Shelby County Indiana History, Churches, German Protestant / Zion United Church of Christ

Zion United Church of Christ

(originally German Evangelical Protestant)

The Shelbyville News
Saturday, July 19, 2003
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Zion congregation reminisces about the times gone by
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By JUDY C. SPRENGELMEYER
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[The following has been summarized to comply with the wishes of the Shelbyville News. For the full article, click here.]
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            Zion United Church of Christ, located about six miles east of Shelbyville, annual fried chicken supper. Reminisced about many other gatherings of the past on these same grounds, most featuring good German food.
            Pauline Callahan, Cecil Cawein and Agnes Weingarth remember when the church was a frame building, County Road 100 North and 700 East.
            Germanfests in the 1920s: large tent was set up across the road from the church, with smaller tents for preparing food and displaying delicate embroidery and other crafts.
            [Callahan] Rev. Samuel Caldemyer would place his smoldering cigar carefully on the fender of his car, then return after church to pick it up and resume smoking.
            [Callahan] remembers serving as a “flower girl” — carrying flowers into the white frame church for a funeral, when that was the custom — and the impact of seeing and hearing the grieving mother who had lost an infant child.
            [Weingarth] remembers Rev. Dickmann.
            [Weingarth] Saturday Catechism classes being conducted in 1930 on top of a stack of lumber left from the old frame church; Mary Frances Theobald, wearing the latest “in” footwear with Cuban heels.
            [Cawein] the organ from the old church; Wilbur Haehl and Albert Brune; restored and still sits at the front of the sanctuary.
            July 20, present and former members of Zion: History Sunday with former ministers of the church — the Revs. Lawrence Becker, Wayne Bozell, John Martin and Lou Speller — scheduled to participate, along with the Rev. Mary Lundgren, present minister.
            History of this church goes back to the very early days of Indiana statehood. German settlers from the Bavarian district of Europe came to Rush and Shelby counties. Established homes on the rich farmland. Reinforced their German heritage by forming the congregation known as the Evangelical Protestant St. Zion Church of Union Township.
            Original congregation was a group of people congregating in each other’s homes for religious services. 1845 built their first church building, a log structure heated at one end by a large fireplace and surrounded by a rail fence. The pews were hand-hewn slabs of wood. Rev. Rice, first pastor.
            Founders are represented yet today in the Zion membership: Haehl, Gahimer, Cawein [and Kuhn].
            By 1867, congregation added more families. Rev. J. J. Kissel contracted Peter Cawein to build a new frame church, cost $4,000.   White frame building had two big stoves for heat.
            Custom for men and women to sit in separate sections, a tradition which began to change after Scott Fuchs married Ella Haehl and declared that he would thereafter be sitting with his wife.
            1870, Dr. Gustav G. Winter was called to serve; stayed for 44 years. Served as pastor of the Shelbyville Evangelical Protestant Church in 1880. Native of Leimbach, Germany; received his doctorate from the University of Halle, Germany; had a medical practice, taught languages at Shelbyville High School, became principal of Public School No. 1 in Shelbyville in 1885; married a member of his congregation, Rosa Theobald, in 1872.
            Services in German since beginning (1845); in 1911, Dr. Winter began conducting services in both German and English. German-language services eventually dropped completely, due in part to the onset of the First World War.
            Also in 1911, Zion’s Sunday school was first organized, Ella Haehl superintendent, Louise Briggeman as assistant, Florence Haehl as secretary and Michael Kuhn treasurer.
            1926, Rev. J. W. Dickmann installed as minister. Vision of a new church home: a fine edifice with a large social area in the basement, complete with kitchen, classrooms and a stage for special programs. The main floor would feature a choir loft, additional open classrooms overlooking the sanctuary and a balcony. Intricate stained-glass windows would surround the entire building like jewels in a crown.
            Estimable undertaking; strong German stock made it a reality. Aug. 12, 1929, president of the church council, John A. Kuhn, broke ground.
            Saved hundreds of dollars by doing much of the labor themselves.
            Depression looming; some council members even put up their own property to secure building loans. Final cost $60,000. Cornerstone was laid on Oct. 20, and the new church was dedicated on April 27, 1930. Landscaping completed in 1935; mortgage was burned in 1943.
            Name has changed several times. In 1934 the Evangelical Synod of North American and the Reformed Church in the United States officially became the Evangelical and Reformed Church. In 1957, they combined with the Congregational Christian Church to become known as the United Church of Christ.
            Still "filled with the descendants of those hardy Germans who dared to seek freedom of religion and a new, better life in an alien country — like Moses, trusting God and their faith to sustain them in their promised land."
Summarized by Phyllis Miller Fleming

The Shelby Democrat
April 17, 1930
Page 2
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NEW ZION EVANGELICAL
DEDICATED APRIL 27
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Work will begin next week on dismantling the church building that has been in use many years. The materials will be sold and services during the next two weeks will be held in the basement of the new building. The farewell services Sunday are expected to attract a large crowd and many of the older members will take part.
Only the finishing touches remain for completion of the new church structure. When turned over to the congregation, the church will represent an investment of approximately $60,000 and it will offer one of the most modern and attractive community churches in the state.
Three services will be conducted in the new building on the day of the dedication, April 27. On Monday night, April 28 there will be a community service and on Tuesday night the organization meeting. A dedication supper will be held Thursday evening, May 1, in the social room of the new building, and all the public of the county is invited, this being one of the events for which the women of the Zion church are widely known.
Summarized by Phyllis Miller Fleming

The Indianapolis Star
July 17, 1915
Page 4   Column 5
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SHELBYVILLE -- Arrangements have been completed for the annual picnic of the German Evangelical Protestant Church Sunday at the Fair Ground. Music by the Shelbyville Military Band and a big basket dinner will be features. Addresses will be delivered by the Rev. J. C. Peters and Horace Herr of Indianapolis. Both men have been in Europe since the war started and their addresses will deal almost exclusively with the war from a German point of view.
Contributed by Virginia Latta Curulla

The Indianapolis Star
July 13, 1915
Page 19   Column 4
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SHELBYVILLE -- The German Evangelical Protestant Church has planned an all-day picnic at the Fair Grounds for Sunday, Jly 18, and Horace Herr of Indianapolis, recently returned from Europe, will speak in the afternoon and evening on the subject, "In War's Highway" and "A Newspaper Man's Impression of the War."
Contributed by Virginia Latta Curulla

The Shelbyville Democrat
Shelbyville, Ind.
November 3, 1911, page 1
GERMAN   PROTESTANT CHURCH
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     The German Evangelical Protestant church will celebrate its annual mission festival next Sunday. Noted speakers from Indianapolis and Louisville, Ky., will deliver mission addresses on this occasion. This is an important day for the church and none of the members' faces should be missing in the audience during the three services of the day. The following is a brief program sketch for the festival:
     Sunday school rally meeting with illustrated song and special music, from 9:15 to 10:30 a.m.
     English service, with sermon by the pastor and special music by the choir, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
     German service, with sermon by the Rev. J.C. Hansen, of Indianapolis, and special music by the choir, from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m.
     The evening service will begin at 7:30 with an illustrated song service which will terminate promptly at 8 o'clock. Following the song service the Rev. Dr. Bruning of Louisville, Ky., will deliver a sermon on the subject, "The Great Commission." This will be a festival and everybody is cordially invited to come and celebrate with us. S. Caldemeyer, pastor.
Submitted by Phyllis Miller Fleming

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