Lutheran Churches of (mostly) Northwest Ohio: East Toledo

Friday, December 25, 2009

A Peaceful and Blessed Christmas To All

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2: 4-7

Arcade window, St. Mark's Lutheran, Toledo.

Aisle window, Grace Lutheran, Fremont

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Reformation Sunday 2009

Wishing all a happy, peaceful, and blessed Reformation Sunday. Go read those 95 Theses. I'll make it easy:
Luther's 95 Theses

(thank you, LCMS)

(Window inside the front door vestibule at Martin Luther Lutheran, East Toledo.)

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

St. Mark Lutheran, East Toledo

Lutheranism's crown jewel of Toledo's East Side!

The congregation was founded in 1884 by German members of St. Paul's, living on the East Side, who were tired of dealing with the Cherry Street Bridge washing out (the German Catholics who founded Sacred Heart did so for the same reason). St. Mark's first church, a long-gone wood frame building, stood where the current building stands and was moved back to the next block to make room for the new one since the congregation was growing rapidly. The cornerstone was laid in 1916, and the new church was dedicated August 26, 1917.

The cruciform church is Tudor-Gothic in design, and seats 900. The architects were Speer and Gehrke of Detroit, and church member Fred Rinker was the contractor.

The steeple rises 112 feet above Woodville Road.

Since then, a large parsonage (now used for offices) was added in 1926, and an educational wing was added in 1951. This historical information is taken from "Treasures of East Toledo" by Pastor Larry Michaels, who divides his time quite nimbly between Martin Luther, where he is senior pastor; and St. Mark, the church he grew up in, where he is resource pastor. Thanks, Pr. Larry!

My initial reaction upon entering the sanctuary for the first time, was to just stand there gaping at what I was seeing! I have heard other people describe having the same reaction. The sanctuary is immense and magnificent. The numerous stained-glass windows glow like gems. That altar and statue are among the best I've seen!

That wraparound balcony made it easy to get up to the large stained-glass windows in the transepts.

The left transept. The large window is Jesus with the children, and the smaller windows underneath the balcony, tell the Christmas story.

... and the right transept. The large window is Jesus at Mary and Martha's, and the smaller windows tell the Easter story.

That altar is just about perfect ...

Simply wonderful!

Closeup of Jesus with the children.

Closeup of Jesus at Mary and Martha's.

Mary and Martha's dog!

The Gethsemane window is at the back of the church, at the top edge of the balcony.

Something not often seen: the woman who anointed Jesus' feet with the expensive ointment, wiping them with her hair. This is one of the smaller windows that line the lower edges of the sanctuary, under the balcony going toward the rear of the church.