From the Mansfield News-Journal, Friday, May 15, 1992, pages 1-B, 2-B.
Ann Kalstein will have many memories to sift through on Sunday when St. John's United Church of Christ celebrates its 80th anniversary in the same building.
The gray Indiana limestone building at the corner of Park avenue East and Franklin Avenue has been the church's home since it was dedicated on May 5, 1912.
The Rev. Erwin R. Koch, grandson of the pastor who officiated 80 years ago at the dedication, will deliver the sermon, "Once Upon a Time," Sunday at the 10:30 a.m. rededication service. Also the brother-in-law of St. John's pastor, the Rev. Marcus Buehrer, Koch is with St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Chelsea, Mich.
Mrs. Kalstein, chairman of St. John's historical committee, said, "It will mean a great deal because it's been a major part of my life." A church member for 70 years, she served as church secretary.
John and Ruth Darby are members of the historical committee for the church of 680 members.
The tall silver pitcher and chalice once used for Communion will be placed on the old Communion table along with a number of the church's Bibles.
Several tables of historical items including records, pictures, certificates and newspaper clipping will be displayed.
Following the worship service, a luncheon reception will be served in the parish hall, complete with pie and ice cream "because these are such good German cooks," said Buehrer who has been pastor there since 1986.
"This is an intergenerational church," he added, noting that there are five generations of some families who attend.
"It's a historical church in a contemporary world."
St. John's Protestant Evangelical Church was established in January 1845 by 40 recent immigrants from Germany.
By the time the Rev. G. A. Kienle arrived in 1907, the congregation was holding evening services in English and was rapidly outgrowing its second building. The growth was primarily due to an expanding Sunday School.
Kienle supported a building program, and the Park avenue lot was purchased and the building erected at a cost of about $50,000.
The rock-faced church was built with a corner entry tower, louvered belfry windows and a crenellated roof.
It was the only church in Mansfield with multiple bells, according to Buehrer. The three bells, cast for the second church and named Concorda, Margaret and Regina, were moved to the new belfry. Ron Dapper restored them in 1974-75.
One bell is cracked, but they are still used.
The church contains a number of stained glass windows which still have the original tracery. Many of the windows were purchased by Sunday school classes.
Among these is a round "Rose Window" and those depicting the life and resurrection of Jesus, which are throughout the sanctuary and original Sunday school rooms.
In its heyday, the Sunday school had 100 teachers and 1,000 students, according to Buehrer.
In 1926, during the Rev. Theodore P. Frohne's tenure, a cathedral organ was added in a specially built east wing of the sanctuary. The church has been regularly repaired and redecorated, but no structural changes were made until the construction of a parish hall in 1954 on an adjoining lot to the south.
The most recent renovation, in 1987, included an elevator to make the building accessible to handicapped and elderly persons.