[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 11082-11083]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    A TRIBUTE TO SAINT JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH--AMELITH ON THEIR 150TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 21, 2002

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to sing high praise for Saint 
John Lutheran Church-Amelith in my hometown of Bay City, Michigan, as 
the congregation prepares to celebrate the church's 150th anniversary. 
The church has been a spiritual beacon for Frankenlust Township and the 
surrounding community since its inception and its long and noteworthy 
history deserve tribute.
  Since the middle of the 19th Century, the church has graced the 
community with its presence and brought family and friends into the 
light of Christian love and charity. Church members today share a bond 
and their faith with the small band of German Lutheran families from 
Gunzenhausen in Franken who came to Bay County in 1852 at the 
encouragement of a German businessman and man of faith named Friedrich 
Koch. When these settlers arrived, they used a large log cabin as a 
church on Sunday and a school during the week. Shortly thereafter, 
Saint John-Amelith and Saint Paul-Frankelust three miles to the north 
were two of the earliest congregations to form the new Lutheran Church 
Missouri Synod in 1853.
  In the beginning, just a few families formed the foundation of the 
church. These families

[[Page 11083]]

had such surnames as Link, Stengel, Burk, Daeschlein, Eichinger, 
Heumann, Lutz, Rueger, Schmidt, Schnell and Stephan. After years of 
struggle, these settlers built a beautiful house of worship in 1870 to 
replace their log cabin church. However, by 1912, they also outgrew 
that church and built the brick church that still serves parishioners 
needs today. A true temple of God with its exquisite stained- glass 
windows and Gothic architecture, this church harkens back to the fine 
old churches of Germany where so many of those early settlers must have 
worshiped.
  Churches, however, are much more than buildings. Over the years, the 
pastors and parishioners of Saint John Amelith have put their hearts 
and souls into helping us all lead better lives and move a bit closer 
to God. Clearly, there is no better evidence of the Christian love and 
neighborly spirit so abundant at Saint John-Amelith than the fact that 
just 10 pastors have served its needs in 150 years, including the 
present pastor, Stephen Starke.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to bestow upon Saint John 
Lutheran Church-Amelith the congratulations of the United States 
Congress upon the occasion of the church's 150th anniversary. I have 
faith that it will continue to minister to the spiritual needs of the 
community for many years to come.

                          ____________________