Ascension Lutheran Church to Celebrate 50th Year Anniversary

9/4/08

Ascension Lutheran Church of Marianna will soon celebrate 50 Years of worshipping God in Marianna. Our celebration’s theme is Living and Proclaiming Christ in Word and Sacrament. The special celebration will be at 3:00 p.m. on September 7th, 2008 with a special service featuring Rev. Dr. Wallace Schulz, world renowned evangelist.
Rev. Dr. Wallace Schulz is the Evangelist of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation, a worldwide mission organization. He is also editor of the Good News magazine, published in 20 languages and distributed in over 100 countries. For twenty five years, Rev. Schulz was a speaker on the "Lutheran Hour", reaching out to people around the world. He was also fifth and second Vice President of the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod for 3 terms.
On this celebration of fifty years of worshipping here, Rev. Schulz will address the congregation and our guests on bringing people to Christ.
Ascension’s Pastor Hank Malone, installed in April of this year, now calls for us to turn and reach outward and share our loving church family with those seeking to know God. You are invited to join us for this wonderful service.
In 1958, eight families gathered together to worship in the Lutheran tradition meeting first in their homes and then with the help of others, having the first formal church service, which we commemorate here, using St. Luke’s Episcopal Church building. Services were held with Pastor D.E. Sallach of Dothan. We also worshiped at the Graham Air Force Base facilities as some of our members were Air Force personnel. We then continued with evening services in the Les Beard Studio. During this time, Vicar Milan Weerts came here from Trinity Lutheran Church in Panama City and gave services.
The young church suffered a blow when the Graham Air Force Base was closed. In August 1960, our first resident pastor of Ascension, Pastor L. Delgohausen arrived, which we shared with Port of St. Joe church. Our services then moved to the Marianna Women’s Club. Finally, helped by a loan from the Lutheran Southern District, the congregation purchased an old veterinary office building in 1961, and remodeled it into a church. At this same location, 3975 West Highway 90, and twenty nine years later, a new wonderful church building was built and dedicated in 1990. Volunteers of the Laborers for Christ and our own members built this House of God.
Some of earliest members were from the community of Bonifay, FL and through the years, those members formed a church there called Grace Lutheran Church. These two churches shared the services of our Pastors through the years till 1996.
With the help of so many people and with God’s guidance, our church congregation has continued and now celebrates its 50th Anniversary. Please come and worship with us on this occasion.