[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22743]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING ST. PETER'S LUTHERAN CHURCH IN LANCASTER, OHIO

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID L. HOBSON

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 7, 2005

  Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate St. Peter's 
Lutheran Church in Lancaster, Ohio, for 1 celebrating its 200th 
anniversary as a congregation on October 16, 2005.
  The history of St. Peter's began in 1804, when a traveling preacher, 
the Reverend Johannes Stauch, visited Lancaster. A year later, Reverend 
William Forster was sent to the territory by the Ministerium of 
Pennsylvania to preach throughout the area, most notably in Fairfield 
and Perry Counties. The result was the founding of St. Peter's 
Evangelical Lutheran Church, which is the oldest existing Lutheran 
congregation in the State of Ohio.
  For several years, the church had no regular place of worship. A 
parcel of land was secured on the banks of the Old Canal, and a 
cornerstone for the log cabin church was laid in 1819. The congregation 
worshipped at this site until 1832, when a brick building was 
constructed as a new home for the church. And in 1882, the present 
building at the comer of Broad and Mulberry Streets in Lancaster was 
dedicated. The current church is listed on the National Registry of 
Historic Places.
  Over the years, members of St. Peter's Church have dedicated 
themselves to their faith through their worship and involvement in the 
community. The congregation is involved in a variety of programs that 
help provide food, clothing and shelter to those in need in the region 
and throughout the State of Ohio, including the Mid-Ohio Food Bank and 
the church's ``We Care Corner''.
  In addition, St. Peter's church has also been a part of the Fairfield 
Heritage Association's annual candlelight tour of churches in downtown 
Lancaster. The event takes place December and attracts nearly 800 
people each year.
  Mr. Speaker, I join with the residents of the 7th Congressional 
District of Ohio in congratulating St. Peter's Lutheran Church for its 
honored history and its contributions to the religious and community 
life of the Lancaster area for the past 200 years.

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