Town With a Future - Lutheran Church - Part 2

(The following was written by Lewis Garrison, and is reprinted from 1927’s “Grove City - The Town with a Future”,  available at the Grove City Welcome Center and Museum. Any opinions made in the article are from the author.)Dr. L. H. Schuh, formerly the president of Capital University in Columbus, became the successor of Reverend Schmidt and continued until January, 1915, when he left to assume an urgent call to St. Paul's Lutheran Church, at Toledo. With the coming of Dr. Schuh the regular English services were begun and this language was introduced into the Sunday School and confirmation classes. The handsome brick parsonage on Columbus Street was built under Dr. Schuh’s administration and occupied by him in 1913. He also introduced the number of improvements in organization and finance and organized the Ladies’ Aid Society of the church.In April, 1915, Reverend Emanuel Poppen came to Grove City from Sidney, Ohio, where he had been pastor of St. John's Church for ten years. When he came here he found 500 communicants and the church has now grown to a membership of 700. The Sunday School has doubled in membership, now having an enrollment of 540. He also organized the Men's League, which now has 80 members, and the Lutheran Helpers, a young people's society, which has about 40 members. During his pastorate, and in 1920, the parish house was built as an addition to the church. This building cost $33,000. This gives the seating capacity of 1,000 in the auditorium with the parish house opened. Reverend and Mrs. Poppen and their daughter, Marion, deserve credit for developing the musical resources of the church. The church has a vested choir, a Men's League choir, a ladies’ choir, a junior choir and a girls quartette. The church is noted for its musical entertainment and much of its popularity is due to the musical features of its various services.