Home Worship Resources
Church Life Community History Staff
The History of Christ Lutheran Church in Arcadia, WI
The Beginning Years - 1863 to 1887
1863:
Earliest Beginnings in Glencoe and Montana
Rev.
Ernst Stube, a Lutheran medical missionary, serving a congregation
at Fountain City, WI, began serving families in the Buffalo County
Township of Glencoe, near the village of Arcadia. He traveled to
the Glencoe area once a month for twelve years, meeting in homes,
to bring the Gospel to the pioneers. Sometime during these early
years, the traveling minister also began serving the Lutherans in
the Buffalo County Township of Montana.
1866:
Land Donated in Glencoe Township
Three
acres of land was donated on April 12, 1866, by George and Susan
Barbara Keller, to be used for a place of worship and a cemetery.
(from the records of Lee Wieland, Cemetery Board)
1874-1875:
The Glencoe/Montana Worshipers call a Pastor
The
Rev. Ernest Giesel from the Iowa Synod was called to serve the
Lutherans in Glencoe and Montana. He lived in the home of one of
the church members until a parsonage was provided in the village
of Arcadia. Rev. Ernst Giesel served from 1875 to 1877.
There
are no reliable early records showing exact dates for the official
beginning of an organized congregation in either Glencoe or
Montana. It is clear that both churches were continuously served
as one parish by one pastor. The early records of both the Glencoe
and the Montana church are written in longhand German and often
entries for both churches are made in the same book, making it
hard to distinguish between the two.
1875:
Glencoe Church was built
We
believe that a wood structure church was erected at the site of
the present day Glencoe Lutheran Cemetery in 1875 during Rev.
Giesel’s time and the church was named St. John’s.
1875:
Montana Church Constitution Signed
The
Montana Church record book shows that a constitution for Christ
Church was signed on March 13, 1875, under the Rev. E. Giesel. The
charter members were Henry Wiemer, Fred Dorn, Henry Hertzfeldt,
Carl Koenig, Henry Pape, Carl Hansow, Ludwig Pape, John
Hertzfeldt, Joh Scharlau, Fred Scharlau, Carl Schorbahn, John
Harm, Carl Ewert, and Rosmos Karachi. (found in Montana Record
Book 1875-1914)
We
believe there was no church building in Montana in 1875 and
members continued to meet in homes.
1885: Probable date of the Montana Church Building
1885: Probable date of the Montana Church Building
About
1885, under the leadership of Rev. Badke, a church building was
constructed for the Lutherans in the Montana township at the
location of the present day Montana Lutheran Cemetery. The church
was named Christ Church. The date of the dedication may have been
October 10, 1885 according to some historical church notes that
have been found. Another possible date was found in a 2002 booklet
prepared by the Town of Montana Landowners which states, “The
German Evangelical Lutheran Christian Congregation was organized
on October 22, 1885, when Frederick and Wilhelmina Dorn deeded one
and a half acres to the church for the total of $2.”
1887:
First Church Building in Arcadia
A
small frame church was built in Arcadia in 1887 so that
parishioners living in Arcadia would not have to travel to Glencoe
to worship on Sundays. , It did not become a separate
congregation.
The Years of Many Pastors - 1888 to 1897
St.
John’s and Christ churches called pastors interchangeably from the
Wisconsin and Iowa synods during the early years.
Pastors
who served in the early years
Rev.
Ernst Stube, 1863 to 1875 (2 yrs), Wisconsin Synod
Rev. Ernst Giesel, 1875 to 1877 (2 yrs), Iowa Synod
Rev. Christian Probst, 1877 to 1879 (2 yrs), Iowa Synod
Rev. John Burchard, 1879 to 1881 (2 yrs), Iowa Synod
Rev John Weirauch, 1881-to 1883 (2 yrs), Wisconsin Synod
Rev. Carl Ziebell, 1883 to 1884 (1 yr), Iowa Synod
Rev. Julius Badke, 1884 to 1887 (3 yrs), Wisconsin Synod
Rev. Albert Froehlke, 1887 to 1890 (3 yrs), Wisconsin Synod
Rev. Carl Ritzen, 1890 to 1896 (6 yrs), Wisconsin Synod
Rev. Herman Gerhardt, 1896 to 1897 (1 yr), Wisconsin Synod
Rev. Adolph Werr, 1897 to 1904 (7 yrs), Iowa Synod / Wis. Synod
Rev. G. F. Hanselmann, 1904 to 1907 (3 yrs), Iowa Synod
Rev. H. Zumhingst, 1907 to 1913 (6 yrs), Ohio Synod
Rev. Ernst Giesel, 1875 to 1877 (2 yrs), Iowa Synod
Rev. Christian Probst, 1877 to 1879 (2 yrs), Iowa Synod
Rev. John Burchard, 1879 to 1881 (2 yrs), Iowa Synod
Rev John Weirauch, 1881-to 1883 (2 yrs), Wisconsin Synod
Rev. Carl Ziebell, 1883 to 1884 (1 yr), Iowa Synod
Rev. Julius Badke, 1884 to 1887 (3 yrs), Wisconsin Synod
Rev. Albert Froehlke, 1887 to 1890 (3 yrs), Wisconsin Synod
Rev. Carl Ritzen, 1890 to 1896 (6 yrs), Wisconsin Synod
Rev. Herman Gerhardt, 1896 to 1897 (1 yr), Wisconsin Synod
Rev. Adolph Werr, 1897 to 1904 (7 yrs), Iowa Synod / Wis. Synod
Rev. G. F. Hanselmann, 1904 to 1907 (3 yrs), Iowa Synod
Rev. H. Zumhingst, 1907 to 1913 (6 yrs), Ohio Synod
When
Rev. Gerhardt came to the pastorship in 1896, he completed a list
of four successive ministers who were drawn from the Wisconsin
Synod.
1896:
Time of Dispute
A
Synodical dispute developed between the Arcadia area Lutherans and
forced Rev. Gerhardt to leave in 1897 after serving for only ten
months.
1897
to 1904: Division
The
Arcadia area Lutherans divided into two groups over synod
differences.. In 1897, Christ Lutheran Church in Montana township,
St. John’s Lutheran Church in Glencoe township and a few of the
members attending the church in Arcadia, called an Iowa Synod
pastor, Rev. Adolf Werr. Besides holding services in the two
township churches, he also held services in an upstairs room of
the parsonage in Arcadia for the few Arcadia members that had
called him.
Around
this same time, Rev. Theophil Brenner from the Wisconsin Synod’s
seminary was called by the remaining church members living in
Arcadia. Rev. Brenner held services in the little white frame
church that had been built in Arcadia in 1887. Rev. Brenner stayed
for a year or less and was followed by Rev. David Metzger, from
the Wisconsin Synod, who also served St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in
Whitehall. It is not known how long Rev. Metzger stayed.
In
an apparent effort to restore church unity, Rev. Werr shifted his
synod affiliation from the Iowa Synod to the Wisconsin Synod and a
small part of the congregation followed him but unity was not
restored.. He left in 1904.
The
majority of the people were not satisfied with Rev. Werr’s synod
change and they called Rev. Hanselmann from the Iowa Synod. He was
installed in April 1904 and served St. John’s in Glencoe, Christ
in Montana, and the Arcadia group meeting in the upstairs of the
parsonage..
The Building Years - 1904 to 1956
1904
to 1907: Moving Forward
Rev.
Hanselmann left in 1907 and the pastor to follow was Rev.
Zumhingst from the Ohio Synod. It was under the guidance of Rev.
Zumhingst that a joint meeting of Christ Church and St. John’s
Church, was held and proposed a new church building to be located
in Arcadia.
1910:
Two New Church Buildings in Arcadia
St.
John’s Church of Glencoe and Christ Church of Montana joined to
construct a church building in the village of Arcadia, to serve
their members who had retired from farming and moved to Arcadia,
as well as new settlers in the village. A new congregation was not
organized in Arcadia, and any new member living in Arcadia was
required to take membership in either one of the township
churches. At the cornerstone laying on September 10, 1910, the
first English service was conducted by Prof. H. K. G. Doermann of
Luther Seminary. All prior services had been in German. This new
building was dedicated in November of 1910, with only eighteen
families from the combined parish giving financial assistance and
manual labor towards the construction. The majority of the
congregation had deemed the services in the upstairs room of the
parsonage to be sufficient and did not contribute to the new
building. Rev. Zumhingst served the congregations until 1913.
It
was also in 1910, that St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of
Arcadia, which had associated with the Wisconsin Synod, since the
split that had begun back in 1896-97, built a new, larger church
to replace the small frame church built in 1887. The new building
was across the street from the old frame church and the old church
was enlarged and improved to be used for fellowship activities.
(This church remained with the Wisconsin Synod until 1959, when it
became an Independent Lutheran Church and in 1962, the
congregation disbanded.)
In 1911, the Ladies Aid was formed.
1913 to 1956: Rev. Muedeking begins 43 Year Pastorate
On February 3, 1913, Rev. George F. Muedeking, a recent graduate of St. Paul Luther College and Seminary, was installed as the new pastor of St. John’s of Glencoe and Christ Church of Montana and the associated group at the new church building in Arcadia. His entire ministry was spent in Arcadia—43 years until his death, at the age of 73, in 1956. Rev. Muedeking was an active member of the community and had a good relationship with other churches in the community. He was active in the American Lutheran Synod and served as president of the Marshfield conference. His wife, Rosalie (Brodt) also contributed a great deal to the ministry of the congregation. At the beginning of his pastorate, the combined parish consisted of 51 families but grew to 242 families by 1949.
In 1911, the Ladies Aid was formed.
1913 to 1956: Rev. Muedeking begins 43 Year Pastorate
On February 3, 1913, Rev. George F. Muedeking, a recent graduate of St. Paul Luther College and Seminary, was installed as the new pastor of St. John’s of Glencoe and Christ Church of Montana and the associated group at the new church building in Arcadia. His entire ministry was spent in Arcadia—43 years until his death, at the age of 73, in 1956. Rev. Muedeking was an active member of the community and had a good relationship with other churches in the community. He was active in the American Lutheran Synod and served as president of the Marshfield conference. His wife, Rosalie (Brodt) also contributed a great deal to the ministry of the congregation. At the beginning of his pastorate, the combined parish consisted of 51 families but grew to 242 families by 1949.
1913: The Senior Choir was organized.
1914: The Sunday School was established.
1923: Educational Building
1929: A Merger to Form One Congregation
1930: the Women’s Missionary Society was organized.
1930: The national American Lutheran Church (ALC) was formed in 1930 from the merger of the three conservative Lutheran synods of German-American origin—the Iowa, Ohio, and Buffalo Synods. (Wikipedia)
1931: Midweek religious education classes were established.
1938: The Junior Choir was organized.
1914: The Sunday School was established.
1923: Educational Building
The residence next to the Arcadia
church was purchased and converted into an educational facility.
1929: A Merger to Form One Congregation
Rev. Muedeking was instrumental in
merging the two congregations into one Arcadia church. St.
John’s Church of Glencoe and Christ Church of Montana, dissolved
themselves, deeded their property, and reorganized and
incorporated themselves as the “St John’s-Christ Lutheran
Congregation of Arcadia, Wisconsin.”
1930: the Women’s Missionary Society was organized.
1930: The national American Lutheran Church (ALC) was formed in 1930 from the merger of the three conservative Lutheran synods of German-American origin—the Iowa, Ohio, and Buffalo Synods. (Wikipedia)
1931: Midweek religious education classes were established.
1938: The Junior Choir was organized.
1940s:
Several times during the 1940s and 1950s, Rev. Muedeking, served the Tamarack Lutheran Church in rural Arcadia, when they were without a pastor.
Several times during the 1940s and 1950s, Rev. Muedeking, served the Tamarack Lutheran Church in rural Arcadia, when they were without a pastor.
1946: A Luther League was formed for high school age youth.
1948:
A Hammond electric organ was purchased
1949: Church Addition
The Arcadia congregation had
increased to 526 total communicant members and the church was
usually filled to capacity. Members decided to enlarge the
building by erecting a brick veneered addition using lumber
sawed from logs donated by farmers of the congregation and also
using lumber salvaged from St. John’s Church of Glencoe, where
services had been discontinued. Excavation for the basement
began on April 19, 1949, and the new addition was dedicated on
Sunday, November 27, 1949. The enlarged church could comfortably
seat 550 and an overflow crowd of about 650. The original
Glencoe church bell was placed above the balcony of the new
addition.
1951: A new parsonage was built next to the church.
1953: Vacation Bible School began in Montana and Arcadia.
1952-1956: Interns Serving Under pastor Muedeking
Robert
A. Garbrecht, 1952—Capital Theological Seminary
Harvey
Berg, 1953—Luther Seminary (Arcadia native)
Roger
A. Schmidt, 1954—Wartburg Seminary
Marvin
Benninga, 1954-55—Wartburg Seminary
Waldo
Kruse, 1955—Wartburg Seminary
Kenneth
Malpert, 1956—Wartburg Seminary
William Roessler, 1956—Wartburg
Seminar
1956: Rev. Muedeking dies.
Up until his death on June 9,
1956, Rev. George F. Muedeking, actively served the congregation
for 43 years.
The Post-Muedeking Years - 1956 to 1989
1956-1963: Pastor Schultheiss
Rev. Walter E. Schultheiss, a
graduate of Capital Seminary came to Arcadia and served St.
John’s-Christ until 1963. He also served Tamarack Lutheran
Church in rural Arcadia until July 1958, when Tamarack formed a
partnership with Mount Calvary Lutheran in Trempealeau, Wi.
1959: Montana Lutheran Church Closed
The last Sunday service was held
at the Montana Christ Church on April 19, 1959. ( Date was found
in the Ushers’ Record Book.) During the last years, services had
been held about once a month. Sometime later, the building
was razed. The bell was salvaged and has been preserved by the
Boberg family.
1960: The national American Lutheran Church (ALC) merged with the Evangelical Lutheran Church, which was of Norwegian-American origin, and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church, of Danish-American origin, to form a new body that was also named the American Lutheran Church (ALC). (Wikipedia)
1960: Church Name Changed
The congregation name was changed
from St. John's-Christ Lutheran Church to American Lutheran
Church of Arcadia.
1960: Assistance to New church at Trempealeau, WI
The congregation assisted in the
start of Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Trempealeau, WI.
1962: Reunited Arcadia Lutherans
On November 25, church property
from St. John's Independent Lutheran Church, Arcadia (the former
Wisconsin Synod, St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church) was
transferred to American Lutheran Church of Arcadia.
1964-1968: Pastor Benson
American Lutheran Church of
Arcadia was served by Pastor Howard B. Benson, who helped the
church study and plan for a new educational addition.
1965: Church Educational Addition
A two story church educational
building addition was dedicated on October 3.
1969-1981: Pastor Radke
Pastor Wayne G. Radke became
pastor of American Lutheran Church in Arcadia in 1969. Three
intern pastors served under Pastor Radke. They were, with
approximate dates—
Earl Vorpagel 1978,
Keith Kolzow 1979,
Gary Lundberg 1980.
Earl Vorpagel 1978,
Keith Kolzow 1979,
Gary Lundberg 1980.
1971: Missionary Support
The congregation voted to support
missionaries, Art and Millie Wyse in Cali, Columbia.
1972: Bethel Series Adult Education & support for Joy Lutheran
The congregation began to support
the work of Joy Lutheran, a new church in Prescott, WI.
The Bethel Series of Adult
Christian Education started and in 1975 there were eight
teachers and 120 students involved.
1974: New Enclosed Entrance
Under the leadership of Rev.
Radke, a new enclosed entrance was added to the church.
1975: 100th Anniversary
The one hundredth anniversary of the congregation was observed with a vesper service at the site of the Montana Church on June 15, a vesper service at the site of the Glencoe Church on August 17, and a full day of celebration at American Lutheran Church in Arcadia on September 7. Membership was 692 baptized members and 494 confirmed members.
1977:
Missionary Sponsorship
1981-1985: Pastor Stendahl
1982: Pipe Organ
1984: Fellowship Hall Remodeled
1986-1994: Pastor Whitmore
The congregation began helping
support Lee Bonhoff, missionary to Cameroon, Africa in 1977, and
also his wife, Torborg, in later years. Missionary support
for the Bonhoffs continued to about 2000.
1981-1985: Pastor Stendahl
Pastor Howard Stendahl became the
new pastor of the American Lutheran congregation in 1981.
1982: Pipe Organ
A Casavant Opus 3547 pipe organ
was installed in October.
1984: Fellowship Hall Remodeled
The basement fellowship hall was
remodeled.
1986-1994: Pastor Whitmore
Pastor Claire Whitmore served the
congregation from 1986 to 1994.
During Pastor Whitmore’s time of
serving the congregation, the American Lutheran Church of
Arcadia became a 501(c)(3) sponsoring organization for the
Arcadia Food Pantry for Trempealeau County, located in St.
Joseph’s Hospital in Arcadia. The Pantry received
government commodities matched by local donations and food was
available to all low income citizens of Trempealeau County. It
was completely run by volunteers from the Arcadia area.
This partnership lasted through 2016, when the pantry was forced
to move to another city, due to the lack of a suitable site
location in Arcadia.
1987:
Parking Lot
The New “Christ Lutheran” Years - 1988 to the present
1988: On January 1, 1988, the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) came into existence, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies— The American Lutheran Church (ALC), the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) . (Wikipedia)
1988: First Parish Ed/Youth Worker
1989: Church Goes Back to Historical Name
1990: Member, Lara Fetsch became an ELCA missionary in Hong Kong.
1994-1995: Pastor Irwin Flatten served as an interim pastor.
1995-2003: Pastor. Arthur W. Sharot, Jr. served Christ Lutheran.
1996: a grand piano and electronic digital piano were purchased to enhance worship services.
2000: 3 Octaves of Handbells and Choir Chimes were added to the church musical repertoire.
A parking lot behind the church,
was completed in 1987.
The New “Christ Lutheran” Years - 1988 to the present
1988: On January 1, 1988, the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) came into existence, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies— The American Lutheran Church (ALC), the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) . (Wikipedia)
1988: First Parish Ed/Youth Worker
A Parish Ed/Youth Worker position
was added in 1988. Five Youth Directors served the church
between 1988 and 2011— Nicole Harmel (1988-1991) David Schiopota
(1992) Julie Gates, Erin Wright, and Kris Knutson, who also
served as church musician (2000-2010).
1989: Church Goes Back to Historical Name
During the pastorate of Claire
Whitmore, the church name changed from American Lutheran Church
of Arcadia to Christ Lutheran Church.
1990: Member, Lara Fetsch became an ELCA missionary in Hong Kong.
1994-1995: Pastor Irwin Flatten served as an interim pastor.
1995-2003: Pastor. Arthur W. Sharot, Jr. served Christ Lutheran.
1996: a grand piano and electronic digital piano were purchased to enhance worship services.
2000: 3 Octaves of Handbells and Choir Chimes were added to the church musical repertoire.
2002:
In 2002, Christ Lutheran began a missionary sponsorship with Rev.
Tim and Yuriko Mason in Japan.
2003-2004: Pastor Rodger Knudson served as interim pastor.
2004: Member, Paul Forsyth started as an ELCA Global Missions Young Adult Missionary to Japan.
2004-2007: Pastor Breck McHan served as pastor.
2006: A class was offered to train members to be Stephen Ministers who care for people in distress.
2007: Pastor Chris Hallemeier and Pastor Ron Walter served the church as interim pastors.
2007-2008: Pastor Kris Fahey served as interim pastor.
2008-2017: Pastor Peter Jonas served Christ Lutheran Church. Interns from Wartburg Seminary who served under Pastor Jonas were—
2012: the Mt. Sinai Hispanic Church began using Christ Lutheran Church for worship services.
2014: Member, Jenna Putz started as an ELCA Global Missions Young Adult Missionary to Argentina.
2018-2019: Pastor Robert Schoenknecht & Pastor Thomas Bryan served as interim team pastors.
2004: Member, Paul Forsyth started as an ELCA Global Missions Young Adult Missionary to Japan.
2004-2007: Pastor Breck McHan served as pastor.
2006: A class was offered to train members to be Stephen Ministers who care for people in distress.
2007: Pastor Chris Hallemeier and Pastor Ron Walter served the church as interim pastors.
2007-2008: Pastor Kris Fahey served as interim pastor.
2008-2017: Pastor Peter Jonas served Christ Lutheran Church. Interns from Wartburg Seminary who served under Pastor Jonas were—
David Murphy 2011-2012
Rhia Wilkin 2012-2013
Kim Sturtz 2013-2014
Josh Knudsen 2014-2015
Gus Barnes, Jr. 2016-2017
Rhia Wilkin 2012-2013
Kim Sturtz 2013-2014
Josh Knudsen 2014-2015
Gus Barnes, Jr. 2016-2017
2012: the Mt. Sinai Hispanic Church began using Christ Lutheran Church for worship services.
2014: Member, Jenna Putz started as an ELCA Global Missions Young Adult Missionary to Argentina.
2018-2019: Pastor Robert Schoenknecht & Pastor Thomas Bryan served as interim team pastors.
2019-2021:
Pastor Cheryl Matthews served as pastor.
2020:
Christ Lutheran Church started live worship services on Facebook
and YouTube using a camera phone and restarted bi-monthly services
on WTCO (Trempealeau County Community Television).
2021-2023:
Pastor David Johnson serves as interim pastor.
2023:
Christ Lutheran Church started using a Marshall 3630 PTZ zoom
camera for broadcasting the church service to Facebook and
YouTube.
2023-present:
Pastor Rufus Kudee serves as pastor.
2024:
Preparations begin for celebrating our 150th Anniversary in 2025.
Information for this
church history summary was gathered from the following
sources:
St. John’s-Christ
Lutheran Church, Dedication booklet, November 27, 1949
American Lutheran
Church, Arcadia, WI, Anniversary 1875-1975 booklet
Christ Lutheran Church,
Arcadia, WI, 1992 Directory
Olson, Daniel S. The
History of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Arcadia,Wisconsin, Church History CH3031 with Appendix 2 ,
December 12, 2005.
Lutheran Witness, January 1962, monthly newspaper published in
the interest of Mondovi and LaCrosse conferences of the
American Lutheran Church, La Crosse, Wisconsin
The early Glencoe, Montana, and St. John’s Christ Church
Record Books
The Winona Newspaper Project, online database of Winona
newspapers from 1855 to 1925,
archived through The Darrell W. Krueger Library at Winona
State University in Winona,
Minnesota.
Christ Lutheran Church is part of
the La Crosse Area Synod of the ELCA and Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America.
