hy is 2004 the 75th Anniversary when our sanctuary was dedicated in 1887? In
October of 1929, a group led by Dr. H. W. Hanshue (1929-1938) separated from Third Lutheran Church and began meeting at 1801 Brownsboro Road. They decided
in March of 1931 to become Grace Immanuel Evangelical Church. One of the Sunday School teachers was Catherine Childers, and the first baby baptized was Elwood (Dohoney) Eagler. Grace Immanuel moved back into the 1612 Story Ave. sanctuary in 1933, and Mrs. Hoffman (1934-1946) soon began her long tenure as organist/choir director. The church established its character by helping neighbors during the Depression, struggling in faith to meet its own budget, progressively electing three women to the Church Council (1936), sending mission offerings to Iraq, Honduras, India and Japan and visiting hundreds of sick people annually through the Parish Aid Society.
The 1937 flood was a catastrophe for the church's neighborhood. World War II followed and around 50 of the congregation's young men served in the military. Rev. Henry Volkens (1939-1946) pastored the church during the war years. Facing a shortage of E & R pastors, Grace Immanuel called a Southern Baptist seminarian, G. Martin Hunter (1946-1948). With E & R support, Hunter led the congregation to transform "The Green Barn" behind Hadley Pottery into a youth center. The young pastor drowned only days after he left Louisville to pursue doctoral studies. Lay leader Leonard Wheatley took leave from his career to pastor the church in 1948 and 1949. This sacrifice was never forgotten and Mr. Wheatley was honored as a true shepherd of the church throughout the rest of his long life.
The baby boom created the need for more space, so a lower level fellowship hall was constructed in 1950. Rev. Elmer Elshoff (1950-1957) came as pastor and ecumenical services with neighboring churches began. The church partnered with Wesley House to provide a racially integrated tutoring program in the basement. When Rev. Don Buchhold (1958-1963) arrived, he and Mary Alice Hadley spearheaded a drive to revitalize the neighborhood. The congregation received one of the first "City Beautiful" awards and was featured in the United Church Herald (magazine of the newly formed U.C.C.) as "the Church That Caught the Vision."
Rev. Gordon Seiffertt (1964-1980) was called as struggles over open housing and school integration loomed on the horizon. Workcamps became an annual experience for the youth, liturgical innovations kept worship lively and a ramp was added to make the church accessible. Dorothy Frantz and others ran an evening "Teen Canteen" and United Crescent Hill Ministries was formed in the wake of the 1974 tornado. Rev. William Albright (1980-1985) was a student at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary as a new generation of leaders stepped up to serve on the council, the teenagers became the "Youth Of Grace Immanuel" (YOGI's) and the Evening Ladies Group was formed in addition to the existing Women's Circle.
A "Committee 2000" interim process was led by Conference Minister Ralph Quellhorst before Dr. Greg Bain (1986-Present) was called as pastor. An afterschool program was the first outgrowth of this new energy. Book of Worship: United Church of Christ and varied musical resources were incorporated into the church's worship, baptized children were welcomed to communion and an elementary school group was formed. In 1998, the church celebrated Naomi Furlong's 50th anniversary as organist/choir director and Janice Fiechter joined her in music ministry. After Mrs. Furlong's retirement, member Marian Ziebell served for and interim, then Ken Cordle took over the organist/choir director role. Many other musicians contributed to worship as the "Waiting To Be Found" ensemble took shape. At the turn of the new century, Grace Immanuel challenged itself with renovation projects, began weekly observance of communion, started a parish nurse ministry, sponsored refugee families and became a pacesetter wider mission church - often giving away resources equal to 15-20% of the local mission budget. As our 75th anniversary theme says, "God is still speaking!"
