The snow maiden gives treats to guests

The Russian New Year’s Eve celebration, sponsored by Friends of Sacred Landmarks Initiative, was a huge success! Many people came to dine, dance and celebrate into the night. The music was provided by Harmonia, who played a variety of music from the heart of Europe throughout the evening. An excellent Russian-inspired meal was prepared by Executive Chef Eric Petrus of LCCC Dining Services. Many guests took part in the dance lessons offered during the evening, and a great time was had by all.

Click here to see more pictures from the fantastic evening!

There will be door prizes, raffles and much fun for all!

Tickets for the celebration are $50 per person, or two for $95. To order tickets, please call the Sacred Landmarks Initiative office at 366-4590 during our office hours M-F 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or leave a message with your name and number, and we will return your call.

There will be a cash bar at the event; Spitzer Conference Center does not permit guests to bring outside alcohol. A menu is available on request for those with specific dietary needs.

Call and reserve your tickets by January 6 to participate in this unique ethnic celebration!

By the beginning of the American Civil War, the small hamlet of Plato, in Amherst Township, had attracted a significant number of German immigrants, with jobs in the area’s sandstone quarries. In 1864, the community began receiving regular visits from Father Louis Molon, who arrived by railroad hand car to celebrate mass in the Rueben Wolcott Building. Recognizing the need for a permanent church for the community, Bishop Amadeus Rappe accepted a donation of land at the corner of Tenney Avenue and Forest Street from Joseph and Susan Trost. Mr. Trost, the owner of the local quarry, also donated sandstone blocks for the building’s foundation. On August 15, 1868, the St. Joseph community celebrated the dedication of its first church. Three years after the church’s dedication, the community welcomed administrator Father James Rouchy. Hoping to ease the financial burden of a number of parish men stricken with silicosis, the community founded the St. Joseph Society – a mutual aid association.

In 1874, the congregation welcomed its first pastor, Father Joseph Romer. Like Father Rouchy, Father Romer initially lived with area families. This situation came to an end with the 1877 opening of the parish rectory. Under Father Romer’s guidance, the parish purchased “God’s Little Acre” from John and Catherine Mickel, which it converted into a parish cemetery. Three years later, St. Joseph School opened. It was only a small frame building. In addition to serving the needs of the St. Joseph community, Father Romer helped establish and minister to the spiritual needs of St. Mary Parish in Lorain.

With Father Romer’s departure in 1891, the parish welcomed its second pastor, Father Henry L. Best, who in his thirteen-month tenure supervised the construction of a new belfry, in which two donated bells were hung. In January 1893, Father Romer returned to the parish, where he served until June 1899. Father Romer’s successor, Father August H. Alten, arrived in Amherst at a time of economic crisis. Writing to Bishop Ignatius F. Horstmann in 1902, Father Alten, a native of French Creek (now Avon, Ohio), described the dire economic state of his parishioners: “Not only have families moved away but also individual members of families of our parish, boys and girls, as high as 20 during the last year, for the simple reason that they could not find lucrative employment in our burg. Now this decrease has crippled our parish so that now we only have about 50 families all told, 20 of whom are widows. . .[sic]” Looking for a solution to the parish’s financial difficulties, Father Alten suggest St. Joseph Parish be affiliated with St. John Parish in South Lorain. Bishop Horstmann agreed. Before his death in June 1904, Father Alten administered to the two communities, shuttling between them by streetcar.

With the appointment of Father John Bertemes and the opening of the National Tube Company plant in South Lorain, the parish’s future prospects brightened. In 1910, some parishioners worried that their new pastor, Father Nicholas Espen, had let this newfound prosperity cloud his judgment, when he announced the new rectory would have the luxury of an indoor bathroom. Under its next pastor, Father Joseph G. Schaffeld, who arrived in Amherst in 1916, St. Joseph Parish flourished. Before his retirement in 1920, Father Schaffeld oversaw the renovation of the church interior, including the installation of new Stations of the Cross and a beautiful pipe organ.

In the 25 years after the Second World War, St. Joseph Parish experienced dramatic growth. To teach at the school, the parish welcomed teachers from the sisters of Notre Dame. Nine years later, under the direction of its new pastor, Father Joseph A. Lembach, the parish purchased property on Cleveland Avenue for a new church and school. After approximately 18 months of construction, the parish celebrated the opening of the new complex on October 30, 1956. With its swelling membership, the parish began celebrating Mass in the school auditorium. On June 21, 1960, the community welcomed its first assistant pastor, Father Jerome O. Turins. Seeking a solution to the parish’s overcrowded conditions, Fathers Lembach and Turins broke ground for a rectory-administration building and a new convent in September. Under the guidance of its new pastor, Father Anthony L. Kreps, the parish broke ground for its long-awaited church on August 10, 1969. Over the next 15 months, the community watched as the building took shape. On March 19, 1971, the fan-shaped church was dedicated.

Updated 2011

Originally known as the Amherst Methodist Episcopal Church, the  Amherst Park Avenue United Methodist Church is the oldest congregation in
Amherst, Ohio. Founded in 1831, the first church structure was known as the  Sholes Meeting House on the corner of Park Avenue and Church Street. This  meetinghouse and plot were eventually deeded on April 30, 1836, to the trustees of the Amherst Methodist Episcopal Church. A new, larger, and more elegant building was constructed in 1875 to accommodate its new population and  program. The church fell into disrepair and by 1890 Trustees determined that  the church desperately needed to be renovated. They purchased a lot on the  southwest corner of Park Avenue and Spring Street where the church was moved  and then remodeled. A major fire on Christmas Eve in 1900 destroyed this church. For two years the congregation met in a vacant Spring Street school. The cornerstone for the new church was laid in the fall of 1902 and a new church  was built. In 1929 a new parsonage was erected. During 1939, the word “Episcopal” was dropped from the title and the local church incorporated under the name “The Amherst Methodist Church.” In 1968, after the creation of the United Methodist Church, through the merger of the Evangelical United Brethren with the Methodists, the congregation assumed its present name: The Park Avenue United Methodist Church of Amherst.

Fall,
2009

President of LCCC Dr. Roy Church, previous Director of SLI Cheryl Piper, President of FSLI Dia Dobos, Director of SLI Jackie Kokai and Dr. Michael Tevesz attended the event.

On June 21, 2011, the Lorain County Sacred Landmarks Initiative held a book launch to celebrate the release of its latest publication, Celebrations of Light: Ecclesiastical Stained Glass in Lorain County, Ohio. The event was hosted by Commodore Books & More on the Lorain County Community College main campus. The event also celebrated the ten years that SLI has been in operation. Displays were set up to commemorate the events of the past ten years, and copies of the latest publication were available for purchase. To see some of the highlights from the event, click on the link below.

Book Launch Event

In the early days of the pioneers, missionary circuit riders were one of the only ways for the faithful to have worship. A missionary circuit riding preacher  named John Lutz organized the Lake Circuit of which North Amherst was a part in 1836. In 1837, the Salem Class was organized, which was the beginning of the present Old Stone United Methodist Church. This Salem Congregation was also the mother congregation of Huron, South Ridge, Brownhelm, and Lorain congregations. A log church building was erected in 1844. George Dute and Friedrick Friend reported in December 1855 that the brethren of Amherst Corners (North Amherst) saw fit to organize a class of their own. In 1861, they built a home for their circuit pastor and soon after a frame church was built at the corner of Cooper-Foster and Kolbe Roads. The congregation purchased an unused Brownhelm Township church in 1864, dismantled it, and rebuilt it on the site of the present church. Frederick French and J. K. Pontuis were the circuit pastors when the church was dedicated in November 1864.

Old Stone United Methodist Church, Amherst, OH

In 1881, the first stone church was begun using stone from the local quarries. It was completed in 1882. The year 1881 was inscribed on a block of sandstone set above the front window, and this stone is now the cornerstone in the modern Education Unit. The old style lettering of 1881 is preserved, even to the marks made when the stone cutter’s tool slipped.

In 1907, the language of the service was changed from German to English. The congregation was growing steadily, and it became necessary to construct a larger building. A congregational meeting was held on the parsonage lawn on June 12, 1919 and a building committee was elected, but due to the inflated prices following World War I, the matter was delayed. In 1922, Rev. Neumeister recommended the congregation start building the larger church. The last service was held in the old stone church June 8, 1924.

The contractors began razing the old building June 10, 1924. The cornerstone cut from the stone step of the old building was laid August 31, 1924. During the erection of the new building, the congregation worshipped in the Methodist church (now known as Park Avenue UMC in Amherst) which was rented. Dedication of the new sawed, buff sandstone building took place in 1925.

In 2001, the exterior of the sanctuary was badly in need of pointing and weatherproofing to preserve the historic structure. This was done at a cost of approximately $50,000. Old Stone has produced several ministers and minister’s wives and a missionary from its membership. A stone monument was erected on the church lawn dedicated to Kathryn Eyerick Giliani, who founded Italian missions in the Evangelical Church.

The arrangement of the sanctuary is known as the “Akron Plan” which included Sunday school classrooms just off the sanctuary on both floors. In the front of the sanctuary is a wooden hand-carved structure known as a reredos. This beautiful work of art was given to the church in 1989 in memory of several people.

The church had several name changes over the years as a result of shifting relationship. These names include: German Evangelical Church, First Evangelical Church, Evangelical United Brethren and now, Old Stone United Methodist Church.

Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church was established in Lorain,
Ohio, renting space on Fleming Avenue from the Freewill Baptist Church in 1972.
The congregation then bought land and planned their move out to the Henrietta
area of Lorain County. The present church was constructed on the new site in
1977.

Heritage Presbyterian Church was formed in 1999 as a result of the merger of Westminster Presbyterian Church of Amherst, and Northminster Presbyterian Church in Lorain. In 2004 a church expansion and renovation project was begun. The sanctuary was expanded to seat about 300 people. The original sanctuary had seating for only about 100. The expansion project also included a new fellowship hall with seating for up to 250 people, a new kitchen, new classrooms and bathrooms.

The church’s old steeple was taken down in April 2004 to make room for the enlargement of the sanctuary. It was eventually replaced with a larger steeple. The new sanctuary was dedicated on Nov. 6 2005, an event that was celebrated with an open house and opportunities to see all of the new facilities.

Green Pastures Baptist Church started a push to attract more youth to the church in 2008. They have an active music worship and welcome all comers to their church. Green Pastures Baptist Church has no dress code required, instead asking all to come as they are to worship with fellow Christians.