This is an update on our 150th anniversary as the day of the celebration has come and gone. Can you believe it? It took our committee ten months and more hours than we care to admit to plan the event and only one perfect day to show for it! To everyone who took time out of your busy schedule to share the festivities with us, we hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did when we planned it. The Lord blessed us so much that day and we hope He was pleased with the praises that were raised up to honor Him.
The event was well attended with 142 people at the church service, and even more at the dinner and program that followed. Pastor Steve Hartman was our host; Superintendent In-Sook Hwang our liturgist and Bishop Gregory Palmer our speaker. Bishop Palmer spoke eloquently and “Amen’s” could be heard often during his sermon. Sharon Carroll was our soloist and also led us in song; Amy Sides, Holly Regnier and Sarah Grob played flutes, accompanied by Judy Regnier on the piano; and Sarah was pianist during the rest of the service. After the church service, a wonderful and delicious meal was enjoyed by all. The afternoon festivities began with Pastor Steve welcoming everyone in attendance and Sharron Kreider, our Mistress of Ceremony, took over from there. Sharron did a marvelous job introducing each of the participants, adding little side notes of humorous memories we could recall and relate to. Sarah Grob led a Generational Bell Choir with volunteers of all ages who performed “Let There Be Peace on Earth” and “Jesus Loves Me”. They were definitely a hit with the crowd. Jackie Meier sang a beautiful solo medley and remembered when she attended our church with her mother Rosemary Johnson. Pastor Dan Doty surprised members of the Lutheran Church choir by asking them to come on stage with the former Methodist choir to revive their version of the “Amen” chorus. Encore! Encore! Two men with the longest “pew” time were our “Historical” liturgists. Gary Koets and Carl Sparenberg entertained us by summarizing some of the more humorous events in the first 150 year in our church’s life. Pastor Gary Fairchild, along with Gabe, Annette and Shawn played their guitars and sang several numbers. Former pastors were all given an opportunity to share their memories of time spent at our church. Fred Conger, pastor from 1954-1956, was the first to speak and was an absolute delight. It was obvious to everyone listening he didn’t miss his calling of being a spiritual leader. One thing he recalled was the people from our church actually liked one another, and that’s still true today! Dan Huckins, pastor from 1985-1989, recalled he was only 22 years old and a newlywed when he was assigned his first pastoral position in Ashkum. He related the story of how Frank Schmitz asked him to go for a ride and discuss his “marital” problems. Dan said he recalled thinking “I’m only 22, what do I know about marriage counseling?” As it turned out, Frank did not have marital problems; it was Dan’s birthday and we were having a surprise party for him! Dan Doty, pastor from 1995 – 2001, said he didn’t remember a lot of facts, but one thing he remembered was the people and how warm they were. When he stepped into the church on Friday, it was as if he hadn’t left, and we all felt the same way. Gary Fairchild, pastor from 2004-2007, shared his memories with his usual candor and tongue in cheek manner. Even the Lutherans chuckled when Gary recalled his time with us. Steve Hartman, serving from 2007 to current, was the final pastor to speak. Steve said he had been a part of celebrations before, but being a part of this one was an honor. We were honored Steve hosted the event and for the input he gave our committee during the planning stages. The Bridge Builders Committee participated by asking Amy Sides and Cecil Carroll to challenge the church about “where we wanted to be in 10 ten years” and “how are we going to get there?” Amy spoke passionately about her faith and her desire to see our church and community grow spiritually in the Lord. Cecil concluded the challenge by asking where do we want to be in 10 years and what are we willing to do to get there. Both speakers are truly God loving and God serving and their challenge was intended to make us think about where we are in our faith. Are we where we want to be, are we doing the Lord’s work, and is it enough?
Sharron Kreider thanked everyone who attended and those participated in any way to make the day the remarkable event it turned out to be. Pastor Steve said the closing prayer, Dan Doty sang “The Lord’s Prayer” as only he can sing it, and Dan Huckins closed with the benediction. That concluded the 150th celebration and will be in the church’s history book for the 175th or 200th celebration.