1960s

Tuesday, March 1, 1960

Tucson Lutherans Hear Address By Dr. Gallmeyer

Dr. E. J. Gallmeyer, president of the newly created Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Foundation, addressed a dinner gathering of Tucson members of the synod Sunday night.

He explained the function of the new agency, which is to secure and administer funds for aiding and expanding missionary and educational activities of the synod. Dr. Gallmeyer served for 21 years on the board of directors of the Missouri Synod. He is a former president of the Lutheran Layman’s League, which sponsors the Lutheran Hour.

The dinner meeting addressed by Dr. Gallmeyer was arranged by Walter Lessman and Major and Mrs. Frederick E. Hintz, member of the Fountain of Life Church which is affiliated with the Missouri Synod.  Pastor of the local church is the Rev. Richard P. Meibohm.

April 17, 1960

Church Presents Pageant

Dramatized scenes from the Easter story, such as the discovery of the empty tomb, pictured above, will be presented at the Fountain of Life Evangelical Lutheran Church at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.  Shown are the angel, Peggy Reis; Peter, George Dushenke; and John, Richard Barnes.  Staged in the patio of Kellond School, 6606 E. Lehigh Dr., this will be the third dramatization of “Because He Lives,” by Inez Ford.

Wednesday, May 4, 1960

Meibohm Will Head Meet of Lutherans

The Rev. Richard P. Meibohm, pastor of Fountain of Life Lutheran Church, has been elected chairman of the Pacific Coast Pastoral Conference of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  The election was held recently at the conference session in San Diego.

The Rev. Carl H. Harman, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, was elected chairman of the program committee. The Rev. William C. Pebler of Phoenix was elected secretary.  The fall conference session will be held in Christ Lutheran Church, Phoenix, in mid-October.

At the San Diego meeting one of the speakers was a layman, Walter Lessmann of Tucson, who is retired and devotes his full time to assisting Pastor Meibohm in church administration.  Lessmann had as his topic, The Boon of Lay Assistance in Parish Administration.

June 12, 1960

Lutherans To Start Work on Church

Ground will be broken at 6 p.m. today for the first unit of Fountain of Life Lutheran Church on the 10-acre site at 810 S. Kolb Rd. The pastor is the Rev. Richard P. Meibohm.

Low bidder on the project is the Craven-Hague Construction Co., and work is expected to begin in two weeks.

The unit will consist of the sanctuary, 11 class rooms and church offices.  The building committee includes Raymond Klein, chairman; Walter Lessman and Merritt Schwan.  The members and officials of the church will participate in the ceremonies.  Pastor Meibohm will speak and the senior choir will sing.  All residents of the community, which is the area around Fickett Junior High School, are invited to attend the groundbreaking.

Fountain of Life Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, was organized by some families from Faith Lutheran Church, and was assisted by the Rev. William Dietz until a permanent pastor was obtained the and church organized in January 1958.  For the past three years the congregation has held services in Kellond School on E. Lehigh Drive.

Currently the Fountain of Life congregation members approximately 323, of which 175 are communicant members.  When the new church building is completed this fall, it is planned to start a kindergarten.

June 12, 1960

Ground Breaking    The Festival of the Holy Trinity

June 18, 1960

See Start of New Church  

Participating in the ground-breaking service on Trinity Sunday for the Fountain of Life Lutheran Church, 810 S. Kilb Rd., were these leaders of the Missouri Synod congregation.  They are (from left) Monte Birkeland, Dr. Raymond Klein, Herbert Ellerman, Merritt J. Schwan, Maj. Fred Hintz, and Pastor Richard P. Meibohm.  The congregation now meets in Kellond public school.

October 16, 1960

Laying of the Cornerstone

March 18, 1961

New Lutheran Church Will Be Dedicated

Members of Fountain of Life Lutheran Church will dedicate their new sanctuary and Sunday school facilities at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow at 7:10 S. Kolb Rd.  Initial services will be held in the new buildings tomorrow morning.

The congregation will assemble at 9:15 a.m. tomorrow at Kellond School, 6606 E. Lehigh Dr., where the church has held services since its foundation in 1957.  A motorcade will proceed to the new church, where ribbon cutting ceremonies will herald the entrance into the Sunday School building.

At 10:45 a.m. there will be a ceremony of opening the doors of the new sanctuary and a procession into the church for the first worship service.  The sanctuary seats 380 people.  The pastor, Rev. Richard P. Meibohm, will conduct the service and deliver the sermon.

At the afternoon dedication service the speaker will be Rev. Harold Englebrecht, pastor of the Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Phoenix.  Rev. Carl H. Harman, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, Tucson, will speak in behalf of the English District, Missouri Synod.

The new church stands on a 10-acre site, and the buildings are centered around a worship court. The new sanctuary has an expansive picture window with a new of the mountains, and also features a free-standing altar constructed of copper ore.

Supervising architects were Friedmann & Jodbush. The church was built by the Craven-Hague Construction Co.

The church began Sunday School and worship services early in 1957 under the leadership of Rev. William Dietze.

March 18, 1961

New Lutheran Church To Be Dedicated Sunday        

The new Fountain of Life Lutheran Church on South Kolb road will be dedicated at services Sunday.

Not only is its sloping roof an architectural shape that has attracted much comment, but inside are several other features that will prove interesting in Tucson

The altar of the sanctuary is made of copper ore.

The cross for the altar is being made at Scottsdale of pieces of colored glass embedded in reinforced  concrete and contained in a 9 by 15 foot steel frame.

The pews will have no ends, and are open at the back except for shoulder rests.

The building has been under construction since last June.  One of the delays arose in the use of a new-type solar glass for a large window with a view of the mountains.  The factory burned and delivery of the glass was held up.

Pastor Richard B. Meibohm said the Fountain of Life Church, designed by Charles Stade of Park Ridge, III, is modern and functional, but typical of Lutheran churches in the United States.  The firm of Jobush & Friedman was the local architect.

Fountain of Life is a mission project of the Missouri Synod of Lutherans, Faith Lutheran a E. 5th St. and N. Alvernon Way, whose design has been pictured often in the last decade, is another Missouri Lutheran Church.

The East Side congregation has been worshiping at Kellond public school for nearly four years.  The Sunday School will meet at the school at 9:15 p.m. Sunday and go in a motorcade to a new church.

At 10:45, there will be a service of opening the doors of the new building and a procession into the sanctuary.  Charles Sewell, a subcontractor, will present the keys from Craven-Hague Construction Co., the builder, to Dr. Raymond Klein, chairman of the building committee.  Pastor Meibohm will open the door and lead the procession inside.

There will be a worship service.

The festival of dedication will be at 3:30 p.m. with the Rev. Harold Engelbrecht of Phoenix the speaker.  A fellowship hour will follow the dedication.

The sanctuary will seat 380.  Also inside the church is a patio surrounded by 13 Sunday school rooms.

The cost of the building was placed at $150,000.

March 19, 1961

Unusual In Design  

The laminated beam triangle-shaped roof of the Fountain of Life Lutheran Church on South Kolb road between East Broadway and East 22nd street rests on two stone pillars at the north end (right).  The double steel cross in the foreground was designed to face as a cross in four directions.

April 1, 1961

Anniversary   

Five year anniversary and list of Family names from Fountain of Life’s membership list dated 1 April 1961

Fall 1962

Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the ministry of The Rev. Richard Meibohm

Fall 1962

Silver Dollars for Pastor  

The Rev. Richard Meibohm, pastor of Fountain of Life Lutheran Church, 710 E. Kolb Rd., looks at one of a thousand silver dollars given him by the congregation after yesterday’s service.  The gift was in appreciation for his 25 years in the ministry.  The reverend built the church from 50 members to today’s 500.  Featured with him are George Dushenke, church elder, and Mrs. Meibohm.

1962

Tucson Church Records 1962 Growth  

October 16, 1963

Silver Anniversary  

 The Rev. and Mrs. Richard P. Meibohm, 6942 E. Calle Canis, observed their 25th anniversary yesterday.  They were married in Grace Lutheran  Church , St. Louis, Mo., Oct. 15, 1938.  The congregation of Fountain of Life Lutheran Church honored the pastor and his wife with a reception Sunday.  The Meibohms have four children, Mrs. David Langille of Alexandria, Ra., and Barbara, John and Joyce Meibohm of Tucson.

Lutheran Girl of the Month  1968

Joyce Meibohm likes secluded mountains, clear air, fresh spring water, and “sunny, warm Arizona” – appropriate tastes for a summertime Lutheran Girl of the Month.  Essentially an outdoor girl, she enjoys swimming, horseback riding, and the excitement of Rodeos.  At school she is a member of the Pep Club, Gymnastics Club, cheer leading, and the girls’ Varsity gymnastics team for ’68.  She’s been saving money from babysitting and piano lessons to help finance a trip to Los Angeles this summer to compete in the Olympic gymnastic tryouts.

Miss Meibohm is well acquainted with personnel in the armed services.  At Fountain of Life Lutheran Church, Tucson, of which she is a member, one-third of the membership consists of service people, most of whom are stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Base.  Joyce’s two brothers-in-law, Dave Langille and Bill Brennan, are captains in the Air Force.  Dave trains pilots at Williams Air Force Base and has flown 123 transport planes in Vietnam.  Bill Brennan, stationed at San Diego has also served in Vietnam.

At Fountain of Life Miss Meibohm directs the Junior Choir and teaches a sixth grade Sunday school class. In addition, she substitutes for the church organist.  This fall Miss Meibohm will enter the University of Arizona.

December 25, 1963

July 12, 1965

Vacation Bible Students Fly Balloons  

Some 300 balloons were filled with gas and released at the Vacation Bible School of Fountain of Life Lutheran Church.  The balloons carry names and address of students on cards and an offer of prize for finder of card carried longest distance.  The school opened Monday and will continue to July 16.  It is open to all children.

May 25, 1969

Lutherans Seek Funds to Help Handicapped   

A goal of $7,000 has been set for the four Lutheran Churches, Missouri Synod, of Tucson in the current His Too Crusade for Handicapped Children.  Started last Sunday, the drive will be continued to Father’s Day.

The His Too campaign for $5 1/2 million capital fund is to benefit three Lutheran institutions for the mentally retarded, physically handicapped and deaf.

In the Tucson churches, Faith, Fountain of Life, Ascension and Holy Trinity, collections are being taken during church worship and in a door-to-door canvass.  Some of the follow up door-to-door solicitation will be done today.

The Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, has been a leader in services to the handicapped.  The three institutions that will benefit from this drive, although operated with the approval of the Missouri Synod, are not agencies of the church and receive no subsidy from it, the Rev. Richard P. Meibohm, pastor of Fountain of Life Church said yesterday.

Each institution is operated independently, relying on a nominal fee structure to provide about half of the required operating expenses.

The three institutions are Bethesda Lutheran Home, Watertown, Wisc,; Good Shepherd Lutheran Home, Terra Bella, Calif. and Mill Neck Manor Lutheran School for the Deaf, Mill Neck, Long Island.

The Bethesda Lutheran Home is the largest of the three and the largest facility of its kind in the United States, according to the Council of Lutheran Ministries.

The three facilities now accommodate nearly 1,000 residents or students and another 1,000 are on waiting lists.

June 28, 1969

What A Hang-Up!   

Mary Lee Lodewick, 3, adds her contribution of coat hangers to the 10,000 already collected by the vacation Bible school children, ages 3-12, of Fountain of Life Lutheran Church.  They will resell the hangers at a penny apiece to local cleaners. The money goes to the Dorothy Forbes Oxygen Foundation.

July 6, 1969

Lutheran To Attend Convention

Merger agreement Will Be Voted On

 Reaching out to matters of black concern and ratification a merger agreement with the Synod of American Lutheran Churches will be among the topics considered by Tucson delegates attending the convention of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.

The session will be open in Denver Friday and will continue through July 18. The four Tucson churches will be represented by Pastor Lynn Rittmann, Ascension Church; and Dr. Norman Oebker, Fountain of Life Church.

Officials of the three million-member Missouri Synod and the 21,589-member Synod of American Lutheran Churches have agreed to a union of the two church bodies.  The action is subject to ratification of the two groups.

The Missouri Synod will vote at this week’s 48th regular convention.  The American Lutheran Synod, in its 19 districts, already has voted.  As yet the votes have not been tallied, Pastor Rolf Borg-Breen, American Evangelical Lutheran Church, said yesterday.

The four Tucson churches in the American Lutheran Synod are:  American Evangelical, Bethany, Calvary and Spanish Trail.

The pact will become effective when the second of the churches’ presidents certifies to the other than it has been approved by his church’s convention.

An eight-year interim period is provided between effective date and consummation date.  During this time either party may withdraw from the agreement on a year’s notice.

Location And Description of New Sanctuary

Copy of Location and Description on file in the Library

1960 Financial Statement

Copy of Financial Statement on file in Library

1962 Financial Statement

Copy of Financial Statement on file in Library

1964 Financial Statement

Copy of Financial Statement on file in Library