Rev. Heinrich Hagelganz          

1913 - 1927 

Obituary for Reverend Henry Hagelganz

January 20, 1949 

“The memory of the just is blessed.” Proverbs 10:7. 

A true servant has been called to his eternal reward, but his memory will linger in the mind, of his wife, his family, the members of the Second Congregational Church at Portland, Ore., and his then thousands of friends.  In the lives of these to whom he was a father in the flesh and in all to whom he was a father in the spirit, our beloved brother, the Reverend Henry Hagelganz will live on for many years to come.  May his work be even more fruitful in his death than it has been in his many years of service for his Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. 

Rev. Hagelganz was born April 15, 1880, of German parentage in Kutter colony, a community near Stalingrad in Russia.  He was born into a Christian family, who dedicated their son to God in holy baptism in his infancy.  In his later years, after receiving instruction in the cardinal truths of the Bible and church doctrine, he was confirmed and admitted to church membership.  It was also the good fortune of our deceased brother to acquire a good education in the country of his birth, of which he made the best of use after he came to America.  At the age of 19 he consecrated his life to his Master, whom he served faithfully unto the last day of his fruitful life. 

In 1906, Rev. Hagelganz came to America and made his home at Portland Ore.  Soon after his arrival he joined the membership of what is now the Congregational Evangelical Brethren Church ‑ it was then the Free Evangelical Brethren Church.  The good Lord used him as worker among the young people. He organized the young people’s Christian Endeavor Society of the church and was active in the church choirs.  His gift of preaching Christ and Him crucified was readily discovered andthe church elected him assistant elder.   All this time he felt God's call to become His servant.  He answered the high calling by saying:  “Here I am – send me!”  He was ordained on July 7, 1911 to become a minister of the Gospel.  His first charge was the little Bethany Church at Cedar Mills, Ore.  While he was serving Bethany he organized the Second Congregational Church at Eighth and Skidmore in Portland.  For several years he served both churches but moved to Portland in 1915.  Except for two years, when he was pastor of the church atFort Collins Colo., he served his beloved church continuously until his departure. 

His faithfulness made him a part of his church, and every member had become a part of him.  The intimacy between the pastor and the members, especially with those he had baptized, confirmed, united in marriage, lead to the Lord, and taught in the way of God, had become beyond comparison.  His friendliness and his sound humor had made him a friend of everyone who knew him.  His words of encouragement and comfort were a "balm to the weary" wherever he met an unfortunate brother or sister.  He was one of the few persons who could find joy in God's great outdoors as well as in the holy sanctuary of his church.  When asked if he had any hobby, he sternly answered:  “Yes, to win souls for Christ.”  He took great interest in either conducting revival meetings or in participating in them and was well qualified in both singing and speaking.  At the time of his departure he was moderator of the Pacific Conference of German Congregational Churches and had served on committees of the General Conference of German Congregational Churches. 

Rev. Hagelganz had often indicated that he did not wish ever to be a burden to anyone because of age or physical frailty.  God answered his prayer and left him in active service up to the last Sunday before He took His servant to the place where “he rests from his labors and his works do follow after him.” [2]   

Reverend Hagelganz was vault interred at Rose City Cemetery.  Reverend D.K. Schmidt officiated the memorial services assisted by the Reverends:  Carl Brost, T.C. Stobel, William Koenig, Jonathan Webber, and J.C. Schwabenland. [3]  

Rev. Henry G. Zorn                        

1927 - 1929 

Served the Second German Congregational Church from 1927-1929.  The records for the Pacific Conference of Congregational Churches do not indicate that he served other churches in the Northwest. [4]

Rev. Heinrich Hagelganz          

1929 - 1949

See Photo Above

Rev. J.S. Gyorog                        

1949 - 1958 

Obituary from The Oregonian  Dec. 6, 1984, Portland, Oregon 

REV. JOSEPH S. GYOROG                                                            

Funeral for the Rev. Joseph S. Gyorog, a Northeast Portland resident and pastor of Ebenezer Congregational Church, will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in the church at NE Stanton Street.  Mr. Gyorog, 74, died Sunday in a Portland hospital after a heart attack. 

Born in Unterwart, Austria, Mr. Gyorog served as pastor of churches in Canada from 1940 to 1949, when he moved to Portland.  From 1949 to 1958 he was pastor of the Second German Congregational Church, which later became the Evangelical Congregational Church. He had been pastor of Ebenezer Congregational Church since 1958. 

Mr. Gyorog is survived by his wife, Elsie A.; a daughter, Ruth N. Hunter, Greenwood, Indiana; two sisters, Mary Lebb St. Louis, Missouri, and Ann Salle, in Austria; two brothers, George, of St. Louis, Missouri, and John, in Austria; and two grandchildren, April A. and Randy L. Hunter. 

Vault interment will be in Rose City Cemetery. The family suggests memorial contributions to Ebenezer Congregational Church, 636 NE Stanton Street, Portland, Oregon 97212.  Ross Hollywood Chapel, Directors.

Listen to or download a 30 minute radio program produced by the Second German Congregational Church in 1949 featuring Reverend Gyorog (mp3 format - 28 MB)

Rev. Fred Heydel                         

1958 - 1963

Rev. John Groenlund (Interim)   

1963 - 1964

Rev. Melvin Dahlstrom          

1964 – 1969 

Rev. Dahlstrom served the congregation beginning March 15, 1964.  His previous pastorates were in Helena, Montana; Gresham, Oregon; Phoenix, Arizona; San Francisco, Pasadena, and Covina California; Detroit, Michigan; and Seattle, Washington.

Rev. Donald Bletscher             

1969 -1980

The Rev. Donald H. Bletscher, now in his seventh year as pastor of Evangelical Congregational, served three pastorates in the Midwest (the last in St. Joseph, Mo.) before coming to his present church. A native of Kansas, he received his B.A. degree from Westmar College In Iowa and the B.D. from Western Evangelical Seminary.  While a student in seminary he served as pastor of the Capitol Hill Methodist Church In Southwest Portland.  Evangelical Congregational was organized in 1913 as the Second German Congregational Church. It ministered primarily to German speaking persons until 1961 when the church built a new edifice at its present location and changed its name to Evangelical Congregational.  Since 1961 all services have been in English, with the ministry geared to the total community. [5]

Rev. John Schneider           

1980 -??

John Schneider was born in Fargo, North Dakota the son of an E.U.B. pastor and grew up in Billings, Montana.  While at Western Evangelical Seminary, he served as youth pastor under his predecessor Reverend Don Bletscher.  He graduated from WES in 1975.  John served the dual charge of the Beach and Trotters churches in North Dakota and in the Oregon City Evangelical Church as assistant pastor. 

Schneider was installed as the eighth pastor in the 67-year history of the church on November 2, 1980. [6]  

Rev. Raymond H. Maier             

 19?? - 19??

Reverend Maier, a Grant High School graduate, served as minister at the University Park Congregational Church in Portland and was Vice President for Development at Cascade College.  Reverend Maier was also a case-worker for the Oregon Welfare Commission.  In July 1962, he became Director of Admissions at Seattle Pacific College. [7]