Reverend William G. Thompson
Reverend William G. Thompson served Immanuel from 1977 to 1981. He was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Prior to coming to Bristol, He received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Sam Houston State University in 1969. He worked in retail management before studying for the ministry.
Audio file taken from Pastor Thompson's sermon on December 11, 1977. Text is from I Corinthians Chapter 12 verses 14-27. Title of sermon was "Our Congregation: One Body In Christ".
Reverend Ronald E. Jackson
Reverend Ronald E. Jackson served Immanuel from 1973 to 1977. He was born and raised in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. Upon graduation from the seminary in 1961, he was called to develop a new congregation in Ashland, Virginia. Under his guidance two congregations came into being, Holy Cross Lutheran in Ashland and Peace Lutheran in King George.
Audio file taken from Pastor Jackson's sermon on July 15, 1973. Text was from the book of Numbers chapter 6 verses 24-27. The sermon title was "God Bless You".
Pastor Robert J. Riedel
Pastor Robert J. Riedel born in Napoleon, North Dakota, came to Immanuel in June of 1961. Before coming to Bristol, he was serving St. Peter Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, New York. Together with the Board of Deacons, he introduced the Bethel Bible Series in 1964. He served Immanuel until the end of 1972 when he was elected president of the newly formed New England District of the Missouri Synod.
Rev. Dr. George J. Meyer, D. D.
Rev. Dr. George J. Meyer, D. D. served Immanuel from 1926 to 1959. He was born in Modena, Wisconsin on November 13, 1880. After attending preparatory schools in St. Paul, Minnesota and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he enrolled in Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He graduated in 1905 and his first pastoral assignment was in Alberta, Canada. Before coming to Bristol, Connecticut in 1926, he also served congregations in Egypt Mills, Missouri, Schumm, Ohio, and Sauers, Indiana.
Pastor Meyer began offering church services in English at Immanuel shortly after arriving in Bristol. Immanuel had been a German church, but more English speaking people were joining the church and also the young people had difficulty understanding the German language. Pastor Meyer was instrumental in founding the mission congregation of Bethlehem Lutheran in Bristol, which became St. Andrew Lutheran Church.
Audio recording taken from sermon given by Pastor Meyer on March 18, 1956 entitled "Sharing Blessings".
Immanuel Lutheran Walther League Society
(Some of the members of the society in 1933.)
1st Row:
Milton Meyer, Ida (Schultz) Meyer, Rev. Rudy Blum, Natalie (Mar) Janetzke, Hubert Gurske, Dorothy (Wunsch) Goshler, Art Yanke
2nd Row:
Bill Blank, Elizabeth (Sonstroem) Hipp, Alvina (Selnau) Fraser, Arthur Schultz, Eleanor (Winter) Stange, John Winter, Erna (Schultz) Winter, Adeline (Winter) Roloff, Ottilie (Jabs) Mueller, Rudy Kroll, Gertrude (Werner) Wulff, Adeline (Hintz) Gurske, Reinhardt Zabel, Oscar Wulff, Harold Unterspan
March 14, 1933
black and white photograph