Their Silver Anniversary

THEIR SILVER ANNIVERSARY

Bethlehem Church Celebrates its 25th Birthday

APPROPRIATE SERVICES

Held Sunday to Commemorate the Event - Oldest German Protestant Church in State

The beautiful church or the Bethlehem Evangelical congregation was the scene of a very pleasant anniversary celebrated Sunday, it being the twenty-fifth year since the present pastor and teacher took up their respective duties here.

The church was elaborately decorated with festoons of evergreens and banks of potted plants making the air sweet with their perfume.

The morning service, which was opened at 10 o'clock, was a most interesting one. Rev. A. L. Gehrke, of St. John's church, Detroit, preached an eloquent sermon and congratulated the members of the church on their prosperous condition and their capable and faithful teacher and pastor.

The sermon in the evening was preached by Rev. Paul Irion, of the Bethel Evangelical church, of Freedom township. Short addresses were given by other visiting pastors. The music was furnished by a chorus consisting of all available members of the choir who have sung in it during the past twenty-five years. Miss Natalie Fischer and Mrs. Reuben Kempf rendered several solos. Very interesting reports were read by both the pastor and teacher.

Rev. Neumann said that at the time he accepted the pastorate here there were only 137 members of the church, heads of families, today there are 315. He had baptized 1,293 persons, confirmed 910, married 310 couples, conducted 444 funerals and preached 3,900 sermons. There were 454 members of the Sunday school. The sum of $19,593.65 was raised by the church for missions and other charitable purposes. During his pastorate, the old church has been improved, a new pipe organ purchased and a fine new church built.

At the morning service Rev. Mr. Neumann and Mr. Fischer were both presented with handsome gold watches as tokens of appreciation of the congregation.

The ladies of the church served dinner and supper to the out of town guests at the parsonage.

Mr. Neumann was born in Strassburg, Germany. He was called to this pastorate from the Bethel congregation in Freedom.

Mr. Fischer was born in Gechingen, oberamt Calv. Wurtemberg, and came to America in 1873, when he taught at Michigan City, Ind.

The Bethlehem Evangelical church is the oldest German protestant organization in Michigan, having been established in 1832 by the late Rev. Frederick Schmid, through whose influence and work the St. John's Evangelical church in Detroit and all the older German churches in eastern Michigan and extending into the Saginaw valley were organized.

A remarkable fact in reference to the Bethlehem Evangelical church of Ann Arbor is that for more than 30 years it has been an independent church organization, not connected with any synod. It calls its ministers from what orthodox synod it chooses. Its present church is one of the most beautiful in Ann Arbor.