HISTORY

St. John's History

Old St. John's Church St. John's Church traces its origin to February 17, 1850, when a group of immigrants came to Runck's old schoolhouse on Rapid Run Rd. in Cincinnati, Ohio to organize a church. All were happy to find religious and political freedom in this country. Motivated by a desire to worship God in their own language, they organized the Evangelical Protestant Church of Delhi and Green Township.

The German immigrants chose as their patron saint, the beloved disciple of Christ, St. John. Most of the members had been affiliated in their homeland with the Lutheran, Reformed, and Evangelical Churches. For this reason, they were anxious to remain free from all denominational entanglements, believing that different religious opinions need not lead to discord as long as the spirit of true freedom and love of neighbors prevails.

One of the most vital questions concerning the welfare of the congregations of our forefathers was the German language. After much discussion, it was decided to introduce a bi-lingual service on Sunday mornings. German and English sermons were presented to a segregated congregation (men on one side, women on the other).

The first constitution of St. John's stated: "We are united to know the will of God as taught in the Holy Scriptures and in accordance with the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther and other German Reformers, allowing freedom of conscience and freedom of interpretation in points of doctrinal difference. We are united for the purpose of serving God and our fellowmen. With bleeding hearts we were forced to leave our Fatherland and break away from our parents, brothers and sisters. We now desire to unite ourselves as a Christian Congregation in order to live together in love and peace under the guidance of God's Holy Spirit until called by our Savior to our heavenly home. Hatred and strife shall not be tolerated in our midst, for we are all children of the one and same Heavenly Father."

color photo of inside of old brick church In 1863, land was purchased at the present location on Neeb Rd., between Cleves Warsaw and Rapid Run Roads in Cincinnati, Ohio. An abandoned frame church building in Price Hill was purchased and moved three miles. A cemetery was established at that time. The building served with its lower rooms as parsonage and school rooms, and the upper auditorium as a congregational place of worship. In 1891, the frame parsonage was built, and in the year 1899 the members, mostly children of the founders, felt it their "duty toward God and man" to replace the old frame building with a new and more appropriate brick structure. It was completed for a cost of $27,000 and remains useful to this day by housing the Day Care Center.

In 1957, the congregation united with the Ohio Conference of Congregational Churches; and in 1958, became St. John's Congregational Christian Church. In 1959, the Congregational Christian Church and the Evangelical and Reformed Church merged to become the United Church of Christ.

St. John's Church-in-the-Round

color photo of round church The ground breaking ceremony for the new Church-in-the-round was held on June 11, 1967. The Congregation met at the original church and marched to the Church grounds. The march was highlighted by a half hour 35-bell carillon concert, a donation of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Willenborg. On October 19, 1969 the Congregation of St. John's proudly and with great thanksgiving to God, dedicated our new Church-in-the-round. It is a monument to our fathers, the founders of our Congregations and to the glory of God.

David Maxfield of Oxford, Ohio was the architect who designed the new building. Mr. Maxfield has designed over two hundred church facilities in the Midwest, He wrote of St. John's, "This building represents the fulfillment of St. John's dream to have an adequate facility for worship, education and fellowship. I believe this was accomplished in the design and construction of the one magnificent structure. From the footing deep in the soil of Delhi Township to the top of the cross, I believe the congregation's needs for a physical plant will be met for many years. It was a challenge as an architect to design a multi-purpose building to meet the many needs of the growing church of St. John's".

Twelve massive pillars imbedded deep in the clay soil of Delhi support the church's structure and represent the twelve apostles on whose lives the early church grew. There are two bands surrounding the church. The first band, the Crown of Glory, graces the top of the church from which rises the tower supporting the cross. The second band, Thre Crown of the Faithful, goes entirely around the circumference of the chruch roof. The architect designed the lower band to be symbolic of the many people comprising the membership of St. John's. This band represents the priesthood of all believers who uphold and keep alive the Christian faith. It is also symbolic of the joy experienced in the fellowship as a member of St. John's Church.

The present church was built at a cost of $625,000. Members of St. John's paid off their 20-year motgage loan in 13 years, at which time the Church-in-the-round was valued at $750,000. This was done through individual contributions and fund raising efforts by church organizations. The biggest help came from the sale of property donated to the church by Louise and Alfred Murphy. This was accomplished in May 1982.

St. John's went through a period of financial crisis in the 1970's. Foreclosure on the church property was a dark cloud overhead. However, members and friends rallied to meet the financial crisis, contributing $43,179.85 and St. John's was again alive and growing to this day.

Willenborg Carillon

Motivated by a sense of cultural and civic pride, and with the intention of presenting the Church with a lasting memorial in their memory, Mr. and Mrs. Russell Willenborg have given the world's most travelled carillon a home. The set of bells has been viewed by over three million people and has traveled over one hundred thousand miles. Completed in 1964 by its manufacturer, the Verdin Bell Foundry, Holland, the carillon made its nationwide debut in New York on December 17, 1964. The bells automatically ring on the hour, quarter-hour and half-hour. The Willenborg Carillon consists of thirty-five cast bronze bells with a musical range of three full octaves. The largest bell weighs five hundred eighty-three pounds and has a diameter of thirty-nine inches. The smallest bell weighs twenty-four pounds and has a diameter of only seven inches. The total weight is 3,800 pounds. The bells are tuned chromatically. This means there is one-half note difference in each bell.

Stained Glass Windows

In early 1980, the stained glass windows were removed from the original church. Plain glass windows replaced them. The stained glass windows were repaired and many were placed in the sanctuary of the Church-in-the-round. These windows were given by our founding fathers as a memorial to their loved ones. The following names are etched in the stained glass: Vaughn, Trautman, Hausfled, Huber, Seitz, Koester, Betz, Heinlein, Brater, Zoellner, Reidel, Kurz, Schuster and Harms.

The Cross of St. John's

The cross towers over the twenty-five acre campus located on Neeb Hill. Its Silent witness is enhanced by lights that begin at dusk and light the cross during the hours of night and gives way to the light of the morning sun at sunrise. The cross is twenty-four feet high and stands seventy feet above the top of Neeb Hill. The cross gives a witness to the empty tomb, which is the symbol of our salvation and our own hope for eternity.

Murphy Hall

Murphy Hall is St. John's Large fellowhip hall used for church gatherings and social events such as Thanksgiving dinners, rummage sales, jazzercise classes and Boy Scout Troop funtions. The hall is 72ft. by 72ft. and is able to seat 450 people. This expansive hall is named for Louise and Alfred Murphy who gave thirty-five acres of land on Rapid Run Road to the church. St. John's sold this property for $350,000, which was used to retire the new building debt.

Confirmation Wall

The Confirmation Wall is located in Murphy Hall. Confirmation is the process by which a person confirms their baptismal vows given by their parents at the time of baptism. It is also the process by which our young people make their decision to be Christians and beome church members. The Confirmation Wall establishes, in a symbolic manner, this event in our spiritual journey. Etching the photographs onto metal preserves the confirmation pictures and provides a permanent testimony to the Rite of Confirmation. The first confirmation class picture taken was in 1898.

St. John's Learning Center

The St. John's Learning Center has provided a home for preschoolers since the 1960's. Many of our members' children and grandchildren have attended school here and many church members have been dedicated staff. In conjunction with the Daycare Program, the Learning Center offers a variety of services for childcare. It continues to be an active and vital part of the community.

The Moeller Pipe Organ

The Moeller pipe organ was installed during a remodeling project in the original church in 1926 at a cost of $3,000.00. This beautiful organ was moved in 1968 to the new Church-in-the-round. Realizing the Moeller organ woould need additional volume, newpipes and a keyboard were added. To help defray the cost, members and friends donated funds to purchase a "key". The original organ keyboard is now displayed in the Narthex.

St. John's Cemetery

The cemetery at St. John's United Church of Christ dates back to 1863 when the original church was moved to it's present location at Neeb Road in Delhi. In 1938, the congregation purchased additional land for the cemetery. Other parcels purchased over time include the largest purchase of eight acres from Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Schmidt in 1958. The following are some of the names inscribed in stone in the original church and cemetery: Bagel, Becker, Betz, Bloemker, Brater, Brockhoff, Brose, Diekmeyer, Kierks, Feige, Filler, Hausfeld, Hehe, Hey, Heinlein, Huenefeld, Juergens, Klein, Kramer, Kuhn, Lammers, Lauber, Lauterbach, Letto, Lidwig, Mende, Meyer, Metzger, Overbeck, Pontius, Rueger, Sandman, Schroer, Seitz, Schuster, Wittenberg, Zoellner, and others.

Altemeier Chapel

The Dr. William Altemeier Family gave the Altemeier Chapel to the Glory of God. The Chapel is located in Murphy Hall and is used for weddings, baptisms and Sunday school Worship. The faceted glass window called "The Tree of Life" was designed and constructed by William Fancher, who desired to express the beauty, vitality, growth and vibrancy of the Christian faith.

Zinner Bells

The steeple of the original church measured 85 feet high and was topped by a gold leaf weather vane. It housed two bells that were donated by Johann and Anna Maria Zinner and family in 1875. These bells provided the call to worship for many years. The steeple fell into disrepair and was removed in the mid-1980's. In April 2000, the bells were refurbished by the Verdin Bell Company in honor of St. John's 150th anniversary celebration and will eventually be displayed in front of the church.

Anna Overbeck Memorials

The Overbeck Chimes were heard for the first time on Easter in 1949. Miss Anna Overbeck donated them in memory of her parents. The chimes are now part of the organ in the Curch-in-the-round. A new parsonage was also built as a memorial to Miss Overbeck. This new parsonage allowed the expanding congregation to use the original parsonage for church school classes and preschool programs. Miss Anne Overbeck was a techer at Carson School and a lifelong member of St. John's Church.

Addendum

St. John's United Church of Christ merged with Westminister Presbyterian Church in January 2002. Please read about the merger and how we're making history today in the section titled Union Church History.

St. John's Westminster Union Church
1085 Neeb Rd. Cincinnati, Ohio 45233
(513) 347-4613