SESQUICENTENNIAL
REV. H.H. GLICK 1934-1948
Rev. H.H. Glick was installed on October 17, 1934. The following year, the parish house was completely redecorated, within and without. Rededication services were held on October 27, 1935. This year also marked a change in the church office which was enlarged, redecorated, and completely furnished. The new American Lutheran Church hymnals were presented and introduced to the congregation in the same year (1935). In 1938, the church auditorium was refinished, and some improvements were made in the heating system. Many new items such as carpets, light fixtures, altar coverings, candle sticks, pulpit lamp, and Bibles were added.
So loyal was the cooperation in this venture that the day of rededication, March 20, 1938, it was made known that every new item had been presented as an unsolicited gift by various organizations and individuals of the congregation. Funds for the refinishing of the church auditorium and the retiring of church indebtedness were raised by the use of the Master treasury barrels which produced between $5,000.00 and $6,000.00 within a period of two years.
The year 1941 found the church gathering funds, by the same method, for a new organ, the immediate objective for the centennial year 1942. Recommendations for committee, after intensive study and a number of visits to various places to hear types of organs, reported their choice to be a Kimball three manual organ.
Installation began in the spring of 1942 and was completed by Sunday, August 23, on which date the initial playing took place at the morning service.
The cost of the organ, exclusive of the chimes, was $8,300.00. Attendance at English services increased noticeably, but attendance at German services was definitely on the decline.
By 1942, the centennial year the membership numbered approximately 1,100, and the German services were completely discontinued at this time.
REV. E.J. KATTERHENRICH 1949-1960
In 1949, Pastor E.J. Katterhenrich became the new pastor. With the growth of the Sunday School, more room was needed and the basement under the church and parish house supplied the needed space. Thirty-six thousand dollars was donated in 1945 for a chapel which was located within the parish house unit. The Blicke chapel was dedicated in March 1952.
As another project, Rev. Katterhenrich helped train many seminary students who spent a year of internship under him. In this way, it was felt the seminary could be helped, since the congregation had sent only three sons into the ministry: namely Paul Baumgartner, Grant Shealy, and Richard Schieber.
Interns:
Richard Graves 1954-55
Clarence Rose 1955-56
Lynn Neiswander 1956-57
Loren Speicher 1957-58
Gene Walker 1958-59
John Sitler 1959-60
Richard Vette 1960-61
Richard Grance 1961-62
After W.W.II, Good Hope sponsored a German family. They arrived in Bucyrus on Christmas Eve, 1951. The family was met at the Railroad station by Rev. Katterhenrich, Mrs. David Fahl, and Ervin Lutz. The family was made up of Mr. and Mrs. Greilich, Dietmar, Horst, Guinther, and Else. A daughter Ruth, had to remain in Germany because of poor health. She did come later. The whole family attended the Christmas Eve Service. A home was found for them on Woodlawn Ave. The family remained as members of Good Hope Lutheran.
REV. R.E. BAUERLE 1961-1969
On Pentecost of 1961, Rev. Richard L. Bauerle became the Good Hope pastor, and through his efforts with the Bethel Series, Good Hope became a united learning church. In 1963, the Rev. Edwin Kressin was called as a visitation pastor, and in 1967 the Rev. Raymond Menchhofer was called as an assistant pastor.
Rev Kressin who marked 50 years of service in the ministry in April 1971, drove thousands of miles each year calling on shut-ins, new members, and people in area hospitals and rest homes. Rev. Menchhofer was in charge of parish education.
Building Fund
In 1964, a campaign committee was formed to help guide the church in its financial planning to raise a $250,000 Building Fund as well as $70,000 annual operating and benevolent budget.
An educational unit was needed and it was decided to attach this unit to the present building and to completely renovate and remodel the church.
In 1967, Good Hope celebrated its 125th anniversary. As an act of thanksgiving for God blessings to the congregation, a gift of $125,000 was pledged to the American Lutheran Church. One hundred thousand dollars of the gift was to be given to LIFE (Lutheran Ingathering For Education), and $25,000 was to be given for a new American Lutheran Mission Church.
REV. R. MENCHHOFER 1967-1971
Dedicated December 15, 1968
For 18 months, in 1967 and 1968, the congregation attended services at the local theater while the remodeling was done. The ground breaking was conducted July 23,1967, and on December 15, 1968, the Good Hope congregation dedicated the new facilities to the preaching of the Gospel and the ministry of mercy rendered in His name.
The educational unit fronting on S. Poplar St., where two houses were removed, is a three-story structure with classrooms on every floor divided by soundproof sliding doors so that each floor may be used as a large meeting room or small individual classrooms.
The second floor contains offices for the pastors, the bookkeeper, Kathy Daiber; the historical room, and the library.
The educational unit also provides space for the sacristy and the church secretary, Elma Diller.
There is also an equipment workroom for church duties.
REV. E. KRESSIN 1963-1975
Sanctuary Remodeled
The sanctuary was completely remodeled with a new chancel, new pews, new carpeting, widened aisles and an organ to which 12 new ranks of pipes were added, along with a new console.
The former choir loft was removed and the organ and choir were moved to the balcony area. New entrances were provided around the entire building with the entrance at the northwest corner of the building on W. Charles St. being the main entrance through which there is access to every part of the building.
The new entrance replaced the former entrance on the northeast corner, with its many steps and the entrance to the chapel area. The former entrance at the northwest corner of the church was also closed and the steps removed, replaced by a new entrance between the church and the educational unit, across the street from the S. Poplar St. parking lot.
PASTOR MILHEIM 1969-1973
Cry Room
The vestibule of the former northwest entrance was converted into a cry room where mothers can watch their children and also see and hear the services through a speaker and a window in the south wall.
The church building committee which supervised the program was chairmaned by Dr. Carl J. Ide and included Miss Martha Kostenbader, Miss Augusta Jenner, Lester Nye, Lloyd Murphy, Ralph Hinamon, Gerald Zeigler; John Gebhardt; and Don Young.
Working with them in an advisory capacity were Rev. Bauerle; Robert Beal, chairman of the church council; Dr. L.L. Fisher, Sunday School superintendent; and Richard Ekleberry, campaign funds chairman.
Rev. Bauerle continued his service at Good Hope until April 13, the first Sunday after Easter, in 1969. He accepted the call of the Zion Lutheran Church in Sandusky to be their head pastor.
The Rev. Paul Milheim assumed the pastoral duties of Good Hope Lutheran Church in July of that same year. He worked with Rev. Menchhofer and Rev. Kressin.
RECENT HISTORY
In the early 1970, several events proved to be significant to the people of Good Hope and the community of Bucyrus. After much discussion, it was decided to provide the space for a Day Care Center which opened in 1970 in the lower floor of the educational unit. A fund for summer campers at Lutheran Memorial Camp began in the Youth Committee. Both projects have continued into the 1990.
In 1973, Pastor John Kerr became Senior Pastor of Good Hope Lutheran Church. Pastor John leadership and administrative talent was quickly evident as several important changes took place. A full-time secretary was hired; a nursery was established; outdoor worship services were held again at Aumiller Park, then later moved to Camp Michael; First Communion was placed at the 5th grade level after several weeks of instruction with 1st Communion being held on March 7, 1973, Ash Wednesday; Confirmation instruction expanded to a three-year program; the constitution was revised; 15 youth went to the National Youth Convention held in New Orleans; and coffee was offered in the lounge for the first time in a weekly post-worship coffee hour.
Pastor John Kerr was also instrumental in reshaping and re-tuning the council and committee functions at Good Hope. The Church Council now consisted of nine committees (Executive, Finance, Stewardship, Youth, Public Relations, Outreach, Property Care, Parish Education, Worship and Music), each with detailed duties, sub-committees and policies.
During this period, congregational worship was also affected. More lay participation was evident in the advent of lay lectors and help with children sermons. The Sunshine Choir was formed by Doris Sheaffer in 1976. In 1978, the new green book or Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW) replaced the old Service Book and Hymnal (SBH) in December and Papa Joyce from Tanzania was called as an assistant pastor for three months. Pastor Arnold Mathisen accepted a call to be come visitation pastor in March of 1978 and served Good Hope faithfully until his retirement in 1986. The congregation decided to try having the Sacrament of Holy Communion two times a month (the first and third Sundays). Good Hope has continued this practice into the 90s. 1980 saw the people of Good Hope celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Sunday School in the Christian Church. There was noted in the church newsletter a concern that attendance in Sunday School averaged 628 in 1961 and was now closer to 170 per Sunday. Worship attendance has also dropped from a record high of 580 per Sunday in 1969 to an average of 434 in 1980. This continues to be a concern as these trends have, quite frankly, never reversed. 1980 did see a positive outreach as Good Hope sponsored a Laotian refugee family, the Chailee's to resettle in Bucyrus. Support for this family continued for over 10 years. Serving during this period as assistant pastors were David Hanford and Franklin Young.
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