Zion Lutheran Church
                            Akron, Ohio

 
 Zion Lutheran Church was organized on August 6, 1854, when Akron 
 was a mere village, having a population of 3400. Middlebury and 
 Cuyahoga Falls were strong rivals and often threatened to engulf the 
 struggling Akron. 
 
 The Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church was likewise an immature 
 body, being only seven years old. But the Lord blessed the work of the 
 Synod, and it grew rapidly. Its pioneer leaders recognized the 
 opportunities for mission work and for growth which the German 
 immigration offered. A number of these Germans had come to this 
 little Akron.
 
 Rev. Peter J. Buehl was sent to the village to minister to these people. 
 He faced a difficult task. A small village, a handful of people who 
 called themselves Lutheran, and these worshipping with a Reformed 
 church---out of this to build a congregation of consecrated Lutherans.
 
 Through prayer and ceaseless effort, Pastor Buehl gathered fifteen 
 families into an organization and a congregation was formed. Soon 
 after, the members began to look for a place to hold worship services. 
 They met in a Baptist Church for awhile and then in a small room in a 
 hotel. By 1855, the membership had grown to 75 communicants and 
 they were able to purchase their first building which was a small 
 church that had been built in 1834 or 1835 and paid $1,000 for it.  
 Within a few years, pioneer Simon Perkins donated a piece of land and 
 the little church was moved to a new location. Incorporation papers 
 were taken out in 1858 and the church had an official name. Ladies' 
 Aid and Young Peoples' Societies were already established by 1859. 
 The following year, Zion was able to build a school for the cost of 
 $356.56. Here, Pastor Buehl also served as teacher. After ten years of 
 service, Pastor Buehl left to accept another call, after having built up a 
 thriving congregation and school of its own-all from a most humble 
 beginning.
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     This text was converted to ascii format for Project Wittenberg
     by Debbie Harris and is in the public domain by permission 
     of Rev. Manfred K. Rembold. You may freely distribute, copy or
     print this text. Please direct any comments or suggestions to: 
                      Rev. Robert E. Smith of the 
           Walther Library at Concordia Theological Seminary.
                                       
                       E-mail: bob_smith@ctsfw.edu
                                       
       Surface Mail: 6600 N. Clinton St., Ft. Wayne, IN 46825 USA
          Phone: (219) 452-2148             Fax: (219) 452-2126
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