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Title: |
Schifflein Christi Church Records |
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Repository: |
Western Reserve Historical Society
Phone: 216-721-5722 http://www.wrhs.org |
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Creator: |
Schifflein Christi Church |
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Dates: |
1868-1975 |
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Quantity: |
1.60 linear feet (3 containers and 1 oversize volume) |
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Abstract: |
Schifflein Christi was the the first German church in Cleveland, Ohio. It was organized in 1835 as the First Evangelical Protestant Church of Cleveland. The name was changed to Schifflein Christi in 1876. The church merged with Ebenezer Evangelical Church in 1923 to form the First Evangelical Church. In 1929 Evangelical Protestant Trinity Congregation merged with the church and took its name. After a 1953 merger with Glenville Evangelical and Reformed Church and a 1967 merger with the Fellowship Church in Wickliffe, Ohio, the name was changed to Fellowship United Church of Christ. The collection consists of minute books, reports, financial ledgers, subscription and dues ledgers, correspondence, church histories, programs, and pamphlets. |
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Identification: |
MS 3737 |
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Location: |
closed stacks |
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Language: |
The records are in English and German |
Schifflein Christi Church, the first German church in Cleveland, Ohio, originated on April 25, 1835, when seven German immigrants residing in the city organized a congregation known as the First Evangelical Protestant Congregation of Cleveland. Reverend Johann Freidrich Tanke assumed pastoral duties at the new church.
Within a year, dissension developed into a rift in the church, and a faction broke away from the original congregation. Ministered to by the Reverend Buse, the new group met in empty storerooms in Cleveland while Reverend Tanke met his congregation at the Masonic Temple. In order to alleviate this situation, Reverend Tanke invited Reverend William Steinmeyer to take over the church. Steinmeyer managed to reunite the congregation and remained as pastor until 1838.
Reverend C. Adolphus Allardt assumed the pastorate in 1838, remaining in that position until 1861. During his pastorate, the church constructed its first permanent building at Hamilton and Erie Streets in 1842. In 1856, Reverend Allardt hired an assistant, Reverend John M. Steiner. Shortly thereafter, the two men fell into contention, with the followers of Reverend Steiner leaving and forming a new congregation, St. Paul's Church. The parent congregation continued, but underwent rapid ministerial changes with five different men serving as pastor from 1861-1876.
In 1876, during the pastorate of Reverend C. Monch, the congregation constructed a new building at Dodge Street and Superior Avenue and changed its official name to Schifflein Christi. From 1876 until 1890, large debts and more rapid pastoral changes upset the congregation. While on the verge of dissolution because of money problems in 1890, Schifflein Christi welcomed Reverend Schlumbach to the pastorate. Reverend Schlumbach managed to overcome the financial problems and save the congregation from dissolution.
In 1923, Schifflein Christi again decided to build a new church and placed the old property on the market. At the same time the minister of Ebenezer Evangelical Church died, leaving that congregation without a leader. Since Ebenezer Evangelical Church was also a German church, a merger was discussed and agreed upon. On November 25, 1923, the two congregations consolidated and became the First Evangelical Church. In 1924, the newly formed congregation moved into a new building at Arlington Street and Thornhill Drive.
On September 29, 1929, First Evangelical Church underwent another merger, joining with Evangelical Protestant Trinity Congregation but retaining the name of First Evangelical. In 1953, the church combined with the Glenville Evangelical and Reformed Church, and in 1967 a final merger took place with the Fellowship Church in Wickliffe, Ohio. In 1978, the congregation was known as the Fellowship United Church of Christ in Wickliffe.
The Schifflein Christi Church Records, 1868-1975 and undated, consist of minute books, reports, financial ledgers, subscription and dues ledgers, correspondence, church histories, programs, and pamphlets.
This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of religion and the German immigrant community in Cleveland, Ohio, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The collection primarily concerns the development of the German-American Evangelical Protestant churches in Ohio and Cleveland. It also relates in part to German American genealogy. The collection details the structure and organization of German American churches, providing insight into their financial procedures and relations between the congregations and their ministers.
None.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3737 Schifflein Christi Church Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Gift of the Fellowship United Church of Christ in 1976.
Processed by Robert Johnson-Lally in 1978.