Church marks 80th year of existence in Lakewood

LAKEWOOD - On Sept. 24, the Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel Church of Lakewood and vicinity celebrated its 80th anniversary with a communion service.

The Rev. Bruce T. Ewen, assistant to the Bishop of the New Jersey Synod of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), was the guest preacher. The children's bell choir (Singers and Ringers), under the direction of Su Browne, sang and played "This Little Light of Mine." Elaine Turansky played the organ for the festive service and the adult choir sang during communion. The Rev. Gary N. Stiegler led the service and cut the special anniversary cake at the coffee hour following the service, with Ewen at his side.

According to a press release, the service was preceded by a gala dinner dance held at the Circle Landmark, Lakehurst, on Sept. 16. At the dance a 154-page book, Celebrating Longevity, was unveiled and distributed to the attendees. The book was written and compiled by members of the Immanuel Writers Guild and includes a history of Immanuel, biographies of its pastors, a timeline of important events in the church and the world over the past 80 years, and memories and stories written by present and former members of the church.

The church's 80-year history has included growth and change. On April 18, 1926, the Rev. A.H. Steinhauer held the first Lutheran church service (in German) in the Lakewood vicinity at All Saints Episcopal Church, Lakewood. The first English service was conducted by the Rev. U.S.G. Bertolet on June 6, 1926. The first election and installation of church officers was held on Sept. 26, 1926, and the group decided on the name for the church on that day.

The first pastor, the Rev. August Greve, was installed on Nov. 13, 1927. On July 23, 1928, the tract of land on Monterey Circle and Central Avenue was purchased and in 1932 a gift of 48,000 bricks was given to the congregation by H. Lucke, of Lakewood, to be used for the construction of the church building. Groundbreaking for the church was held on Oct. 15, 1933, and on Oct. 29 the cornerstone was laid.

The church grew, and with the calling of its fifth pastor, the Rev. Paul Weidknecht Jr., it was realized that the congregation had grown too big for the existing building. A new church building was constructed and connected to the previous church building by office areas. The new church was dedicated May 26, 1968. The Sunday School also grew and with the addition of a nursery school more room was needed. A Christian Education Building was built and dedicated on June 2, 1974.

Weidknecht retired on Sept. 1, 2000 after 37 years as pastor. The Rev. Frank Watson, of Freehold, served as Immanuel's interim pastor, and on June 9, 2002 Stiegler was installed at Immanuel as the church's sixth pastor.