Oldest church in Lima celebrates 175 years

LIMA - In 1833, the city of Chicago was established by settlers.
A little closer to home, Market Street Presbyterian Church was founded in Lima.
Talk about putting it in perspective.
Market Street Presbyterian Church is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year, kicking off events Sunday at the church. The theme for the year is "Amazing Grace: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow."
The church is the oldest in the city, said Pastor Susan Reichenberg. "We might be old in years but we have young thinking."
The anniversary called for a large celebration. Special events are planned through the rest of the year and beyond.
The church was founded Aug. 24, 1833. It met in the county's log cabin courthouse to start and has occupied four buildings since. The current location was finished in the early 1950s.
A special birthday service to kick off the celebration is Sunday. On Sept. 14, a homecoming service is planned. The church has invited former pastors, local dignitaries and leadership from the national church.
On Sept. 21, the church will kick off its new worship schedule. An contemporary or praise service will begin at 9:30 a.m., with Sunday school at the same time. Traditional worship will begin at 11 a.m.
"With all the study that we've been doing, it seems that people who want to come to that service want their children in a safe learning environment," Reichenberg said.
On Oct. 26, a Scottish ritual service called the Kirking of the Tartan will be held. The Presbyterian church has Scottish roots, and the church will celebrate with bagpipers and drummers and naming clans.
"It's a nice opportunity to see how things used to be done," she said. "As we celebrate, this is our effort to remember yesterday."
Christmas will see the church decorated in a simple way as it was in the past, and next year will bring the touring choir from the College of Wooster and a street festival during summer.
"It's definitely a benchmark," Reichenberg said. "It shows continuity of effort. We certainly plan to be here for a lot longer yet. We really believe that we needed to share the gospel."

Who: Market Street Presbyterian Church, 1100 W. Market St., Lima
What: 175th anniversary celebration
When: Special service begins at 10 a.m. Sunday, events continue through year

Schedule
Sept. 1: Float in the Labor Day parade
Sept. 14: Homecoming service
Sept. 21: Fall kick-off of new service and worship times (Praise service and Sunday school at 9:30 a.m., traditional service at 11 a.m.)
Oct. 26: Kirking of the Tartan
March 7: College of Wooster touring choir