From an undated, unnamed news clipping the the St. John's files (All spelling and capitalization as in the original.):
Rev. John Charles Melchert, pastor of the St. Paul's Evangelical and Reformed Church at New Bremen, has accepted the call of the congregation of St. John's Evangelical and Reformed Church, 68 Park Avenue East.
The church extended the call when Rev. Melchert and his family were guests of the congregation Feb. 26.
He will come to Mansfield to begin his pastorate June 1 [1947], on which date he will have completed 25 years in the New Bremen pulpit.
He will be the 16th pastor to serve the local church since its founding 102 years ago. He will succeed Dr. Paul H. Saleste, pastor for the past 17 years, who has accepted the professorship of psychology at Drake University, Des Moines.
Rev. Melchert, a native of Wisconsin, received his education at Elmhurst, Ill., and the Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Mo. His first charge was at Corpus Christi, Tex.
He served there only one year before coming to oho as pastor at the St. John's church at Fortoria (sic). While there, he was married to Miss Hulda Egli, daughter of the late Rev. and Mrs. A. Egli of Amherst.
A year later, he accepted the call to the New Bremen church as has been there since.
Before the merger of the Evangelical synod and the Reformed church, Rev. Melchert was chairman of the board of Christian education of the former Ohio district. Since the merger of the Evangelical and Reformed churches he has served as the first vice president of the Northwest Ohio synod and completed two terms of two years each as president of the synod.
In his leisure time, Rev. Melchert likes to hunt and fish. He is a member of the Rod-Gun club at New Bremen. He also belongs to the Masons and the New Bremen Civic club.
Mrs. Melchert has been organist at the New Bremen church for 15 years. She is vice president of the Synadocal Woman's Guild of the Northwest Ohio synod.
Rev. and Mrs. Melchert have three sons, John jr. and Paul, premedical students at Elmhurst College, and James, a junior in high school.
In accepting the call, Rev. Melchert said, "In view of the fact that the call extended me by the St. John's church, Mansfield, (1) it opens to me another door of tremendous opportunity of service to the Master; (2) reveals a willingness on the part of St. John's people to work together with the pastor-elect in the spirit of Christian love; and (3) a willingness to assume a fair share of the responsibility with the pastor-elect that will guarantee victory for St. John's church and the kingdom. I accept the call."
From an undated, unnamed news clipping the the St. John's files (All spelling and capitalization as in the original.):
The congregation of St. John's Evangelical and Reformed Church last night extended a call to Rev. John Melchert, pastor of the St. Paul's Evangelical and Reformed Church at New Bremen, O.
Decision to call Rev. Melchert to the Mansfield pastorate was made at a congregational covered-dish dinner and Lenten service at the church. Rev. and Mrs. Melchert and their son, James, attended the meeting.
The call to Rev. Melchert followed a recent visit by a special committee of St. John's to the New Bremen church. This committee included George Keil, chairman, Harry Frietchen, Paul Long, Frank Vild, and Christ Pataky, jr.
Rev. Melchert would succeed Dr. Paul H. Saleste, who resigned last fall to accept the professorship of psychology at Drake university, Des Moines, Iowa. However, ill health forced Dr. Saleste to return to Mansfield temporarily. Meanwhile, he has continued to fill the pulpit at St. John's church while the congregation, through its special committee, has been negotiating for a new pastor. Dr. Saleste plans to take his new post in Iowa next fall.
If Rev. Melchert accepts the call to the Mansfield church, he will come here about June 1.