Rev. John Hopp

1914 – 1936 

Reverend Hopp founded the Zion Church in 1914 and it was known thereafter as “Hopp’s” Church. 

Rev. Hopp served the Ebenezer Church in Portland from 1903 to 1914 and the Zion Church from 1914 to 1936. [12]

HOPP, JOHN H., Rev. The OREGONIAN, Portland, Oregon,

13 May 1943 [1948]

Rev. Hopp was born on December 14, 1869 in Frank, Russia.  He was confirmed by Reverend Rose in 1884, and came to this country when 19 years old.  He was married to Charlotte Miller on February 2, 1889.  He attended college in Wilton, Iowa and graduated in May of 1901.  In September 1901, he entered the Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois.  After graduation he was appointed minister of a small congregation at Park Ridge, Illinois.  In June of 1903, he received a call from the Ebenezer German Church of Portland, Oregon, where he was ordained on July 27, 1903.  He served the church eleven years.

He left Ebenezer Church to organize the Zion German Congregational Church in 1914, and he served as pastor there from 1914 until his retirement in 1936, a total off 22 years.  Though the Rev. Hopp had been retired for twelve years, he continued to work closely with the congregational denomination and occasionally preached a sermon.

Rev. Hopp was called to his eternal home on May 12, 1943 [1948] at Emanuel Hospital in Portland.

Surviving are his wife, Charlotte; sons, Carl W. and John of Portland; daughters, Mrs. Lydia Richardson, Mrs. Charlotte Misner, Miss Marie Hopp, all of Portland and Mrs. Anna Hughes of Ilwaco, Washington; and seven grandchildren.  Pearson Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.

"Hopp, Johannes Heinrich," The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon, 13 May 1943, Obit card file, AHSGR Obituary file.

HOPP, JOHANNES HEINRICH     Der Kirchenbote Kalendar 1949

Pastor Johannes Heinrich Hopp, son of the married couple Heinrich and Barbara Hopp, born on 14 December 1869 in the colony Frank, Russia.  There he was consecrated as a child of God in the holy baptism and confirmed after nine years of schooling by Pastor Rose.  Already in his youth a passion showed up in his heart to step into the service of God.  On 2 February 1889 he entered inot holy matrimony with Charlotte Miller.  Six children were given to them.  In June 1893 the Hopp family came to america and established themselves first in Lincoln, Nebr.   There Pastor Hopp worked some years in the business.

Following his internal urge he talked with Pastor Grove and visited the college in Wilton, Iowa.  In the autumn of 1901 he entered the theological seminary in Chicago.  During his school time he served one of the German churches there in Chicago.  In June 1903 he received a call from the Ebenezer Church in Portland, Ore.  He was quickly ordained by a church council to the holy office for lecture and worked in this community until 1914.  In the same year he organizedthe Zion German Congregational church in Portland, and during the summer the current church was built.  In this church he was active 22 years as caretaker of their souls.  On 31 August 1936 he withdrew himself from public service in the community and lived partially in retirement, although however he was willing to help out where necessary.  Thus he transferred from St. Paul Evangelist Church in the autumn of 1947 to Portland and served there temporarily thereafter.  Also he was a member at the prisoner association for many years and he made it his duty to help those prisoners.  He was allowed to do a service in this way to some and he helped many to make a new beginning.  On 18 March 1942 his wife was taken from his side by death, after they had carried joy and sorrow with one another over 53 years.

In September 1943 he married the widow Lena Behm, who became his faithful aid and was close to him in his work.

On Wednesday 12 May 1948, when he was in the process of preparing for the state conference in Ritzville, Wash., he became ill suddenly and in the evening was brought to the hospital.  The physicians did what was humanly possible, but the next morning at 6:30 o'clock he passed away.  The time of this pilgrim was 78 years, 4 months and 29 days.  A very large gathering on 17 May 1948 was held at the Zion Church and he was taken to his final resting place.

Pastor Theo. C. Strobel was the leader of the funeral service and the concluding sermon was contributed to in a distinct manner by Pastor W. Essig, Pastor J. C. Schwabenland, Pastor H. Beder, Pastor H. Hagelganz, Pastor Geo. Hein, Pastor D. J. Tiede, Pastor R. Walter and Dr. Paul A. Davies, Superintendent of the Oregon Conference.  He is survived by his deeply saddened wife, his children, Mrs. Anna Hughes, John H. Hopp, jun., Mrs. Lydia Richardson, Miss Marie Hopp, Karl W. Hopp and Mrs. Charlotte Meisner, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

"Hopp, Johannes Heinrich," DER KIRCHENBOTE KALENDAR, 1949, Obit card file, AHSGR Obituary file. Translated from German.

Rev. Otto Tiede

1936 – 1938 

Obituary from The Christian Fellowship Messenger, 20 Oct 1971, Winnipeg, Canada 

REVEREND 0. J. TIEDE 

Brother Tiede was the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Tied and was born January 16, 1882 at Parkston, South Dakota.  There he was baptized and confirmed in the Christian faith and brought up in a home and church which influenced his decision to enter the Christian ministry.  After completing his education in the Public Schools at Parkston, he attended and graduated from the Union Theological Seminary at Chicago, Illinois. He continued his further education in Germany.  After his ordination, he served churches in our General Conference of German Congregational Churches. 

While he was the minister of our church in Loveland, Colorado, in the early twenties, he was chosen by the General Conference to become president of The Redfield College Theological Seminary in Redfield, South Dakota. The school was later affiliated with Yankton College, which today is the United Theological Seminary of Twin Cities, New Brighton, Minnesota.  This school has from the beginning supplied many of our churches with their capable ministers. 

Reverend Tiede was married to Julianne Miller and they had one son, Rolland, and an adopted daughter, Marguerite.  We are not sure where they are living today. 

After his assignment as president, when the school moved to Yankton, Rev. & Mrs. Tiede were sent to head the General Conference mission work in South A­merica.  While there, he organized and founded the Theological School at Concordia in Argentina, which is supplying the churches in the southland with able ministers and spiritual leaders. 

After his return, he and his wife lived in Portland, Oregon.  Here Mrs. Tiede died, after an extended illness.  He later married the widow of the late Reverend Richard Uhlman.  They lived in different places, after returning from Germany where they had spent several years, and retired to Sanger, California, where his widow, Hanna Tiede will continue to live. 

His departure came September 9, 1971, at the age of 89 year and he leaves besides his widow, his son and daughter and their household, and a host of relatives and friends. 

Memorial services in his honor were held in Salem Church at Pension, under the leadership of Rev. Theodore Bader, with music by a men’s quartet and Mrs. Vernon Tiede at the organ.  Interment was in the Centreville Cemetery at Sanger, California.  May the Lord give comfort to the family and friends.

Rev. George J. Schmidt

1938 – 1940 

Served the Zion German Congregational Church from 1940-1941.  The records for the Pacific Conference of Congregational Churches do not indicate that he served other churches in the Northwest. [13]

Rev. Paul Kalmbach

1940 – 1947 

Obituary for Reverend Paul Kalmbach 

The Oregonian 13 August 1981, Portland, Oregon

Riverview Abbey Chapel 

The Reverend Paul Kalmbach was born in Russia (a Russian German), came to America as a young lad of 16 years to settle in Calgary, Canada where he had relatives. He 1 at attended Redfield College Academy and then the seminary there. Still later he went to York College, in York, NE and was ordained a Congregational minister in 1925.  His first church was in Cheyenne, Wyoming where the parish consisted of two churches. The country church near Grover, Colorado had to be served every third Sunday. 

Rev. Kalmbach married Amelia Louise Ament, a schoolteacher in 1925 while in Cheyenne.  They had a short stay in Wyoming since a call was received from the St. Matthew's church in Odessa, Washington, which he accepted.  It was there that two daughters were born: Loretta Elaine and Dorothy Lee.  The depression in the early thirties caused the family to seek better economic conditions and with regrets, Rev. Kalmbach was forced to move his family to a church in Hastings, Nebraska.  He loved the west so when a call came from Biola, California, he accepted. 

After four years, Rev. Kalmbach received a call from Zion Congregational at Portland, Oregon and the family spent the World War II years in the City of Roses. Retiring from the ministry in 1947, Mr. Kalmbach became active in the real estate business and was quite successful. 

He received word that his family had been destroyed in Russia during Stalin's regime. He had been responsible for keeping them alive for many years by sending a small stipend of his salary. 

Mr. Kalmbach lost his faithful and beloved wife who had been ill for several years on March 13, 1969.  By then Portland had been their home for twenty‑eight years. 

After his retirement, he chose to live with his daughter, Dorothy, a nurse in Seattle.  He turned those years into a worthwhile project by writing his memoirs and published (in 1977) the book entitled, An Angel on my Shoulder, a fascinating story of his life.  His survivors include the two daughters, Loretta, a schoolteacher who lives in Portland, Oregon and Dorothy of Seattle, six grandchildren and a host of friends.  One of his classmates at the seminary in Redfield remarked many years later that he had missed his calling - he should have been a comedian.  His experiences certainly prove that and his life is an example of what hard work and love can do.  He enjoyed his salmon fishing in the Northwest. 

Note:  Marie Krieger of Portland, Oregon wrote this obituary.

Rev. Theodore Strobel

1947 – 1952

Reverend Strobel graduated from Redfield College Seminary in June 1921 and was ordained to the Christian ministry July 2^nd of that same year.  A few days later he began his first pastorate at Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada, serving a parish of three churches.  Pastorates that followed were:  a parish of five churches at Wirch, North Dakota; Zion Church of Walla Walla (1926-1929) [14] , Washington; Zion Church of Portland, Oregon (1948-1952) [15] ; Longmont, Colorado; Lodi, California; and the Brethren Church in Portland, Oregon. 

Rev. Emanuel M. Geier

1952 – 1954 

Served the Zion Congregational Church from 1953-1954.  The records for the Pacific Conference of Congregational Churches do not indicate that he served other churches in the Northwest. [16]

Rev. Kenneth Biel

1954 – 1962 

Served the Zion Congregational Church from 1955-1962.  The records for the Pacific Conference of Congregational Churches do not indicate that he served other churches in the Northwest. [17]

Rev. Raymond M. Schatz

1962 – 19?? 

Rev. Schatz accepted the call to serve Zion Church on August 1, 1962 and delivered his first sermon on October 7, 1962 and was installed as pastor on October 10, 1962. [18]

Rev. Robert C. Klein

19??   - 1978 

Reverend Klein served churches the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Endicott (1942-1946), the United Congregational Church in Odessa (1952-1957), and the Zion Church in Walla Walla (1941-1942), Washington prior to his pastorate at the Zion church in Portland. [19]