GALION (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—On Sunday, July 28 at 10 a.m., the church bells at Peace Lutheran Church located at 129 W. Walnut Street in Galion will sound for the church’s final service.
Due to declining membership over the years, the monthly costs of operating a church building of that size with only twenty to twenty-five people in attendance on Sundays, and the pastor retiring and there being no pastors available due to a shortage, the difficult decision was made to close the church after one hundred and seventy-seven years.
Galion Peace Luthern, one of Galion’s oldest churches, can trace its beginning all the way back to 1847 when a record book dated January 11, 1847, was discovered with notes of the beginning of the “Friedens Kirche” [Peace Church]. On May 31, 1847, after a constitution was organized and adopted the German Lutherans received their charter. This was the official beginning of the Evangelical Lutheran Peace Congregation with Rev. Johannes Krauss as pastor.
In 1873, it was decided that there needed to be a new and larger church, which was built where Peace Lutheran stands today.
In 1947, the church’s centennial, Mr. and Mrs. L. M. Liggett purchased a 32-bell carillon to be installed.
According to the church’s booklet from the 150th anniversary, the carillon consists of 32 unbreakable tubular bells with a scale range from C to G, chromatic, two and a half octaves. It is electrically operated and can be played manually from a console or automatically by an electric player.
Peace Lutheran’s 32-bell carillon is one of only two in the United States.
Since 1924, the church has seen six hundred eighty-one marriages, one thousand four hundred and twenty-seven burials, and one thousand four hundred and three baptisms.
All pastors of Peace Lutheran
Rev. Johannes Krauss 1847-1852
Rev. Joachim Schladermundt 1853-1857
Rev. M. T. Dethlefs 1857-1859
Rev. F. H. Meiser 1859-1864
Rev. A. Kleineges 1864-1866
Rev. H. A. Schmidt 1867-1872
Rev. C. Wernle 1873-1874
Rev. Vicar C. Lilje 1874-1875
Rev. J. A. Schulze 1875-1882
Rev. George Mochel 1882-1892
Rev. H. G. Sutter 1892-1906
Rev. J. J. Allwardt 1907-1924
Rev. Philip Auer 1924-1964
Rev. Luther Muehlbrad 1964-1984
Rev. William O. Wilkins 1969-1972 Asst. Pastor
Rev. Robert B. Laughlin 1980-1984 Co-Pastor
Rev. Don R. Bachman 1985 Interim
Rev. Richard Beckman 1986 Interim
Rev. Paul D. Young 1986-1997
Rev. Harold Kolsky 1998-1999 Interim
Rev. Jeff St. Clair 1999-2001
Rev. Alan Schwochow 2001-2003 Interim
Rev. Karl Rebbick 2003-2004 Interim
Rev. Ronald Keller 2004-2010
Rev. Richard Genzman 2011-2024
