Angelica Lutheran Church
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Angelica Lutheran Church is a member of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and is also a member of the LCMS English District. The Church is located at 8400 Park Avenue in Allen Park, Michigan 48101, U.S.A.
Contents |
[edit] Church History
In the summer of 1947, a small group of Christian men and women realized the vast opportunities and the urgent need of another Lutheran congregation in the then-village of Allen Park. On the evening of August 29, 1947, a meeting was held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Fink. The Rev. Victor Halboth, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Redford Township, Michigan and missionary at large for the English District of the Synodical Conference was invited to come to this meeting which was also attended by Mr. and Mrs. Edward Bendick, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Engers, Miss Virginia Engers, and Mr. and Mrs. Fink. This proved to be the birthplace of Angelica - plans were drawn up to hold a first service in a good place. Through the efforts of Mr. Bendick and Mr. Fink, permission was given by the Allen Park School Board to use Sudman School for worship. On September 6, 1947, the Board granted this permission, and Angelica Lutheran Church was on its way. September 21, 1947, was a red letter day in the history of Angelica for that was the day that first services were held in the Sudman School, at 9:00 a.m.
At its very beginning the new mission was called ENGLISH DISTRICT LUTHERAN MISSION OF ALLEN PARK. As the weeks rolled on various names were suggested. On December 4th, 1947, a name was chosen - the men and women decided to call and to name the congregation ANGELICA EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH of Allen Park, Michigan. On October 15, 1947, the mission met for the purpose of organizing and becoming affiliated with Synodical conference. In the November 13th meeting a Constitution was submitted and accepted. Temporary officers were elected: Mr. Charles Engers, President; Mr. Ed Bendick, Treasurer; Mrs. Helen Engers, Recording Secretary; and Mrs. Kenneth Charles, Assistant Treasurer. Everyone in the mission realized they needed a resident pastor to nourish their souls and so the search for a permanent pastor was on. The pulpit committee was chosen to present a list of candidates; Mr. Charles, Mr. Pitters, Mr. Bendick, and Mr. Engers served on the committee.
Over the coming months several meetings were held to select pastoral candidates. Some of their first choices had to decline for various reasons. On February 28, 1948, these men and women and the rest of the officers signed their names to a call that was extended to the Rev. Elmer Beyer. Rev. Beyer informed the congregation on March 8th that he was ready to leave his duties at Valparaiso University and come to Angelica. Pastor Beyer was installed as the first pastor of Angelica on May 2, 1948 in special services held at Lapham School.
During the the coming months the first church board elections were held, as well as the formation of a number of church groups: Women's Guild, Church Ladies Choir, Youth Group, Confirmation Classes and the Sunday School. On November 13, 1947 the original Constitution of Angelica Lutheran Church of Allen Park, Michigan was written. After the congregation moved into their new church building, more church groups were formed: Altar Guild, Mixed Choir, Jr. Choir, Garden Club, and Usher's Club.
[edit] Church Building
In August, 1949, a building committee was selected to begin plans for the new church building. The following men were selected: Mr. Herman Kreit, Mr. Bernard Likschat, Mr. John Kwasniewski, Mr. Otto Schlacht, Mr. Arlow Charles, Mr. Demeter Pitters, Mr. Kenneth Turner, Mr. Alfred Fink, Mr. Harold Saneske, and Mr. Edward Bendick. While waiting for the day to build, Angelica members devoted themselves to raising funds for the new house of worship. Each Sunday, Mr. Charles Weiss brought his miniature church and invited people to throw in their spare change for the building fund.
On August 13, 1950 the ground breaking ceremony was held, and on May 5, 1951, construction began on the new house of worship. Great, regular lines of buff brick and rugged limestone trimming form the interesting and beautiful exterior of this house of worship designed and constructed by John B. Ebert and Sons of Detroit. The design is modified Gothic style of architecture and the construction is of substantial brick and block. Erected at the intersection of two main thoroughfares, it covers an entire city block. Attractively landscaped, this new church occupies a strategic spot in the community.
The date of June 22, 1952 marked the day of dedication of the new house of worship of Angelica Lutheran Church. The congregation gathered at the high school for the Valedictory Service, and then assembled before the doors of the new church at 10:00 a.m. The Rev. Elmer E. Beyer was the Dedicatory Officiant; The Rev. Arne Kristo was the Officiant, and the organist was Miss Clara Mae Cochran. The dedication sermon was given by the Rev. Richard Jesse, Sr. Executive Secretary of the English District, Mission Board. Dinner was served in the parish hall from 12 noon until 3:00 p.m.
The Afternoon Service began at 4:00 p.m. The Officiant for this service was The Rev. George Rehkopf, with the Festival Sermon being delivered by The Rev. Victor Halboth, Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church. The organist for this service was Mr. Frederick Schwass. Dinner was then served from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Order of the Vesper Service was held beginning at 8:00 p.m. The Rev. Erwin Kurth, Pastor at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Detroit, delivered the sermon. The Officiant was The Rev. Arthur Beyer. The choir from St. John’s Lutheran Church, Taylor, Michigan, sang an anthem, and Mr. Erwin Fechner played the organ for this service.
[edit] Church Renovations
By 1977 the congregation had outgrown the current building. Expansion of the current building was necessary. As a result, "Project ‘77" became a reality. The goal of "Project ‘77" was to raise $350,000 over three years in cash and commitments. The campaign objectives were (1) to build an addition to provide for more effective work and fellowship; (2) to improve and beautify the church interior; and (3) to redecorate and update the parish hall and kitchen. Weekly contributions were given by members and friends of Angelica, and on September 25, 1977, the Groundbreaking Service and Refurbishing Service was held.
Work progressed steadily, and on September 24, 1978, Dedication Services for the renovated church and the new addition were held. This day of dedication marked not only the 31st anniversary of the founding of Angelica, but also the 30th year that Rev. Beyer served as pastor. The Liturgists at the morning services were The Rev. Robert Sielaff (Angelica) and the Rev. Victor F. Halboth, Sr. (Emeritus Pastor, Grace, Redford). The Lectors were The Rev. Robert Sielaff and The Rev. Erwin C. Beyer (Emeritus Pastor, St. Paul’s, St. Clair shores). The Preachers were Major Robert Bendick (Chaplain, U.S. Army) and The Rev. George W. Bornemann (President, English District). Angelica’s Choir sang, and Mr. Carl Lohrmann played the organ. The Dedication Officiant was The Rev. Elmer E. Beyer. The commemorative banner was made by Mrs. Mildred Malcolm.
In 2002 Angelica Lutheran Church embarked on a second major renovation project for the Church building. The structure had served well but it became apparent the flat roof could no longer endure the demanding Michigan weather. A Building Restoration Committee was formed to propose a solution to the continuing issues relating to Angelica’s massive roof structure.
The church has always been recognized as an impressive and stately building and it was important for the committee to preserve this natural beauty. The Building Committee selected the capable architectural firm of Anthony Herk and Associates of Flat Rock, Michigan to develop restoration plans. Associated Construction Services of Fenton, Michigan was awarded the contract to perform the restoration work. Fund raising and financing through the Lutheran Church Extension Fund brought the dream to reality as the finance committee worked to make the restoration possible.
Most notable exterior changes include a pitched roof over the 1977 addition with installation of a standing-seam metal roof. Copper flashing and an elaborate rain conducting system was put in place to transfer runoff from the courtyard area to downspouts that are located outside the church. A drive-through barrier free portico and smaller covered entrance to the church office were erected. Limestone window framing was added to the 1977 windows so they would match the original church design. Another enhancement that was made mid-project was the expansion of the south organ chamber, which took advantage of the new loft area of the pitched roof. This allowed more room for the Organ Renovations that have been taking place over the past few years.
[edit] Church Organ
When the Angelica congregation moved ahead to construct its church in the early 1950’s, its plans included the installation of a new pipe organ. Various sample instruments were auditioned, and the committee voted to have its new organ built by the venerable Canadian firm, Casavant Freres (Brothers), of Ste. Hyacinthe, Quebec. The J.A. Hebert Company, located in the Detroit area, served as a sales representative for Casavant at the time, and sold and installed an impressive number of Casavant organs throughout the area. The contract for Casavant Opus 2123 was signed in September, 1950 (very shortly after the initial groundbreaking ceremony). While the design and construction of the new organ were of course first-rate, budgetary constraints considerably limited the size of the new instrument. This resulted in a rather bare-bones specification with only two stops in the Pedal division, limited resources on the Great, and no reed stops whatsoever. There were 15 ranks (sets) of pipes, with 850 pipes in total.
During the “Project 77” renovation of the Angelica Lutheran Church building and sanctuary, additions were made to the pipe organ. The electrical wiring to the console was extended, and various new and used pipes and mechanisms were added in the pipe chambers. One set of original pipes, made of very soft lead-tin alloy, was removed from the organ in order to free up its actions, and was stored in the adjoining attic space. However, the overall tonal and mechanical success of the additions was poor, at best, and its doubtful that the added parts were ever very useful or reliable.
During the later 1990's, the organ was experiencing many dead notes in some of the added stops, the expression louvers of the Swell division worked poorly or not at all, and about half of the limited console controls were inoperative. Wind leaked noisily from several mechanisms that had been poorly assembled and/or required replacement, and it was necessary to set the console controls in a certain way when the organ was not being played in order to minimize the sound of escaping wind. An ad hoc committee was formed to find a feasible solution for the problems. After open meetings with the congregation, an Organ Renovation Fund was created. Renaissance Pipe Organ Company was chosen to handle the organ renovation project. Preliminary plans and designs were based on a modest budget of $30,000, but that would soon develop into a project of a much more comprehensive and refined nature.
Preliminary work in the renovation project focused on restoring the organ to fully-operational condition. Most of the added pipes and second-hand machinery from the 1970’s were removed, save for the 8’ Trumpet stop which would later be revoiced and relocated to the Great division. Most of the disused pipes were eventually traded for the services of Barry Turley and James Hammann, who assisted in the early work to re-establish wind pressures and revoice the pipes on the new pressures. The organ chimes were re-installed in the rear gallery of the Church. By late 1999, the Organ Fund had grown enough that it was possible to undertake the installation of new, state-of-the-art electrical systems to operate the instrument. Costing around $13,000 at the time, the new systems were prepared to operate the completed pipe organ according to the preliminary designs. With these systems fortunately being software-based, several revisions to the programming would be made over the course of the ever-evolving project as certain aspects of the design materialized in unforeseen and favorable ways.
The addition of seventeen ranks of new and vintage pipes also required that suitable actions be installed in order to play them. By constructing a new set of toeboards for the Swell Cornet IV (having four pipes per note), it became possible to install three additional ranks of pipes on the existing Swell Main windchest. A significant “find” of four sets of vintage (1926) Casavant pipes from Seattle, Washington, enabled the work to move forward with some important additions at great savings. Over time, twelve additional ranks of custom-made pipes were ordered from Eastern Organ Pipes of Hagertown, Maryland. All of the organ’s wind reservoirs were releathered in the course of the project, and a new two-horsepower blower was installed. During the major renovation of the church building in 2003, the south organ chamber was completely rebuilt, and long-needed plaster repairs were completed in the north chamber. In anticipation of this work, all of the pipes and most of the mechanisms were temporarily removed. It was only during this time that the organ was ever unavailable for weekend services. The pipe chambers were fully cleaned and painted, and the organ was carefully re-installed according to the remainder of the pipes and mechanisms.
Great strides in the project were made possible between 2005 and 2007, when long-awaited actions were located as disused parts from Casavant instruments in Salisbury, North Carolina, and Birmingham, Michigan, both built in 1954. Each of these windchests spent several months in the Renaissance shop while being thoroughly checked, re-drilled, and modified to suit their needs. The two sets of reed pipes that had not yet received professional attention were revoiced in early 2007, and by June 2007, the last of the pipework was finally installed.
The organ presently comprises 32 ranks of pipes, having a total of 2,014 individual pipes of metal and/or wood that range in speaking length from barely one-half inch to over sixteen feet. The original renovation plans conceived in 1997 developed into an undertaking of far-greater proportions than ever anticipated, with an overall financial investment of over $90,000. However, this figure might be compared to the pipe organ’s present replacement value of approximately $425,000. The purchase price of the original organ in 1950, including a written-in addition of the Chimes, came to only $11,600.
[edit] Pastors of Angelica Lutheran Church
| Rev. Elmer Beyer (1948 - 1984) |
|---|
| Rev. Robert Kavasch (1985 - 1994) |
| Rev. Joel Holls (1995 - Present) |
[edit] Members of Angelica who have been Ordained
| William E. Duey, Jr. - June 18, 1961 |
|---|
| Larry E. Stier - June 21, 1964 |
| Robert Bendick - June 13, 1965 |
| Robert C. Rowland II - June 30, 1974 |
| Mark E. Beyer - June 20, 1976 |
| James D. Beyer - June 19, 1977 |
| Steven Srock - September 9, 1979 |
| James K. Gullen - March 21, 1982 |
| Robert L. Bruer - June 20, 1982 |
| Timothy P. Beyer - July 10, 1983 |
| Philip J. Beyer - July 10, 1983 |
[edit] References
Angelica Lutheran Church Official Website
