On Thanksgiving Sunday (October 9, 1960) the Church Mortgage-Burning Ceremony took place (5 years ahead of schedule). This year saw the beginning of work on the Parish Hall. A Building Committee was appointed consisting of Donald Poll, Chairman; Harvey Bacher, Ted Luft, Don Schlotzhauer, Harold Seegmiller, Bruce Shriber, Howard Stieler, George Tuffin and Walter Wentzlaff as members. The Barnett & Reider firm was engaged as architects in June. Building plans were approved in July. The tender of $186,485 ($1,889,000 in 2023 Dollars) by the Oscar Wiles & Sons firm was accepted, and the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the new Parish Hall was held on November 27th. All the children of the Sunday School brought little shovels and participated in the sod turning. Hymns were sung to the accompaniment of trumpeter, Richard Kehn.

Building Committee

Back Row L-R: Don Poll, Don Schlotzhauer, Harvey Bacher, Harold Seegmiller, Ted Luft

Front Row L-R: Bruce Shriber, Walter Wentzlaff, Pastor Lloyd Wentzlaff, George Tuffin, Howard Stieler

Ground Breaking November 27, 1960

This year saw the completion and dedication of our Parish Hall. On February 12th, an Every-Member-Visitation soliciting loans for the building was oversubscribed - $58,000 instead of the $35,000 thus permitting a smaller mortgage from Canada Permanent and also enabling a few more items to be included in the addition. Worship in the auditorium, while the church was being enlarged helped older members recall the days of Holy Cross beginning at Sheppard School auditorium 13 years before.

The Cornerstone-Laying Ceremony was conducted on April 23rd. On November Sth, the Day of Reopening and Dedication was held with a total of 1330 people attending the two services, and a total offering of $2,410.87 received. District President, Rev. Philip Feiss was the guest preacher in the afternoon and pastors Frank Malinsky, Theodore Luft and Walter Wentzlaff, fathers of members serving as liturgist.

Dedication Week Activities included a Youth Night with Judge C. L. Austen, Wellington County Juvenile Judge as speaker; a Ladies' Night, when the Women's Guild was host to the Waterloo Zone Lutheran Missionary League's Rally, and a Men's Night, with the Hon. O. W. Weichel, M.P. for Waterloo North as speaker.

Donations from members and firms enable unplanned for improvements to be made to the church such as the wall panelling of the chancel, the carpeting of the church aistes and chancel, the installation of an altar statue of Christ, the installation of hearing aids; wrought-iron flower stands for the sanctuary, the erection of divider tracks in the church basement for Sunday School use, the sodding of the lawn on the southeast side of the church.

Parish Hall Construction