I grew up in an area that described itself by the name of the township. When I tell people that I am from Henrietta, Ohio they look puzzled. Not many people have even heard of it. Henrietta United Church of Christ is my home church. It began as a German Reformed Congregation in 1873. They are having a celebration in honor of their 140th anniversary on October 13th. Unfortunately, I will not be able to be with them due to my weekly Sunday commitments. They asked me to write something up about the impact of the church on my faith journey as I am the only member to enter ordained ministry from the church. After reading my comments, someone told me that I should add them to my blog. So here are my reflections in honor of my home church's 140th anniversary.
Henrietta friends,
Most of the important
things that happen to us in life happen beyond our choosing. Some
people call these” random events” or “accidents of birth” or “good fortune”
or “circumstances beyond our control.” Scripture calls the ordinary
circumstances of our lives that shape us, “God's plan”. So it came to be
that Chester and Donna Franklin found a home to rent on Garfield road between Green
and Gore Orphanage roads in 1950 when my sister Christine was two and my second
sister Joyce was on the way. In 1959, they built a home on the adjacent
lot, which by virtue of its location to Henrietta UCC shaped the life of
the baby born to them that same year.
The symbolism of the
design of the Church itself served as a spiritual reminder for me. As a
kid, I would ride my bike back and forth on Garfield Road, circling
the church parking lot and then gaining speed for "the hill" just past Charles and
Idabelle Berg's house where a small creek passed under the road. The
creek afforded me with the entertainment of snails, frogs, turtles and
other such critters that were attracted to it.
As the sun sets in the
evening, the shadow of the steeple lengthens down Garfield road in a way that
points to some unseen spiritual reality. In addition to the astronomical
observatory that my father and I enjoyed on the lot beside our house, the
steeple of the church was a true landmark and cornerstone of my life. The steeples’ presence assured me of the reality of spiritual things and has had an
enduring influence in my life.
There was something
about the one third/ two third yoke with St. John's in South Amherst that
caused the members at Henrietta to take special responsibility and care
for the white church by the road. I was a teenager when the extra classroom and
bathrooms were completed. Most of the work was done by members
and Ben Krysik asked me to crawl into the unfinished basement and
shovel slag through the opening for the basement floor.
The Henrietta Youth
always put on a large Christmas play production each year and I still remember
some of the parts that I had. Dianna Krysik took a great deal of interest in
the spiritual care of the Youth in Youth Fellowship during those years. A
few days before high school graduation, I spent my eighteenth birthday in
the gravel parking lot beside the church as the youth held a square dance
and later shared a cake to help me celebrate. On Father's Day, a week
after graduating from High School, Rev. Lawrence asked me to preach the sermon
in honor of both occasions.
Confirmation with Rev.
Wilbur Stell was fun as classes were held with me, Randy Ronez and
Dianna Hawke. Some classes and trips were held with the St.
John's Confirmands as well. During the winter we had snowball fights in the St.
John's parking lot and later, I played baseball against a number of those
students in High School. Rev. Stell gave me a card that I carried with me
for a long time which read, “ Only one life will soon be past, only what’s done
for Christ will last. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” St. Paul’s little phrase, “For to me to live
is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21) has meant a lot to me over the years in many
different and surprising ways.
Christmas Eve
Candlelight services were also special. It was always a central part of
our family Christmas celebration. I have good memories of standing next to my
Dad on Christmas Eve singing Carols. (He didn't usually like to sing, but
he enjoyed Christmas carols. We tried to get to church early so that we could
sit in "our" pew, which was on the far side of the east/west
aisle where I could wiggle and my Dad could stretch out his legs.) All of these
experiences led to my developing sense of call to ministry and interest in the
church.
As a youth, I remember
the kindness of the Berg brothers, Roger McCartney, Tom Hawke, Don Krebs, Ray
Brown (For whom I also baled hay) and others, who asked me how
things were going and how school was coming along. As my Mother
began to suffer from memory problems, on one Sunday in 2004, I determined to
bring her to worship in Henrietta. She thoroughly enjoyed it and until
her death in 2007, despite the fact that she couldn't remember much of anything
else, she would always ask me, “Do you remember that time we went to church in
Henrietta?” My Mom's life, from 21 to 78, was enriched by the
friends she made at Henrietta UCC. I can't imagine who my parents
would be without the church in the center of their lives.
Rev. Paul Eaton deserves
our gratitude for faithfully serving in the yoked parish since 1990. I can't
write these things without mentioning the importance of Henrietta UCC
connecting me to the larger United Church of Christ. I can't imagine how
my life may have been different without the collective impact of the UCC and its
commitment to justice and peace for
people in need here and throughout the world. Over the years, the UCC has
provided a vital connection with faithful people trying to live out the Gospel
in a changing world. I am grateful for the connections made and retained
since those early days in Henrietta church and the opportunities for spiritual growth
and service that have continued since.
Throughout my ministry I have kept a reminder of
Henrietta in my office. At a dinner that you held for me in 1981 when I left
Ohio to attend Eden Seminary in St. Louis, the congregation presented me with a
wooden plaque with the following poem
written in script;
Great is the power of might and mind
But only love can make us kind
And all we are or hope to be
is empty pride and
vanity
If love is not a part of all,
the greatest man is very small.
A fitting summary of faith at Henrietta church! Please excuse the length of this note, as I originally planned much less, but I have a
lot of memories on that short stretch of road.
God bless you all as you celebrate 140 years
of ministry!!
Sincerely,
Rev. Dr. Kevan S. Franklin
Pastor, Trinity UCC
Wooster, Ohio
Henrietta UCC Celebrates 140 years
On Sunday, October 13, the Henrietta UCC will celebrate 140
years of faith and ministry beginning at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Paul Eaton
leading the service. Located at 52861
Garfield Road, Birmingham,
the church is on the corner of Garfield and Green, and about a mile south of SR
113. The public is invited to a special worship service, followed by light
refreshments and a time to view the special displays and exhibits that range
from 1873 to the present time.
Founded by a group of German and Swiss immigrants, the
history of this little country church is intertwined with that of Vermilion,
Brownhelm, Birmingham, Florence, Berlin
Heights, Mitiwanga, and later So. Amherst. It’s the story of families who shared the
German Reformed faith and arrived in the area between 1840 – 1860. These immigrants cleared and farmed the land;
worked in the quarries, on the railroads, and in the Lake
Erie fisheries; and started small industries and businesses in the
area. It’s also the story of one
particular family, Adam and Mary (Englebry) Latteman, and their German Reformed
pastor, Rev. Gerhardt Kuhlen.
Adam had arrived in the U.S. about 1851, married Mary
Englebry and had children in Brownhelm and Vermilion. Rev. Kuhlen was serving the Vermilion German
Reformed church as well as the one at Brownhelm Station. When Adam bought property in what many
referred to as the “German Settlement” in Henrietta Township,
he invited Rev. Kuhlen to come and hold worship services in homes in 1872. By early 1873, Adam had convinced many of his
neighbors that they needed a place for baptisms, weddings, funerals, and weekly
worship in their neighborhood. Land was
donated by Heinrich Heidrich, over 22 families gave money, a cornerstone was
laid in May, and a 28 x 40 building was completed and dedicated in
September. There were 60 members, mostly
from Henrietta and Florence
Townships, and Rev.
Kuhlen was elected as the pastor. He served
this church, as well as the Vermilion and Brownhelm churches, until the end of
1874 when Henrietta called Rev. Johannes B. Braun, who had arrived from Germany just 5
years before.
But Rev. Kuhlen wasn’t done.
He and some of the Vermilion parishioners thought there should also be a
church near Mitiwanga and Ceylon
so he started a 4th church on April 4, 1874, with services being
held in the District School House, Vermilion Twp, for the first six years. The German Reformed Church of Mitiwanga was
built in 1880 at the corner of Frailey and West Lake Roads, and renovated in 1905. (The building is still there but is now
privately owned.) The Henrietta and
Mitiwanga churches soon decided to share a pastor and they were a “charge”
until 1952. In 1902, a parsonage was
built at East Drive
and Lake Road. In the 1890’s and until about 1918, the
pastor would hold Sunday morning service, get on the Lake Shore Electric
interurban at Stop 147 in front of the Mitiwanga church, take it to Berlin Hts,
switch to the Green Line Interurban and get off at Stop 13 on the Altmiller
farm, just east of the Henrietta church.
In 1920, the size of the church doubled with the addition of
a parish hall, nursery, and kitchen. The
sanctuary was turned to face the west, the balcony was removed, the front door
was moved to the new addition, and 13 stained glass windows were installed on
all four sides of the building. They
soon had electricity as well, with poles running along the interurban line from
the Birmingham
substation.
In 1934, the German Reformed and the German Evangelical
churches decided to join together and form the Evangelical and Reformed
church. It took several years to work
out the differences and write a constitution so it wasn’t until 1942 until the
Henrietta church officially became the Henrietta E & R. But until that time, it had been referred to
by several other names – The First Reformed Church of Henrietta Township, near Birmingham, Ohio; the
Henrietta Reformed Church near Birmingham; the
Birmingham Reformed Church, near Birmingham; and
even the Birmingham
E & R Church.
In 1952, Henrietta became part of the NE Ohio Synod of the E&R Church, while the Mitiwanga church
remained with the NW Ohio Synod.
Henrietta was then yoked with a former German Evangelical church, St. John’s of So. Amherst. The two churches
came together to build a parsonage in So. Amherst,
which was dedicated on January 31, 1954.
Today, St. John’s and Henrietta can celebrate being
a yoked parish for 61 years.
The UCC was formed in 1957 but Henrietta’s name did not
change until it was incorporated as the Henrietta United Church of Christ in
1961. In 1958, the kitchen was remodeled
and two years later the sanctuary was again turned to face the south, the
ceilings were lowered and a folding door was installed to divide the sanctuary
from the parish hall. The renovation was
dedicated Nov. 6, 1960. Ten years later
fifteen new pews were purchased and dedicated.
Thanks to Ben Krysik, the last renovation was completed in
1976 adding two new classrooms, a small basement and, for the first time in 103
years, indoor restrooms! As with all the
other projects, it was the church council, the Women’s Guild, the Sunday
School, and the Youth Fellowship members all working and sacrificing together
that made it possible.
Kathy Bruns, the great-great granddaughter of Adam and Mary
Latteman, has written a history of the church that will be available at the
celebration. She says, “Our history is,
of course, the stories of those who have passed through the doors of this
church over the years. The lives of twenty-two
ministers and hundreds of families have intersected here as they worshiped,
worked, celebrated, grieved, prayed, and served together. It is a story of
sacrificing, giving, and modeling for each other and their children how to
extend grace, show mercy, and live out the love of Jesus Christ. From this
little church, there are believers scattered all over the country and the world,
serving where they have been planted and spreading the Gospel through word and
deed. We are coming together to
celebrate the fact that the stories of our ancestors are still being written.
If your story intersects with ours, I’d love to hear from you –
kibruns@gmail.com.”
Contact information for the newspaper:
Kathy Bruns, PO
Box 567, Angola IN 46703
260-905-6763 cell
Thank you!
