The Rev. Richard H. Ritter accepted a call to the First Congregational Church in May, 1941.  A native of New York State, Mr. Ritter went to China in Military Service of the YMCA just after graduation from Princeton.  He worked with the Chinese soldiers in Siberia and was there during the Russian Revolution when Bolshevists captured Nickolsk.  He was the only American in the town.

In 1920, he returned to the United States and began to study Church history at the Hartford Theological Seminary, where he received his degree in 1923.  He returned to China that year to accept a position as Professor of European History in Yenching University, Peking, and was there continuously until 1938, except for a year’s leave, when he attended Columbia College.  It was in Yenching University that he met his wife, the former Miss Emma Leuders of Philadelphia, who was Professor of Nursery School Education, in the Home Economics Department.  Both speak fluent Chinese.

In 1938, Mr. and Mrs. Ritter and their daughters, Dorothy and Jean, returned to the United States, and Mr. Ritter became pastor of the First Congregational Church of Mansfield and also served as pastor of the Baptist Church there.

Mr. Ritter was destined to carry our church through the critical period, which followed the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941.  The church and its members were active in the war, and Mr. Ritter never spared his health in calling upon and cheering the members whose relatives were in the service.  For many years prior to and during the war, Mr. Ritter called upon all new families in the "projects" with the results that many became active and valued members.

Mr. Ritter is a student of church art.  As president of the Church Art Guild of the Congregational Christian Churches, he was asked to combine the fruits of his study in a book.  It was published by the Pilgrim Press and called "Arts of the Church."  A picture of our church is included in this book.

After a successful pastorate of almost seven years, the Ritters left us for the Union Church in Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii, which they served for nearly 10 years before retiring in November of 1957.

The Ritters then moved to a retirement community for professional Christian workers called "Pilgrim Place" in Claremont, California, where they still reside.

The Ritters have used retirement to pursue their interest in Christian art and architecture.  They have traveled extensively in this country and have traveled to Europe twice, specifically to England where they spent five months on each visit.  They have taken many slides and photographs of major cathedrals and country churches, which they show at lectures.

Rev. Ritter and Mrs. Ritter both wrote a column for the "Main News" and have been quite active in various church and community activities.

The Ritters send love and good wishes to our congregation as we celebrate our 250th Anniversary.  They look back on a happy life, glad for the opportunities to be of service to the church and our Christian cause.

1998 update on Rev. Ritter
Rev. Ritter and his wife continued to live out their lives at Pilgrim Village in Claremont, California.  Emma Ritter predeceased her husband by several years.  Rev. Ritter died in March of 1989.