HISTORY OF LUTHERAN CHURCH OF OUR SAVIOR

History of The Lutheran Church of Our Savior

Tradition and innovative thinking have always been major parts of the Lutheran Church of Our Savior. We are always looking ahead in planning for ministry opportunities and possibilities for our congregation and community, but we also prize our heritage and the sacrifices which were made by current and former members to help bring us to this point in our life as a community of faith.

Possibility thinking was present when the Reverend John T. Keister was called by the United Lutheran Church of America to begin surveying the Dayton suburb of Oakwood in 1940 to determine if the community could support a Lutheran congregation. By early 1941, enough interest had been generated for worship services to be held in the Far Hills Theater. Members still talk of being able to buy candy in the theater lobby as they went to Sunday School classes!

The Lutheran Church of Our Savior was formally organized on September 14, 1941 with 85 members, and during the "war years", the congregation gathered in a number of facilities, including at Ruah Hall in downtown Dayton, and in the Oakwood High School Auditorium (try doing that today!). In 1943, the Reverend Cyrus Wallick was called by the congregation to serve as the first full-time pastor. After the war ended, the congregation secured a piece of property on which to build, and on May 7, 1948, the first worship service was held in the new church building, located on Far Hills Ave. and Grandon Road, in Oakwood.

Throughout the post-war years, membership boomed, and by the mid-1950s, the congregation had grown from 85 members to over 500. But it was also during these years that tragedy struck - Reverend Wallick died in September, 1954 while still serving the congregation. Members pulled together to fill the void left by the pastor's death, and in the spring of 1955, the Reverend J. Alfred Updegraff was called to serve as the congregation’s second pastor. One year later, the congregation voted to purchase the Far Hills Estate from Miami Valley Hospital, but before the transaction was finalized and the deed conveyed from one party to the other, neighbors in the area of the Estate brought suit against Lutheran Church of Our Savior, attempting to block the congregation from converting the historic home into a church. In July, 1957, the litigation ended in the congregation’s favor, and the Far Hills Estate became the new home for the growing congregation. Renovations were made to the interior of the home, converting the living room into the sanctuary, and on March 30, 1958, the first worship service was held in what was once the home of Frederick Patterson, son of John Patterson, the founder of the National Cash Register Company (NCR).

Almost as soon as the congregation began worshipping in their new "home", the membership outgrew the worship space. Work began on the construction of a new sanctuary to be attached to the Far Hills Estate, and on November 11, 1961, the new facility was dedicated. It continues to serve as the congregation’s main sanctuary, while the converted living room now serves as the chapel, and is used for a variety of services and celebrations.

As the congregation continued to grow in size in its new location, so did ministry opportunities. To assist the congregation in the midst of this growth, the Reverend Robert A. Willauer was called as Assistant Pastor on August 29, 1966. During that time, youth ministry and music ministry flourished at Lutheran Church of Our Savior.

Pastor Updegraff retired in September, 1980, having faithfully served the congregation for 25 years. He was named pastor emeritus. Pastor Updegraff passed away in June 2000. His wife Frances, continues to live in Dayton and remains an important part of our community of faith.

Within 3 months of Pastor Updegraff’s retirement, the congregation voted to call Pastor Willauer to serve as the Senior Pastor. During the 1980s, the Lutheran Church of Our Savior served as an internship site for students from Trinity Lutheran Seminary, in Columbus, Ohio. In 1984, the Reverend Marilou Brook was called as the Assistant Pastor, and the congregation's music ministry was further expanded. Pastor Brook served the congregation until 1988, when she accepted a call to serve in northern Ohio.

The Reverend Gary W. Eichhorn was called at the end of 1989 to serve as Associate Pastor. In 1991, the congregation celebrated its 50th anniversary, and the Reverend John Keister was present for the momentous occasion. In 1995, the leadership of the congregation embarked upon a visioning process, which produced new directions for ministry. The congregation opened its doors to house the community's latch key program (about 65 children), social ministry programs were expanded, the Lutheran Church of Our Savior Foundation was launched, and two new staff positions eventually grew out of our visioning: operations manager and music director.

At the conclusion of 1997, Pastor Willauer retired, having faithfully served our community of faith for almost 32 years. He and his wife Gloria currently split their time between Dayton and Florida. In 1999, Robert A. Willauer became the congregation’s second pastor emeritus, and he remains an important part of our community of faith.

In July, 1998, Pastor Eichhorn was called as the congregation’s lead pastor. Currently, the leadership of the church is engaging the members in another visioning process, making plans for the future, 5 years and beyond. We continue to blend tradition with innovation as we strive to remain faithful to our calling to share God's Word with those around us. Out of our original 85 charter members, two remain. We are grateful for the vision of those who faithfully followed God's leading in years past, making the present a reality, and for those who are currently sharing their talents and gifts to help us move forward. What a wondrous journey it has been so far – praise God!

History of the Far Hills Estate

John Patterson, the founder of the National Cash Register Company (now NCR Corporation), had used part of his fortune to construct a 43-room mansion on the grounds where the present-day Tudor brick, half-timber house stands today. The "Far Hills", as it was known, was a mecca for the community. On Sundays, Patterson would open the grounds in which the local children could play, and visitors were offered cakes and toys. The estate encompassed a nine-hole golf course and lush gardens, all of which were surrounded by thick woods. The southern hilly location overlooked most of the city and the NCR manufacturing complex adjacent to the University of Dayton.

After inheriting his father’s property, Frederick B. Patterson demolished the house and replaced it with a smaller 31-room mansion. Work on Frederick's house was completed in 1924 at a reported cost of $450,000. The two-inch thick hand-hewn slate roof alone was thought to have cost about $60,000. Dark wood paneling throughout the interior of the building was hand-crafted in Europe, and the brick pavement in the entryway had originally served as a portion of a London street. Stained glass windows in the main stairway came from a Spanish castle in Cuba. Frederick employed 10 people, including a governess and a gardener, to oversee the maintenance of the home.

In 1940, the estate was sold to John A. MacMillan, founder of the Dayton Rubber Company. Eventually, John’s wife, Patricia, bequeathed the estate to the Miami Valley Hospital Society, from whom the congregation purchased it 16 years later.

Currently the house serves as the congregation's parish house, in which are located Sunday School classrooms, meeting rooms, music room, nursery, chapel, kitchen, youth room, and library.