St. Peters Evangelical Lutheran Church Bell

St. Peters Evangelical Lutheran Church Bell. . This bell is a symbol of the meaningful contribution German immigrants made to the Mansfield Community. They were grateful for the opportunity to start over in America where they could worship, work hard, and raise their families free from tyranny., “Nearly all Americans have ancestors who braved the oceans... liberty , loving risk takers in search of an ideal, across the Pacific and Atlantic... with fear and vision, fleeing tyranny or terror, seeking haven, and all seeking hope... immigration is not just a link to America’s past, it’s also a bridge to America’s future.” , President George H. W. Bush, In the mid 18th century Maria Theresa, ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, invited ethnic Germans to colonize the Danube River Valley in what is today a part of Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia, Romania and Serbia. Called "Danube Swabians”, they thrived in their new homeland for two centuries, keeping their language and culture intact., In 1944, tens of thousands of Danube Swabians fled Eastern Europe ahead of the Soviet Occupation, leaving behind their homes forever. After the war, many of these German refugees came to Mansfield and found good jobs in a post war thriving economy as factory workers, tool and die makers, steelworkers, carpenters, brick layers and more., In 1949, the Rev. Karl Lahm, also a refugee, accepted a call to be pastor for Mansfield's German Lutherans. Together they founded St. Peters Evangelical Lutheran Church. In 1952, they built a new church with this bell cast in Germany. Rev. Lahm served as pastor until 1975. The Rev. Renato Siewart continued to provide church services in German until his death in 2016.