Connecting With Zion’s Past

by Dennis Dugger

The Men’s Fellowship Breakfast first met in the spring of 1994 when Dr. Kent Knife was pastor. This inter-denominational group began with the men of Zion sharing a monthly breakfast with the men of First Christian Church.

There have been other times in the history of Zion that brotherhoods of men existed to afford them an opportunity for meet for fellowship and service.  One of these groups, the Independent Club, formed in 1936.  At a called meeting for all the men of the church they decided on a name and on what type of organization they felt would meet their needs.  They selected the name “Independent Club” to imply independence from the usual men’s organizations.  No strict rules or regulations were made and there were no requirements to meet in order to belong.  Men of any denomination were welcomed, and when one attended a meeting, he automatically became a member.  No dues were collected, no records were kept and no money was to be raised for the church.  They reasoned that the members had ample enough opportunity to contribute as church members.  In spite of this stated attitude, there was one year when the Independent Club sponsored a minstrel, with the proceeds donated to charitable organizations.  The Independent Club met monthly with normal attendance of about thirty to fifty men.

Membership cards were issued.  I know this because I found such a card in Zion’s record room, the only membership card I’ve found to date.  And imagine this!  The one and only card that I found belonged to my wife’s father, John M. Hills.  I found this to be very strange indeed.  The card had no date, but was signed by Marvin Harris.  John M. Hills was never a member of Zion, but he had attended and had participated in church activities while dating a Zion member, Dorothea Hodde, whom he later married.  I estimate that this card was probably issued in the mid 1930’s.

The Independent Club survived for many years but was “disbanded” in late 1955.  The reason for its demise is not exactly known, but may have had something to do with the arrival of Rev. J. Wallace Zink a year earlier. Another Zion organization, the Booster Club, also had its demise about the same time.  I have a feeling it had something to do with that part about “no money was raised for the church”.

Further back in Zion’s history, another men’s social group was organized in 1921-22.  The Men’s Bible Class held an “Each One Get One” contest in 1921 which increased its enrollment to 30.  The class not only met during regular Sunday School, but had a social event on the second Friday of each month.  They raised funds during those years by handling the concessions at event like the County Fair and by having several ice cream suppers.  The money was donated to Zion’s building fund and a double garage, with a concrete floor and brick exterior, was built and donated to the church at a cost of over $500.  The class also provided the members for a team in the YMCA basketball league.  They paid for a YMCA membership for each team member.

Zion’s Ministers – Part I

We’re also starting a monthly series on Zion’s former ministers; this month’s installment is about Zion’s first minister, William Baehr (or Bahr) who served from Nov. 1872 until June 1873.

After Zion was established on April 2, 1872, the congregation decided that they desired a resident pastor instead of the commuting services that had been provided by Reverend Schoettle from Newburgh, Indiana.  Our church turned to the Evangelical Synod of the West for help in obtaining a pastor and for the financial support to pay his salary.  Since the first pastors of Zion received their pay from the Evangelical Synod of the West, our records do not mention the exact amounts of their salaries.  However, a notation indicated that the annual salary was less than $300.

The President of the Synod sent Pastor William Baehr to serve as Zion’s first official minister.  Like several of Zion’s early ministers, he had received his training and education in Germany, probably from either the Barmen school or Basel Mission School, the primary sources of German Evangelical pastors.

Pastor Schoettle introduced Rev. Baehr to Zion’s congregation at one of the services in November 1872.  As a new immigrant, Zion’s first minister was unable to accustom himself to the difficult conditions of 1870’s Owensboro; at least he thought they were difficult.  So, after leading Zion for less than a year, William Baehr was assigned to another field by the President of the Synod, and he left Zion in June of 1873.

I believe that the following family from the 1880 Census is probably that of our first pastor.  Based on this assumption, when he arrived in Owensboro in 1872, he would have been about age 29.

1880 Census; Meramec; Jefferson, Missouri

William Baehr, age 37, born in Hanover (Ger.); preacher

Caroline Baehr, wife, age 32, born in Missouri

Johana Baehr, daughter, age 2, born in Missouri

Wilhmena Baehr, daughter, age 8 months, born in Missouri

Assuming that I have the right family, he was born in Hanover, Germany, and his reassignment was obviously in Missouri, near St. Louis.  And after leaving Zion, he married and had at least two children.

So in the summer of 1873, Zion once again needed a minister, and again turned to Rev. Schoettle of Newburgh, Indiana.  Johann George Schoettle became Zion’s pastor in July of 1873, and served for four years.  Next month, we’ll focus on his service to Zion.