Anniversary Anecdotes
Jane Kozak & Judith Dames
Sisters Jane and Judy, two life-long Zion members, have wonderful memories dating back to the 1940s, in what is now lovingly referred to as "the old church" (near the corner of Prestley Rd. and Washington Ave. in Bridgeville). Their parents were Frank & Paula Oelschlager. Back then, the church building was much smaller in size and Sunday school classes were held in the church hall and in the basement near the boiler room with makeshift classroom dividers. Confirmation classes were Saturday mornings. Local Lutheran teens met regularly for "Walther League" (a fellowship group named for the first president of the LCMS). According to Jane and Judy, "Walther League was always lots of fun … we really looked forward to it, especially the scavenger hunts. Since most church members lived close by, we "hunted" for everyday items at church members homes and yards, and the winners got a nice prize".
Their were lots of great fellowship activities in those days. Members met often, outside of Worship and Christian education, for simple, fun activities. "We always had a great time at the June Strawberry Social, then in October we all came together to enjoy Boston Coolers (canteloupes cut in half and filled with ice cream). The Walther League kids helped to make the desserts in the basement kitchen and carry them up to the fellowship hall." Some picnics were held at Scheiber farm (site of our current church building) which was very much a '"country" setting in those days with very few stores nearby.
As young women, they joined Zion's Ladies Aid, a service and fellowship group with monthly meetings and officers. "Ladies Aid was a very nice, happy part of Zion," Jane and Judy remember. "We had parties at Easter and Christmas, and a banquet at Cecil Grange. At our regular meetings we would discuss service projects around the church, enjoy games or other activities, and 2 or 3 of us were responsible for bringing dessert."
In addition to volunteer service, Judy served Zion in another important way: She was the first paid secretary in the church office! "In those days I used a manual typewriter and very rudimentary copy machine," describes Judy. "I was paid $3 per hour. Of course there was no spell-check when preparing the bulletins, and one week I made my worst mistake as Secretary: I mistyped the hymn title Jesus, Lover of My Soul as Jesus, Liver of My Soul. I was so embarrassed. Of course there was no shortage of members who pointed the typo out to me following the Sunday service!"
Over the years, through all of life's ups and downs, God has always been with Zion, keeping our faith strong. "All of these pleasant memories have been shared with so many lifelong Zion friends … some are in heaven now. We have been together for up to 90 years, and some of our parents and grandparents were Zion members from the church's beginning. Zion has always been our guiding light, and we are blessed to be members of such as God fearing and loving congregation of Christians."
