Roots on the Ohio Frontier
Jerusalem Lutheran Church grew out of a log church house shared with the Reformed when Lutheran and Reformed settlers built their first place of worship together in 1815 at what is now the site of Grace Church in Columbiana. By 1867 the Lutherans were ready for a building of their own and bought land "on the edge of the wilderness" on South Main Street, where Jerusalem Lutheran Church has stood ever since. Services were held in both German and English for more than half a century until the German service was phased out in 1923. Significant growth brought additions to the original building in 1914 and 1967, and a major remodel project in 1951. Twenty-six pastors have served the congregation, and the parish marked its 200th anniversary in 2015 with Bishop Abraham Allende joining the celebration, a catered luncheon for more than 120 past and present members in Luther Hall, and a memorial campaign that raised funds for a chairlift at the Hyland Street entrance.
A Sanctuary of Stained Glass
Walk in from South Main Street and the large front window immediately draws the eye. The New Jerusalem Window, made by the Pittsburgh Art Glass Company and given by Cora B. Staley in memory of her husband Henry Staley, who served as treasurer for nearly forty years, illustrates St. John's vision from Revelation 21 of the Holy City descending from heaven. Christ as King sits enthroned at the center with the Seven Rivers of Life flowing from his feet and the Dove of the Holy Spirit above his head. The four evangelists appear in banners around him, the Alpha and Omega appear in the peaks, and the walls and towers of the New Jerusalem rise in the tracery lights with the word "Alleluja" flowing across them. Red, blue, gold, green, purple, and white carry symbolic weight throughout the glass.
Behind the altar, a Rose Window pictures Communion and the forgiveness of sins, with a grape vine circling the entire composition and a sheaf of wheat inside the cup at the center. Five sanctuary windows along the nave walk through the life of Christ, from the Bethlehem window with its scroll of childhood, through the Baptism of Christ, the water jars of Cana, the washing of the feet on Holy Thursday, and the cross of Calvary, ending with a sun rising over the fields to mark the Resurrection.
Three narthex windows carry Faith, Hope, and Love from 1 Corinthians 13:13: the cross and crown of resurrection, the anchor, and the open bible. The Lutheran Emblem window fills a hallway with the Ensign's black, red, white, blue, and gold, while a Latin Cross anchors the north stairwell and a ship symbolizing the church appears in the south. Some of the earliest glass from the original church was preserved through the 1951 remodel and now sits in the pastor's office and the conference room, where windows depicting the Lily and Rose of Sharon, Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Good Shepherd look out toward the front of the building.
Sunday Mornings at Jerusalem
Worship at Jerusalem Lutheran gathers on Sunday mornings at 10:00, with an Adult Sunday School class meeting an hour earlier at 9:00. The congregation belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, part of the Northeast Ohio Synod, and worship follows the Lutheran pattern of gathering around word and sacrament: God's word is read and proclaimed, the congregation shares a meal at the Lord's table, and the people are sent into the world. The chancel paraments are coordinated with the changing seasons by the JLC Women, who also keep the candelabras filled and care for the communion linens. Chrismons, the Christian-symbol ornaments that drape the Christmas trees each year, have hung in the sanctuary since 1967, when the JLC Women first made them in memory of Lois Rehl, wife of Pastor Thomas Rehl, and have refreshed them ever since.
Everyone is welcome at worship, regardless of denomination or background. The congregation's stated mission is "a church family called to plant the seeds and gifts of the Spirit to nourish God's children," and that welcome extends to anyone looking for a place to celebrate the Good News of Jesus Christ. The doors are open, and there is always a place at the table.
The Hands and Hearts of JLC Women
The Jerusalem Lutheran Church Women, known as JLCW, have shaped much of the congregation's ministry for generations. An active Prayer Chain receives calls for family, friends, and others, then passes requests one to another through the membership while keeping names confidential when asked. Twice a month in Luther Hall, a faithful group of quilters gathers to make quilts that are shipped every October to Lutheran World Relief for distribution to people who have lost everything in disasters worldwide.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry knits and crochets shawls in patterns of three to symbolize the Holy Trinity. A prayer is said as each new shawl is begun and many more are said as the stitches are added. Once completed, the shawls are blessed during a worship service and given to people of any age who are sick or terminally ill.
Altar Care has long been the work of the JLCW, who coordinate chancel paraments with the church seasons, fill the candelabras for weekly worship and special services, and tend the communion linens. The Children's Mission collects socks each November for boys and girls of all ages in Columbiana County, with each year's collection sent through Family Services in Lisbon. Personal Care Kits assembled by the women are rolled into large bath towels each year and sent to Lutheran World Relief. Shut-ins and Veterans receive gift bags several times a year, delivered by women who want them to know they remain present in the congregation's prayers.
Christian Stitchers, a monthly gathering in the parlor, brings together crocheters, knitters, embroiderers, and other craftspeople who make hats, scarves, mittens, prayer shawls, baptism blankets, and bear dolls for the Robert Bycroft School in Columbiana County.
The Peace Garden and Columbiana's First Little Free Library
Just south of the sanctuary sits a Peace Garden conceived by Esther Tucker as she remembered her mother Marie Householder's love of flowers. Approved by the trustees in 2003 and given its final design in 2004, the garden is shaped around a cross-shaped meditation area filled with pavers, some given in memory or honor of family members and one honoring members of the armed forces who have given the ultimate sacrifice. A westward-facing arbor welcomes visitors, an angel statue stands among hostas, and a lion lies down beside a lamb in the spirit of Isaiah 11:6. Tulips, lilies, daisies, marigolds, lavender, stokesia, sedum, and chrysanthemums keep color in the garden through the seasons, while a shade garden beneath a large oak holds a bench, a bird bath, a statue of a young girl praying beside the words of Matthew 24:35, and lily of the valley. The whole garden was funded by donations given in memory of loved ones, and it is used for personal quiet prayer, meditation, small Bible study and Circle meetings, pictures, and small weddings.
In 2016 a Little Free Library was dedicated in the garden, crafted by Davey Jones of Chisel Me Timbers in the style of the church's own architecture. With two shelves of books for the take-a-book, leave-a-book tradition, Jerusalem Lutheran Church was the first Little Free Library in Columbiana County.
Together By Grace
For members who have moved away, are homebound, or are serving in the military, Jerusalem Lutheran maintains a "Together By Grace" display at the front of the sanctuary pews. Members can submit their photos to be kept present in the congregation during every worship service. The ministry takes its name from the conviction that GRACE is God's Riches At Christ's Expense: a process, a journey with a direction rather than a destination, that the church describes as fullness in the life of the believer.
Ministry Beyond the Walls
Each year Jerusalem Lutheran joins with St. Jude's Catholic Church in Columbiana to host a one-week Vacation Bible School for children from kindergarten through sixth grade, with the location alternating between the two congregations.
A St. Pauley Textile drop-off shed at the rear of the parking lot collects used clothing, sneakers, belts, purses, linens, pillowcases, blankets, curtains, and stuffed animals for redistribution to relief organizations in the United States and developing countries. Items must be bagged before being placed inside the shed, and donations are picked up on a weekly basis.
Each year the church selects four or five local charities to receive the Quarterly Benevolence. Past recipients have included Meals on Wheels, the Oasis Food Bank, the Columbiana County Chapter of the Salvation Army, and Camp Frederick, of which Jerusalem Lutheran is one of the founding partners. Donations can be mailed to the church office with a note designating the Benevolence Fund.
For more than thirty years, the congregation operated JLC Preschool as a mission to families with young children in Columbiana, offering a foundation of social and academic learning before elementary school. As more preschools and daycares opened in the area, the JLC Preschool Board and Church Council made the difficult decision to close the preschool. The doors closed for the last time on May 25, 2018, after a long run of forming the lives of children in the community.
An Open Door on South Main
Jerusalem Lutheran Church understands itself as one congregation within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, formed in 1988 through the merger of the American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and the Lutheran Church of America. The congregation holds that God calls and empowers its members for mission through baptism, that while all are sinners, God loves and forgives, and that the worship of word and sacrament stands at the center of a life of faith. The doors of the church at 415 S. Main Street in Columbiana are open to everyone, and there is always a place at the table.