The Rev. John H. Meister was installed as pastor
of St. Mark’s on Feb. 1, 1950, after coming to Fairborn from an associate pastorate
at First Lutheran Church in Dayton. Previously, he had served congregations
in Middletown and Urbana, Ohio.
His Fairborn ministry started only one month
after a long and contested political process ended with the merger of Osborn
and Fairfield to form the city of Fairborn. At the time of that change, St.
Mark’s of Osborn became St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran church of Fairborn.
A native of Chicago, Pastor Meister as educated in the Cincinnati public schools
and graduated from Wittenberg college and Hamma Divinity School, Springfield,
Ohio. He was an Army chaplain in Europe during World War II and a recipient
of the Bronze Star for meritorious service in combat.
During pastor Meister’s 14 years at St. mark’s, the baptized membership grew
from 474 to 969. With the continued increase in Sunday school attendance, plans
were drawn for a parish education wing. On Nov. 11, 1956, the building addition
was dedicated. The construction loan was retired in February 1964.
Pastor Meister resigned his
pastorate on Oct. 1, 1964, to accept a call from
the national Board of American Missions to develop a mission congregation of
the Lutheran church in south Fairborn. The Missions board established an area
of seven square miles in the development of the mission congregation. The boundaries
were set as state Route 4 and Zink road on the west, New Germany-Trebein road
on the south, Trebein road on the east, and Juniper Drive (extended) on the
north. The mission congregation later was named Abiding Christ Lutheran Church
at 326 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Road. The Rev. Meister was called to be its
first pastor.
Pastor Meister died May 15,
1970, leaving his
wife, Shirley, and his three children,: John, Jocele, and Joanna.
