped to set goals for the com ing years and reaffirmed the value of shared leadership through our ministers. Also, through the parish the church does such things as supporting work with the mentally retarded in our county.

And through the minister the church is participating in county 4-H program ming; the Powhatan Ministerial Associ ation; the Monroe County Ministerial Association, which provided a medical assistance fund for the poor in the county and set up an alcoholism seminar for a five-county area; the Social Act-ion Committee of the Eastern Ohio Asso ciation of the UCC; the Health, Higher Education and Welfare Committee of the Ohio Conference of the UCC, and the Belmont-Harrison-Monroe Drug and Alcohol Council.

In these ways the church is respond ing to the work of God which tells us to nurture ourselves for the work of the Gospel in the world. We are invol ved in God^'s work; in our church, in our local community, with sister chur ches of our denomination and ecumeni cally, in the larger work of the United Church of Christ in Ohio and our nation, in Indonesia and all over the world through Our Christian World Mission.

We have been blessed over the years and today, and we are striving to be a blessing to others.

Our 150th Anniversary Celebration

The anniversary committee composed of Mark Forni (chairman), Lenzy Darrah, Eula Darrah, Marjorie Baumberger, Jerry Forni, and Rev. Richard Vaught planned the anniversary program. The first event was a rally day scheduled for June 5. It was a very fine day even though the rain prevented us from eat ing outside. Many people came a long distance. The greatest distance was traveled by Mrs. Barney Trace from Booneville, Arkansas. Also present were Mrs. H. G. Schuessler and Rev. Bernice Buehler.

During the morning we had worship with music by the choir. Then the Wom en^'s Guild prepared a fine meal for everyone who was there. In the after-noon we heard some great music from Jerry Forni and Rusty Atkinson, saw two short plays put on by the Youth Fellowship, and a slide show prepared by Rev. Vaught. All in all it was an enjoyable day.

On Sept. 18 we had the second part of the celebration. This was a morning and evening format. In the morning, during worship, Rev. Bernice Buehler and Rev. Kenneth Heasley, former pas-tors, greeted the congregation. The evening plans included a beautiful meal prepared by the Women^'s Guild. At this meal flowers were given to celebrate our many 50 and 70-year members.

This was followed by an evening service. The service was highlighted by the singing of the Choir and Rusty Atki nson and Jerry Forni. But the main e-vents were addresses by Rev. Keene Le-bold and Rev. Paul Olm. Rev. Lebold is presently the associate executive director of the Ohio Council of Church-es. But a few years ago he was serving Immanuel UCC in Clarington, and helped to launch the Pioneer Larger Parish. He spoke to us about importance of Chr istian cooperation. The Rev. Paul Olm, who is the Association Minister of the Eastern Ohio Association, spoke to us concerning the challenges facing the church in the future. It was a fitting conclusion for our celebration.

Another aspect of the celebration was a beautiful anniversary plate. A great many of these plates were sold. The proceeds from the plates were used to help pay for this booklet.

St. John^'s History From 1977 - 2002

The last 25 years have seen many changes at St. John^'s, the country and the world, but St. John^'s did not lose faith and continued in the Christian Tradition.

In November of 1977 a new cross for the steeple was given in memory of Clarence and Carrie Forni by their children. In 1980 the sanctuary and church basement were redecorated. A new stained glass window in the back of the church above the double doors was given in memory of Stella Fankhauser by her family.

St. John^'s continues to take part in many events including those of the Pio neer Larger Parish and the Eastern Ohio Association.

A Bell Choir was formed in the summ er of 1981 under the direction of Rev. Vaught, much to the delight of the con gregation. The two-octave bells were given by the family of J.D. & Mary Cald well. Later another octave was added. In September a new organ was given by Oma Nippert. The Hammond organ had served its purpose for over 40 years and decided it was time to quit.

In 1982 Pastor and Karen Vaught went on Sabbatical leave to the Phillipines, and church services were held by lay people.

St. John^'s, under the direction of Rev. Vaught, continues to take part in the meetings to help the unemployed of Monroe County. Monroe County had one of the highest percentages of unemploy ment in the state of Ohio at that time.

In November of 1983 the painting of the outside of the church was complet ed. The unemployed of the church were hired at $4 an hour to do the job.

In 1984 a new stained glass window was installed in the belfrey, and the congregation continued the tradition to have an outdoor service each summer.

On October 14, 1984, a special ser vice commemorating the 100th anniversary of the present church building was held with past ministers and guests invited to attend. A covered dish meal was held following the service and a short program followed.

In April of 1985 two flowering crab-apple trees were planted in front of the parsonage and a new guard rail was installed in the parking lot. The new cabinet at the rear of the church, made by Curtis Miller, was installed.

In April of 1986 a new and wider walk from the parking lot to the church was built. Padding for the pews was given by a member in 1987.

Pastor Vaught tendered his resignat ion on January 11, 1988 to accept the position of pastor at the UCC church in Ridgway, PA. His last sermon was held on February 21. Rev. John Bruce, re-tired UCC minister from Lewisville, OH, then became our full-time interim pas-tor.

New Bibles for the pews were given as a memorial to Albert Baker by Emma Baker and the Bible racks were made and installed by Waldo Forni. His beauti ful carpentry work is appreciated by all.

In 1990 ceiling fans, in memory of Gilbert and Vera Dangel, were installed in the sanctuary and given by their family. These fans were a great help to cool the sanctuary during the hot summer months.

We welcomed Rev. Jeanne Vetere on January 15, 1991 as our new full-time pastor. Dick Crothers installed a new PA system, and talk began to surface about the need to build a new building for use for larger groups and events. Our present facilities were very limit ed, and we were in dire need of more room. Ground was broken on March 26, 1995 with honored guests Rev. Joann Broten from the Eastern Ohio Associa tion; Heber Piatt, Monroe County Comm issioner and Jerry Forni, president of St. John^'s Council and co-chairman of the New Building Committee. Committee members were Ila Darrah, Joyce Dunn, Lenzy Darrah, Judy Reynolds and Dave Corwin. Much of the work of this new building was done by the talented mem bers and friends of the congregation. This debt-free building was dedicated on April 26, 1998. The money raised by pledges, gifts, donations, memorials and the German Ridge Jamboree. The many hours that members and friends gave to work on the building saved us thousands of dollars.

The first German Ridge Jamboree was held in July 1992 and continues to be held the fourth Saturday of each July. The money from this event is now used for the upkeep of the Fellowship Center (the name for the new building complex).

The old parsonage, now used as the Education Building for Sunday School classes and small meetings, was remod eled to become a part of the Fellowship Center. The second floor is used for storage, the first floor for Sunday School classes and meeting rooms and the basement has become the new kitchen.

A ramp on the left side of the church entryway, donated by the Paul Dangel Fam ily in memory of Donalda Dangel, was dedicated on March 27, 1991. This ramp has enabled many to attend church who found it difficult to manage the front steps.

At the annual meeting of the congre gation in January 1992 it was voted to alternate communion to be given in the pews every other communion Sunday with going up front on the alternate Sunday.

In 1993 Easter Sunrise services beg-an by holding most of the services on the hilltop above the church. Women^'s Guild serve donuts, hot chocolate and coffee to those attending.

Lucile Gasser resigned on January 1, 1994 as organist for the congregation after serving for 43 years. She then served an additional two years as pianist for the choir and still serves as pianist for a Sunday School class.

Waldo Forni made cowtiunion cup hold ers for all of the pews since communion will now be served in the pews every other time.

St. John^'s members pledged $15,600 towards the United Church of Christ^'s ^"Make a Difference Campaign^" with its goal set at $9800.

Rev. Vetere resigned as pastor in June of 1994 to further her education. In October of 1994 Rev. Richard Olsson was hired to become our interim minis-ter.

In 1995 a lighted church sign was installed near the road in front of the parsonage. It was given by Carol and John Galavich in memory of Lawrence Kreichbaum and in honor of Marie Kreich baum. Louis and Alfred Nippert donated the foundation, all labor and brick in memory of their mother, Wilma Nippert.

Rev. Steven Shanaman was hired as our full-time minister, and his first sermon was held on September 3, 1995.

In August of 1997 he was asked to resign due to a major conflict, and he did so on August 28 of that year. Rev. John Bruce became our interim minister for the second time on October 5, 1997 and served us until June 1, 1999. Various lay people and ministers filled the void until July 1, 2002 when Rev. Richard Wilson became our interim minister.

The Fellowship Center has proven to be a great asset to St. John^'s as it provides a place for many activities and a place to bring the community to gether. Fish Fries are held during Lent. The money from this event curr ently goes for the Cemetery Fund (Per petual Care).

St. John^'s hosted the Eastern Ohio Association fall meeting on November 11, 2000 and served a full meal to around 200 people with ease, something we could not have done without the new Center. We received much praise for this event from the Eastern Ohio Association and those who attended.

Beginning in 1999 a new cement drive-way from the parking lot to the left side of the church was begun. A large memorial in memory of Andrew and Ethel Ladyga was given to start this project. Many other memorials and gifts were also given as the project progressed. The driveway was finished in 2000 going around the back of the church and down past the education wing of the Fellowship Center and back to the parking lot. This has been a great addition to the church because it has enabled many peo ple to attend church who were unable to walk up to the church from the park ing lot. It is used every Sunday and for other occasions.

In February of 1998 the sanctuary was redecorated. While this project was going on, church services were held in the Fellowship Center. We are plea sed with the bright new look of the sanctuary. The walls and ceiling were painted an off-white with gold trim, a nice change from the gold walls of the past.

Our 175th Anniversary Celebration

On April 21, 2002, St. John^'s cele brated the first of two Sundays of cele bration of our 175th anniversary. This was held in conjunction with our sister churches (The Pioneer Larger Parish) consisting of Immanuel UCC, Clarington; St. Paul^'s UCC, Woodsfield; Trinity UCC, Lewisville and Zion UCC, Hannibal. Rev. Richard Plant, Associate Association Minister, gave the sermon and conducted communion. Special music was furnished by Carol Galavich and Darlene Crothers. The combined choirs, under the direction of Rev. Donald Hitchcock, Zion & Imman uel minister, presented two fitting anthems for our enjoyment. We honored two special people at this service: Frances Lehman for being a member the most number of years (77) and Lucile Gasser for being the eldest member (92). They were presented flowers and a cert ificate of recognition. A covered dish meal followed this Anniversary Service in the Fellowship Center.

On October 6 we held our second Sun-day of celebration with 225 people attending. Past ministers attending and conducting the service were: Rev. Fred Zimmerman, Rev. Kenneth Heasley, Rev. Richard Vaught and Rev. Jeanne Vetere. Rev. Zimmerman gave the in spiring message and was in charge of communion assisted by the other minis ters. Rev. Bernice Buehler was unable to attend due to ill health but sent her good wishes and congratulations. Those who had been members for 50-71 years and the newest confirmation class were honored. They each received a certificate and a red carnation corsage. The choir gave a beautiful rendition of the fitting anthem ^"Let Us Celebrate^" under the direction of Karen Datkuliak. Carol Galavich and Darlene Crothers pre sented organ and piano duets. The Bell Choir, directed by Susan Schnegg, pre sented their special music for the celebration.

The entire morning service and most of the afternoon program were video taped by a professional photographer. VHS tapes and DVDs were made available. An afternoon program followed the home-cooked meal served by the Women^'s Guild at noon to over 200 people. Memories of St. John^'s were given by past ministers, interim ministers, lay people and guests, namely: Rev. Fred Zimmerman, Rev. Ken Heasley, Rev. Richard Vaught, Rev. Jeanne Vetere, Rev. David Schwab, Eastern Ohio Association minister; Rev. John Bruce; Rev. Keene Lebold; Rev. Richard Wilson; Mr. Dick Carl and others. The choir sang a couple of numbers with a special rendition of ^"One Step^". Our men^'s group sang several numbers with ^"Come to the Church Out in Switzer^" being everyone^'s favorite. Words to this song were written by Rodger Burgess to the tune of ^"Church in The Wildwood.^"

Commemorative glass bells made by Fenton Glass Co. were made as a 175th anniversary keepsake and sold for $20 each. Laminated anniversary programs were given to everyone attending the

service on April 21 and October 6.

All church members were honored by groups on Sundays following the Octo ber 6 event. All children were also honored with a certificate and gift at the Christmas Eve program and later.

During our Anniversary year we lost three members: Frances Lehman, Hilda Milosavljevic and Edna Miller. Three babies were baptised: Lauren Elaine Christman, daughter of Dean and Dian Christman, Jenna Beth Tucker, daughter of Russell and Amy Tucker and Heath Andru Rosen, son of Travis and Taffany Rosen. There were two weddings of mem bers: Kati Cook and Stephen Miller and Nathan Lehman to Tonya Lee Beckley.

During late 1999 and early 2000 the organ, carillon and PA system were de stroyed by lightening. Due to good in surance all were successfully replaced. An electronic piano was also purchased for the Fellowship Center.

Many generous and beautiful memori als have been given to the Memorial Fund, New Building Fund, Cemetery Fund and other funds over the past 25 years. Of note is the replacement of the church roof from the Mildred Brown fam ily and friends. A sizable gift from Ruth Gikler will enable us to make sev eral improvements to the church build ing in 2003.

Our Christmas Eve Program, which be gan in the 1920s, is still a popular service. It takes many talented people from the children to adults to present this enjoyable and meaningful program each year. The program ends with a candlelight service and is well attend-ed.

St. John^'s generously supports most of the programs of the United Church of Christ and those of our county, commun ity and surrounding areas.

God has richly blessed St. John^'s and we are proud to celebrate ^"175 Years of Christian Tradition.^"

The following members served on the anniversary committee doing the plann ing and overseeing the year-long anni versary celebrations: Larry Darrah,

Christine Crowell, Joyce Dunn, Eleanor Groves, Ila Darrah, Michelle Mozena, Millie Mozena, Judy Reynolds, Dennis Bigler, Marjorie Baumberger, Rev. Richard Wilson, Interim Pastor, Linda Zink and Starling Zink, Chairman.

MINISTERS SERVING ST. JOHN^'S

1.	Rev. Wagner ...................................................................... 1827 - how long not known
2.	Rev. Kueper ....................................................................... 1829 - how long not known
3.	Rev. Renier .................................................................................... how long not known
4.	Rev. Alexander Schwartz 1841 - 1849
5.	Rev. John Baumberger .1853
6.	Rev. Rahn 1853 - 7 mo.
7.	Rev. Anton Binder .............................................................. 1854 - how long not known
8.	Rev. Conrad Kraus .1855		- 1858
9.	Rev. Friederich Weisgerber ..1858		- 1861
10.	Rev. Rieder ............................................................................	1861	- 1865
11.	Rev. J. Jud .............................................................................	1865	- 1870
12.	Rev. W. Walter .......................................................................	1871	- 1878
13.	Rev. J. Bodmer .......................................................................	1878	- 1882
14.	Rev. P. Schilling .....................................................................	1883	- 1885
15.	Rev. J. Berges ........................................................................	1885	- 1894
16.	Rev. C. Loos ..........................................................................	1894	- 1898
17.	Rev. C. G. Kettelhut ...............................................................	1898	- 1902
18.	Rev. G. S. Gerhold .................................................................	1903	- 1907
19.	Rev. O. W. Lauxmann ............................................................	1907	- 1911
20.	Rev. Theo Beckmeyer .............................................................	1911	- 1914
21.	Rev. Paul Krusius ...................................................................	1915	- 1917
22.	Rev. A. E. Kitterer ..................................................................	1918	- 1923
23.	Rev. H. G. Schuessler .............................................................	1923	- 1937
24.	Rev. Hilmer Grunwald .............................................................	1937	- 1942
25.	Rev. Fred Zimmerman ............................................................	1943	- 1954
26.	Rev. Kirby Jenquins ................................................................	1956	- 1957
27.	Rev. Bernice Buehler ...............................................................	1958	- 1966
28.	Rev. Kenneth Heasley .............................................................	1967	- 1974
29.	Rev. Richard Vaught ...............................................................	1975	- 1988
30.	Rev. John Bruce, Interim .........................................................	1988	- 1991
31.	Rev. Jeanne Vetere ..................................................................	1991	- 1994
32.	Rev. Richard Olsson, Interim ..................................................	1994	- 1995
33.	Rev. Stephen Shanaman ..........................................................	1995	- 1997
34.	Rev. John Bruce, Interim .........................................................	1997	- 1999
35.	Various pulpit supply ..............................................................	1999	- 2002
36.	Rev. Richard Wilson, Interim ..................................................	2002	-

ST. JOHN^'S UCC 2002 MEMBERSHIP

Following are the members of St. John^'s in this 175th anniversary year:

			years as member			years as member
	Howard Bigler		65	Harold Lehman		49
	Evelyn Brunner		71	Richard Lehman		49
	Eula Darrah		63	Charles Meyer, Sr.		44
	Ila Darrah		63	Julia Meyer		44
	Lenzy Darrah		65	Orphie Meyer		44
	Elvira Datkuliak		63	Hilda Milosavljevic		44
	Ray Fankhauser		63	Radic Milosavljevic		44
	Earl Forni		69	Victor Mozena		45
	Ila Forni		67	Esther Nippert		44
	Waldo Forni		63	Carol 011om		46
	Lucile Gasser		66	James 011om		43
	Ruth Gikler		71	Ron 011om		43
	Frances Lehman		77	Janet Pavich		45
	Dorothy Schnegg		67	Judy Reynolds		40
	Ethel Ramser		60	Elda Rubel		49
				Neil Rubel		41
	Louise Bauer		59	Donald Schnegg		45
	Nora Marie Bednarczyk		58	Elizabeth Stouffer		49
	Eugene Dangel		55	Linda Zink		46
	Paul Dangel		58	Starling Zink		49
	Elmer Datkuliak		54
	Ralph Fankhauser		55	Gary Baumberger		39
	Vernon Forni		58	Dennis Bigler		31
	Virginia Imhoff		50	Jeanne Brenning		31
	Don Isaly		53	Betty Brown		32
	Paul Kindelberger		59	Biddle Brown		32
	Edna Miller		54	Ruth Ann Cook		34
	Gloria Miller		50	Pam Corwin		33
	Richard Miller		50	Ilona Crabtree		37
	George Schnegg, Jr.		58	Glenn Darrah		34
	Mildred Schnegg		50	Kathie Darrah		31
	Floyd Stine		54	Karen Datkuliak		34
				Ronald Datkuliak		34
	Marjorie Baumberger		46	Dennis Dietrich		34
	Andy Bednarczyk		44	Naomi Dietrich		38
	Brian Bigler		40	Ralph Dietrich		38
	Jean Bigler		45	Sandy Dietrich		33
	Irene Dangel		42	Mark Forni		34
	Larry Darrah		42	Eleanor Groves		35
	Tom Darrah		40	Janice Kindelberger		30
	Joyce Dunn		46	Judy Ladyga		32
	Allan Fankhauser		42	Marsha Leasure		34
	Dale Fankhauser		49	Barbara Lehman		36
	Lena Fankhauser		49	James Lehman		34
	Paul Forni		49	Laura Lehman		33
	Phyllis Forni		47	Charles Meyer, Jr.		35
	Carol Galavich		45	Robert Meyer		33
	John Galavich		43	Lila Milosavljevic		33
	Paul Ladyga		45	Millie Mozena		32
	Gary Lehman		45	Debra Schnegg		31
	Susan Schnegg		36	Nathan Lehman		17
Linda Stenger		31			Ernie Loy II		15
					Linda Miller		19
Greg Baumberger		24			Charlotte Moore		19
Donald Brennen		22			Roy Moore		19
Mary Jo Burgess		21			Michael Mozena		19
Rebecca Burgess		21			Michelle Mozena		15
Rodger Burgess		21			Darlene Price		17
Dian Christman		21			Nancy Reynolds		19
Bill Cook		22			Terri Reynolds		19
David Corwin		25			Taffany Rosen		15
Doug Crall		24			Darren Schnegg		19
Marilynn Crall		25			Todd Schuler		15
Christine Crowell		24			Christine Smith		13
Harold Dietrich		28			Fred Smith		13
Amity Fankhauser		21			Michael Stack		10
Henry Fankhauser		26			Tom Stack		19
Richard Fankhauser		28			Amy Tucker		17
Terry Fankhauser		29			Ashley Vaught		15
Wayne Fankhauser		24			Joan Weigand		15
Jerry Forni		29
Jodi Forni		21			Patsy Baker		8
Karen Frank		26			Alexa Bigler		4
John R. Lehman		26			Tim Cook		7
Debbie Loy		21			Matt Corwin		7
Ernie Loy		21			Darlene Crothers		4
Deanna Meyer		28			John Crothers		1
Susie Meyer		24			Katrinia Crothers		1
Curtis Miller		29			Richard Crothers		4
Doug Nippert		29			Judy Darrah		7
Jennifer Paul		21			Levi Datkuliak		3
David Schnegg		21			Derek Dietrich		7
Debbie Stack		29			Dixie Dietrich		1
Jana Tefatiller		21			Jason Dietrich		7
Lorrie Yablonsky		21			Jeff Dietrich		7
Randal Zink		24			Kim Dietrich		7
					Leland Haught		2
Beverly Anderson		19			Louise Haught		2
Marlene Anderson		11			Lisa Isaly		2
Larry Baumberger		15			Jenny Knight		7
Nancy Baumberger		15			Bart Lehman		7
John Burgess		19			Shirley Loew		4
Ben Cook		10			Beau Martin		7
Reuben Datkuliak		10			Kati Miller		7
Casey Dietrich		10			Jeff Price		6
Keith Dietrich		10			Mike Prince		7
Cindy Fankhauser		11			Paula Prince		7
Jeannie Fankhauser		15			Joy Steiner		7
Dennis Galavich		19			Russell Tucker		3
Barbara Huggins		19			Lawrence Wade		4
Marcy Janus		19			Sue Wade		4

Allan Weigand 4

Shelia Wiseman 3

Jackie Zink 3

David Datkuliak 1

Kodi Downing 1

Miranda Fankhauser 1

Jessica Forni 1

Shane Stack 1

The following members died during the anniversary year: Frances Lehman, Hilda Milosavljevic and Edna Miller

Photo # 15

FORMER MINISTERS CONDUCT 175^TH ANNIVERSARY SERVICE Oct. 6, 2003

left to right: Jeanne Vetere, Kenneth Heasley, Fred Zimmerman, Richard Vaught

Photo # 16

GUEST MINISTERS ATTEND 175^TH ANNIVERSARY SERVICE Oct. 6, 2003

left to right:

back row: Donald Hitchcock; Richard Wilson; John Bruce; David Schwab, Assoc. Minister

front: row: Jeanne Vetere, Kenneth Heasley, Fred Zimmerman, Richard Vaught, Keene Lebold

Photo # 17

ST. JOHN S MEMBER FOR 77 YEARS AND ST. JOHN S ELDEST MEMBER

77-year member, Frances Lehman, (sitting) and eldest member, Lucile Gasser (aged 92) and active

Photo # 18

ST. JOHN S MOST RECENT CONFIRMATION CLASS

left to right: Shane Stack, Jessica Forni, Miranda Fankhauser, David Datkuliak

Photo # 19

60 71 YEAR MEMBERS

left to right:

back row: Waldo Forni, Lenzy Darrah, Ila Forni, Elvira Datkuliak, Ray Fankhauser, Howard Bigler, Ila Darrah

front: row: Eula Darrah, Earl Forni, Ethel Ramser, Lucile Gasser, Dorothy Schnegg, Ruth Gikler, Evelyn Brunner (sitting)

Photo # 20

50 59 YEAR MEMBERS

left to right:

back row: Paul Dangel, George Kindelberger, Gene Dangel, George Schnegg, Vernon Forni

front: row: Elmer Datkuliak, Edna Miller, Nora Marie Bednarczyk

Photo # 21

40 49 YEAR MEMBERS

left to right:

back row: Donald Schnegg, Victor Mozena, Andrew Bednarczyk, Larry Darrah

third row: Paul Forni, Neil Rubel, Dale Fankhauser, Harold Lehman, Richard Lehman, Starling Zink

second row: Elizabeth Stouffer, Elda Rubel, Linda Zink, Joyce Dunn, Judy Reynolds, Lena Fankhauser, Esther Nippert, Jean Bigler

front: row: Marjorie Baumberger, Orphie Meyer, Irene Dangel

Photo # 22

30 39 YEAR MEMBERS

left to right:

back row: Judy Ladyga, Sandra Dietrich, Ruth Ann Cook, Karen Datkuliak, Susan Schnegg, Barbara Lehman

front row: Naomi Dietrich, Ralph Dietrich, Eleanor Groves, Janice Kindelberger, Millie Mozena, Dennis Bigler

Photo # 23

20 29 YEAR MEMBERS

left to right:

back row: Debbie Stack, Randy Zink, Henry Fankhauser

front row: Christine Crowell, Dian Christman, Amity Fankhauser

Photo # 24

10 19 YEAR MEMBERS

left to right:

back row: Terri Reynolds, Charlotte Moore, Amy Tucker, Beverly Anderson, Fred Smith

front row: Michelle Mozena, Roy Moore, Reuben Datkuliak, Joan Weigand, Nancy Baumberger, Christine Smith

Photo # 25

1 9 YEAR MEMBERS

left to right:

back row: Levi Datkuliak, David Datkuliak, Russell Tucker, Allen Weigand, Dick Crothers, Shane Stack, Larry Wade

front row: Lisa Isaly, Kati Miller, Jessica Forni, Shirley Loew, Darlene Crothers, Jackie Zink, Sue Wade

Photo # 26

PROPERTY COMMITTEE

left to right:

back row: Gene Dangel, Henry Fankhauser, Ron Datkuliak, Andy Bednarczyk, Paul Ladyga, Jerry Forni, Reuben Datkuliak, Dick Crothers

front row: Ray Fankhauser, Fred Smith, Victor Mozena

Photo # 27

CHURCH COUNCIL

left to right:

back row: Paul Ladyga, Larry Wade, Debbie Stack

middle row: Terri Reynolds, Shane Stack, Elizabeth Stouffer

front row: Ronald Datkuliak, Fred Smith, Starling Zink, Randal Zink

Photo # 28

ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE

left to right:

back row: Starling Zink, Marjorie Baumberger, Judy Reynolds, Joyce Dunn, Michelle Mozena, Christine Crowell, Larry Darrah

front row: Ila Darrah, Linda Zink, Eleanor Groves, Millie Mozena

Photo # 29

SEARCH COMMITTEE

left to right:

back row: Larry Wade, Carol Galavich, Judy Reynolds, Darlene Crothers

front row: Laura Lehman, Michelle Mozena, Joyce Dunn, Starling Zink

Photo # 30

JAMBOREE COMMITTEE

left to right:

back row: Starling Zink, Dick Crothers, Ila Darrah, Lena Fankhauser, Jerry Forni, Victor Mozena

front row: Shirley Loew, Millie Mozena, Jessica Forni, Jodi Forni, Judy Reynolds

Photo # 33

CEMETERY COMMITTEE

Gene Dangel and Ila Darrah

Photo # 34

MEMORIAL COMMITTEE

Eula Darrah, Eleanor Groves, Chair., Linda Zink

Photo # 35

CHOIR MEMBERS

left to right:

back row: Laura Lehman, Elvira Datkuliak, Terri Reynolds, Susan Schnegg

middle row: Carol Galavich, Judy Ladyga, Linda Zink, Elizabeth Stouffer, Ila Darrah

front row: Judy Reynolds, Chris Smith, Millie Mozena, Amity Fankhauser, Elmer Datkuliak, Howard Bigler, Donald Schnegg

Photo # 36

BELL CHOIR MEMBERS

left to right:

back row: Reuben Datkuliak, Terri Reynolds, Judy Ladyga, Susan Schnegg, Carol Galavich, Sandra Dietrich

front row: Karen Datkuliak, Judy Reynolds, Linda Zink, Ruth Ann Cook, Kati Miller, David Datkuliak, Amity Fankhauser

Photo # 37

MUSICIANS (organists pianists)

left to right:

back row: Carol Galavich, Darlene Crothers

front row: Eleanor Groves, Lucile Gasser, Amity Fankhauser

Photo # 38

SUNDAY SCHOOL CHILDREN & TEACHERS

left to right:

back row: Ayla Isaly, Dian Christman, Debbie Stack, Michelle Mozena, Jennifer Isaly

third row: Hayley Campbell, Cody Isaly, Taylor Zink, Amber Logston

second row: Allen Christman, Alex Fankhauser, Ella Mae Campbell, Mason Campbell, Cole Isaly

front row: Brandon Tucker, Trey Isaly, Ericka Logston

Photo # 39

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS (meets in church)

left to right:

back row: Starling Zink, Carol Galavich, John Galavich, Lenzy Darrah, Randy Zink, Vic Mozena, Jackie Zink, Dick Crothers, Bobbi Campbell, Judy Reynolds

front row: Linda Zink, Lucile Gasser, Eula Darrah, Ruth Gikler, Nora Marie Bednarczyk, Millie Mozena, Eleanor Groves

Photo # 40

ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS (meets in Fellowship Center)

left to right:

back row: Andy Bednarczyk, Mildred Schnegg, Darlene Crothers, Dale Fankhauser, Paul Dangel

front row: Shirley Loew, Elmer Datkuliak, Elvira Datkuliak, Ila Darrah Terri Reynolds

Photo # 41

ST. JOHN S YOUTH GROUP

left to right:

back row: Abby Mellott, Miranda Fankhauser, David Datkuliak

front row: Jodi Forni, Advisor; Meagan Mellott; Jessica Forni; Shane Stack; Jerry Forni, Advisor

Photo # 42

GERMAN RIDGE Jamboree 2002

Photo taken Summer 2002

Photo # 43

LENZY DARRAH

Lenzy Darrah taught Sunday School for 50+ years

Photo # 44

OFFICE WORKERS

Millie Mozena, Linda Zink

Newspapers Bulletins

Photo # 45

GERMAN RIDGE Jamboree 2002

Carol Galavich, Karen Datkuliak

Pianist Director

1	Will Jenni
2	Rev. Carl Berges	man to the left of steeple -
3	Clara (Bigler) West	Charles Bigler of Charles Lehman
4	George Kocher
5	Albert Maury	men against the church right
6	Will Loew	left to right:
7	Alice (Blattler) Thomas	1. Alex Kocher
8	Will Kriechbaum	2. Edwin Swegard
9	?
10	Reuben Fankhauser	front lady with white shawl -
11	Mary (Lehman) Isaly	Mary Zesiger
12	Louis Ramser
13	Ruben Lehman	in front to left: Mary Kocher
14	Lawrence Berges
15	Will Swegard	other lady with white shawl -
16	?	Mrs. John Bigler
17	Emil Bey
18	George Jennewein
19	Charles Jenni

THE 175TH ANNIVERSARY

OF

ST. JOHN S

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

As we gaze upon the path we have come, as well as the

CONTENTS

History of St. John s in pictures

History of St. John s to 1927

Photo taken Summer 2002

Lenzy Darrah taught Sunday School for 50+ years

Carol Galavich, Karen Datkuliak

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS