MANSFIELD, Ohio — Clay Memorial Lutheran Church will celebrate their 175th anniversary with a special service on Sunday, Aug. 16. The church had its beginning many years ago with German descendants who originally settled in Franklin Township and belonged to the German Lutheran and German Reformed faiths.
The anniversary service on Aug. 16 will be held at 11 a.m. with Bishop Abraham Allende delivering the message. A luncheon will be held in the pavilion followed by afternoon activites.
Early church congregants met in homes or school houses. The services were done alternately in German and English.
One of the first pastors to preach in Franklin Township was the Reverend Francis Ruth, coming on horseback from Maryland in 1831. His circuit included Mansfield, Ashland, Shelby and Mount Vernon, on to Columbus and points south.
He was the organizer of First English Lutheran Church in Mansfield.
By 1834, the Franklin Township congregation had grown and they decided to build a church but a split occurred in the membership. One group favored services in German and the other preferred English.
Under the leadership of Jacob Clay, a house of worship was erected in 1840 on a plot of land donated by Clay, becoming “Clay Church.”
Over the years, several buildings were erected, first a log structure, then a brick church.
In the 1860s, the church was moved to the Bricker farm where a bigger building was erected and in 1921, the building was put on rollers and moved one mile west to the present location.
Through the years, the Clay family has been involved serving and ministering to the generations of families who are part of Clay Memorial. The congregation has shared their faith with the surrounding communities and has worked with other Lutheran churches and neighboring churches of other denominations.
Clay Memorial supports local school districts by providing food and clothing for children in need, also collecting nonperishable food donations for a local food pantry. They partner with other churches in Richland County to provide and serve free meals.
Clay Memorial Lutheran Church participates on Smile.Amazon.com, Amazon’s charity website.
For additional information on making purchases on Smile.Amazon.com, contact Dan Reed at Admin@ClayMemorial.com.
St. Paul Lutheran Church in Ontario is the sister Church of Clay Memorial. Both churches are served by Pastor Carol Kilgore.
Upcoming events
Special activities have been planned throughout the summer months leading up to the service on August 16, celebrating the 175th anniversary. Events will continue through December.
A service on May 24 was dedicated to all the veterans who are members of Clay Memorial.
A Cemetery Walk was held on June 20 with members of the congregation in period dress as they portrayed long-ago members, sharing memories as guests walked through the Church cemetery. Vacation Bible School was held earlier in July with a Youth Reunion.
All former Luther League members are invited to a homecoming on Saturday August 15 with a social hour followed by a cookout and a bonfire.
September 13 is Rally Day with breakfast at 9 a.m.; Oct. 11 celebrates “Fox Hunt Memories” with dinner following the worship service; Nov. 1 is All Saints Day and will commemorate the first service held at Clay Memorial Lutheran Church.
On Dec. 6, there will be a “Round the Table Carol Sing” following the morning worship service. December will conclude with the very special Christmas services.
Clay Memorial Church is located at 1061 Amoy East Rd., Mansfield.
