Peace Lutheran School / Church

[Bluenote132003]

I believe there were a few folks on here who used to [[maybe still do?) attend Peace Lutheran School and or Church on E. Warren and Chatsworth. I had heard the church had closed a few years ago, but found a website showing vacation Bible class for this past summer http://peacelutheran-detroit.web.off...m/default.aspx . Anyone have any word of what's current at the church? It looks like they may have a pastor, are they holding services? What about any interior pics? And is the school building being utilized for anything or still for sale?
And if anyone has any memories [[ala St. Jude thread!) to share...
Our family attended the church for many years, I attended the school 1-8 grade, graduating in spring of '77.

[Krawlspace]

Hi Bluenote,
Class of '86 here. Church is still a going concern and still holding services, but I have no idea as to Sunday attendance. The School has been closed for close to a decade now. They have tried to market it but the boiler is shot. It's in pretty rough shape with the faux brick siding that went up in the early 90's falling off in sheets to reveal the pea green paint and in some areas the pink paint beneath that. I live a few blocks away and will try to post some pics this weekend.

[Bluenote132003]

Thanks, Krawlspace, looking forward to it!

[oladub]

Class of 62 here. Some pre-history name dropping-

K. Kissandi? 1. Albrecht 2. Zinc 3. Davis 4. Freuh 5. Rickert 6. Moeller -also principal and substitute bus driver 7. Baden 8. Rickert again.

Mr.Crew. Janitor and bus driver, Mrs. Gorlitz church janitor

Claus, Claus, and later Steinbauer across the street.

[mam2009]

Class of 1987. Looks like we were there at the same time, Krawlspace.

[vivadetroit]

I would have been the Class of 88. I went there from pre-school to 3rd grade, then trasferred out to the burbs. I had Mrs. Baeten and Kersey for Kindergarten, Ms. Walenter for 1st, Ms. Barowicz for 2nd and Mr. Streich for 3rd.

Haven´t been by there in ages. If you´re interested, there is a Fbook page for Peace Alumni..

[turkeycall]

'64 Bethany Boy, here.


Peace was Bethany's daughter church. Some might think it impractical to have two Lutheran churches only five or so blocks apart. But, back in the day, many people walked to church.


Peace's school closed more than a few years ago. Bethany's school closed just a couple of years ago - the last Lutheran school on the east side.


When I was a kid - lo, these many years ago - Bethany had around 1,300 communicant members and an average attendance of 700 in two Sunday services. Now there are [[according to the statistics) 316 members with an average attendance of 67.


Peace - over the years - actually turned out to be a slightly larger church than Bethany.


Peace has a pastor, Rev. John Straub. In 2008 the average attendance was 110.


Bethany's pastor retired a couple of years ago. I don't know who the Vacancy Pastor is.


In the late fifties and into the sixties, the custodian at Peace was Mr. Kynaston.

[Bluenote132003]

I know of few of the names, the Baeten and Kersey families were friends of ours, Pastor Steinbauer taught our confirmation class. Actually drove by yesterday, Church building looks good, school is falling apart and unkempt. Some of our teachers: Miss Timm, Mr. Hall, Erv Aufdemburg [[Sp?), Mrs. Kuhlman, Striech was there for my siblings...wow, hard to remember right now...

[oladub]

Pre-history: Attachment 7395
The back of the photo says Oct.'54. This is most of the Peace graduation class of '62 but I don't recognize the teacher thinking it might be the Kindergarten teacher which means the picture is either of kindergarteners in '53-'54 or was taken of 1st graders in the fall of '54. School busses haven't changed substantially in 55 years.

[Jimaz]

Okay, now THAT's an interesting photo. Otherwise unnecessary care and effort was taken to pose those three kids on top of the engine. That's love. They're sending a message to us in the future.

[Bluenote132003]

Wow, great photo! Looks like it was taken at the back door of the school, the bus parked in the alley, rear entrance behind the bus. Remember the monkey bars and swings in the back parking lot? 7th and 8th graders would roll out signs to block the alley and Chatsworth for recess!

[MaryLynn]

Eno and Theo Claus, father and son pastors. Baptized and confirmed there. Would love to get in touch with class of 62.Anyone remember Mary Lynn? Are any of these teachers still alive?
K. Kissandi? 1. Albrecht 2. Zinc 3. Davis 4. Freuh 5. Rickert 6. Moeller -also principal and substitute bus driver 7. Baden 8. Rickert again.

Mr.Crew. Janitor and bus driver, Mrs. Gorlitz church janitor

Claus, Claus, and later Steinbauer across the street.[/QUOTE]

[oladub]

MaryLynn, Welcome to detroityes. I do remember Marilyn O. and Mary M. who would have been in the 8th grade graduation class of 1962. I did some research on that class last year finding out a little bit about 70% of its graduates and put together a blog with accumulated information including photos of 15 surviving classmates. I sent an website address to everyone I located who was still alive. None of the letters came back 'unknown' so the addresses must have been correct. I have since spoken with or communicated with some of the other class members.

Demographics for anyone interested in the Detroit diaspora: As of a year and a half ago, of those I found, slightly over 20% of the class shown above is deceased. Included is a map of where class of 1962 members are living all over the country. No one in the class lives in Detroit. 14 class members live within 14 miles of Sterling Heights. 4 others live within 65 miles of Peace School in Michigan. 14 live in other states.

I'll be glad to send you a link to the blog if you are part of the class. The blog is not public because of addresses out of concern for privacy. I will send you a detroityes email. Look for a link to it in "notifications" near the top of this page.

[TacomaJef]

My sister and I had most of these teachers too. My Sister may have been in your class. Michele Ayers? I am Jeffrey. We moved in 77. It was the best place I ever went to school.

[TacomaJef]

I know of few of the names, the Baeten and Kersey families were friends of ours, Pastor Steinbauer taught our confirmation class. Actually drove by yesterday, Church building looks good, school is falling apart and unkempt. Some of our teachers: Miss Timm, Mr. Hall, Erv Aufdemburg [[Sp?), Mrs. Kuhlman, Striech was there for my siblings...wow, hard to remember right now...

My sister and I had most of these teachers too. My Sister may have been in your class. Michele Ayers? I am Jeffrey. We moved in 77. It was the best place I ever went to school.

[gardener13]

My wife is still a member at Peace. My three daughters went through school there. They still have services every Sunday, about 30 people or so. Yes, the school is closed for quite a while now. The State took over the building and has never done anything with it.
I remember Pastor Steinbauer and Pastor Brammeier. Pastor Straub is now serving a congregation in Livonia. Mrs. Kersey, Mrs [[Walenter) Danz, Mrs. Jenske, Mr. Streich, Ms. Kuhlman, Mr. Baumann, Mr. Rudy, all teachers and many more that passed through those hallowed doors.

[Hermod]

As noted by the names of the pastors and teachers, Lutheran congregants tended to be immigrants or descendants of immigrants from Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, or Finland. They are pretty much gone from Detroit now. My boy scout troop [[722) was sponsored by and met at Immanuel Lutheran Church over by Chandler Park.