A Brick Church in Bluffton Since 1842
Emmanuel United Church of Christ sits on Phillips Road in Bluffton, a small community in northwest Ohio, and the congregation traces its roots back to 1842. The church is best known in town for its twice-yearly Fish Fry, a family dinner of fried fish, plentiful sides and an endless dessert table that has become a Bluffton tradition. Beyond the kitchen, Emmanuel is a traditional, casual congregation where Sunday worship, monthly Communion and intergenerational fellowship shape the week.
Sunday Morning at 8375 Phillips Road
Worship is held at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, with services livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel. The hour includes hymns, a children's moment, scripture reading, sermon, prayers of the people, confession and Communion on the first Sunday of each month. Once a month, the congregation shares a meal together after worship.
Adult Faith Formation meets at 9:30 a.m. from September through May. A women's circle called Hand-in-Hand, made up of women of all ages, gathers during this hour to discuss current events and follow a chosen curriculum. During the same school-year months, children are dismissed from worship for their own Faith Formation time. A nursery with a changing station, toys and activities is available, along with classrooms for mixed ages (1st through 4th grade) and Pre-Confirmation (5th through 7th grade). In summer, the nursery remains open while the older classes recess.
A Statement of Purpose
Emmanuel closes each service with a congregational statement of purpose. The congregation is called to be a Christian family empowered by the Holy Spirit, where spirituality means reflecting the joy of Christ in everything said and done, being responsible and generous stewards of all that God has blessed, and reaching out to everyone with the unconditional love of God. The pews hold legacy families with several generations, longtime members who raised their children in the church, and young families new to the area. Members are elected as elders and deacons who serve on the Consistory, the church's administrative board, and a variety of committees support the congregation's programs.
From Riley Creek to the United Church of Christ
The congregation was begun in 1842 as Riley Creek Church by the Rev. George Spangler, who met with worshippers in a log school building near the old cemetery. For seventeen years the church was served by part-time pastors. In 1859 Peter Greding became the first fulltime pastor and reorganized the group as the German Reformed Society, which in 1861 adopted the constitution of the German Reformed Church in the United States and the name German Reformed Emmanuel Congregation.
Volunteer labor and donated materials kept the cost of the first brick church to about $800, and members soon purchased a hand-pump organ for $500. The first brick parsonage, with a full basement, was built in 1872, with the Rev. Abraham Schneck as the first resident pastor. Over the decades Emmanuel shared pastoral leadership with other congregations, and on August 27, 1961 the partner churches asked to become separate charges.
On the evening of Palm Sunday, April 11, 1965, a tornado destroyed the church and parsonage, damaged many members' homes and took the life of one member. The congregation chose to rebuild slightly north of the old site, completing the present one-story building about a year later at a cost near $160,000. Dedication was held September 18, 1966. The Reformed Church joined the Evangelical Synod of North America in 1934, and in 1957 Emmanuel became a member of the United Church of Christ, formed that year by the merger of the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches. The congregation is part of the Northwest Ohio Association and the Ohio Conference of the United Church of Christ.
Ministry and Outreach Across the Community
Emmanuel runs a number of recurring ministries. The Adult Bible Study meets weekly through fall, winter and spring to study the Word and explore how to live it out. Women's Outreach gathers on the third Monday of each month; the women prepare meals and visit homebound members, assemble disaster kits and personal care kits, volunteer at local nursing homes and contribute to local projects and building improvements. An Easter Egg Hunt for children up through fifth grade is held the Saturday before Easter, with crafts, coloring, hot dogs, popcorn and cotton candy. In July, Emmanuel joins other Bluffton churches to host Community Vacation Bible School, rotating among the participating churches each year in an ecumenical effort to share the love of Christ.
Ongoing Missions
Several year-round mission efforts channel the congregation's giving back to Bluffton and beyond. Used eyeglasses are collected for VOSH. The church donates toiletries to the Bluffton Food Pantry at St. John's UCC Bluffton. Community Market receipts are gathered to fund a Youth Fund for youth activities, and a Noisy Collection on the first Sunday of each month gathers loose change from the youth for a local charity, currently the Wheelhouse Mission Bicycle Outreach Program. In November, Emmanuel partners with the Senior Center for a Thanksgiving Service and community meal. Giving is available online through the church's giving page.
Leadership and Office
Rev. Jeremy Mann has served as Pastor and Teacher of Emmanuel since early 2015. A graduate of Lancaster Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity, May 2014), he and his wife moved to Bluffton from Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, with their two children, Kaleb and Lucy. Jen Mann serves as Christian Education Coordinator, and Jaret Geiser is the Consistory President. The church office is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the building stands ready each Sunday for anyone who wants to pick a pew, any pew, and call Emmanuel home.