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Our History Confirmation Classes 1968 - 1972 - 1990- 1999 How did Faith Lutheran Church get started? Our present Faith Lutheran Church may have had its beginning in the midst of a U.L.C. congregation. When the U.L.C., at 4th and Walnut, had vacancies, they called on Missouri Synod pastors from either Vassar, Lawrence, or Paola. These pastors became acquainted in this way with Missouri Synod Lutherans. In 1939 the U.L.C. congregation disbanded and sold its building, which was immediately dismantled. Reverend W . W. Stoeppe1werth, of Lawrence, secured for us, rent-free, the Swedish Lutheran Mission Church at 5th and Cedar . He conducted the first service on December 31, 1939. During 1939, Dr. George Bruening, D.D., past president of our Kansas District, was a vicar at the First Lutheran Church, Paola. Kansas. He remembers traveling to Ottawa, Kansas, with Walther Leaguers, making house calls on known Lutherans, to encourage their membership in a new church that was to be built. In 1941, the Kansas Mission Board granted a loan of $750.00 to buy the small church at 5th and Cedar. The building was purchased for $500.00. This also included the pews and organ. Additional financial aid was received from congregations in Lawrence, Topeka, McFarland, Leavenworth, Vassar, Block, Duluth, and Wheaton, Kansas. The stone building was built by Ben Anderson, the grandfather of Robert Carlson, who was to be our congregation president in the early years. This church was built in 1879, and is the oldest church building in Ottawa. The renovated church was dedicated on September 7, 1941, Pastor Stoeppelwerth read the dedicatory prayer, and served as liturgist. Pastor Oscar H. Pooker, chairman of the District Mission Board, delivered the sermon. Lutherans from Topeka, Vassar, Lawrence and Block were in attendance. Without a regular pastor, Reverend Stoeppelwerth began preaching every other Sunday, in an evening or afternoon, until he accepted a call to Emporia. He delivered a farewell sermon to the Ottawa Lutherans on November 19, 1941. The Mission Board requested Pastor Ervin Rodehorst, of Paola, to serve our Ottawa Mission. On December 14,1941, the first Sunday after "Pearl Harbor", the first communion service was held. Twelve guests partook of Holy Communion. They were: Wilhelm and Anna Ackmann, Chris and Sally Krueger, Mr. and Mrs. John Cabman, Mr. and Mrs. Ward Schuler, Clara and Ann Krueger, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dehn, Sr. On December 28, 1941, the first envelopes and pledge cards were handed out to all communicant members, and a systematic form of financing was introduced. According to the records, the first Baptism was administered on January 21, 1941, for the infant Loren Wayne Barnhart, by Reverend Stoeppelwerth. After Pearl Harbor and early in 1942, Pastor E.C. Rodehorst was called into the military . Reverend Victor Meyer, of Lawrence, was appointed advisory pastor, and Reverend O.C.J. Keller, of Block, preached until July of 1942. On July 26, 1942, Candidate Conrad E. Soderstrom was placed in charge of the congregation. For the first time, Faith Lutheran had a regular Sunday morning service, and a resident pastor to serve the day-by-day needs of our church. After many prayers for guidance from the Holy Spirit, and much discussion in the congregation, pro and con, it was finally agreed that plans should be made for a permanent and lasting Missouri Synod Lutheran Church in Ottawa. On February 20, 1943, the official organization of the congregation was effected. Rev. John E. Herrmann, executive secretary of the Kansas District, preached the sermon. Following a congregation dinner, the organizational meeting was held. In a subsequent meeting, the following officers were elected: President John Cahman, Vice President Wilhelm Ackmann, Sec.-Treas. Ward Schuler, Elders John Cabman, Wilhelm Ackmann, Henry K. Dehn, Sr .A Constitution had been drafted and was adopted by the congregation. Mark 16:16 (NIV) - ""Whoever believes, and is baptized, will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Application was also made for membership with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. This was approved, at the Kansas District Convention, in April of 1943. The communicant charter members, on February 20, 1943, were: Wilhelm and Anna Ackmann, Mr. and Mrs. John Cahman, Mr . and Mrs. Henry Dehn, Sr., Clara (Krueger) Conner, Anna Krueger, Mr. and Mrs. Ward Schuler, Chris and Sally Krueger . The first baptism after the charter date was for Norma Evelyn Conner, 11, on February 22, 1943, by Reverend C.E. Soderstrom. The first class of confirmands was received into the church on February 28, 1943. They were: Adult - Elizabeth Krueger Blackwell; Juniors - Paul Elben, Henry Dehn, Jr., Christian Rudolph Krueger, Nadia Jean Martin, Donald Eugene Martin, Norma Conner. The preceding nineteen names represent the charter members of Faith Lutheran Church. The present Faith register shows the following confirmands in 1944: Mrs. Ilo Meharry, Ralph Conner, Francis Arnold, Leroy Hildebrandt, Norman Hildebrandt. The names listed above are from reconstructed church records, and from interviews with those who were there at the time. Anna Ackmann recalls that in 1951, her husband Wilhelm brought home water-soaked church records to dry . The handwritten records were indecipherable. We are grateful to all those who helped reconstruct some of Faith's records from memory, personal diaries, and photo albums. We mention this now, because some of the above names may be in the wrong category . There is one thing that is certain - the persons listed helped lay the foundation for Faith Lutheran Church, Ottawa. On February 28, 1943, Candidate Conrad E. Soderstrom received a call to Berkeley, California. Clara Conner recalls that she encouraged a sister to marry Conrad. The sister had other plans. Once again, we were without a regular pastor. A dedicated servant of the Lord, Rev. Victor Meyer, of Lawrence, came to our rescue. He conducted Sunday afternoon services from March 7, 1943 to May 23, 1943. During this period, the congregation undertook the calling of a resident minister. Reverend Howard E. Mueller, of Lyons, Kansas, accepted the call, and was installed in an afternoon service on May 23, 1943. The following is a letter dated May 22, 1986, from Rev. Mueller: Dear Mr. Schroeter: I am happy to respond to your request for a few memories of the period of my ministry at Faith Lutheran Church, Ottawa, from June, 1942, through January, 1949. You should find a brief history of the congregation in some of the back pages of the first church record of sacred acts. Gasoline rationing during World War II had a significant impact upon the first years of our life as Faith Lutheran Church. More than half our members lived at distances from 25 to 30 miles west and south of the city, making it necessary that all church activities were concentrated on Sundays. The bonus was that we had a longer time for personal relationships with one another. During the time that the Santa Fe Railroad maintained a railroad coach building facility at Ottawa - the superintendent obtained many of his cabinet makers directly from Sweden - a congregation of the Lutheran Church in America flourished in Ottawa. With the disappearance of the facility the church gradually folded. On my arrival in Ottawa there was still a small ladies aid which met periodically and welcomed me. But they could not persuade themselves to become active in Faith congregation. Contrary to current legend, there was a heating stove in the church at Fifth and Cedar. It was an old, pot-bellied stove with a gas burner conversion unit. As was true of those stoves, the comfort zone diminished with distance from the stove. The pastor and organist were often farthest from the source of heat on a Sunday morning. During the later years of the Second World War, a small prisoner-of-war camp was established on the north side of Ottawa, housing approximately 100 German prisoners-of-war . They had been brought to the area to assist as farm laborers in the counties immediately surrounding the city. It was my responsibility to conduct worship services there in the German language. Fortunately, there were two pastors in congregations of Paola and out in the country east of Paola who were much better than I in the German language and very willing to conduct worship services at the prison. Aside from the acceptance of the worship services, despite my personal language difficulties, two events concerning the camp stand out vividly. One was an entertainment evening put on by the prisoners themselves in European style. The hour-and-a-half to two-hour stage show was totally created by the men themselves. Their stage props were made of black paint and brown cardboard. On the tables there were fruit and pastries which they had provided by denying themselves some of their rations for a period of weeks. The other memory is that of some very poignant letters I was able to translate from former prisoners-of-war who had returned home, married, and were writing back to families for whom they had once worked. These letters often contained vivid descriptions of gratitude for foodstuffs sent over during the post World War II shortages of food in Western Europe. In the early 1940's Ottawa was totally unprotected from the floods which now are contained by dams to the west of the city. In their thinking people had to accommodate themselves to the notion that the floods would come, and some of them would be seriously flooded out. Our church members were not as seriously affected as was our church. After only two years in the city I was in no position to assess the flood damage likely from the various river levels. On one Sunday morning in 1944 the drainage ditch south of the church and forming the edge of the property became my personal water gauge. Some water had backed up into the walled ditch at the time I went to a local restaurant for breakfast. On returning I could see the water had risen some two feet or more during my absence. I knocked at the door of the people who lived in the former parsonage of this church and asked them what it meant. They told me it meant it was time to get out of the area. I called the treasurer of the congregation, who came over and helped me place the organ on the altar and to stack pews on top of one another. At 11:00 o'clock, the time when worship was to begin, he and I climbed out of the northwest window of the building. As we faced the street, a family drove up for worship only to see water coming in through the front door of the building. By mid-afternoon that day some youngsters in a small boat rode into the front door of the building and out again. This experience persuaded us to raise the floor level of the church by some 20 inches or so when we remodeled it. To keep costs down during our remodeling program we agreed to do a number of things on a volunteer basis. Everything went well until the call for volunteers to stain the roof of the building was issued. Not one volunteer showed up. Against my better judgment I went up on the roof and stained the entire roof myself. The remodeling seemed to give some new pride and new life to our congregation. We had started in a church building and property which had cost us only $500. Now we were a congregation whose net worth was $6,000, $5,500 of it in Church Extension Loans. The purchase of a parsonage in the block south of the church was the final step in the expansion of the 1940's. We found a well-built home of a dentist. His widow's asking price was $8,000. The treasurer of the Kansas District came over and visited her with me. As they negotiated, she put her $8,000 price on the table. He said that we had never paid more than $7,000 for a parsonage in the State of Kansas, and this would create real difficulty for us. Her reply was, well, if she gave us the home for $7,000, it would be like making a $1,000 contribution to the church. The treasurer replied quickly that he could think of no better cause to which she could make her contribution. With that the contract was sealed and we had a very comfortable home. One of the consequences of the Second World War was the total shut-down of construction in the city. As a result, there was pronounced stagnation in Ottawa and little opportunity for church growth, I have been delighted on two occasions since to see that these conditions did not continue forever. With the commitment of congregations' members and under the vigorous leadership of their pastors, Lutherans have achieved a significant harvest of human souls in their community At this point, the writer feels compelled to call to the reader's attention that from 1930 to 1945, the Kansas District faced difficult times The agricultural depression years were from 1930 to 1939. In 1940 came the preparations for war in Europe, and our nation's involvement from 1940 to 1945. These five years, especially, resulted in massive population movements in our country. More troubles. . . On April 23, 1944, the rain-swollen Marais des Cygnes River rose to a crest of 36.5 feet, and created widespread destruction throughout the city . At 5th and Cedar the water rose to a depth of twenty inches in our church. Members removed the furnishings above flood level, so that comparatively little damage was done. The Lord graciously protected most homes of members from damage. Now a decision was to be made. Shall we move, remodel, or rebuild? It was decided to stay at 5th and Cedar . Money was collected and borrowed. On July 27, 1946, the newly- remodeled church was dedicated to the glory of God. Following a fellowship dinner at Forest Park, the Reverend Victor Meyer, of Lawrence, preached. (Our small church had no space for dinners, so for large gatherings, we used Forest Park or the Ottawa youth Center.) Our first parsonage was purchased in June of 1947, and used, in turn, by Reverend Mueller, Reverend Wegener, Reverend Lennon, and Reverend Kurt Juengel. At the close of 1948, Pastor Mueller accepted a call to St. Paul's of Topeka. He preached his farewell sermon on January 23, 1949. Faith- was again without a regular pastor, and the nearby Missouri Synod pastors came to the rescue again. Reverend Paul Kaufield, of Vassar, conducted afternoon services for five months. Pastor Fred Wegener, called from St. John's, of Lincolnville, Kansas, was installed, in the afternoon service, on June 12, 1949. Pastor Arnold Meyer, executive secretary of Stewardship and Missions, preached the sermon, and Pastor B.J. Loesel, counselor of the Topeka circuit, performed the Rite of Installation. The other pastors assisting were Paul Kaufield, of Vassar, and Otto Wittig, of Block. The following Sunday, Pastor Wegener preached his first sermon, with 85 worshippers in attendance. In the fall of 1949, the parsonage kitchen and bathroom were remodeled. Also, the appearance of the church interior was greatly improved by installing a chancel rug, which was purchased by the Guild. On July 11, 1951, occurred an event that certainly tested our small congregation. Rev. 14:12 (NIV) "This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.'" On that day, we experienced the greatest flood known in the history of the State of Kansas, and stands vividly in the minds of those who witnessed it, or were directly affected. Patty Buck said that she did not see her husband for several days, because he was caught on the other side of the river from their home. Clara Conner stated that they had seven feet of water on the fist floor of their house. About one-third of Ottawa was under raging waters, and the damage to our city amounted to between five and six million dollars. The Marais des Cygnes River reached its highest record - 42.25 feet. In our church, the water reached a depth of five feet, eight inches. Such a flood could leave only ruination in its wake. Valuable church records were destroyed. We had our chancel furniture redone at a cost of $200.00. Our organs, one of which had been a recent gift from our sister congregation in Paola, were completely ruined. Mrs. Gertrude Blum wrote, "I heard they took the organ and some other things out in a boat to Pastor Wegener's home on Cedar Street Hill." This was probably the Paola organ which could not be repaired. The pews, walls, floor, etc., were reconditioned, to the best of their abilities, by our members. Many hours of work were put in by faithful members. We experienced, again, that when the need is great, our God is always near. Fellow Christians from Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Ohio and Tennessee came to our financial assistance. It goes without saying that our congregation gratefully accepted all these gifts with heartfelt thanks to God, and to the kind donors. Ottawa University, through courtesy of its president, Dr. Andrew B. Martin, offered the use of the chapel in its Tauy Jones Hall, until we would be able to hold services in our church again. Our church was also included in the flood relief grant from the Kansas District. Brought up anew was the question of relocating and undertaking a new church building project, rather than investing still more in our present building in the flood district. The Kansas District Board strongly advocated a move to a new location, and to build. ****** Isa. 30:20 (NIV) ""Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more: with your own eyes, you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it'." ****** Our small congregation favored relocation. On March 13, 1952, a plot of ground was secured at 316 E. 12th, from a Mr. Lyons. The space had been his garden. It was resolved to erect a brick and concrete block structure, and groundbreaking ceremonies were held on September 14, 1952. Our new Faith Lutheran Church building on "Cedar Street Hill" dedicated on October 11,1953. On February 21, 1953, as our new church was being built, special services were held at 5th and Cedar to observe the tenth anniversary of the formal organization of Faith. The festival speakers were Reverend Howard Mueller and Reverend Berthold J. Loessel. Congratulatory letters, and a brief history of the ten-year-old church, were read by Pastor Wegener . At noon, the ladies of the church served a fellowship lunch to all members and guests. By Fall of 1953, the new church building was ready, and was dedicated to the service of God on October 11, 1953. Pastor Wegener preached in the morning service, and Pastor Harlan Hartner, of Trinity Lutheran, Shawnee Mission, in the afternoon service. The congregation was well served by Reverend Wegener until September 25, 1955, when he accepted a call to Fairview, Kansas. Without a resident pastor, we were again served faithfully, for four months, by nearby Lutheran ministers. Lee W. Lennon, Jr., from the seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, was installed as our pastor on January 28, 1956. A very short pastorate of only two years was tragically ended by his death, from lung cancer, on January 12, 1958. Reverend Lennon was a dedicated and obedient servant of the Lord. In December of 1956, Reverend Lennon wrote a report to the Faith congregation. This is, in part, what he wrote: "Ever since the establishment of Faith Congregation in the 1940s, there have been those who have, by God's grace, made many and large sacrifices of their time, their talents, and their possessions so that the Lord's great commission might be carried out in Ottawa for His Glory, and for mankind's good. May God reward them richly for their unflagging devotion to the Greatest Cause. of All." During the vacancy that ensued after Reverend Lennon 's passing, and already during his illness, Reverend Emeritus W.C. Lohmeyer, of Independence, Missouri, an untiring and enthusiastic worker in God's Kingdom, was supply preacher here. Reverend Lohmeyer came by train every Saturday evening, and usually stayed overnight with Lewis and Patty Buck. The next morning, he would preach. When he heard the Santa Fe train whistle, the sermon was ended, and according to reports, he sometimes caught the train on the run. Reverend W .C. Lohmeyer served Faith in this way for eight months. Early in 1958, the congregation sought a pastor who would be a resident of Ottawa. Kurt Juengel was, at that time, working with a mission church in Fort Scott, Kansas. He was 59 years old, and had 35 years of experience as an ordained minister in the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. Reverend Kurt Juengel's ministry had always been in well established churches, except for his brief service in Fort Scott - a task which he said he thoroughly enjoyed. Faith made a call to Reverend Kurt J. Juengel, which he accepted. He was installed at Faith on August 3, 1958, by Pastor Emeritus Walter G. Bie1, and Pastor Emeritus W.C. Lohmeyer. Reverend Kurt Juengel, and his wife, Minnie, bought a home at 1122 N. Sycamore, so the old parsonage was sold. Subsequently, they moved to 325 E. 12th, just across the street from Faith, after they returned from living in Topeka. Our congregation was served faithfully until he retired in November of 1964. After that Reverend Kurt Juengel served Faith when and where he could. He died on November 23, 1986. On that date, he had been an ordained minister for over 63 years. The congregation, in anticipation of the need to call an ordained minister, purchased on January 29, 1965, the house at 934 South Sycamore, which had been built by the Miami - Ft. Scott Baptist Convention for one of their regional officers. Since then the house has been purchased by Reverend and Mrs. Earl Zimmerman. Pastor Earl I. Zimmerman, of Lawrence, was vacancy pastor here for Faith after Reverend Kurt Juengel' s retirement. He accepted our call to be our pastor, and was installed on March 7, 1965, in a service at 3:00 p.m. The Reverend Paul Heckman, Circuit Counselor, served as Liturgist, and the Reverend Herman I. Witzgall performed the installation rites. They were assisted by seven other area pastors. Reverend Kurt Juengel wrote for us in our 40th anniversary booklet, "When we inspect the graph depicting growth in communicant membership from the beginning of organization, we cannot but be impressed with the blessing of God upon our church. This rapid growth, under God, is due to the untiring labor and enthusiasm of our pastor, Earl J. Zimmerman. A man of robust health, endowed with an unflagging spirit of evangelism, he has carried the congregation along with him for the past eighteen years, and inspired it to preach the Gospel to every creature." The first ten years of our church's history certainly tested the small congregation, in many ways. Members refused to be beaten because of financial demands caused by the two floods. The writer feels that 1953 was perhaps a "key" year in Faith's history. There was not a complete agreement that we move to 12th and Cedar. However, the persons who influenced the move, dug into their pockets with cash to buy the ground and committed themselves to borrow to build. They were most certainly guided by the Holy Spirit. Those that disagreed with this substantial financial undertaking, agreed to help as decided by the majority. We now had a building with a full basement divided into a kitchen, dining room, and several Sunday school rooms. The Nave could easily seat 200 people, whereas the little church at Fifth and Cedar could squeeze in about 50. The additional physical facilities made possible a greater variety of activities. During the years, under the direction of our pastors, the congregation adopted all progressive programs suggested by the Synod. These programs would not result in large membership increases. However, they were instructive in soul winning, Christian education, and in stewardship of the members. As a congregation grows, needs change. A vigorous growing church such as Faith will supply the organization and the Christian instruction for all age groups. Revised constitutions through the years reveal changes in the roster of offices, so that the church might be governed properly and all things might "be done decently and in order ." In 1969, women's suffrage was introduced. The voting membership was also extended to members 18 years or older. Our additional building unit was planned and built in 1969-70, with all new pews added the year following. What we now call our "Fellowship Hall" is a popular place. After every 10:30 a.m. service, it is a place to visit and have a cup of coffee. The unit was planned in such a way that its main floor is continuous with the floor in the nave. Overflow worshippers have a good view of the chancel and activities there. Groundbreaking ceremony for the "Fellowship Hall." This addition to our church more than doubled the floor space on the first level and in the lower level - a large kitchen, office space, Sunday School rooms, and room for the future preschool. The spacious kitchen and hall is excellent for social gathers and meetings. Much needed additional office space was also provided. The basement provided more space for Sunday school rooms, pre-school and meeting rooms. In 1970 Faith bought additional ground adjoining and to the west to Cedar Street, for much needed parking space. In 1986 we borrowed to do extensive repairs and remodeling, and to resurface the parking lot in concrete. Faith Lutheran Church has come a long way. In 1938, when Pastor Earl Zimmerman was just five years old, our church was just a thought in the minds of the Kansas Mission Board, and a handful of Missouri Synod Lutherans in Ottawa. On February 20, 1943, we started with 19 communicants. We have grown to 278 communicants and 407 souls. During these years 637 persons have been baptized, and 382 confirmed. There were 208 marriages solemnized and 129 burial services held. BIBLE STUDY AND SUNDAY SCHOOL From the beginning our pastors have placed great emphasis on the study of God's Word. As someone said, "The Bible is God's letter to all people." At first our needs for school rooms and teachers were simple. For the young we had two Sunday Schools, one for the little ones and one for the big kids. In 1943 there were six in each class. The "little ones" were taught by Clara Conner. The "big ones" were taught by Mrs. Ward Schuler. Sunday School for the adults was led by our pastor . Two weeks every June we have a "Vacation Bible School" for grades one to eight. As our congregation grew, the need for more space grew. There was not always 100% agreement that we should borrow in order to expand. The Holy Spirit pointed us in the right direction. The first major step was the addition in 1944, to our first church building. This provided the first plumbing, and was no small thing to provide for those attending both Sunday School and church services. In 1953 we moved to 12th and Cedar. For the first time we had a basement which provided several rooms for Sunday School, a small kitchen, and a place for general activities. In 1970, we added our present "Fellowship Hall," with a full lower level for more needed Sunday School rooms. Recently extensive remodeling was done in the lower level for pre-school and for a need for more rooms. At Faith all age groups have the opportunity to join with others in study of the Bible. Every Wednesday evening Bible study is provided for children in the third through eighth grades. This Mid-Week School was begun under Mr. Lewis Buck in 1962 and expanded to its present form after Pastor Zimmerman came. Every other Sunday evening the young people (FLY) have Bible study and make plans for social activities and fund raisers for the church. From 1984 to early 1987 our pastor helped with a need for Bible study for Ottawa Christian Singles (OCS). In 1976 when Pastor Zimmerman began preaching on Sunday mornings at Garnett, Frank Brown began teaching the Ottawa Sunday morning adult class. The class at first was small (six or eight people), but began to grow and soon doubled in size. In 1979 Pastor and Frank went to a seminar on the "Cross- ways" Program (a special two year course covering the entire Bible). Attendance at the Sunday morning Crossways class taught by Frank Brown increased to an average of 25-30 people. Other Adult classes including Crossways and adult instruction classes are taught by Pastor Zimmerman during the week. As people have become more deeply rooted in the "Word, " they have been eager to share their growth. In the fall of 1985 you could attend a Sunday morning adult class taught by Pastor Zimmerman, Frank Brown, Marilyn Zimmerman, Harry Shaver or Paul Bowersox, covering a wide range of topics or specific books of the Bible. A typical week at Faith will find 85-100 adults involved in organized Bible study.
Midweek BULLETIN In August of 1972, a midweek information bulletin was born at Faith Lutheran. Pastor Zimmerman, with the encouragement of some of the members, produced a bulletin every week entitled "Faith's Informer." This weekly news bulletin ran from 1972 through 1976. At that time it was decided that a regular printing service, the Day-Timer, could furnish us with ready-made bulletins. Thus in January of 1977 the Midweek Bulletin was launched under that title, Pastor Zimmerman was the editor of this from its beginning until 1986 when Margi Harris volunteered to take over the editorship. This weekly bulletin has become an integral part of the fellowship at Faith Lutheran. In this Midweek you will find articles and features such as: God's Word for Today; Message from the Pastor; fu the Spotlight; Reports of the Boards; Church Events; Treasurer's Notes/ Fruits of Faith; Cards and Prayer Requests; listings of those who will serve during the Sunday worship service; and many other items of interest. We are pleased that now one can truly keep a "hand on the pulse" of Faith Lutheran by regularly reading this bulletin. Editor Margi is a very hardworking and faithful editor. So, be informed, read your Midweek Bulletin. This is part of our history and heritage. FAITH'S PRE-SCHOOL One hundred years ago when a new church was built, it was expected that an elementary school would be provided on the same lot on which the church was located. After World War II, there was an explosion of building, including many public schools easily accessible to families. Rapidly rising building costs made it difficult for new churches to finance the main church, let alone trying to build a day school, as well. Attention was directed to Sunday School attendance, summer Vacation Bible Schools, and more recently, Pre-School for three and four-year-olds. The idea of teaching youngsters of this age, in a formal school setting, was unheard of a hundred years ago. The earliest congregation action that we have is April 22, 1979, when Frank Brown selected a committee of three to study the feasibility of a day-care center, or a pre-school. On July 8, 1979, there was discussion about a pre-school. Mrs. Lois Vogel, of Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Kansas City, Kansas, explained at a congregation meeting their pre-school program. This was on September 16,1979. Before or after this date, Martha Piotrowsky and Faye Bruening visited the pre-school operation in lola to learn about financing, and how to run such a school. These two women also attended a workshop in Topeka. This workshop was led by the experienced pre-school teacher, Lois Vogel. It is well to point out, at this time, that Faye Bruening was a teacher in the Baldwin City School district, and had a B.S. degree in education. Martha Piotrowsky had a degree in education, and later earned a Master's degree in early childhood education from the Emporia State University. Obviously, both women were well qualified to make the needed investigation. At a congregation meeting on September 23, 1979, a committee was selected for the specific task of making a recommendation to the congregation. On this committee were: David Piotrowsky, Martha Piotrowsky, Sharon Schultze and Duane Costlow. After this date, a day-care center was no longer mentioned in the minutes of the meetings. After much discussion, pro and con, it was finally decided, on October 14, 1979, to start a pre-school the date of January 14, 1980. Faith would provide, without charge, the physical facilities; tuition was to be used to pay the instructors; funds were to be kept separate from all others- (it must be self-supporting); and members of Faith were to have preferential treatment with respect to fees. It was known at this time that the Kansas District would provide up to $4,000.00 for any capital improvements needed, and supplies for a pre-school effort- (Not to be used for salaries). Licensing by the state is not required, but in keeping with the fine tradition of Mo-Synod schools in Kansas, we chose to comply with the state regulations. Faye Bruening was asked to direct and teach. Everyone expected her to say yes. She was expecting a child in January of 1980, and did not feel that she could take the position. Attention turned to Martha (Marty) Piotrowsky , who agreed with reluctance, since she had ten-month-old Nadia to care for. From January of 1980 until March of 1987 she directed and taught. Faith Lutheran is fortunate, indeed, to have had such a dedicated servant of the Lord to direct this new school. For the Spring 1980 semester eight children, ages 3 - 5, were enrolled. That summer the Board of
Education determined that for more effective ministry we needed to separate the age The Lord continued to bless us. In 1984 when the Monday - Wednesday - Friday class was nearly filled to capacity with pre-enrollments in May for the fall term, the Board again decided to expand. If we could enroll a minimum of eight children for an afternoon session on Monday - Wednesday - Friday, we would start another session. By September not only was the morning class filled with 24 children, the after- noon class had 19 enrolled! And the Tuesday - Thursday class had an enrollment of 21 for a total of 64 children! Praise the Lord! ! In the 1985-86 school year our enrollment was 61. The spectacular growth of our program caught the attention of the Kansas District and they began to come to us for advice for those congregations wishing to begin a pre-school ministry. In 1986 several of Ottawa's major industries saw a decline and many families left Ottawa and
relocated elsewhere. Our pre-school continued to be a leader in the community, In February 1987, Marty Piotrowsky resigned as Director- Teacher of our pre-school to take other employment. Our then assistant, Beth Fitzgerald, capably took over her duties and Shirley Meloche was hired as the assistant teacher. This term, 1987-88, Beth and Shirley are again the teachers and we have an enrollment of 56. To God be the Glory for the things He has done through this phase of the ministry at Faith Lutheran! |
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