And there were shepherds ...

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Luke 2: 8-14

Gallery window, Bethlehem Lutheran, Pemberville

The statues of Bethlehem Lutheran, Pemberville

Under an arch at the right-hand front of the sanctuary, are displayed these antique statues: St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John the Baptist, two angels, and a dove that was atop an old baptismal font. They are beautifully preserved now, thanks to the efforts of church historian Dale Bruning and restorative artist Valerie French.
The statues are around 145 years old. They were originally displayed on the altar in Bethlehem's old church, built in 1862. This scan, from Bethlehem's 125th anniversary booklet in 1986, shows the interior of the old church, with the statues visible on the altar.
A closeup, showing Pastor Winterhoff. This photo would have been taken somewhere between 1899 and 1908.
The current church as it would have appeared when it was new in 1908, with the old altar still in place and the dove on top of the font clearly visible.
According to Dale Bruning: "The statues were in the original church and when the present church was completed and dedicated in May 1909 the altar furnishings (the statues and angels, baptismal font with the dove and pulpit) were all moved into the new church. In 1944 the church was redecorated. The altar, which was painted white, was stripped and stained an oak color as was the pulpit. The statues, which were in a bad condition, were stored in the attic, and the dove placed in a box. Here they remained until 2004, a period of sixty years. I was alerted and shown their location in the attic. I spoke with my brother, Bob and his wife, Joanne, and showed them the statues. Joanne said that she knew of a place in Bowling Green that might do restoration work. I went to Bowling Green and came in contact with Valerie French. I had taken one of the statues along. She looked at it and said that she would like to have this type of reconstruction project, but that she would do it at home in her studio."
"With someone to do the restoring Bob and I went to the Church Council and asked for permission to have the statues and angels restored at no cost to the church. Council unanimously agreed and the project went forward."
"This turned out to be a much more difficult project than anticipated. Hands etc. were missing; cracks etc. But Valerie did a tremendous job of restoration even to matching the original paint. I would venture to say that the 5 pieces look better now than when they were new. Valerie also had the niches constructed. Volunteers did the necessary cutting into the arch to place the niches. There was opposition to placing them back on the altar, so we had to find a new home. Everyone now says it looks as though the statues have always been in the arch."
"I was shown the dove at a later point in time and when Valerie delivered the statues in January 2007 I asked if she would consider restoring the dove, to which she consented. The dove is hand carved and very beautiful."

St. Peter with the keys to the Kingdom ...

... and St. Paul with his sword.

St. John the Baptist ... how unusual! ... is the largest of the statues.

From Dale Bruning: "Valerie French lives on McCutcheonville Road, Perrysburg, Ohio. She did the scenic set pieces for the Toledo Opera's production of "Salome" at the Valentine Theater last March. She is a very talented lady; we were fortunate to have had her expert services." This is most certainly true! The beauty and artistry of these statues speaks for itself. Bethlehem is fortunate to be able to display these statues again, beautifully restored; and fortunate also for people like Dale Bruning who care about the church's heritage. Thanks for all your help, Dale!

July 22 - festival day of Mary Magdalene, Apostle

Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, your Son first entrusted the apostle Mary Magdalene with the joyful news of his resurrection. Following the example of her witness, may we proclaim Christ as our living Lord and one day see him in glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Prayer - from ELCA Lectionary
Scripture - John 20: 15-18
Windows, from top to bottom:
St. John's, Port Clinton
Bethlehem, Pemberville
Zoar, Perrysburg
St. John's, Fremont

The windows of Bethlehem, Pemberville

The windows, from the Flanagan Art Glass Co. of Chicago in 1909, are true works of art. The painting is wonderful, and the details are incredible.

"I have come to bring you good tidings ..."

"He is not here ... He is risen!"

Jerusalem can be seen in the background.

Mary Magdalene's hair - every brush stroke is perfect!
Look at the expressions on the faces of Mother Mary and St. John ...

"Let the children come to me ..."

Noah's ark ...

"Mary has chosen the better part ..."
The prodigal ...

The sower and the grain; a tribute to the farmers of this rural town.

Such fine little details can be found in these windows!

Bethlehem Lutheran, Pemberville

I truly don't know where to begin with this one. This church is utterly fabulous, inside and out. This is one of those small-town treasures that no one knows about! I have ALOT to post. I'll start with an overview and get to the details later.
The church was built 1908-09, to replace an earlier one built in 1862. The cornerstone from the earlier church is embedded in the side of the wall along with the current one. I love these two spires of uneven height.

The building is constructed of Ohio limestone.

The current altar is from a renovation carried out in 1955.

This chrismon is on the ceiling right over the altar.

The richly-furnished chancel.

When was the last time you saw something like THIS in a Lutheran church?! These statues were on the church's original altar, which was brought in from the earlier church. In 1944, the statues, in a state of disrepair, were put into storage in the attic, and stayed there for 60 years! In 2004, church historian Dale Bruning, and his brother Bob and wife Joanne, were able to arrange for the restoration of the statues by artist Valerie French in Perrysburg. The creches were cut into the wall, and the beautifully-restored statues were put on display, a part of the church's history back out in the open for all to appreciate. St. Paul on the left, St. Peter on the right, and the one in the center is John the Baptist! (There are also two lovely angels and a dove further up on the wall. The dove was at one time a topper for an old baptismal font.)


This wonderful spiral staircase, just inside the front door, leads up to the bell tower; and the bell is still operated by means of a rope!
A dedication plaque to Pastor Winterhoff, who oversaw the building of the church.
The windows ... simply amazing! Exceptional artwork! This big window, showing Jesus at Mary and Martha's, is in the west wall of the church, at the left side of the nave. That's Noah's Ark in the circle at the top.
This large Crucifixion-Resurrection window is in the south wall, at the back of the nave.

Jesus and Nicodemus, in the chancel.

The Ascension, over the altar.

The Good Shepherd, in the overflow room at the right side of the nave.

Gethsemane, in the chancel.

Moses, Christ "Come Unto Me", and St. Paul, in an open room between the sacristy and the overflow room.

Jesus blessing the children, in the overflow room.

Christmas - the angels come to the shepherds, in the overflow room.

And Martin Luther watches over the sacristy.

MUCH more later! But my thanks again, to Dale Bruning for guiding us around the church and furnishing all the extensive history information!