Granton’s Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
will hold its 125th anniversary celebration Saturday, June 21, and
Sunday, June 22, at the church.
Traveling Lutheran preachers came to the
Granton area in the 1860s to spread their faith. Their visits helped grow the Lutheran
faith; several Lutheran churches were founded in Granton, including Zion
Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1883.
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, a Missouri
Synod congregation, started with 14 families. Despite its humble beginnings the
church now has a congregation of 393 baptized members and 336 confirmed
members.
The church’s first building was located on
Granton’s Meridian Avenue. The church is now in its third building, located on
Granton Road.
The anniversary celebration will give
congregants a chance to reminisce with past pastors and congregants about church
memories from years past.
Congregant Carol Hubing, who has been a
church member for over 50 years, recalls winter confirmation classes where she
would carpool with others to get to the classes. Once there, the pastor would build a
fire to heat the building.
Hubing and other current members admit they
may not have been committed church members had it not been for former pastor
Arthur Oswald, who pastured the congregation from 1949 to 1959.
“Pastor Oswald had a lasting impression on
young people,” said Hubing.
Oswald’s passion for teaching youth about
Christ left a lasting legacy at the church; a scholarship in his name is given
to young people training for the ministry.
Church member Lavon Bartsch remembers
traveling to Chicago as a youth with her father, who was traveling there as a
delegate at the Lutheran Layman’s League Convention. “If we don’t tell people about Jesus
who’s going to tell them, about His Love and forgiveness?” Bartsch’s father, Frederick G. Garbisch,
asked his young daughter.
Lavon Bartsch never forgot that conversation
and has helped the church in any way she can for over 70 years, along with her
husband, Don.
As others before him have, the church’s
current pastor, The Reverend John I. Trewyn, is trying to make a positive
difference in the community. Trewyn
has pastored at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church and Chili’s Christ Lutheran
Church for eight years and enjoys the tight-knit Granton church and
community.
Trewyn reaches out to the community’s young
people by watching them show animals at both the Clark County and Marshfield
fairs each summer.
Trewyn appreciates the youth that attend his
church and said they make the church a special place at which to
pastor.
“The kids are definitely a highlight,” said
Trewyn.
Hosting rummage sales and helping
organizations are only a couple of the many ministry activities the church’s
women are involved with, said Trewyn.
“The ladies here just amaze me with the
things they do,” explained Trewyn.
“They work together so well.”
Despite all the fun and fellowship longtime
congregants will have at the anniversary celebration, much work went into
planning the event.
The church’s Anniversary Committee first
formed two years ago with 10 members, including 70-year member Lila Schmitz, Don
and Lavon Bartsch, Hubing, Caroline Helm, Ladonna Nickel, John Garbisch,
Lorraine Nowak, Charlotte Johnson and Debbie Moeller.
The committee helped put together a heritage
cookbook, featuring 932 recipes from congregants’ grandparents. Over 500 of the 550 printed copies were
sold.
“With everybody’s help, it was possible,”
said Bartsch.
“A changeless Christ in a changing world” is
the anniversary celebration’s theme, based on Hebrews 13:8, which states “Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
Festivities will begin Saturday, June 21, at
2 p.m. with games at the church. A
pig roast dinner will be served from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Barbeque pork sandwiches, salads and
desserts will be served at the picnic tables and tents. The church encourages attendees to bring
their own chairs and blankets.
The congregation looks forward to hosting
live music at the church from the southern gospel group, Calvary Men’s Quartet
at 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Contemporary artist Jim Vilandre will sing at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. and
bluegrass gospel group True North will perform at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30
p.m.
Pastor Richard Thur will hold a Bible study
Sunday, June 22, at 8:30 a.m. for anyone wanting to attend. The study’s title is “Why does God
permit suffering in our lives?”
A formal church service will be held at 10
a.m. The Reverend Dr. Mark
Hannemann will speak. The 1959 to
1962 girls’ choir will reunite to perform at the service under the direction of
their former director, 93-year-old Bertha Schreiber.
The Ladies Aid will provide ham sandwiches at
a potluck lunch following the service.
The congregation is asked to bring a dish to pass; congregants with last
names beginning with A through H will provide a casserole or vegetable dish; I
through R, salads; and S through Z, dessert.
A service of thanksgiving and remembrance
will be held at 2 p.m. Former
pastors and congregants who are currently involved in church service or
education will share memories and experiences at Zion.
The anniversary committee is welcoming any
former congregants to the celebration festivities and looks forward to seeing
many familiar faces.
With all the fellowship and excitement during
the weekend, Bartsch and other congregants don’t want to forget the church’s
message.
Christ died on the cross and rose again on
the third day after His death to pay the penalty for everyone’s sins, so all who
believe in Christ’s name will be forgiven and can have a relationship with
Christ, explained Bartsch.
(Above,
from left) Granton’s Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church’s pastor, The Reverend
John I Trewyn, and Anniversary Committee members and congregants Lila Schmitz,
Don and Lavon Bartsch and Carol Hubing pose outside the building (pictured
below.)
The church will celebrate 125 years Saturday, June 21 andSunday, June 22, at an anniversary
celebration.