St. Paul Lutheran Church Flatrock Township, Ohio History - 1851-2026. Part 4.

Our Sister Congregation St Paul Flatrock is celebrating it’s 175 Anniversary on August 23rd 2026. I thought it would be nice to share some of that history!

Last time we discussed how in the year 1858 the faithful Lutheran pastor Adolph William Bergt began to serve St Paul Flatrock.

Pastor Paul Rupprecht, called from Minnesota, became the successor of Pastor Bergt. His field of work was rather large. Resigning at St. James, Fulton County, where he had been installed on June 5, 1864, he served our congregation in addition to St. John's, Ridgeville Township, and St. Paul's, Napoleon.

When three years later Williams County was added to Pastor Rupprecht's field, an assistant in the person of John Peter Karrer, was given him. Pastor Karrer was installed in Flatrock and in Napoleon on September 1, 1867. At first our pastor resided in Flatrock Township, but after a year with us he moved to Napoleon. Pastor Karrer's work expanded. St. John's, Freedom Township, also came under his care. On September 18, 1870, assistance was given by the arrival of Candidate Adalbert Krafft. On that day the latter was inducted into office at St. Paul by Pastor Detzer. In the resultant division of work Pastor Krafft also took over the duties at St. John's-Michaelis, Florida.

When on September 24, 1871, Pastor Krafft was installed as pastor of the St. James, Fulton County, and St. John, Ridgeville Township, congregations, he could no longer serve St. Paul because of the distance. Therefore, St. Paul, along with four other congregations in and around Napoleon, called Pastor Henry Ludwig Dulitz of Huntington, Indiana.

Although he was called in December, 1871, Pastor Dulitz was not able to move into the vicinity until some months later. Residing in Napoleon, he served the congregation there and our congregation, as well as St. Paul and Zion in Hanover Settlement, and St. John in Freedom Township.

Apparently no notice was taken of the congregation's 25th anniversary in 1876 since the pastor had much work to do. In the fall of the year 1883 the health of Pastor Dulitz began to fail. Finding no relief for the severe headaches which beset him, he resigned his pastorate in August of 1884. He had served St. Paul faithfully for twelve years. After moving to Detroit and serving as an assistant pastor there, he died on November 27, 1885, at the age of 65 years.

The History of St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in Florida Ohio; Building Part 1

Last September [2025] St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church celebrated its 150th Anniversary. Every Wednesday we are going to post one of the articles from the time of our Anniversary. These were created at the direction of the St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church 150th Anniversary Committee.

Taken from “The Life of Christ in Stained Glass St. Peter Ev. Lutheran Church Windows Florida, Ohio”

The Church Building

Bible References We hasten to our beautiful St. Peter Ev. Building every Lord’s Day to receive Rev. 1:10 the blessings and benefits of the Cross of Christ, the blessings of grace and peace which our holy and merciful God bestows upon us through WORD and SACRAMENTS

The founding fathers of the congregation chose as the name of the congregation “St. Peter Ev. Lutheran Church.” This name appears twice on the property: (1) on the Cornerstone and (2) on the church sign board.

Much symbolism is incorporated into the architecture of the building.

I Peter 3:18-22 The church building is before us as the ship or ark of salvation (in your mind turn the building upside down and your mind’s eye will see it as a ship) and also as the haven of peace and rest when the storms of life o’er take us.

Matthew 21:13 The spire reaching toward heaven reminds us that we await the Second Coming of our

Matthew 6:10 Lord “to judge the living and the dead.” The spire also reminds us that we are heaven bound, that we await the glorious revelation (appearing) of our Lord Jesus Christ. We look forward to that appearing as we deep on praying in the Father’s house of prayer, “Thy Kingdom (of glory) come.”

Acts 1:8 The CROSS on top of the spire with its arms extending out to the world recalls for us Christ’s command to be witnesses for Him “to the end of the earth.” Therefore, in words He taught us we continue to pray, “Thy Kingdom (of grace) come.”

The CROSS -- on tip of the spire, bell tower, on the front chancel wall, the church Doors -- marks this church as Christian. In all instances the Cross is empty, a vivid reminder that we worship Christ as crucified but now risen. He is “God’s own sacrifice complete.”

Heb. 13:20-21 The bell is used to signal the beginning of the worship of the FLOCK OF CHRIST who gather in this place around WORD AND SARAMENTS. We hear His Word of condemning Law and reconciling Gospel. We receive of His grace in the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. We bless the Name of Him who is the “great Shepherd of the sheep.”

Memorial Day Sermon

[The following is a version of what I gave at the Memorial Day Service at the gravesite in Florida Ohio]

Grace mercy and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen   The Text for the Sermon today is the Epistle reading, “Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2).

My wife and I are listening to this book Titled The President Is Dead! And you could probably guess: it’s all about how they all died. There is a lot of Good things about the book but my favorite was a quote from "Light-Horse Harry" Lee. [He is the Father of General Robert E Lee; and he was one of George Washington’s generals]. And when our First President, George Washington Died, he gave this Eulogy:

“First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” 

And when we consider the men who have died for our country that is usually how we think about them.

I want everyone here to think about a family member they have in the military. What was it like when you first heard they had served? Others of you have to think about the first time they told you they were going to serve. Do you remember what they looked like in their uniform? If you remember when they went off to war or to a conflict, where you concerned for their safety?

This Summer our county will celebrate its 250th Birthday. And we have been at war a lot of that TIME! We started fighting the British. Later we fought ourselves. Even later, Americans  fought in World War 2. We fought in the Korean War. We fought in Vietnam. In the 90’s we fought in Iraq and in Yugoslavia.  Recently, we have fought in the war on Terror. This very day Soldiers are deployed all over the world. And are even in Combat zones around IRAN As we speak.

We can look at the people who fought and died for this country and see them as Heroes. We can see the men and women who serve our country right now as heroes also.

Today is a day where we should think about our own sense of Patriotism. Today we should have a renewed sense of gratitude for those who served this country. Another quote I love is what Abraham Lincoln said about the men who died at Gettysburg:

We are met to dedicate a portion of it as the final resting-place of those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.

Today I ask you to be grateful for our country, which so many men and woman have died for. We should also be grateful for all the men and woman who serve in active duty. We should also be grateful for those members of our community and our Family who are veterans. Today is a National holiday. It is not a religious holiday pure-say, but today like every day we can give thanks to God.

After all we have a TIMELESS, Great and GRACE-Filled God. When we loss people in a war it might make us ask WHERE IS GOD? The answer is He is PRESENT IS with his people.

The resurrected Jesus in Matthew 28:20b [NIV] 20  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” In other words, the son of God answers, “I am where and who I have always been, and will always be. I am almighty. And, I shall show my power on the last day.”

It’s true, we live in a broken world. Our own sins are proof that we live in a world that is broken. We can also see the wars and bloodshed that happens in this world and recognize that it is broken. But we should also remember that Jesus died for this world. He redeemed this world through the Cross. It’s easy to look at a century of warfare and think the world is unlovable. If you think even for a second that Jesus has left you or has stopped loving you, I invite you look at the Cross and the Empty Tomb.

We need to stop focusing on death and gravestones. Its easy for us to focus on such things, especially in a year full of War. We need instead to focus on a manager in Bethlehem. We need to focus on a Cross at Golgotha. And we need to focus on an empty tomb in Jerusalem.

Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, including yours. He even died for the sins of all of humanity. How awesome is the love of God, to send his son to do such a thing.

God’s perfect love can cast out our fear. It can even cast out our fear of death. It can cast out our fear of the unknown, of terrorism and even of Covid.

If you have family members who are deployed, they need to hear from you. They need to hear that you are praying for them. And if they can hear that God loves them, even in the midst of their deployment.

1 John 4:16 [NIV].

13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

I want to end with the words of Abraham Lincoln because I think it still applies to us today:

IT is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that the dead shall not have died in vain; that the nation shall, under God, have a new birth of freedom; and that Governments of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

May the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard and keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Devotion on Old Testament Holidays Part 2

During this Summer I want to discuss some Holidays that are in the Old Testament. Today, we learn about Yom Kippur. This in English means, The Day of Atonement. It is described in detail in Leviticus 16. It’s called the day of Atonement because the word “atone” appears 16 times in this chapter. Atone has the idea of “to ransom” or “to purge away”. The purpose of the day was to perform an act of atonement for people’s sins.

It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei. Which typically falls around early fall; during the months of September or October. The Holiday is primarily centered on atonement and repentance. “The ritual for the Day of Atonement cleansed the people from all the sins for which the normal sacrifices prescribed in chapters 1-7 did not atone for.”

            The High Priest, at the time of Leviticus Aaron, plays a central role.  This is the day where the High Priest enters the Holy of Holies. This is where the ark of the covenant was stored. He was threatened with death if he entered any other day. 

            Aaron had to wear special vestments for the day. But he had to breathe before he could put on those vestments. He also has to kill an animal for his own sins.

            After sacrificing an animal for his own sins. The high Priest would take two goats. One goat was for the LORD. Another goat was “For Azazel”. [Some people believe Azazel is another name for the devil].

            The goat tagged for the Lord is killed and the goat’s blood is sprinkled on the ark of the covenant by the High Priest.  The blood of Jesus is described in a similar way in the New Testament. 1 John 4:10 [ESV]: States: In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. “Propitiation” is the word for the sprinkled blood of the atoning sacrifice. Romans 3:21-25 talks about Jesus’ blood in a similar way.

“21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”

            Finally the Goat tagged for Azazel is taken out in the wilderness. This goat is often called the Scapegoat. The High Priest places his hands and this shows the people that their sins are being placed on this goat. Two similarities are found in the life of Jesus. First after his Baptism, Jesus goes to be tempted by Satan. Jesus’ baptism is where the sins of the world are placed on Him. Secondly, when Jesus is crucified, he carries his own cross out of the main city and goes to the place of the skull!

            Yom Kippur is still celebrated to this day by Jews. Although, they do not have a high priest nor can they do the rituals. During the Old Testament times, and during the life of Jesus Yom Kippur was celebrated yearly. As Christians we do not celebrate Yom Kippur because Jesus’ death on Good Friday was the fulfillment of this holiday.

Hebrews 7:26-27 [ESV] explains this:

 26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.

Some of this study used: Kleinig, John W. Leviticus. Concordia Commentary. Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House, 2003. Especially pages 500-505.

St. Paul Lutheran Church Flatrock Township, Ohio History - 1851-2026. Part 3.

Our Sister Congregation St Paul Flatrock is celebrating it’s 175 Anniversary on August 23rd 2026. I thought it would be nice to share some of that history! In the year 1858 the faithful Lutheran pastor Adolph William Bergt began to serve also our congregation and proclaimed the Word and administered the Sacraments until 1864, a period of about 5 years. The first records of official acts in our possession stem from the time of Rev. Bergt's pastorate. St. Paul was not the only congregation served by this faithful minister. At this time he was also serving St. John's, Ridgeville Township, St. James, Fulton County, where a parsonage was erected for him in 1858, and St. Paul's, Napoleon.

The first piece of property which this congregation acquired was bought from Tobias Knipp, June 30, 1863, for $1.50. On this plot of ground, at the northeast corner of our present cemetery, a frame church was dedicated the Sunday before Christmas, 1863. The years of the Civil War came and went, but here the work of the Kingdom went on uninterrupted. The new church must have been a source of joy to the worshippers. The first church had a steeple and a bell and benches and a board fence was erected around the church. A tuning fork aided the leader in singing. Among the organists was Mrs. Dan Kryling who gave of her time and talents for this service in the church. Evidently the church itself was a strong and sturdy building, and served well until 1904 when our present house of worship was erected.

  The address for the St Paul Lutheran church in Flatrock in Ohio is 12-868 County Road K Napoleon OH, 43545.

The History of St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in Florida Ohio; Part 3

Last September 13th 2025 St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church celebrated its 150th Anniversary. Every Wednesday we are going to post one of the articles from the time of our Anniversary. These were created at the direction of the St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church 150th Anniversary Committee. This week’s brief history of St. Peter’s beginnings follows the years from 1888-1909

The next spiritual leader Florida called was Pastor William Schust (1888-1891) of Lockwood, Missouri.  He was installed by Pastor William L. Fischer of Napoleon on the 25th Sunday after Trinity, 1888.  But soon after this, the congregation at Holgate experienced a vacancy, and asked Pastor Schust to also serve their needs.  So the agreement was reached between the two neighboring congregations that they be served jointly by the same pastor.  And since the pastor was to teach religious school at Holgate, he took up his residence in the parsonage there.  Up to that time Florida had not acquired a minister’s home.  The first resident pastor boarded with parish families.  However, the majority of the Florida membership preferred to have their pastor in their own midst, so the congregation decided to release Pastor Schust to Holgate altogether and to join with the sister congregation in North Richland Township in calling a new pastor.
This call was submitted to Candidate Ernest Gottlieb Juengel (1891-1893) of the seminary at St. Louis.  This young man was ordained and installed at Florida on the 17th Sunday after Trinity, 1891, by his father, the Reverend H. Juengel.  But his stay proved to be of short duration as in 1893 he accepted a call to serve a church in Cleveland.
During the following vacancy of seven months. Pastor Herman Diemer of the South Ridge congregation supplied the needs of Florida to the best of his time and ability.  Three times Florida called in vain.  Then Candidate Henry Kasper Rottmann (1894-1908) from the seminary at Springfield, Illinois was called successfully and Pastor Diemer ordained and installed him on July 29, 1894.
Under Pastor Rottmann’s leadership of fifteen years, the Florida congregation flourished and progressed visibly.  It was during this time that the church building was enlarged and the first parsonage erected and other improvements were made.  The parochial report of the year 1900 read:  Souls: 183; communicants 97; voting members 23; Summer school pupils: 25; baptisms: 13; confirmation 7: marriages 2; burials 1.

Re-printing excerpt from “Word and Sacraments 100 Years September 13, 1875 - September 13, 1975” -  Centennial Anniversary Booklet

• This might confuse some people since the Concordia Theological Seminary is today in Fort Wayne. In 1874, he 29 pre-seminary students of the practical seminary, along with one instructor, were moved to a campus in Springfield, IL. In 1976, the seminary returned to Fort Wayne.

The History of St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in Florida Ohio; Part 3

Last September [2025]; St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church celebrated its 150th Anniversary. Every Wednesday we are going to post one of the articles from the time of our Anniversary. These were created at the direction of the St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church 150th Anniversary Committee.

This month’s brief history of St. Peter’s beginnings follows the years from 1888-1909

The next spiritual leader Florida called was Pastor William Schust (1888-1891) of Lockwood, Missouri. He was installed by Pastor William L. Fischer of Napoleon on the 25th Sunday after Trinity, 1888. But soon after this, the congregation at Holgate experienced a vacancy, and asked Pastor Schust to also serve their needs. So the agreement was reached between the two neighboring congregations that they be served jointly by the same pastor. And since the pastor was to teach religious school at Holgate, he took up his residence in the parsonage there. Up to that time Florida had not acquired a minister’s home. The first resident pastor boarded with parish families. However, the majority of the Florida membership preferred to have their pastor in their own midst, so the congregation decided to release Pastor Schust to Holgate altogether and to join with the sister congregation in North Richland Township in calling a new pastor.

This call was submitted to Candidate Ernest Gottlieb Juengel (1891-1893) of the seminary at St. Louis. This young man was ordained and installed at Florida on the 17th Sunday after Trinity, 1891, by his father, the Reverend H. Juengel. But his stay proved to be of short duration as in 1893 he accepted a call to serve a church in Cleveland.

During the following vacancy of seven months. Pastor Herman Diemer of the South Ridge congregation supplied the needs of Florida to the best of his time and ability. Three times Florida called in vain. Then Candidate Henry Kasper Rottmann (1894-1908) from the seminary at Springfield, Illinois was called successfully and Pastor Diemer ordained and installed him on July 29, 1894. [As we have discussed: The Theological Seminary which is now at Fort Wayne was at Springfield IL at the time].

Under Pastor Rottmann’s leadership of fifteen years, the Florida congregation flourished and progressed visibly. It was during this time that the church building was enlarged and the first parsonage erected and other improvements were made. The parochial report of the year 1900 read: Souls: 183; communicants 97; voting members 23; Summer school pupils: 25; baptisms: 13; confirmation 7: marriages 2; burials 1.

Re-printing excerpt from “Word and Sacraments 100 Years September 13, 1875 - September 13, 1975” - Centennial Anniversary Booklet

Devotion May 18th, 2026; Old Testament Holidays Part 1

This Summer I am going to occasionally discuss Jewish holidays; especially the ones that are connected with the life of Jesus . I want to start with one that actually falls in May, which is Pentecost. [Pentecost this year falls on May 24th 2026].

            We learn about Pentecost in Leviticus 23:15-22. It is often called the Fest of Harvest, feast of weeks or sometimes called the day of weeks. It lasted for seven whole weeks, or fifty days; Sometimes called a week of Weeks. I know what everyone is thinking 7 times 7 equals 49. But there was added a 50th Day, or sometimes considered the 8th Day. That fifth day is sometimes called the Azareth. Pentecost in the Old Testament was a Harvest festival. This was the time of year that God had appointed for Harvest. Hence the references to the harvest in Leviticus 23:10 and 23:22. Pentecost also became a time of studying the Torah.

            On the 50th day the Israelites brought two loaves of leavened wheat bread made with yeast as the “first-ripe produce” from the harvest.” Those loaves were presented together with a burnt offering made up of seven lambs, two rams and one bull. Also included were a sin offering with a male goat, and a peace offering with two male lambs. The seven lambs were connected with the complication of the seven weeks. A bull and the two rams were sacrificed because this was a national enactment. The male goat was sacrificed as a sin offering to make atonement for the congregation.

            The 8th day is a day of new creation. And we can see how this 50th day is like the ultimate 8th day, since it was the end of 7 weeks. In the same way after the sacrifice of so many animals and offering of the grain the Israelites themselves must have felt like a new creation.

Now for Christians, Pentecost is the day where the Holy Spirit breathed on the disciples and they were given power from on High. The most important power they received was the ability to speak to other people in their own language. In Acts 2, when the disciples received the Holy Spirit, they must have felt like a new creation. What did they do as a new creation? They went out and started a new harvest. The planted the seed of God’s word throughout Jerusalem.

            We today can continue to celebrate Pentecost and as we acknowledge there is still plenty of places, and plenty of people, to plant the seed of God’s word.

[Some of this newsletter used: Kleinig, John W. Leviticus. Concordia Commentary. Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House, 2003. Especially pages 500-505.]

            We invite you to join us for worship on Pentecost!

St. Paul Lutheran Church Flatrock Township, Ohio History - 1851-2026; Part 2.

Our Sister Congregation St Paul Flatrock is celebrating it’s 175 Anniversary on August 23rd 2026. I thought it would be nice to share some of that history! In our last post we discussed how Pastor Detzer became the first Pastor for St Paul Flatrock. In 1853 our first pastor moved to Defiance, but he continued to serve his entire field until August, when another pastor came into this territory.

 The "Candidate” Henry Koenig, a graduate of the Fort Wayne seminary was ordained by Pastor Detzer in Knipp's settlement in Flatrock Township in a log schoolhouse August 14, 1853 (In a public schoolhouse erected on John Knipp's farm, one mile south, and one mile west from where the church now stands). Texas, at the time being the largest town in the new pastor's field, was chosen as his place of residence. From here Pastor Koenig traveled as far as Florida, another old river and canal station." He preached at times in Napoleon and organized St. John's-Michaelis, near Florida.

 Pastor Koenig was able to preach at our congregation on Sundays. For some unexplained reason, however, he quit his charge in the summer of 1856. This was a critical hour for our congregation. Until that time it consisted partly of Lutheran and partly of Reformed members. After Pastor Koenig's departure the congregation called a certain Reformed preacher by the name of Bank. Having served the members for about three years, Pastor Bank desired that the congregation join a Reformed Synod. As a result the congregation separated. Again the Lutheran element turned to Pastor Detzer, and again Pastor Detzer, in time of need, proclaimed the Word of God once every four weeks on a weekday.

It was at this time also that the congregation decided to henceforth be called St. Paul's Congregation.

 The address for the St Paul Lutheran church in Flatrock in Ohio is 12-868 County Road K Napoleon OH, 43545.

The History of St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in Florida Ohio; Part 2

Last September 13th 2025 St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church celebrated its 150th Anniversary. Every Wednesday we are going to post one of the articles from the time of our Anniversary. These were created at the direction of the St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church 150th Anniversary Committee. This second article of St. Peter’s beginnings follows the years from 1875 to 1887.

*Pastor Detzer’s successor was Pastor Adalbert Kraft (1870-1876) who was installed on September 18, 1870. During his tenure of office, progress was made to the extent that a separate congregation could be formally organized.  On September 13, 1875, a constitution was written and signed by the charter members who named the new church for the Apostle St. Peter.  Also at this time, subscriptions for the building of a church were gathered from those who were interested in the undertaking.  However, this gathering of funds was halted for a time because of the calling away of Pastor Krafft.

After Pastor Krafft had delivered his farewell sermon on the 24th Sunday after Trinity, 1876, Pastor Herman Diemer (1877-1883) was called and installed in April 1877.   Now the enthusiasm for the building of a church was revived and by 1880 a nest-egg in the amount of $1,000.00 had been underwritten; half of which had been gathered from members of kindly sister-congregations in Henry and Defiance counties.  Soon the building was begun and completed and on Trinity Sunday, 1881, the first Lutheran church in Florida, Ohio, was dedicated to the glory of God.  Professor F.W. Stellhorn, of Concordia College, Fort Wayne, and Pastor L. Dulitz, of Napoleon, preached the German festival sermons and Pastor Diemer the English.
 During the periods when Pastor Krafft and Diemer provided Florida with church services and official acts, such as baptisms, marriages, etc, these men had their homes in Archbold.  Considering the almost impassable country roads of that day and the great distances between the mission stations, it is only natural that these early preachers met with untold hardships on their journeys.  But when they would arrive at Florida, they would always find a hearty welcome and good lodging with families such as the Fred Leonhard’s and others.
In 1883 another pastoral vacancy ensued for the Florida congregations when Pastor Diemer accepted a call to Pomeroy, Ohio.  At this turn of events the churches in Archbold and Ridgeville Corners decided to call a pastor of their own.  So Florida was forced to look elsewhere for spiritual guidance.  It did find ready response when Pastor G. M. Zucker of Defiance consented to serve as vacancy pastor.  This arrangement lasted for a year and a half, until the Florida congregation extended a call for their own shepherd.  The call was received favorably by the St. Louis seminary and on the 12th Sunder after Trinity, 1885, theological candidate Theodore Karl Horst (1885-1888) was installed as the first resident pastor of Florida.  From that time forward, it was possible to enjoy divine public worship on every Sunday and to institute religious instruction for the children.  Under such single blessings, the congregation grew both spiritually and outwardly for three years when the next interruption occurred.  Pastor Horst accepted a call to become the pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church of Toledo, Ohio.
Historical information is reprinted from “Word and Sacraments 100 Years September 13, 1875 - September 13, 1975” - Centennial Anniversary Booklet