From: "St. James Lutheran Church Pleasant Valley, Bedford, Pennsylvania 150th Anniversary 1853-2003"
Submitted by Laverne Casteel
What follows is a reprint of a History of St. James Lutheran Church as prepared by Rev. M.J. Ross for the 75th anniversary celebration in 1928 and updated by him until his retirement in 1953.
This History of St. James Congregation was prepared and delivered by Rev. Mervyn J. Ross on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the organization of the congregation held on Sunday, July 22, 1928. This history was given in the forenoon. There were about 125 people present. Quite a few of the people had their dinners along and ate on the church grounds. In the afternoon, Rev. M. Stanley Kemp, D.D. of Hollidaysburg preached the sermon. A quartet from Manns Choice, consisting of Mr. Burket and his son, Prof. Becker, and Arthur Huffert with Mrs. Burket as pianist, provided the afternoon service with special music. There were present also, G.L. Courtney of the Osterburg charge and Rev. S.M. Lutz of Lutzville.
We do not know when the first settlers came to this part of Bedford County. It seems however that many of the pioneers preferred to live in out-of-the-way places rather than along the main routes of travel. Because of this tendency there were settlers found here at a very early date. They followed the streams and chose homesteads at the heads of the coves and the corners of the mountains and often behind the ridges or on the top of the mountains. Their reason for this may have been because in those warring days most of the fighting was done along the main routes of travel and probably they thought they could hide from the hostile Indians. These secluded spots also afforded more game which was a big item in their living in those days.
This tendency to choose secluded spots applied especially to some types of immigrants. Their great longing was to have land and a home of their own. They were tired of wandering and longed above all else for a quiet place to settle down.
Take the Diberts for example: In Mrs. Replogle's book entitled, "Indian Eve", we learn the Deiberts were originally French Huguenots. Huguenots was the name for French Protestants. They were severely persecuted. It is said that in the six weeks following the massacre of St. Bartholomew in August 1752, 10,000 Huguenots perished in France. It was during these persecutions that the Deiberts escaped into other countries. Some went to Holland, others to Austria, and from there to Germany and from thence they came to America. This wandering occupied several generations during which time the longed to settle down in a place of their own...a place that was out of reach of the Pope and where they could hold their religious convictions without being persecuted. America offered these advantages. When they arrived in this country they pushed back into the interior. They had been persecuted so much by their fellowman that it seems that they wanted to get away from them.
The Pilgrims were not the only colonists who came to this country for religious freedom. The Amish and Mennonites and Quakers came for the same reason. My own ancestors on my father's side belonged to the Conventers of Scotland. Because of religious persecution they went to Ireland and after living there for several generations they came to this country. Because of their sojourn in Ireland they were called Scotch-Irish.
Mrs. Replogle in her work says, "The first three houses in Bedford County north of Bedford were the Phillip house, a house at Brideham, and another in the Deibert Corner". (The Deibert home referred to here is the one that was visited by the Indians. The parents and several children were killed. Three children escaped.)
Later we find the Earnests, Croyle, Sammels, Fetters, Koontz, Stifflers, Sills, Smiths, etc.
This community from way back has been known as "Dutch Corner" or rather "Deutche Eke". The origin of the name is not hard to explain. The people spoke German. Seventy-five years ago the school that was conducted in the Old Stone School House on the Tom Imler farm was taught in German. It is likely that the German continued to be used here longer than in other parts of Bedford County.
The first Lutheran Church in Dutch Corner was the Messiah Church, built in 1789 and served by the Bedford preachers.
The Lutheran people in this part of Dutch Corner belonged to the Messiah congregation. It seems that Rev. Peter M. Reitmeyer of the Bedford pastorate was the first to hold regular services in the (Pleasant Valley) community. He preached in a school house located a short distance to the south of this church, then known as Jacob Fetter's School House.
It is likely that the first organization was effected in 1846. We quote the following from the record of the Bedford Congregation: "Rev. Peter M. Reitmeyer took charge of the Bedford pastorate April 1, 1846. It now consisted of Bedford, Messiah (Dunning's Creek), St. Clairsville (Bobb's Creek), and Pleasant Valley (organized 1846)." (See History of Allegheny Synod Vol. 1, p. 260) This makes four congregations. His successor, Rev. J. Winecoff, reported only three congregations. As St. Clairsville and Messiah were well organized at this time and still remained in the Bedford charge, we conclude that the Pleasant Valley congregation ceased to exist. At least it was not reported as a separate congregation. Even though it is started that Rev. Winecoff continued to preach in this community.
During the pastorate of Rev. Fredrick Benedict of the Bedford pastorate it is stated that he organized the Pleasant Valley congregation in 1853. We are sure that the organization was permanent this time for plans were soon made to build a church and in May, 1854 the cornerstone for a new church building was laid. The church was dedicated on December 9 of the same year (1854). Rev. L. Knight of Hollidaysburg preached the dedicatory sermon. It was a frame building, 33x43 feet in size and cost about $1500. Henry Beegle, Jacob Fetter and John Croyle were the building committee.
We do not have the original record of the charter members of this congregation, but it is likely that the following were members when the church was built or shortly after: Adam H. Deibert and wife, Elizabeth Koontz Deibert; Michael Deibert and wife Catharine Imler Deibert; Daniel Dibert and wife Mariah Carrell Dibert; Christopher Dibert and wife Catharine Earnest Dibert; Margaret Dibert; Elizabeth Dibert; Eve Dibert; Mrs. Michael Dibert; John Croyle; Hettie Croyle; Henry Beegle; Samuel Beegle and wife Camilla Hendrickson Beegle; Isaac Earnest and wife; John Fetter and wife Rebecca Croyle Fetter; Jacob Fetter; Mrs. Abe Hartzel; Daniel Koontz and wife, Julia Dibert Koontz; Charles Koontz and wife Barbara Croyle; John Koontz and wife; Adam Koontz and wife; Alexander Ling and wife; John Ling and wife; Mary Ann Deibert Ling; Henry Stiffler and wife.
The stability of the community is shown in the fact that after 75 years these families are nearly all represented in our church roll today and in many cases they live at the same place where their forefathers lived. The following is a list of the pastors who served this congregation:
Rev. Fredrick Benedict, from organization to September 22, 1858
Rev. Samuel Yingling, January 15, 1859 to July 1, 1864
Rev. Adam Essick, October 1, 1864 to October 1, 1866
Rev. J.G. McAtee, February 1, 1867 to February 26, 1871
Rev. J.B. Keller, May 1, 1871 to May 1, 1874
Rev. J.A. Kast, November 21, 1874 to January 1, 1878
Rev. J.W. Reese, April 18, 1878 to April 1, 1882
Rev. Wm. M. Spangler, May 7, 1882 to May 15, 1888
Rev. L.N. Fleck, July 1, 1888 to October 1, 1892
Rev. W.H. Settlemeyer, January 1, 1893 to July 1, 1895
Rev. J.W. Lingle, August 1, 1896 to February 1911
Rev. D.S. Weimer, November 1, 1911 to February 29, 1912
Rev. J.J. Minemeier, June 1, 1912 to December 1, 1914
Rev. A.B. Miller, June 1, 1915 to September 22, 1920
Rev. J.A. Brosius, January 1, 1921 to April 1, 1923
Rev. Mervyn J. Ross, June 15, 1923 to September 30, 1953
Sixteen different pastors in 75 years. Time vacant between pastorates, four years. Average about 4 1/2 years. Shortest, Rev. Weimer, four months. Longest, Rev. Lingle 14 1/2 years. Six were pastor for five or more years.
The following account of the church building we have today is taken from the minutes of the Allegheny Synod of 1899. "August 7, 1898, the corner stone of the new St. James Lutheran Church of the Friends Cove charge was duly laid. Rev. M.L. Culler, of Bedford, PA delivered the sermon. The pastor, Rev. J.W. Lingle, was also assisted by Rev. D.M. Blackwelder". (Minutes of the Allegheny Synod 1898)
"The St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church of Pleasant Valley, Bedford County, Pa of the Friends Cove pastorate was preached by Rev. M.L. Culler of Bedford, Pa. Rev. E.E. Parson of St. Clairsville was also present and assisted in the services. The church is built of Buff brick, 50x36 feet, with pulpit recess. Center tower and vestibule, slate roof and memorial stained glass windows, costing $3,200.00 of which $576.78 remained unprovided for. This was all secured on the day of dedication under the skillful management of Rev. Culler. This is said to be one of the finest churches in Bedford County."
A furnace was installed in the church in the fall of 1915 at a cost of $203.00.
The church was papered in 1927 at a cost of $50.00.
The building committee consisted of Shannon Deibert, George Koontz, William Fetter, Edward Claar, Simon Shaffer, John H. Beegle and Albert Dively. Of these, only the two last mentioned are living and with us today.
Rev. Lingle presented the pulpit Bible.
Mr. Gibony of Everett, the contractor who built the church, gave the pulpit and our reading stand and John W. Imler and wife of Messiah Church gave the pulpit chairs.
Mr. William C. Beegle made and presented the congregation with the hymn board in the late fall of 1925.
Charge Connections
This congregation belonged to the Bedford charge with the St. Clairsville and Messiah congregation until 1874. At the meeting of Synod in 1873 a committee was appointed to redistrict the Bedford charge. A meeting of the committee and representatives from the congregations concerned was held at Bedford on October 7, 1873. At this meeting it was agreed to form a new charge consisting of Pleasant Valley, St. Marks and Bald Hill. Later, however, when Rev. KIast became pastor in November 1874, the Zion Congregation (Old Brick) in Friends Cove united with this charge and accepted Rev. Kast as their pastor. The work of the committee was approved at the meeting of the Synod in 1874 at which time it became effective.
The arrangement only continued for about eight years. During the pastorate of Rev. Reese the Yeager Memorial Church was built and the Rainsburg charge was formed, consisting of Yeager Memorial and the Bortz congregations. Rev. Reese resigned the Pleasant Valley pastorate April 1, 1882 and became pastor of the Rainsburg charge. St. James, St. Mark, and Bald Hill now constituted a charge which arrangement continued until the year 1919. During the pastorate of Rev. Miller, the Rainsburg pastorate united with this one making a charge of five congregations as it is today.
Parsonage
On March 31, 1877 a written agreement was signed whether to build or purchase a parsonage in Bedford at a cost of $2,500.00. For a while a house was rented at 425 S. Juliana St. About a year later the present parsonage was purchased from Jacob Barnhart. Rev. Reese was the first pastor to live there.
A list of contributors from the three congregations is recorded in the old joint council minutebook. This list of names constitutes the oldest record that we have.
In 1906 a new stable was built at a cost of $300.00. While Rev. Minemeier was pastor the parsonage received a new roof, wiring for electric lights, and a cement walk at a cost of $110.00.
During the pastorate of Rev. Miller the cellar was cemented, a hot water heating system was installed, a bathroom put in and water, grain bins, and a harness closet put in the stable at a cost of $567.00 of which the pastor paid $160.00.
In the fall of 1925 an addition was built to the parsonage consisting of dining room and kitchen downstairs and a bedroom and bathroom upstairs. Changes were also made in the old part, which was also painted and papered throughout at a total cost of about $1,600.00.
During the year 1922, the cemetery of this church was incorporated. A trust fund to the amount of between $1,000.00 and $1,100.00 has been built up. The interest that is taken in this cemetery and the splendid condition in which it is kept is a fine tribute to the people who belong to this congregation. Interest in our cemeteries show interest and respect for our ancestors. To respect them, is about the same as self-respect. And without self-respect we have nothing in the line of personal character.
I am sorry that I did not have the sources of information so that I could have given more detail concerning the early history of this congregation. But just to mark this 75th anniversary with a special service and to review the information that we have, I think worthwhile. Mrs. Replogle says in her quest for information concerning the descendants of "Indian Eve", one person said, "What good does it all do?" I do not know the person who made that expression, but I venture to say it came from a person with little self-respect to spare. It is true with the church. Those who care not for the churches part care little for its present or future.
May the present generation in this community with their larger opportunities and increased means, show a loyalty to their God, to his Word, and to his Church that is worthy of the children and grandchildren of the early settlers of this community and the founders of this church.
May your faithfulness and devotion and integrity be an inspiration to the generations to come.
May you always feel that the worship of good is essential to your highest well being and may that worship of God and faithfulness to His church be such a blessing to you, to your children, and the community that it will be considered your most worthwhile effort in life.
90th Anniversary Improvements
1. The front sidewalk was laid during the summer of 1941 - cost $79.70
2. In the early fall, 1942, the chancel was rearranged. The millwork was done by Arnold Planning Mill. Mr. Victor Bridaham did the carpenter work. The entire cost was $180.97.
3. In November 1942, Mr. Charles Baltzer, Shanksville, PA, redecorated the walls, varnished the ceiling, and all the woodwork of the church. Cost - $420.00.
4. Mr. Victor Bridaham refurnished the floor at a cost of $118.09.
5. New pews were made by Ossit Church Furniture Co., Jamesville, Wisconsin. They were installed December 13-18, 1943. The pews cost $771.00.
6. The altar was made by the Somerset Lumber Co. It was received December 18, 1943. The cost was $60.00.
7. The new Lectern Bible was presented by Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Beegle, Martinsburg, PA.
8. The new Hymn Board, in oak to match the new woodwork was made and presented by Mr. William Beegle.
9. Temporary wooden candleholders and cross were made and presented by the pastor.
10. The pulpit chairs were recovered - cost $22.50.
Total cost of new furniture and improvements - $1,572.56.
The above were dedicated at a service on Sunday afternoon, December 19, 1943. The Rev. Elwood Hauser was guest preacher.
In August of 1942 the old chimney in the North inside of the house (parsonage) was torn out and an outside chimney and fireplace built at a cost of $140.00.
Lecturn - Pulpit - Window Panels
A new lectern and pulpit was built by the Somerset Lumber Co., finished by Pastor, and dedicated March 25, 1945.
The Lectern was presented by Mr. and Mrs. A.M. Mortimore in memory of their son, Corp. Bruce Mortimore, killed in action in Italy.
The pulpit was presented by Mrs. Vergil Biddle and her son, Luther Beegle, in memory of Walter Beegle, husband and father of the donors.
Paraments and Alter Set
On July 6, 1952, there was dedicated a set of green chancel paraments presented by the ladies of the church, paid for with money from a sale lunch and a bake sale and a donation of $32.95 from Agnes Dibert - Total cost of paraments was $237.29. Agnes Dibert also hand hemmed the fair linen.
Vases were the gift of members of Wilson Dibert family in memory of their parents.
The altar set consisting of cross, candle sticks, and vases were the gift of members of Wilson Dibert family in memory of their parents.
Here ends the documentation of Rev. Mervyn J. Ross.
The Next 50 Years
After a 28 year tenure, Rev. Ross retired on September 30, 1953.
In May 1954, the Council approved the formation of the Ladies Aid Society. This group quickly became important in the life of the church and continues to be a force today.
Rev. C.S. Rudisill was installed as the new pastor on May 16, 1954.
Discussions to dig out the basement began in March 1955 and plans were approved by the congregation. It was reported in June that the excavation was going well. Bids for a new furnace were opened in October. The accepted bid from Harold Smith was $1,500.00.
In June 1955, the Woodmen of the World presented the congregation with an American Flag.
Early in 1956, a visitation to every member was conducted to raise money for the furnace and building fund. This was a very successful campaign.
The church council met in the new basement for the first time September 11, 1956. The Ladies Aid paid for the concreting of the floor.
In June 1958, bids were received and opened for the repairs of the south-side roof. Karns Brothers was selected with a bid of $645.00.
In July 1958, a new church schedule was approved: St. James would worship at 9am and Bortz at 11am every other Sunday. On the off week, Bald Hill would meet at 9am and St. Mark at 11am. Yeager Memorial would hold Sunday evening services.
Mr. Stuzman gave the right of way to a spring on his property. In November 1958, the legal papers were filed. The water system was installed by Harold Smith for a cost of $288.00 in early 1959.
At the December 1958 Congregational meeting, a new constitution was adopted. The Congregation would appoint members to the Parish Council.
During the summer of 1959, the north-side roof was patched.
Rev. Rudisill resigned December 6, 1959.
In April 1960, Art Glass Company of Cumberland, Maryland repaired the church windows for $300.00. Bathroom fixtures were put in place in the basement by Harold Smith for $250.00.
In August 1960, the unification of the five churches was discussed. The vote was for the status quo, staying as is, not for building a new, single church.
Candle holders made by William Beegle were presented in January 1961.
In 1961, a step with landing and sidewalk to the basement door was poured. Rev. Jack Stouffer and Rev. Lee Hebel were installed in 1961.
In January 1962, an organizational meeting was held at Trinity Lutheran in Bedford for the Bedford County Area Lutheran Ministry. In March, the congregation voted to cooperate with the BCALM project which saw Rev. Stouffer, Rev. Hebel, Mr. Charles Bockhouse, students, and retired ministers conduct regular worship service at many churches in Bedford and Somerset Counties.
A new water heater was purchased for the parsonage in March 1962 at a cost of $150.00. St. James share was $60.00. The south-side church roof was repaired in 1962.
The Ladies Aid had the doors of the vestibule remodeled in 1963. A water heater in the basement and a new underground oil tank were also installed.
The parsonage was painted in October 1964. The first yearly individual financial statements were issued in December 1964.
In 1965, the annual ice cream festival was held at St. James on July 31st. The first of these festivals was probably held in the 1940s.
The stained glass windows were repaired and re-leaded in 1965.
Rev. H. Lee Heasley was installed in December 1965. The Central Lutheran Parish began in January 1966 as the BCALM project folded. This consisted of the Bald Hill, Bortz, St. James, St. Mark and Yeager Memorial congregations.
In 1966 an altar light was installed. Two ice cream festivals were held during the summer. Laverne Casteel began as pianist, after the resignation of Delores Casteel, and new hymnals were purchased, the red Service Book and Hymnal that is still in use today.
Parsonage repairs were completed in the winter of 1967.
A new constitution was adopted in April 1967.
Reverend Heasley resigned in February 1968.
On September 1, 1968, St. James entered into a new arrangement called the Greater Bedford Lutheran Parish which lasted over 20 years. It consisted of the Bald Hill, Bortz (now called Providence), Lybarger (now called Christ), St. James, St. Mark, and Trinity congregations. Rev. Richard Tome of Trinity was called upon to lead the GBLP and did so until his retirement in 1989. Along with Rev. Tome, the GBLP was to be served by an associated pastor as well as a student intern. Rev. John Rodgers was the first associate pastor and served until 1969.
During the spring of 1969, wine began to be used for communion. The organ was purchased for $1,775.00. The outside of the church was painted at a cost of $460.00.
A road sign for the church was given by Ada Hillegas in July 1970.
Rev. Charles Stetler was installed in 1970.
New altar paraments were given in May 1971. A new north-side roof was installed in September 1971.
Communion saw another change in February 1972 as wafers were replaced with bread.
The church interior got a face lift in 1972. The inside basement stairs were finished at a cost of $4,600.00. Red carpet with black speckles was installed for $1,595.00. The interior was painted for $800.00. The walls were dark blue and the altar area was flat white. Also, the front steps were carpeted. Pews were purchased to replace the chairs in the choir loft at a cost of $375.00. The basement floor was painted with epoxy and chips.
January 1973 marked the first time a woman served on council. Jean Sone had this honor. The Celebrate bulletin insert was first used in October 1973.
Rev. Charles Stetler resigned in November 1975.
In February 1976, the purchase of the Echo Vale parsonage was finalized. St. James and St. Mark were each responsible for 2/5 of the price while Bald Hill contributed 1/5.
In April 1976, Rev. Richard Dick, Jr. was received as associate pastor. In September 1976, the outside of the church was painted at a cost of $580.00. It was also at this time, unfortunately, that it became necessary to lock the church doors when it was not occupied.
The year 1978 began with the resignation of Rev. Dick. That spring, the basement kitchen was remodeled. Later in the year, Rev. Herbert Jones was called.
In September 1979, Rev. Jones left.
Rev. William DeHass was installed in 1981.
New spouting on the church's north-side was installed in March 1981. The south-side spouting was installed in March 1982.
The Blackburn family presented a picture of the church in memory of Grace Blackburn (1919 - 1980).
New carpet was laid on the front steps in June 1982.
In June 1983, a picture of the church was presented and hung by the Koontz family in memory of W. Ealor and Alda Koontz.
During the Spring of 1985, James Morris rewired the electricity of the church.
Rev. Raymond Short was installed in 1986.
Ceiling fans were installed in the sanctuary in the spring of 1987. They were given by Eva Bridaham in memory of the William Bridaham family. Also, the interior church walls were painted that spring.
The church steeple was repaired at a cost of $1,200.00 in the fall of 1988.
Upon the dissolution of the GBLP in 1990, the Central Bedford Lutheran Parish was formed of the congregations of Bald Hill, St. James, and St. Mark in a partnership with Pennknoll Village. It was also at this time that these congregations acquired the 443 S. Bedford St. parsonage through a trade with Trinity, which received the Echo Vale parsonage.
Rev. Richard Pfleiderer was called to serve the CBLP in 1991. He left in 1992.
David Wright served as an intern during 1993 - 1994. It was during this time that the CBLP churches made the important decision to worship together at a single Sunday morning service due to dwindling numbers. This was an experiment with the service to be conducted at Bald Hill from Christmas Eve 1993 through Palm Sunday 1994 with each church then holding its own Easter service. The individual services never occurred because the arrangement proved to be so successful. At concurrent congregational meetings in early March 1994, each congregation directed the joint Parish Council to extend the arrangement. The Joint Council decided to continue at Bald Hill until the end of May, (also the end of Mr. Wright's internship), then move to St. James for June through August, to St. Mark for September through December and return to Bald Hill in January, rotating on a 4-month cycle. The congregations med and approved this action. However, the rotation schedule was modified so that the host church changed on a quarterly basis: January to March, April to June, July to September and October to December. This ensured that each church would host both a Christmas Eve and Easter service at least once every three years. Although Mr. Wright is often credited with creating this rotation arrangement, which is still in use a decade later, he is quick to turn the credit over to the committees that worked so hard to lay the foundation and, in particular, to Bald Hill member Frank Ford whose idea became a reality.
On July 5, 1994, the first conversations with Bishop Gregory Pile about moving into the call process occurred. The first meeting of the call committee was held on July 25th. On September 10th, the CBLP voted to call Rev. Karen Wright and she began to serve on October 21, 1994. She continues to be with us today.
During Rev. Wright's tenure, a new portable, electronic keyboard was purchased. Also, a baptismal font was presented by Eva Hillegass. A new ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) constitution was adopted in 1997.
Another chapter in the life of St. James started to unfold in 2002. Discussions began to determine how to best fill the need of so many of our sister churches suffering from vacancies. After countless hours spent in numerous sessions, the vote was taken to eight congregations in May 2002 to assess whether each would want to participate in a cooperative venture. Bald Hill, Mt. Zion in Breezewood, Providence in Centerville, St. James, St. Mark, and Zion in Everett all approved the measure. Christ in Madley and Yeager Memorial both declined. September 2002 saw the beginning of the Community of Lutheran Churches to which Rev. Karen Wright and Rev. David Wright (previously at Providence) were called. They were installed in a service held at Mt. Zion on September 8th. The member churches involved in the CLC included those of the CBLP, Providence, Mt. Zion, Zion and the Pennknoll, Village nursing home. Each pastor would preach two Sunday morning services, on a 2-month site rotation schedule, with one serving the CBLP and Providence while the other served Zion and Mt. Zion. Services on Sunday afternoon and Wednesday morning at Pennknoll Village were also held. The CLC celebrated its 1st Anniversary this September. It has been an arrangement which has allowed new friendships to be forged and provided youth with new opportunities to be involved in youth group activities.
Many improvements have been made during the 150th Anniversary year. Beginning with the fall of 2002, a ramp was installed on the north-side of the church to provide handicap access to the sanctuary as well as an escape from the front of the church in case of an emergency through a new doorway. In the winter of 2002, new blue altar paraments for Advent were given by the Ladies Aid in the memory of Joe Anderson and Marie Biddle. In the spring and summer of 2003, cracks in the interior walls were repaired and re-plastered; the walls were painted off-white; the Ladies Aid paid for new blue Berber carpet to be laid in the sanctuary; new carpet was put on the front steps; and new light fixtures with switches were installed in the bathrooms and at the inside basement door. New green altar paraments given in memory of Donald Lloyd Koontz by his wife, Helen Mae, and family were dedicated in July 2003.
The parsonage has also seen its share of improvements over the past few years. The furnace and oil tanks have been replaced. New windows have been installed and dressed with new drapes. The kitchen has received a major overhaul, including: new cabinets, countertops, appliances, tile and wallpaper.
A look toward the future includes a new church roof and furnace as well as a 175th Anniversary Celebration in 2028.
It is because of the dedication, diligence, and faithfulness of those who came before us that we can gather today to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of St. James Lutheran Church. To them, we owe thanks beyond measure. May we follow in their footsteps and use their examples as guidance to ensure a grand and glorious future encompassing an untold number of such celebrations.