ANNA — The St. Jacob Lutheran Church is celebrating two anniversaries this year.

On Sept. 11, 2022, an outdoor service on the church grounds will be held in a tent to celebrate 190 years as a congregation. Guest speakers and a luncheon following the celebration service are also planned.

On Aug. 7, a special service and “songfest” observed 115 years since the dedication of the present church building.

The Rev. RCH Lenski (father of children’s book author and illustrator, Lois Lenski) was the resident Pastor that led the three dedication services on Aug. 4, 1907. The English Gothic structure, located at the corner of state Route 119 and 25A, has well served the community and survived two earthquakes during 1937.

Lutheran pioneer families from Germany arrived in the area north of Sidney and began worship in a log structure in 1832. This is one of the oldest Lutheran congregations in all of West Central Ohio.

A brick church soon replaced the log structure at the original site and cemetery 1 ½ miles south of Anna. In 1870, the congregation moved into Anna and erected a wood frame church on the present site of the St Jacob church. To accommodate a growing church membership, it was decided to replace the wood frame building with the present brick structure that was dedicated in 1907.