Caring Custodians

      Also known as Sextons, by definition: a church officer or employee in charge of building maintenance, taking care of the property. Performs minor related duties such as ringing the bell for services, and supervising burials in the churchyard if there is a cemetery onsite.
     

Julius Bates

(pictured at the door to our Church bell tower)

     Former Sextons of our early congregation include Julius Bates, Frank Kuck, Henry Sutzman, Philip Dinkel, Robert Keller, Michael Keller, E.C. Long, Peter Leppla, John Schnabel, Daniel Wilhelm, John Zullinger, Claude Emerson, Ralph Dunifon, Edmund Decker, and Dale Peters.         
   

Pastor Profile

Rev. Paul H. Graeser

Our Twelfth Pastor

(1939 - 1952)

     Paul H. Graeser was born at St. Louis, Missouri on October 6, 1896. 

     Following his father's vocation, he graduated from the Mission House Seminary located at Plymouth, Wisconsin, and was ordained on July 8, 1923. Rev. Graeser immediately began his pastoral career at Wausau, Wisconsin where he remained until 1935. 

     He married Miss Ruth Sager on September 15, 1923, at Kaukama, Wisconsin. Their children are Robert, Janice, and Richard.

     After serving the Salem Evangelical & Reformed Church at Ft. Wayne, Indiana from 1935-1939, he accepted the call to our church. 

     During his pastorate in Lima, there were traditional changes and advancements of our congregation. Under the shadow of World War II, the German language was finally terminated during church services. And the basement was enlarged in the Sunday School area later in his term. 

     Rev. Graeser made many acquaintances in the Lima community, and was active with several worthwhile civic and humanitarian organizations. Past President of the Allen County Ministerial Association, he was also a delegate to the Synod of our denomination.

     Ministering to our congregation for 13 years, he left to serve the Evangelical & Reformed Church at Van Wert, Ohio, until 1960. 

     In 1963, following a leave of absence due to illness, Rev. Graeser resumed ministry at Lake Helen, Florida. There he received the distinguished "Pastor Emeritus" honor with the Congregational Church, United Church of Christ. 

Expanding Knowledge

New Educational Annex - 1963

(Shown at left in picture)  

Facilities include: 

Additional Sunday School classrooms, furnished Parlor, Kitchen, and Offices.

     As we read below the lengthy list of First E&R Sunday School Officers and Teachers in 1955, the need for a new Educational Annex is quite evident:

Superintendent- Lee Van Blargan
Asst. Superintendent- Wayne Bailey
Chorister- Burdette Vermillion
Asst. Chorister- James Kincaid
Pianist- Ella Eysenbach
General Secretary (ordering materials)- Mathilda Benny
Asst. General Secretaries- Dorothy Hoeper, Beverly Bucher, Alvin Grapner
Treasurer- Carl Wellman
Recording Secretary- Suzanna Wyre
Kindergarten Dept. Supervisor- Mrs. Fred Tschanz
Beginners' Dept. Supervisor- Mrs. G.E. Herold
Children's Division Superintendent- Mrs. Ralph Burkholder
Home Department- Mrs. A.C. Gerstenlauer, Mrs. Charles Stilgenbauer
Director of Visual Education- Don Herold
Asst. Director of Visual Education- Louis Meckstroth
Mary Martha Class, Teacher- Mrs. Grace Leppla
Mary Martha Class, Substitute Teacher- Mrs. H.C. Heffner
Gleaners' Class, Teacher- Mrs. Marie Eberle
Fidelis Class, Teacher- Mrs. Frank Lowry
Triangle Class, Teacher- Miss Martha Schaefer
Triangle Class, Substitute Teacher- Mrs. Margaret Stevens
Men's Bible Class, Teacher- Rev. Richard P. Vitz
Builders' Class, Teacher- Frank Spragg
Young People's Mixed Class, Teacher- Mrs. Ruth Rhoda
Intermediate Dept., Teachers- Herbert Rable, Paul Kreher
Junior Dept. (6), Teacher- Mrs. Ed Decker 
Junior Dept. (5), Teacher- Mrs. Richard Vitz
Junior Dept. (4), Teacher- Ray Burkholder
Primary Dept. (3), Teacher- Mary Ann Walters
Primary Dept. (3), Substitute Teacher- Mrs. Eileen Burkholder
Primary Dept. (2), Teacher- Suzanna Wyre
Primary Dept. (1), Teacher- Mathilda Benny
Kindergarten Dept., Teachers- Mrs. Jeannette Nusbaum, Mrs. Arnold Patrick
Nursery Department- Mrs. Robert Staver, Mrs. Carolyn Arnett, Mrs. C.J. Naus,
Junior Church Department- Inez Rable, Mrs. Eileen Burkholder,                                                                                                 Mrs. Frank Lowry, Jane Spragg, Violet Decker
Substitute Teacher- Mr. John Emans

An Early Family Portrait

The Jacob Moser Family

 

Left to right: Albert, Bertha, Mrs. Elizabeth Neunschwander Moser, Emma,
Jacob & Calvin





     One example of the many families who were zealous pioneers of our early church. Before coming to Lima in 1871, Jacob Moser was postmaster in Bluffton, Ohio and instrumental in naming that village. He served as Sunday School Superintendent in 1873, and several years following. And for more than 25-years, Mr. Moser was the choir director.  Also served many terms on the Consistory, including the 1887 Building Committee.  

     Jacob Moser was born in Switzerland on April 13, 1835, and died in Lima on April 25, 1910.

     Mrs. Moser was called to her Heavenly Home on November 3, 1928; the lone survivor of her family.

     Albert became a prominent physician, and served in the Far East as an Army Surgeon. An honorable servant, he died in 1903.

     Calvin, a funeral director and businessman, found his Heavenly reward in 1893. 

     Bertha occasionally served as organist, married W.H. Deakin. Resting in Peace, 1913.

     Emma married Dr. Frederick G. Stueber. Following in the footsteps of her father, was choir director and organist for many years. A founder of the King's Daughters Society, Emma entered the Heavenly Kingdom on October 11, 1890.  

 

 

Jacob Moser's German Prayer Book & Emma's Hymnal



        

Windows of the Soul

      One of the most beautiful features of our church building are the ornate stained glass windows. Numbering around 30 windows, they are mostly located in the Sanctuary and adult Sunday School area.
      The windows were installed when the building was erected in 1887. We have been told they were made in Germany and shipped to America--although this fact has yet to be verified.
      In 2003, the window restoration project began at a total cost of roughly $90,000. During the following year, each window was systematically removed and refurbished by a specialized company located out of town. It was disheartening to see plywood temporarily replacing the lovely panes!

     

   

      These pictures display a view of of subtle hues from outside the building. However, the windows inside reflect brilliant colors and symbols of Christianity.                                          
      Roy Coon (our "Historian Emeritus") has researched the symbolic meanings, which will be featured in future articles.

1887 Cornerstone

     
    

      The small rectangular structure built in 1866 was no longer adequate to serve the needs of the growing congregation.   
      On May 30, 1887, an attentive crowd gathered to witness the laying of the cornerstone of the new German Reformed Church which was about to be erected.
     

   
     The consistory instructed specifications for the vault: six inches wide, eight inches deep, and twelve inches long...inscription  "nur in Deutsch" (only in German).
     This historic stone can still be plainly seen located on the southeast corner of our building, with the engraved abbreviation: 
 "EVANGELISCHE REFORMIERTE KIRCHE - A.D. 1887" 
                                         

     

      Notice of the ceremony published in the Lima Courier (May 25, 1887), translated from German as follows:

     The cornerstone of the German Reformed Church will be laid next Sunday at 2 o'clock. Several good speakers have been invited to take part in the festivities. The choir has been diligently practicing several numbers. The Building Committee will give a detailed report of what remains to be done.
     We invite everybody to help us in the laying of the cornerstone for a Temple of Peace.

In behalf of the congregation,
E. Cantieny
(Secretary of the Congregation) 
                    

See the Church, See the Steeple...

Our second Church - 1887

     Look inside, see 300 people.       
     By 1886, the membership had grown to this number and the tiny rectangular building was no longer adequate. During the pastorate of our 4th minister, Rev. John H. Stepler, plans were made to erect a larger ediface on the site of the original building.
      In 1887, the cornerstone was laid and construction proceeded at a rapid pace. Many prominent citizens of Lima and organizations not affiliated with the Church also contributed to the cost of the project which was $14,000. 
     It was a splendid example of Gothic architecture, with a majestic steeple 135 ft. in height, including a tower with a great resounding bell. 
     The new Church was formally dedicated on January 8, 1888, with services conducted in both German and English. Our founder Rev. Peter Greding and several other visiting Pastors officiated programs and services on that day.
     For many decades the tall spire of our Church stood as a landmark in downtown Lima, OH.
     Unfortunately on August 25, 1936, a severe windstorm damaged the lofty steeple and it was removed. Thankfully, the great bell was spared and still summons Christians to service with its glorious resonance.  
     Although the structure has been transformed and renovated throughout the years, our Church people maintain the fundamental Faith in Jesus Christ our risen Savior.  

New Foundations

      In 1864, land was purchased from Hudson Watt at the cost of $400 to build a new Church on the the corner of Wayne and West Sts., located just beyond the Lima town limits. It is upon this ground our Church still stands today. 

      In March 1866, eighteen families pledged $900 to erect the sanctuary:  Heinrich Betz, John Gebhardt, Rev. W.H. Fenneman (our 2nd Pastor), Adam Zimmerman, Peter Schnug, Friedrich Schnug, William Snook, Wilhelm Schnug, Fred Herold, Johannes Weber, Friedrich Rothe, Christian Rothe, Heinrich Pfleger, C. Neubrecht, Johannes Neubrecht, John Frail, Geo. Getz, and Adam Schick.                     

     On August 26, 1866, the cornerstone was laid with impressive ceremonies as reported in The Lima Democrat newspaper:

 "On Sunday afternoon last in the presence of a large number of our citizens, the   cornerstone of the German Reformed Church of Lima was laid. The services on the occasion were of the most solemn and imposing character and very appropriate. Discourses were delivered in both the German and English languages." (August 29, 1866)             

                                                                                                                                 

 

     The Church was a plain 36 x 50ft. brick rectangular structure, seating about 200 people. The windows were not stained glass. Primitive on the inside, with a wood floor and crude benches. There was an aisle on each side of the small auditorium with a broad section of pews in the center. Very short pews were placed alongside the walls. It was customary for the men to sit on the east side of the church, and the women on the west side. Eventually the families would sit together. Two wood burning stoves provided heat, and oil lamps suspended from the ceiling provided dim lighting. There was no organ or musical instruments. Often a beautiful rosewood melodeon owned by Mrs. Anna Herold Zimmerman and Mrs. Margaret Herold Sullivan would be transported to and from church for special services and Holy Days. There were no offering plates. But instead, "Klingelbeutals" or black velvet "jingle bags" were attached to an 8ft. long stick used by the Deacons to collect the tithes, reaching across the people in the pews. Sometimes these sticks were used to gently tap the sleepyheads nodding off during service!

     The final cost of the building project was $3000. The Ladies Aid Society was organized on January 3, 1867, for the purpose of raising money to pay off the debt, which they did successfully.

     The small simple structure was dedicated on May 10, 1867. 

     And with the new building, came about 85 total Church members.  

    

Original Location

DIE DEUTSCHE EVANGELISCHE REFORMIERTE GEMEINDE
ZU LIMA, OHIO
(The German Evangelical Reformed Congregation
of Lima, Ohio)

     On September 5, 1863, as dusk descended upon the growing Lima community of about three thousand people, the shrill whistle of a train on the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne, & Chicago Railroad could be heard in the the distance. These were the dark days of the Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg had been fought two months before, in the shadow of the beautiful mountains of Pennsylvania. There would be the dedication of a National Cemetery on that hallowed ground in a few weeks, where President Abraham Lincoln gave his now infamous Gettysburg Address.  

     The Lutheran Meeting House, located on the west side of North Union Street and about 125 feet north of East High Street, was seeing a spurt of activity lately. This little building surrounded by a picket fence, formerly used as a schoolhouse, had become the regular worship place for a congregation of German speaking immigrants. 
     As the group gathered on this evening, the sound of a gavel brought the assembly to attention. Rev. George Rettig, recently from Bucyrus, Ohio acted as clerk and Mr. Karl Lang presided. In a bold step forward, the group officially organized themselves under the chosen name: "The German Evangelical Reformed Congregation of Lima, Ohio." 
     The members of the first Consistory were elected:
Elders- Carl Amelung and J.J. Hautzer
Deacons- Christian Rothe and August Gebhardt
Trustees- H. Betz, William Schnug, and M. Herold
     A Constitution consisting of four articles was also adopted.
     The original document of organization, written in both German and English by the first pastor Rev. George Rettig, still exists in our archives.