Fred Kinzie was born February 4, 1914 in Bremen, Indiana, the last of five children.  He was reared on a farm in nearby LaPaz, Indiana.  Young Fred learned many lessons about life from the daily rigors and experiences found in the small-town, rural culture of north central Indiana.  On July 6, 1943, he married the girl he had been fond of since he was five years old, beautiful Vera Berger.  The young couple continued to work the family farm.

The Pentecostal message first came to the area in the early 1920's.  Bertha Mangun (mother and grandmother of Pastors Gerald and Anthony Mangun, respectively) was the first person in the community to receive the Holy Ghost.  Later, her husband Walter received the same gift, they were both baptized in Jesus' name, and Walter started a church in Plymouth, Indiana, where the Kinzies first heard of the apostolic doctrine.

Fred, who had attended a United Brethren church and later moved to the Union Church, repented of his sins on March 5, 1936.  He was baptized in Jesus' name ten days later, March 15, 1936 and received the Holy Ghost, December 20, 1936.  A definite call to preach settled on his heart, and Fred began preaching in neighboring churches, while he continued to farm his land.

Fred was ordained into the ministry in 1941, and that same year the Kinzies were invited to Pensacola, Florida, to preach a revival.  While traveling to Pensacola, Fred became very ill with rheumatic fever.  He found himself lying flat on his back, in intense pain, in a hospital room.  Unable to move, he told the Lord, "If you will get me out of here, and if the farm is what is holding me back, I'll leave the farm behind and go full time in the ministry."  The hospital staff, the doctors, and everyone involved in his care were amazed when they entered his room the next day and found him totally healed.  Soon, he entered full-time into evangelism and never returned to the farm.

Fred and Vera lived a disciplined life on the farm.  Their work ethic carried through in their new ministry.  Pam and Pat McQeen were sisters who had been won to the Lord by the Kinzies' ministry.  Pam and Pat joined the Kinzie Evangelistic Party and traveled across North America for almost ten years.  Fred's discipline proved to be a great blessing to the group.  For instance, they spent the morning hours in prayer and study, and devoted the afternoon hours to music rehearsal.  Their devotion to excellence produced quality harmony and accompaniment for singing Kinzies, and their revivals were in great demand.  Revival schedules were six nights a week and two to three weeks at a time.  Monday nights were left open for travel and referred to as rest nights.

In his entire ministry,. from 1941 until his retirement in 1983, Fred never varied from his message of baptism in Jesus' name and the infilling of the Holy Ghost.  Each evening during the revival services, the Kinzie Evangelistic Party opened the music program with their theme song,

It's the kindness I've done that makes me happy,
It's the sorrow I've caused that makes me sad,
So it's largely up to me how happy I will be,
For I cannot wear a smile and wear a frown.

Their music opened hearts to hear and respond to God's Word.

As years passed, the Kinzie Party established a successful ministry.  Several pastors were interested in Kinzie as a replacement pastor for their churches.  He declined their invitations because he did not sense a call to those cities.  Every time he prayed, he only heard the Lord say, "Keep doing what you're doing," until finally, in 1953, he felt the call to a small struggling church in Toledo.

After the Kinzies arrived in Toledo, the church grew under their leadership.  Excitement mounted in the people and they responded to Kinzie's hard work in evangelism and training.  Pastor Kinzie instituted Sunday school contests in the spring of 1954.  The church competition developed into the district fall Sunday school contest.  Fred served as the first district Sunday school secretary-treasurer in 1955.

In 1954, Pastor Kinzie launched the "Platter Parson" radio program.  It was the first Christian music radio program in Toledo.  Also, that same year, he was elected to serve as presbyter to Section Seven in northwest Ohio, a position he held for twenty-five years.  In 1976, he became a member of the Foreign Missions Board with the UPCI.

Under Fred Kinzie's leadership, the First Apostolic Church steadily grew.  The church built three new sanctuaries in 1956, 1965, 1980, and experienced phenomenal revival and growth in the 1970's.  Frederick E. Kinzie retired from the pastorate of First Apostolic Church in 1983.  He was promoted to the position of pastor emeritus.  Since then, he has continued to work for the Lord through teaching, traveling, and authoring four books.

 IN LOVING MEMORY

Vera Kinzie

KINZIE Vera Donna (Berger) Mrs. Vera Kinzie, formerly of 4840 Elm Place, recently a resident of the Goerlich Center, Sylvania, OH, left this world to be with her Lord on December 16, 2006. She had been a committed Christian for over seventy years. Vera was born on a farm near LaPaz, Indiana on July 9, 1912, the eldest of six children, to Elmer and Jennie Berger. She was graduated from LaPaz High School in 1930, with the highest honors in her class. She majored in drama and music and went on to study music at the South Bend Conservatory of Music, South Bend, Indiana. In 1934, Vera married her neighbor and childhood sweetheart, Fred E. Kinzie. After their marriage, they managed the family farm in LaPaz for ten years. In 1944, Vera and Fred began a musical evangelistic team, along with two other neighboring girls, Pat and Pam McQueen. Their ministry took them throughout the majority of the states and provinces in the U.S. and Canada. Fred and Vera came to Toledo in 1953 to pastor the First Apostolic Church. Vera established a music department and trained choirs, quartets, trios and other musical ensembles. One of her greatest joys was teaching music lessons on the piano, organ, marimba, xylophone and bass violin. She taught nearly 1500 students in the Toledo area. The Ohio District of the United Pentecostal Church, International asked Vera to serve as their Ladies Auxiliary President in 1956. In 1964, the general organization of the UPCI appointed her as the President of the Ladies Ministries, a position which she held for thirty years. In this capacity, she traveled throughout North America and spoke on all six continents to represent the ladies of the fellowship. Vera was preceded in death by her parents, Elmer and Jennie Berger, and her three brothers, Noble, Cletus and Wayne. She is survived by her husband, Reverend Fred E. Kinzie, of Sylvania; daughter, Cassandra F. Jordan, of Sylvania; sister, Evelyn Lappin of North Liberty, Indiana; sister, Laura June Kleinke of Avon Park, Florida, and three grandchildren, Jonathan Ryan (Megan) of Toledo, Jeremy Ross, and Janelle Rene, both of Sylvania. Vera had battled Alzheimer's for several years and lived the last two years at the Goerlich Center in Sylvania. The family wishes to thank the many nurses and aides who worked with her during her time of illness.