The beginnings of Immanuel United Methodist Church reach across the Ohio River into Cincinnati during the 1830s and 1840s. In 1835, the Ohio Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church appointed Dr. William Nast to work among the flood of German immigrants coming into Ohio, Indiana, Northern Kentucky and Michigan.  Dr. Nast had two co-workers, Rev. Ludwig S. Jacoby and Rev. William Engel, under whose vigorous evangelistic efforts the work among the German-speaking people prospered and grew.

Rev. William Engel preached and held class meetings among these immigrants in Cincinnati, Covington and Newport in the early and mid-1840s. The people were very receptive to his Methodist gospel. They met in homes and in a small frame schoolhouse on lower Scott Street. In 1848, one such meeting was held in a home with four German Methodist families, they read the Bible in the soft light of a kerosene lamp and had prayer together. The families attending were the Wexelbergs, the Kalensbergs, the Hoffmeyers the Dohrmanns, Mrs. Maria Wendt and Timothy Heineman. On one occasion, after much prayer, they were inspired with the conviction that God had given them a mission of beginning a church to reach their own people. Records indicate that Rev. William Engel was working with these families.  Later his son, George Engel, became a member of the church and was involved as an active worker.

In 1849-1850, the Ohio Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church designated Covington and Newport as regular preaching places.  Rev. Christian Vogel was appointed full-time pastor to those communities.  A frame chapel located at 717-719 Craig Street was purchased from the Baptists for $1,100.  In addition to regular church services, prayer meetings and class meetings, a Sunday School was organized in 1853. 

During the next five years, both the Covington and Newport churches continued to grow. In 1855, the churches were separated and each became a full-time appointment.  Rev. Karl Kessinger became the first full-time pastor of the German Methodist Episcopal Church in Covington.
As the work of Methodism continued to expand among the German-American people, and as new churches were being established in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Northern Kentucky, the Ohio Conference, seeking to encourage this work, put all the German- speaking churches together under a separate Presiding Elder. This displeased the German immigrants, who thought they were being excluded and discriminated against.  They petitioned the General Conference of 1864 to allow them to form their own Annual Conference. The General Conference concurred with their petition and the Central German Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church was formed. This Central Conference included all German-speaking Methodist Episcopal Churches in the four states mentioned above.  As Methodism grew among the people, Methodist schools, hospitals and homes were established. Many of our strong Methodist institutions in these four states were begun under the German Central Conference, such as Bethesda Hospital in Cincinnati. This Conference was dissolved in 1933 and the German churches merged into the Annual Conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church where they were located. Immanuel being within the bounds of the Kentucky Annual Conference, it became a part of this Conference and the Covington District.  At this time the membership of Immanuel was 518, and the Sunday School had an enrollment of 644 with an average attendance of 301.

 By 1866 the German Methodist Episcopal Church in Covington had outgrown its building on Craig Street.  In seeking a site for a larger church, a lot was purchased on the corner of 10th and Russell Streets.  After a financial campaign, the cornerstone was laid for a new brick church in 1869.  The construction was completed and the church was dedicated, free of debt February 20, 1876, with 160 members on the roll. 
 
With the new church building at 10th and Russell Streets, the programs and services of the church expanded.  The attendance at Sunday morning and evening services averaged over 140.

In 1886, a parsonage was purchased for the residence of the pastor at 79 West 10th Street.  A few years later the congregation adopted the name “IMMANUEL” and dropped the name German, for up until this time the church had been known as German Methodist Episcopal Church in Covington.

The Sunday School was organized in 1853 in the old Craig Street Church.  The first enrollment consisted of 5 members and 15 scholars.  By 1915, the enrollment was 518 and the average attendance was 224.  Church membership at this time was 429.

In 1939, the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church South and the Protestant Methodist Church united to form the Methodist Church.  Then in 1968, The Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren Church to form the United Methodist Church. 

In the early 1940’s the neighborhood surrounding Immanuel at 10th and Russell Streets began to change and since many of the members lived in the suburbs, the congregation began to look for a new location for their church.  Mr. and Mrs. Henry W. Zimmerman offered a lot consisting of 11 acres, located on Dixie Highway in South Ft. Mitchell, to the church.  At a special meeting of the Official Board, held in the home of Mr. & Mrs. James H. Burton, with 47 members present the gift was accepted without dissent.  (The Burton home became the Immanuel parsonage.)  Plans were made to build a new church on this location.  A Building Committee was organized and after a fund-raising campaign, ground was broken for the new church June 10, 1949.  

The new church building for Immanuel was constructed in four phases.

The first phase was the building of the Fellowship Hall (basement) called the Garden level.  The congregation worshipped here until the completion of the Sanctuary.  On Sunday, September 17, 1950 the congregation formally moved from the church building at 10th and Russell Streets to the new Lakeside Park location with a parade – with all flags flying.  The Worship Service started in the old church and concluded in the new with Mr. George M. F. Taglauer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, carrying a flame from the altar of the old church to light the flame on the altar of the new church (symbolizing the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the people of Immanuel).  Bishop William T. Watkins preached at the formal opening of the new building and consecrated it as a house of worship to almighty God.  Immanuel worshipped in the Fellowship Hall for the next 5 years.

On June 17, 1955 the second phase of the building program began with the laying of the cornerstone for the Sanctuary.  Placed in the cornerstone were a Methodist Hymnal, some church papers and current copies of the church bulletin.  The opening service for the Sanctuary was held on May 13, 1956 as the pastor, Rev. James Shepherd, lead the congregation in worship. On the following Sunday the church was consecrated as a house of worship.  Then on November 11, 1962, the new church building was dedicated, free of all debt, and the mortgage burned.  Rev. Kenneth Clay, pastor of Immanuel, presided at the service while Bishop Walter R. Gumm preached the sermon of dedication.

Phase three was begun April 26, 1964 when ground was broken for the construction of the Educational Annex.  This was completed and opened within the year.  On December 13, 1964, the building was formally opened for use and Bishop Roy H. Short preached the sermon of consecration. The building now complete and all debts paid, funds were raised to purchase and install a beautiful Wicks pipe organ.  It was dedicated on May 7, 1973, with appropriate music.

The 1990s brought a fourth building addition: the new Wesley Hall and kitchen, meeting rooms, choir room and relocated Chapel, begun in 1996 and dedicated in 1998.  This $3.2 million addition provided increased flexibility in space utilization and permitted Immanuel to continue to grow her ministries as well as reach out to the community for additional functions.  Wesley Hall is designed to be a multi-function room that can be used for worship, meetings and banquets, and sports of all sorts.

In 1999, Immanuel launched a new worship service in Wesley Hall called the Crossroads Service – a contemporary worship experience.  This led, in 2001, to the launching of a “daughter” worship community – Grace Community Church in Independence.  A special offering was collected in which over $115,000 was raised.  Rev. Eric Bryant, with New Church and Congregational Development funds to assist, led Grace along with six “pioneer families” from Immanuel.

In 2003, NCCD funds were accessed again to begin a service to reach out to the growing Hispanic population in northern Kentucky.  Rev. Nelson Figueroa came to Kentucky from Puerto Rico to shepherd this new part of our congregation.

As the review of Immanuel’s history reveals, change has been constant and innovation in ministry a keystone of the congregation.  This innovation continued in 2005 when the ministry effort and focus was organized around the principles of Celebration, Formation and Multiplication.  This effort is the mobilization of Immanuel’s resources and ministries around the dictates of Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” The three dimensions of CFM are to CELEBRATE the presence of Jesus Christ, FORM and grow disciples and missionaries to go forth, thereby MULTIPLYING those that worship, lead and minister in the name of the Trinity.

As part of CFM in action, Immanuel in 2005 merged with New Hope UMC, a much smaller church, (now Immanuel New Hope Campus) in order that the resources of Immanuel Lakeside Campus are deployed with New Hope to continue that ministry. Concurrently in 2005, Immanuel entered into an operating agreement with the Covington District to operate the old (and closed) First United Methodist of Covington. The Grace Community Church was absorbed by Immanuel and relocated to the Covington building to become the Grace Campus of Immanuel. Thus, as Immanuel becomes a multi-campus church, the effort to mobilize Matthew 28:19 became even more of a reality.  This willingness to take risks in the 21st century has historical roots in the original immigrant German meeting groups of the 19th century.

The long and glorious history of Immanuel United Methodist Church is the record of a long line of faithful, dedicated Christian people who have served their God and their generation.  We have demonstrated to all Northern Kentucky, greater Cincinnati and our partners in ministry in Ghana and Russia the truth of our name: IMMANUEL – which means “God with us”.
 

Lead Pastoral Appointments to Immanuel United Methodist Church

Listed below are the lead pastors appointed to the charge now known as Immanuel United Methodist Church, beginning with the first appointment as a single point charge.  Data was collected from the records of the 150th Anniversary Committee, as well as Rae Mitchell for her extensive work on maintaining the historical section of our church library for many years. 

 

 

Pastor	Years at Immanuel
Christian Vogel	1849-1850
Frederick Schimmelpgennig	1850-1852
Karl Holwig	1852-1854
Gustav Bertram	1854-1855
Karl Kessinger	1855-1857
William Engel	1857-1858
Henry Dickmann	1858-1859
C.G. Fritche, Sr.	1859-1861
William Eckermeyer	1861-1863
E.R. Wunderlich	1863-1864
Daniel Maule	1864-1865
Henry Liebhart	1865-1870
Herman Herzer	1870-1871
C.F. Paulus	1871-1874
G. Weiler	1874-1877
Gottlob Nachtrieb	1877-1879
George Guth	1879-1882
John H. Horst	1882-1885
C.G. Fritche, Sr.	1885-1888
F.R. Cramer	1888-1893
Gustav E. Hiller	1893-1897
J.H. Schimmelpfennig	1897-1904
John H. Horst	1904-1913
Henry W. Lenz	1913-1918
Frank T. Enderis	1918-1932
Edward D. Edelmaier	1932-1937
E.W. Elrod	1937-1940
W. Bruce Strother	1940-1943
C. Nevil White	1943-1944
J.I. Meyer	1944-1947
W. Bruce Strother	1947-1952
James A. Shepherd	1952-1961
Kenneth Clay	1961-1971
Steadman Bagby	1971-1975
Harold F. Gardner	1975-1978
William M. Pope	1978-1985
Robert Gipson	1985-1992
Donald R. Guth	1992-1997
J. Paul Brunstetter	1997-2004
Barry K. Carpenter	2004 -2007
Kelly McClendon	2007 -