1954 to 1991

The Congregation and its Programs

St. Paul’s Church continued to offer the message of Christ from its location on East Sandusky Street in Findlay during the years of 1954 to 1991.  Another name change occurred during these years because of a denominational merger on the national level.  After many years of talks and discussions, The Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Church merged to become The United Methodist Church in 1968. 

The new United Methodist Church took the Cross and Flame for its official symbol.  The cross represents Christ and the flame represents the Holy Spirit.  The flame is a reminder of Pentecost when witnesses were unified by the power of the Holy Spirit.  The two tongues of the single flame also represent the union of the two denominations in 1968.  The flame also reminds us of the conversion experience of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodists, when he felt his heart “strangely warmed,” and the assurance that God continues to give the light and power of His Spirit to all who put their trust in Jesus.  

 

 

St. Paul’s has used a lighted version of this symbol on the east side of its building along with the local name, “St. Paul’s” to give its Christian message a prominent exposure for passersby during the day and at night.

 

 

Strong programs in evangelism, Sunday School work and youth programming continued during this period.  During the pastorate of Rev. Osborn (1952 to 1960) a dynamic youth leader named Larry White was employed.  The youth events he planned became very popular and were attended by many young people.  Here is a picutre of one such youth group about to embark on a trip by chartered bus to Washington, D.C.

 

 

 

 

A picture of a class of small children in Sunday School with their adult teachers from 1959 shows that St. Paul's placed emphasis and importance on Christian education.

 

 

 

 

 

In 1970 St. Paul’s had a week of events in August to celebrate its 100^th anniversary.  Some of the highlights of the celebration included a birthday party, a historical pageant written and directed by Mabel George Vance, and a Sunday event that featured a sermon by Bishop Harold Heminger.

 

 

 

 

The pastor at St. Paul’s during the years of 1986 to 1991 was Rev. Joe Pilate.  His assignment to St. Paul’s was historic because it was the first time an African American pastor had served a largely white congregation in the history of the Findlay community and the 350,000 member West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church.

 

The bond between this pastor and St. Paul’s became very strong.  The bond of Christ transcended racial barriers that might be thought to have existed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A vocal choir provided special music at each worship service from September through May.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another vital outreach from St. Paul’s during these years was the sponsorship beginning in 1957 of Boy Scout Troop #321.  Jim Lorenz, the Scout leader for many years, enlisted volunteer help from many members of the church in the Scout program.  Many boys from St. Paul’s were active in the troop.  In the mid 60's 29 Boy Scouts from the troop earned the Eagle award at the same time. 

 

 

 

During most of these years annual revival services continued to be held.  Here is a publicity brochure of one such campaign in 1955.

 

The Building

The Trustees of St. Paul’s continued to make improvements to the building.  In 1961 new cushioned pews were installed in the sanctuary and balconies at a cost of $6,000.

In 1962 the Glessner property to the east of the church was offered to St. Paul’s at a cost of $60,000.  It included a house and connected factory space.  The church bought the property.  At a later date the Glessner house was razed but the former factory area was used in a variety of ways by the church. 

In 1966 a new pipe organ was purchased and installed.  The original pipes seen in the sanctuary were retained.  In 1970 the sanctuary was painted and the exterior of the building cleaned by sandblasting the brick.

In 1972 the parsonage on East Lincoln Street was sold for $25,000 and a new one purchased on Seventh Street with a balance due on a mortgage of $13,448.24.

On June 14, 1981 the basement of the church again flooded when the nearby Blanchard River went out of its banks.  Remodeling was done to the basement over the next ten and a half months, after which a dedication service and open house was held on April 4, 1982.

Ceiling fans were installed in the sanctuary in 1980.  In 1982 storm windows were installed on the sanctuary windows.

In 1986 a study group was formed into the prospect of having an elevator installed at St. Paul’s.  Making the building handicapped accessible would be an improvement and soon afterward an Accessibility Project campaign was formed.  Offerings and pledges were taken to gather the funds necessary to complete the project.  Various fundraisers were also held.  Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on June 7, 1992, and construction began.  After the work was completed a dedication service was held on April 18, 1993.  The elevator installed during the project has three doors and six stops or levels, making every floor of the building accessible.  The total cost of the Accessibility Project had been $179,500 and it was not necessary to borrow any of the money.

Head Start classes began to be held in the basement of St. Paul’s in the fall of 1990.  Head Start continued to rent classroom space from the church for a number of years. 

Interesting Anecdotes and Stories

 

 

 

Pastor Franklin Cody was a well loved pastor who served St. Paul’s from 1965 to 1975.  During his pastorate many new people were attracted to St. Paul’s and its programs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An unprecedented record of more than 50 years of service as an organist is held by Carolyn Shafer, seen in this picture. 

 

 

 

In the late 1980's a memorial gift of Hand Bells was given to the church by Dorothy Saul and Marie Radebaugh in memory of their husbands, Keith Saul and Raymond Radebaugh, who had recently died.  Those men had always been interested in the music ministry of the church.  Here is a picture of the Wesleyan Ringers, as the Handbell Choir was called, performing in a worship service in 1989.

 

 

 

Jim and Carolyn Craig, a dedicated lay couple who were members of St. Paul’s for many years, started a Family Camp for the conference.  Its purpose was to strengthen Christian families by offering time to study, worship, and play together.  It was originally held at Camp Miami but is now held each summer at Camp Widewater near Grand Rapids, Ohio.  Many St. Paul’s families have attended and offered leadership at this camp.