St. John Lutheran Church

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You are here: Home / Who we are / Our history

Our history

Historical images

The 1850s brought many German immigrants to Brown County – many of them Lutheran. Many of these families settled on farms in the Wrightstown area, which was called Bridgeport at the time.

Church services were needed to help enrich the spiritual lives of the settlers, and travelling Lutheran pastors were soon holding services and taking care of scattered Lutherans as best they could.

 

The early days

Rev. E.G. Reim of Green Bay served Lutherans in Wrightstown and De Pere. In 1869, he organized St. John’s Congregation of De Pere, and the church was born. Baptisms, marriages, communions and burials were recorded from that time forward.

Meanwhile, in Wrightstown, local Lutherans were taking things a step further.  The first constitution of the Evangelich-Lutherischen St. Johannes Gemeinde was prepared and signed. Soon afterward, construction of a new church began, and the Wrightstown congregation sent its first call to Rev. H.L. Haack.

 

First regular services
St. John Lutheran Church, 1872-1891
St. John Lutheran Church, 1872-1891

In 1870, Rev. Haack began conducting regular services in De Pere – first in the old Lawtontown public school building and later in a frame church on North Sixth Street. A new church was needed to accommodate increasing membership and was built in 1872.

Rev. Haack served the congregation until 1873. Other early pastors included Rev. Friedrich Schuh (1873-1875), Rev. Karl Huebner (1875-1876) and Rev. Rheinhold Pieper.

 

Making it official

Under the leadership of Rev. Pieper of Wrightstown, the congregation was officially organized. On April 4, 1877 the church was incorporated, its first church vestry (council) was formed, a constitution was created and the name St. John Lutheran Church was adopted.

Members of the first church council who signed the constitution included:

  • Christian Grimmer,
  • George Ehrmann,
  • John Reiff,
  • Carl Donner,
  • William Palitzke, and
  • Gottfried Falevsky.

From 1878 to 1884, St. John was served by pastors from Green Bay and Wrightstown.

In 1882, the congregation left the Wisconsin Synod and joined the Ohio Synod due to the Predestination Controversy.

In 1884, the first resident pastor, Rev. H. Bock, was called, and a parsonage was purchased for $550.

 

Interior of St. John Lutheran Church at Third and Grant Streets
Interior of St. John Lutheran Church at Third and Grant Streets
First Baptist Church was purchased and became St. John Lutheran Church, 1891-1932
First Baptist Church was purchased and became St. John Lutheran Church, 1891-1932
A new building

St. John soon outgrew its facilities and purchased the First Baptist Church – a brick veneered building with a spire (tower) – on the corner of Third and Grant Streets.

The purchase price of the nearly new building was half the original cost. It was dedicated as a Lutheran church on Sept. 27, 1891.

A new parsonage on Third Street was purchased in 1896, and two years later a church bell was hung in the tower.

 

St. John Lutheran parsonage - built in 1916
St. John Lutheran parsonage – built in 1916
Improvements

In 1909, the church was moved back from the corner, and a basement was added to provide room for a social hall, kitchen and furnace. Art glass windows were also installed about this time.

Since its inception, worship services at St. John were conducted only in German. That changed in 1916 when English began to be used, along with German. That same year, a new parsonage was built on Third Street at a cost of $3,739.

Under the leadership of Rev. I. Wegner, who served the congregation for 30 years, extensive improvements were made to the church in 1929. The remodeled building was rededicated on Oct. 20.

 

Aftermath of the fire that destroyed St. John Lutheran Church at the corner of Third and Grant Streets - March 13, 1932The fire

On Sunday, March 13, 1932, at 8 a.m., a spark from the church’s chimney turned to flames on the church roof. Within an hour, the church was destroyed.

Insurance only covered about half the church’s value. Only the organ, piano, bell and altar fixtures were salvageable.

With the help of neighboring congregations, the church was rebuilt at a cost of approximately $7,000 and rededicated on Nov. 13, 1932. The mortgage was burned 12 years later on Oct. 29, 1944, erasing all the church’s debts.

 

Growth
St. John Lutheran Church rebuilt after fire in 1932
St. John Lutheran Church rebuilt after fire in 1932

During the next two decades, the congregation continued to grow. The building, which had been adequate for many years, was becoming very crowded.

To handle the congestion, St. John began hosting two worship services each Sunday, but this didn’t solve the crowding issue for the educational and social programs, which were handicapped because of the lack of space. A number of plans for enlarging the church were considered but never adopted.

The hope of providing better facilities for the church and its members continued to be considered in the late 1950s. As conversations about expansion took place, a state building inspector did a study of the building in 1958 and strongly advised against enlarging the building.

This advice turned the conversation from expansion to the possibility of building a new church at a different location to provide more space for educational and social activities.

 

Building a larger facility
St. John Lutheran Church, corner of Third (now Lost Dauphin Road) and Scheuring Streets - dedicated March 22, 1964.
St. John Lutheran Church, corner of Third (now Lost Dauphin Road) and Scheuring Streets – dedicated March 22, 1964.
Groundbreaking ceremony for new church at Third (now Lost Dauphin Road) and Scheuring Streets - April 7, 1963
Groundbreaking ceremony for new church at Third (now Lost Dauphin Road) and Scheuring Streets – April 7, 1963

Under the campaign, “These are our children… The Church of Tomorrow,” the congregation voted in 1960 to build a new church on a larger piece of land. A financial campaign was conducted, and $58,000 was pledged for the building effort.

The congregation found three acres of land at the corner of Third (now Lost Dauphin Road) and Scheuring Streets and voted to purchase the land in the fall of 1961.

In 1962, the congregation engaged Robert W. Surplice as the architect for the new sanctuary, fellowship hall and educational facility, and plans were under way for the present day St. John Lutheran Church.

The entire congregation took part in a groundbreaking service on April 7, 1963, which was Palm Sunday. The next day, excavation for the new building began.

Final services in the old church were held on March 15, 1964. A week later, on Palm Sunday, March 22, the congregation dedicated the new church, which cost $215,000. The cornerstone of the new building included a time capsule, which was carried over from the church’s 1909 construction project.

 

Continued growth
Construction of the inside of the ground-floor fellowship hall (G.R.E.A.T. room) addition - dedicated on June 7, 1998
Construction of the inside of the ground-floor fellowship hall (G.R.E.A.T. room) addition – dedicated on June 7, 1998

The new facility served the congregation well until handicap accessibility was needed. The congregation agreed upon an addition and broke ground on July 1, 1997.

The new addition included a ground floor fellowship hall (G.R.E.A.T. room), elevator with access to all four levels, handicap accessible bathrooms and a parenting room. It was dedicated on June 7, 1998 and serves us to present day.

 

Pastors

 

  • Travelling missionaries  (1869 – 1884)
  • Rev. H. Bock  (1884 – 1893)
  • Rev. Paul Alamshah  (1893 – 1896)
  • Rev. August Vackrodt  (1896 – 1904)
  • Rev. Fred Klein  (1904 – 1911)
  • Rev. Theodore Pagels  (1911 – 1919)
  • Rev. William Hope  (1919  -1923)
  • Rev. J. Prange  (1923 – 1926)
  • Rev. I Wegner  (1926 – 1956)
  • Rev. Henry J. Kurtz  (1957 – 1967)
  • Rev. LeRoy Remmers  (1967 – 1975)
  • Rev. Chester C. Nerenhausen  (1975 – 1991)
  • Rev. Kathleen Fjelstul – Associate Pastor (1986 – 1988)
  • Rev. James Ahlquist – Associate Pastor (1988 – 1991), Senior Pastor (1991 – 1994)
  • Rev. Barry Hoerz – Associate Pastor  (1992 – 1993)
  • Rev. LeRoy Remmers  (1994 – 2000)
  • Rev. Donald R. Staude – Interim Pastor (2000)
  • Rev. Steven M.  Apfel  (2001 – 2007)
  • Rev. Arnold Stilwell, retired – Interim Pastor (2007 – 2008)
  • Rev. Andrea Cain  (2008 – 2014)
  • Rev. Brian Cain  (2008 – 2014)
  • Rev. John Czarnota, Interim Pastor (2015)
  • Rev. Gary Nokleberg, Interim Pastor (2015 – 2016)
  • Rev. Cindy Warmbier-Meyer (2016 – present)

Worship live | June 26, 2022

https://youtu.be/8QoJ0i6OBDY

Worship services

St. John De Pere

St. John De Pere
YouTube Video VVVJaTFjalJkZWFEcjNONWZZS2V1UlV3LjhRb0owaTZPQkRZ June 26, 2022
3rd Sunday after Pentecost
"Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests.."
Luke 9:58
June 26, 2022
3rd Sunday after Pentecost
"Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests.."
Luke 9:58
St. John Lutheran Church worship service - De Pere, Wisconsin
YouTube Video VVVJaTFjalJkZWFEcjNONWZZS2V1UlV3LjhRb0owaTZPQkRZ
June19, 2022
2nd Sunday after Pentecost
"Declare how much God has done for you"
Luke 8:39
St. John Lutheran Church worship service - De Pere, Wisconsin
YouTube Video VVVJaTFjalJkZWFEcjNONWZZS2V1UlV3LlNxNXNDRi1LLTdz
June12, 2022
The Holy Trinity
"The Spirit of truth will guide you into all the truth"
John 16:13
St. John Lutheran Church worship service - De Pere, Wisconsin
YouTube Video VVVJaTFjalJkZWFEcjNONWZZS2V1UlV3Lml4QXJpaml5M1Aw
June 5, 2022
Day of Pentecost
"All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit"
Acts 2:4
St. John Lutheran Church worship service - De Pere, Wisconsin
YouTube Video VVVJaTFjalJkZWFEcjNONWZZS2V1UlV3LlFqVGRYNXlzdWVZ
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Virtual Church

It’s the next best thing to being here in person! June … Check out our virtual Sunday

Creating a positive impact

St. John logoWe’re a congregation that cares. As Christians, we care about others and strive to have a positive impact on other people’s lives. Whether it’s someone in our congregation, our community or our world, we’re there in times of need, in times of joy and all the times between.

We demonstrate our caring spirit every day. We volunteer. We reach out to charitable organizations.  Whether it’s painting a house, donating food or raising funds to buy fruit trees for others across the globe, we help our neighbors in need. Read more about our people and our congregation »

What’s happening

Worship and building updates

May 19, 2022

“Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.”   Philippians 2:4

In response to the CDC revising their Covid-19 reporting, the Church Council of St. John has updated our metrics to align with theirs. As long as the Covid-19 Community Levels remain at or below “Medium” as reported on the CDC website, https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view masking is optional and Holy Communion will be celebrated with participants coming up to the altar to receive the elements. Prepackaged wafer/juice will continue to be available as you enter the sanctuary to be consumed in your pew for those who are more comfortable doing so.

The 8:00 a.m. (9:00am summer) service will be livestreamed and available on our YouTube channel. 

The Council continues to review information from health officials and will modify our guidelines and worship services as is appropriate.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) logo

Upcoming Events

No upcoming events

Sermons

  • March 15, 2020
    Rev. Cindy Warmbier-Meyer, March 15, 2020
    Bible Text: John 4:5-25
  • June 24, 2018
    Rev. Cindy Warmbier-Meyer, June 24, 2018
    Bible Text: Mark 4:35-41

Listen to more sermons

Our Pastor

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. St John is a vibrant community of faith. I am honored to be a partner in … Read more »

Our Mission

We're a Christian family – living our faith and enriching lives. St. John is … Read more »

Worship times

Right here on our website anytime!

Where to find us

Copyright © 2022 • St. John Lutheran Church • 1700 Lost Dauphin Road • De Pere, Wisconsin 54115 • 920.336.1082
 

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