St Matthew Lutheran Church
100th Anniversary
- 1960 -

The pastor, church officials and all members of St Matthew Lutheran Church on Ida Maybee Road, north of M-50, are planning to observe the centennial of the church Sunday with special services. The first observance of the centennial was held Sunday in the church when Holy Communion was received in honor of all persons who have been confirmed in the church since its beginning.

The centennial service will begin at 10:30 a.m., Sunday with the Rev. Norman A. Menter, D.D., president of the Michigan District of the American Lutheran Church, as guest speaker. An afternoon service will be at 3:30 p.m. with the Rev. G.C. Wiegand, former pastor of St Matthew speaking. Rev. Wiegand now is at New Lebanon, Ohio. While pastor of the church until last March, he began planning for the observance by naming committees and finishing other preliminary details.

The first date in the history of St Matthew is June 3, 1860, when 30 Lutherans met in Bridge School with the Rev. F.A. Herzberger of Monroe. He continued to come to preach to them every three weeks.

A constitution was adopted by the group on October 21, 1860, and the congregation was organized November 12 in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Seitz, at 8941 North Custer Road. Mr. and Mrs. William Cominess, present members of the church, now live there.

The organizational meeting lasted from 9 a.m. until noon and 12 members were present. They were Friedrich Rath, Carl Rath, John Strass, Henry Burwitz, Carl Burwitz, Frederick Rehberg, Ludwig Schultz, John Schultz, Joachim Baas, Adolph Meier, John Goetz and Peter Seitz, who was the oldest.

For the first 19 years, the group used the Bridge School as their place of worship, although meeting now and then in the home of one of the members. These men and their wives had been born, baptized and confirmed in Germany and all had lived in the United States less than five years at the time. The present church was constructed in 1879, and dedicated on September 21. The next day, the funeral sermon for Peter Seitz was preached in the church, and his body is believed to be the first buried in the nearby church cemetery.

The first baptism was of Joanna Rath, daughter of Frederick Rath, September 23, 1860. The first confirmation class included Philip, Peter and Mary Seitz, all children of Peter Seitz. The first Holy Communion was distributed on Sunday preceding Christmas in 1860 when 60 persons received the sacrament. The first wedding was that of Henry Burwitz and Miss Louisa Koepke on December 4, 1861.

Since the beginning, there have been 553 baptisms, 398 confirmations, 150 marriages and 220 burials. The church now has a membership of 151. Some 21 pastors have served the church so far.