Connecting With Zion’s Past

by Dennis Dugger

Once a year we plan to review what was happening at Zion 125 years ago, 100 years ago, etc.  I hope you enjoy this review of 1883, 1908, 1933, 1958, and 1983.

125 Years Ago – 1883    

Our minister was Henry F. Deters, who served from Aug. 1881 until Apr. 1885.  Zion was his first ministry and while here he married.  He was hired at an annual salary of $300.  In 1883 Rev. Deters baptized twenty-one and confirmed four.  One of the baptisms was his first child, Otielie Johanna Maria Deters.  She was born Mar. 9, 1883, baptized Apr. 15, 1883, and died July 23, 1883.

The church president in 1883 was Mr. John Braun.  He served as Zion’s president seven times.

100 Years Ago – 1908

The church president was Mr. Johann Hafendorfer.  He and his brother served as the presidents of Zion for eight consecutive years.

Our pastor, Henry F. Grefe, was in the first year of his ministry at Zion.  During the last three years of this ministry, Rev. Grefe became a controversial figure.  This had an adverse effect on the life of the church, resulting in several members leaving and uniting with other nearby congregations.  Rev. Grefe resigned amid a flurry of charges and countercharges, many of which were published in the Owensboro newspaper.

I suspect that at least some of the controversy had something to do with Rev. Grefe’s sentiment for Germany and Austria during World War I.  I have formed this opinion after reading some of his editorials in Zion’s newsletters from that period.

An article in the June 22, 1916 Owensboro Inquirer said that he planned to go back to school to learn to be a chiropractor.  Indeed the 1920 Census shows him as a practicing chiropractor in Louisville, KY.

75 Years Ago – 1933

John Friedman was the church president; he eventually served 11 times in that capacity.  Our minister was Christian T. Rasche, who confirmed eight in 1933.  Their names may sound familiar:  Edward Best, Robert Worthington, Douglas Ling, Edward G. Meisenheimer, Richard Rasche, Robert Gillim, Samuel Ling, and Charles Worthington.

1933 was the middle of the Great Depression, and Zion was not spared the hardships.  In 1933, the pastor volunteered to take an additional 10% cut in salary.  “Additional” because in 1932, the Board (Council) had reduced the pay of all employees by 10%.  As the Depression deepened, the Council voted on Mar. 6, 1933 to reduce services of the janitor.  His work was cut back to two days per week at $1 per day after “careful consideration of the financial condition of the church”.  To further save money, the regular Wednesday night Lenten services were moved to Sunday nights.  The following month the volleyball games in the Sunday School hall were discontinued until the next season to save money.

50 Years Ago – 1958

The church president was Marvin Harris who served from 1957 through 1959.

Our minister was J. Wallace Zink.  Before coming to Zion, he taught in the Department of Philosophy of Indiana University and was pastor of the First United Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.   Rev. Zink confirmed ten in 1958: John Bowen, Andy Bratcher, Judy Bratcher, Charles Cron, Kay Daniels, David Fisher, William Dean, Carol Knott, Carrol Shipley, and Ann Pantle.

In 1958, as part of an expansion program, our present educational building was erected on the site of Zion’s second parsonage.  The plan included a large fellowship hall, large kitchen, lounge, office space and seventeen classrooms.  It was completed at a cost of $102,378 and dedicated in April 1959.  I wonder how much it would cost today?

25 Years Ago – 1983

In 1983 John Schroeder was our minister.  In 1961, Rev. Schroeder came to Zion from Kirkwood Evangelical & Reformed Church in Kirkwood, Missouri, where he had been the minister for eight years.  He started Kirkwood as a mission while he was a student in seminary.  He served Zion longer than any of our other ministers.  In 1983 Rev. Schroeder confirmed five: Stacy Basham, Elizabeth Braswell, Sylvia Johnson, Heather Payton, and David Witte.  At the end of the year, membership was reported to be 386; average attendance was 124.

In 1983, Ralph Kunze was the church president; he served Zion in that capacity seven times.  The sanctuary was carpeted in 1983, Mrs. Louise Lyon retired as organist/ choir director after serving Zion for 38 years, and the prayer chain began that year.  It was also the year that the translation of Zion’s old records from German to English began.  I am especially thankful for that!

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