Vision Statement
At the First Congregational United Church of Christ, we are dedicated to being a viable, visible, nurturing and active member or our community.  Through our committed staff, pastor and lay leaders, we shall be welcoming and faithful witness to God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in this day and in this community.  We will be recognized for our outstanding worship, children's programs, family life development, and the place where members of this community of all faith backgrounds feel welcome.  This church is open and accessible to all in the community and provides for spiritual growth and Christian fellowship in a welcoming environment.

Our values are thoughtfully and prayerfully identified as:
Love - compassionate, belonging, concerned, nurturing, supporting, comforting, helping, giving, gracious, generous, caring, respectful, joyful and honesty,
Faith - knowing, Seeking, Serving, Trusting, and Believing in God, Jesus and Holy Spirit, waiting upon God and reaching out to help others know God
Commitment - enduring, persevering, determination, and historical awareness of our heritage
Fellowship -  humor, laughter, cooperation, harmony
Acceptance - forgiving, welcoming, embracing, respecting, receiving and recognizing gladly

At the First Congregational United Church of Christ, we shall persevere to earn the love, trust and respect of our community as we have for over 182 years.  We are the "Big White Church".

Questions Asked
1)   What do you consider the most significant change in your community in the last 10 years?
2).  Are you a member of a faith community?  If so, what do you love and cherish about it?  If not, why?  What would you look for in a faith community?
3).  Can you identify a critical need in your community/church?

These are some of the questions I hope to ask people in the churches and small towns that Steve and I visit while on sabbatical.  I’ve been thinking about how changes in demographics affect our church and how the church is integrally linked to the wider community.  The past years have marked many changes:
• We have seen many deaths of long-time members but we have also seen growth with an influx of young families moving to the area from urban centers not far away.  New residents tell me they come to Berlin Heights because they want their kids to grow up in a small town and because our schools are good.
• We have lost our local hardware store, our grocery store and local auto mechanic.  Folks still mourn these businesses closing.  Now we must drive to Norwalk, Sandusky, or Elyria.  No more mom and pop stores instead we have Home Depot, Super Wal-Mart, Quick Lube, etc.
• We have seen the downsizing and loss of jobs at the Ford Plant and Delphi but we have new jobs…entry level, service oriented positions at Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge. 

These changes affect our church.  They beg the question, “Who cares whether your church exists or not?”
• As our community changes, our younger families gravitate toward the bigger, better offerings of a larger town?  Could it be that going to “big box” stores to shop and going to “mega churches” to worship damages the fabric of small town morale? 
• Are we unique in Berlin Heights or are similar changes true in other small rural communities as well?
• How do changes impact church growth?
• What is precious about worshipping in the community where you live and go to school? 
• Can we here at First Congregational continue to live up to the image of being “The Big White Church” when we are located in a small town and only worship 100+ people on Sunday? 

Who cares? 
 I believe God cares!  This is not my church or your church.  It’s God’s church and I believe God cares that this church exists.

When the staff, the church officers, the people who worship regularly and participate in the life of the congregation, are faithful, then God cares and if you are unfaithful – get out of the way!  We are moving diligently toward teaching and modeling a genuine Christian faith.  We cannot be everything to everyone nor can we please everyone all of the time.  But we can pray together and for one another.  We can speak the truth and show forth our love for God and neighbors.  We can let our light shine. We can be ourselves doing what we do as well as we can.

Our mission is to be a leader in the community promoting the spiritual, mental and physical wellness of all individuals through Christian education, prayer and fellowship.  We must put our best faith forward and be the church God calls us to be in Berlin Heights.

The following is an article on the founding and early history of the Methodist east church in Berlin Heights. Budget dated March 8, 1902 and we reproduced it for its historical value. The first trustees of the Methodist Church were appointed at a meeting held at the home of P.K. Lommis on April 4th, 1858. Berlin Heights was then an appointment of the Florence circuit, and Rev. Jacob Brown was the pastor in
charge. The names of these first trustees are as follows: Ellsworth Burnham, Daniel W. Tennant, P.K. Lommis, William Davis, H.N. Lowry, Elijah Mason and J. Seeley.
                                                                                                                                                                   
On August 30th of the same year these trustees held a meeting at the house of Ellsworth Burnham, at which it was decided to build a church, the money to be raised by subscription, and the material to be on the ground to begin work by the following spring.
 
 These decisions on the part of the trustees were carried out, and so in 1860 the present brick building known as the H.E. Church of Berlin Heights was erected and dedicated to the worship of God.

Among the names founded on the original subscription list for building the church, aside from those of the trustees are: Titus Daniels, Benjamin Mingus, Phillip Horton, N.A. Sherman, H.W. Hammon, Linda Ninard, J.S. Davis, Stephen Kneen, I. Foeler, B.L. Hill, Noah Hill, J.M. Hopkins, A. Hollistor, Robert Douglas, O.C. Tillinghast, Sterling, Tennant, Geo. Curtis Bonschoter, and others so nearly obliterated that it is impossible to make them out. Most of the above have gone to the other world, but today they speak to us through what they have done, and so long as the old brick church shall stand they will not be without a monument to at least a part of their lives’ work.

Shortly after the church was built it became an appointment on the Townsend circuit, and later it, with Florence and Birmingham, made up the Berlin Heights circuit. Still later this place and Milan were made a charge.

In 1899 Milan was left to support a pastor by itself, and Berlin Heights N. E. Church has since been meeting bravely the responsibility of a charge alone and unaided.

Owing to the fact that in the early days this church was one appointment of a large circuit, we find very little record left by the pastors, as many of them lived at other points on the circuit and kept their records at other places.

However, beginning with the year 1879, when the Townsend circuit was divided and Berlin Heights, Florence and Birmingham were put together as the Berlin Heights charge, and Rev. Horace Place was appointed pastor, we have a record from that time until the present. Rev. Pace remained pastor for three years, during which time the church was greatly strengthened.

Rev. Pace declared he never enjoyed a pleasant pastorate than the one he spent here from the fall of 1879 to September 1882. This was his first pastorate, and he began with much hesitancy. Old Father Wright whom we remember as a rigid, old-time Methodist preacher, was a strick disciplinarian, full of ancient doctrine, of strong mind and rugged will, with whom the young preacher differed in some respects from the theology of the fathers and feared a fatal misunderstanding, but Father Wright proved to his young pastor’s complete satisfaction that he was too strong and in every way too great a man to quibble over small matters.

Rev. Pace stayed the full limit at that time which was three years. The church grew, and we believe has never been stronger or more useful than during his pastorate. The society was depleted by deaths shortly after: Rev. Wright and Mrs. Daniels, Mrs. Picket, Mrs. Barber, D.W. Ternant, Mr. and Mrs. Loomis, Carrio Andres, and others were called to their reward about his time. The citizens of Berlin, regardless of church or denomination were exceedingly kind to Mr. Pace and family. The younger members of his family were born in the parsonage across from the church. This house was purchased during Mr. Pace’s pastorage, he together with Gerson Picket having raised the necessary money by subscription, and the property purchased from W.J. Yarick.

Rev. J. Barron was the next pastor. He served but one year, and was succeeded by Rev. J.F. Braithwaito, who also served but one year. Rev. Chas. Gallimore, the next pastor, served two years, and was followed by Rev. S.H. Slutz, who remained two years, when he was succeeded by Rev. C.H. Rutledge. He remained but one year and was succeeded in a two year pastorate by Rev. D.W. Myland. Rev. O.M Ashbough next served one year, and was followed by Rev. J.D. Donehue, who served one year. Rev. D.M.K. Barnes then came, and after one year was followed by Rev. W.G. Sargeant. Mr. Sargeant served one year and four months, when he was forced to give up the work on account of ill health. Rev. F.W.L. Heckelman then came and filled out the year for Rev. Sargeant and was returned by conference for another year. Rev. E.E. Loose then came for two years, and after him came Rev. F.S. Fancher, who remained until September 11, 1901, when he was succeeded by the present pastor Rev. James E. Coons.

While this record is incomplete and does not give the names of the pastors who served the church from 1860 to 1879, it gives the names of the ones who labored here after the other appointments had been so arranged that the change was officially called the Berlin Heights circuit.
 During these years from 1859 to 1902 the church as a society has passed through many changes. The ranks of membership have thinned out again and again, making the change seem somewhat discouraging for a time, then would come to revival effort and new members would be added.

At present the membership numbers about seventy-five in all are for the most part young people, the aged ones having passed to their reward. The church building has stood for these many years much the same as when left by the workmen over forty years ago. A furnace has taken place of the stoves and a modern platform has replaced the old pulpit. But the ancient gallery, the old windows, the leaking roof, the ragged carpet, and dingy walls all combined to ask that the church building as well as the society might share in our xx-th century wealth. Accordingly a meeting was called on Monday evening, October 7th, 1901 for the purpose of considering church repairs. The board of trustees of which Nathan Winchell, W.E. Roso, Chas. Clipson, Chas. Myers and Roy Towland are members, were present. After much deliberation and little opposition it was voted to make repairs. W. E. Rose, Chas. Clipson, Chas. Myers and J.E. Coons were appointed repairing committee.

During the repairs the church was closed but one Sunday, and on January 19, 1902, it was re-dedicated by Dr. R. H. Freshwater. A new roof had been put on, the old gallery turned into a beautiful prayer meeting room, while the vestibule was made into much needed Sunday School rooms; the walls were covered with a beautiful modern paper, a new carpet took the place of the raged one, and stained glass windows replaced the old fashioned ones, and about one hundred chairs were purchased to seat the prayer meeting and Sunday School rooms.

Subscriptions amounting to over $500.00 had been secured previous to the re-opening, and on that date under the wise management of Dr. Freshwater they were increased to nearly $1000.00 which amount covered the entire expense of the repairs.

Following the re-opening a weeks meeting were held preparatory to the annual evangelistic services. In those services the church was filled each night. Rev. Hannaford, Dr. Stroup, Rev. Oswalt and Rev. Rupert filled the pulpit during the week and preached with much earnestness and influence.

On Sunday morning, January 26, Rev. N.H. Miller of Delaware, Ohio began his evangelistic services. He preached with great oloquenco and power during his stay. He drew good houses and aroused the church to greater activity along evangelistic lines. The meetings were continued after his departure by the pastor, assisted by Rev. Hannaford. About forty in all began or expressed a desire to begin the christian life. With an increasing membership the future looks bright and the way seem open for the Methodist Church of Berlin Heights to make rapid progress and build up a society that shall be among the strongest in the North Ohio Conference.

Berlin Heights Methodist Church - 1939-1940 Rev. Rosse Winner was pastor. In June 16, 1940 the new basement dedicated in the church, as the parsonage basement was always used for all entertainment of the church, suppers and lots of good times were had there.

In 1942-1946 Rev. Paul Bauders lived in Milan and had as his charge Berlin and Milan. Our parsonage was rented to get extra money, this being 2nd world war, money was hard to come by. The church membership was down.

On a Sunday morning in January 1944 as people were getting ready for church the fire bell began to ring. As we reached church we found the fire equipment was parked beside the church where nothing but smoke was erupting from, but the fire was only in the entry hall, and furnace room, but smoke was everywhere.

The whole town turned out with money to help repair the church. This bought paint, and cement for the entry way. The Auditorium which looked like a large box was slanted on all four sides near the top and painted a light green. the painting was done by Mr. W. Olds and his sons. Windows were washed while the staging was still there by the ladies, so as to reach the top most section of glass.

The only window to be broken was the one in the entry way and this was paid by the Wm. Holzhauser family in memory of Mr. Wm. Holzhauser who died in the same month.

The Communion table, pulpit, chairs, red curtain and frame, railings were given by the Blackman family. Seats were given by families who gave extra money, but not enough to buy a whole seat.

The cross was given by Alenzo Martin family. Mrs. Louise Kelble contributed vases, the bible, and bible stand. Light fixtures by Patsy and Alma Vartorella. In 1946 Rev. Donald Hart came to Berlin Heights to live and also preach at Clarksfield. Two large vases were given by Mrs. Wm. Stratten in memory of her brother, Mr. Eldon Pearl who was blind.

In 1949 to 1952 Rev. J.W. Mitchell came as a retired minister and stayed three years. In 1952-1956 Rev. Perry Neldon served as pastor.

We bought rugs for front of the sanctuary and a green runner, as we had a good fellow Methodist who was also janitor of the school and was able to help sand and polish the floors before the rugs were layed.

In 1956-1960 Rev. Jamos Carey came, while here he had a heart operation, and everybody pitched in to help with the church work, including the preaching.

In 1958 the Baptismal fount was given by the Hendrickson children in memory of their father, Joe Hendrickson, who always sang in the choir. His family who are still members here are Martha Green, Alma Vartorella, Helen Hoffman, and Charles Hendrickson.

The communion bread trays by Sue Cockrell in memory of her husband. The candel sticks were given by Martha Swartz in memory of her husband Howard Swartz. Also the candelbras.

In 1960-1962 Rev. L. Theodore preached. In 1962-1965 Rev. Ronald W. Opfer came and the church at Vermilion was started and we were called the mother church.

In 1965-1967 Rev. Paul Fredrick came but in June of 1966 he went to Washington and Rev. Ed. Lopeman came for three months then he went to school in Kentucky, and as it was time for Rev. Fredricks to return, but he had made arrangements to go to Michigan, so we were without a minister.

In 1967-1968 a young man thinking about the ministry by the name of Michael Smith said he would help us as he was in college in Oberlin, he was here from January to June when he left for his home in the West, he would be back in the fall when he would return for college. Rev. Zook of the E.U.B. faith preached June, July, and August. Then in 1968 Mr. Smith again helped from September to April, but May and June was again filled by Rev. Zook who was a retired man.

In 1968 the bulletin board in the entry hall was given by the Leach family in memory of Evalyn Martin, Nazol Leach’s mother.

The W.S.C.S. had made mince meat each year for more than 25 years. This has helped to pay for lights and heat in the church.

In 1968 Rev. Turner came to preach here and at the Ceylon E.U.B. church. In 1970 the two churches were united to be called Lakeview United Methodist Church.