The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1939-03-02
First Church In
Township Was
Built In 1910
Continued from page u

tllS biOiCt idChlii5 al 0i1d1s was
placed, when not in use, above one
of the cross beams.
Singing Was Important
Singing was as usual an import
ant part of the service, and a song
book was used with two-part, So
prano and bass scores. The service
lasted about two hours, and included
full hour sermon and a talk by
the assistant.
Going to church was accomplish
ed for the most part on foot, but if
other transportation was used, a
wagon hitched on to either horses or
oxen would suffice. fs 4
Preachers received no pay, and
had to study their Sunday sermons
by the oil lamp after a hard days
| work. The few favors, such as kind
| ling wood for the winter and con-
tributions of provisions at certain
times, lightened the work to some
extent, however.
Second Church in 1916
The second Mennonite church was
built in 1916 on the Christian
Lugibihl place, west of the present
Ebenezer church. This building was
nearly the same size as the original
structure.
At the present location of the
Ebenezer church, building for wor-
ship purposes was erected in 1869,
later to be enlarged and remodeled
in 1883 and 1923. A second church
on the Daniel Neuenschwander farm
was built in 1857 to accommodate
the needs of the growing congrega-
ton. In 1889, the St. John church
was built two miles north of the
Ebenezer church. This, too, was the
result of the growth of the Settle
ment. In 1904 the Pandora Grace
church was built, and in 1905 the
First Mennonite of Bluffton was
erected to take care of the Men
MONTE population of the two towns.
The first preacher of the Men
MONTE congregation was Christian
| Steiner, who came from Buchwald,
France, in 1885. After years of
service alone he asked for an as
sistant, for that was the custom of
his old charge in Alsace. Christian
Suter was chosen for this position.
Suter was an assistant for II years
and bishop for q years, in all a
term of 38 years in the service of
| the church.
| Early Leaders
He was followed by Ulrich
Steiner, who came before a second
| Christian Steiner, brother of Abra-
ham Steiner. John Amstutz was
next. At this juncture, new con-
gregation started under the leader
ship of John Thut. After Amstutz
came John Moser, who as preacher
or assistant, served 55 years in the
| church. A man of powerful per-
sonality, he exerted an immense in
fiuence on the community and under
his long leadership the churches
| grew in strength.
| Peter Schumacher was an assist
ant to Moser for many years and
his service to the church lasted 26
| years. He had a family of seven
sons, nine daughters, Sc grandsons,
so granddaughters, 163 great-grand-
| sons and 155 Observation-Disclosures.
All the foregoing preachers were
pioneers without any special theolo-
gical training. The next group were
preachers called in from outside
churches. These included Rev. Bear,
Hege, and Gottshall, who exercised
direction of all the churches. The
Swiss congregation became too large
under one organization and today
the church of thousand people is
divided into four parts-First Men
MONTE in Bluffton, Rev. H. T. Unruh,
pastor; the Ebenezer, west of town,
Rev. p. A. Kliewer, pastor; the St.
John, near Pandora, Rev. d. ].
Unruh, pastor; the Grace, in Pan
dora, Rev. Paul E. Whitmer, pastor.
First Sunday School
In 1877 Sunday school was organ
lied in the church on the Daniel
Neuenschwander farm, and a year
| later it was established in the
Ebenezer church. In 1893 the cong
regation joined with the General
| Cont ference of Mennonites of
| America.
The German Reformed church was
begun at a later date than the Men
MONTE church, and the first build
ing was completed about 1860. In
1900 the church was destroyed by
a windsitorm, and in 1902 the new
church, at the site of the present
Emmanuel'sj church, was dedicated.
About 1874 the new brick parson-
age was built and the cemetery was
laid out beside it. This was during
the pastorate of Rev. Schneck.
Before the first church was built,
services had been held in the old
Gratz school house, about 80 rods
distance from where the present
| church stands.
Cemetery i'm 1851