Douglas County Churches
History of the English Lutheran Church, Lawrence
The following narrative is from "A History of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Kansas," H. A. Ott, 1907:
LAWRENCE, ENGLISH LUTHERAN.
The English Lutheran church at Lawrence was the first Lutheran
church established on Kansas soil under the direct auspices of the
Home Mission Society. The Secretary, Rev. Morris Officer, had
made a number of visits to Lawrence prior to the time of its
organization. In the fall of 1866 he visited Lawrence, which place,
he says, in one of his letters to the Observer, "Is perhaps the most
beautiful little city in all this western region," and made a careful
canvass of the town, but owing to a severe storm was unable to
organize. However, he left the work in the hands of Mr. J. G.
Schmucker and Mr. Christian Frederickson, who kept up the
interest and gathered the Lutheran families together. When the
Secretary returned the following March he found his original list
of names considerably augmented. Rev. Officer spent several days
working up matters, and held a meeting on Saturday afternoon,
March 16th, in which preliminaries were arranged. On the
following day he "preached both morning and evening in the Old School
Presbyterian Church." At the latter service the Holy Communion
was administered, after which the organization was effected. In
a historical sketch of the church written at a considerably later
date it says:
"The organization was effected with eight charter members. The
following are the names of these members: John Nelson and wife
Sophia, O. Brodin, P. Enquist, John Johnson, E. J. Anderson, Mrs.
Anna Rodell and Miss Mary Rosell." However, Rev. Officer
writing under date of March 18th to the Lutheran Observer says: "This
evening" he writes at the close of the Sunday evening services
"we met again, organized with twenty seven members, most of
whom are Anglicised Scandinavians in the prime of life. Mrs.
Mary Rocklund, Nee Rosell, a surviving charter member says, that
except for Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Schmucker the organization would
never have been accomplished. The Sunday School, for quite a
while was held in their house; a stone house which is still
standing on the corners of Rhode Island and Lee streets. From this it
would appear that other names should be added to the above list,
among which are Mr. J. G. Schmucker and wife Martha, Christian
Frederickson and wife Matilda, Miss Matilda Kellman, Miss Sophia
Fritzell, and Mrs. Anna Kellman, as well as a number of others
whose names have been lost with the early records.
The arrangement for a pastor contemplated uniting this church with one which
was about to be organized at Topeka, as a pastoral charge, which
later was accomplished.
While Rev. Morris Officers effected this organization it is but
just to say that much of the pioneer work was done by Rev. David
Earhart, who had been preaching at Vinland, nine miles south,
since 1860, and who had frequently held services at Lawrence for
the Lutheran families.
The Home Mission Society at once sent Rev. A. J. Hesson to
Lawrence as misisonary who was duly elected pastor, preaching
alternately at Lawrence and Topeka. This arrangement lasted for
eight months but was found to be unsatisfactory. Rev. Hesson
therefore decided to give his entire time to the Topeka
congregation. Rev. H. B. Belmer took charge of the mission in March,
1869. He began at once to secure a suitable church building. The
site for a church was purchased immediately, and on the 22nd of
July the following year the contract was let for the erection of a
stone church thirty by fifty feet, which cost when completed $5,500.
So rapidly was the work carried on that by December of the same
year the building was ready for dedication. This ceremony took
place on the 18th, the Rev. Levi Sternberg, D. D., of Ft. Harker,
Kansas, delivering the sermon, Rev. H. W. Kuhns, of Omaha,
assisting the pastor in the dedicatory ceremonies. The Board of
Church Extension assisted in the work by making a donation of
$130 and a loan of $1,500. On the day of dedication it was
supposed that sufficient money had been pledged to pay all bills, but
the day after it was discovered that the secretary had made a mistake of
$700 in adding up his columns of figures. This debt was
on the church for many years. Rev. Belmer resigned in December,
1872.
In January following Rev, A. A. Trimper became pastor, and
served the congregation in connection with the one at Vinland, as
a pastoral charge, as did Rev. Belmer before him. He continued
his work until April, 1882; serving the church faithfully with the
exception of one year 1883, during which he supplied the church
as his health would permit. In June of the latter year, Rev. J. E.
Maurer became pastor, serving the Lawrence congregation only,
one year. After his removal to another field, he purchased and
presented to the congregation a bell for the church. Following Rev.
Maurer, Rev. I. J. Delo began to serve the congregation in
September, 1884, and continued as pastor until 1887, when he was
succeeded in August of the same year by Rev. S. B. Hyman who
remained one year. A vacancy of five months followed.
Up to this time the congregation had followed the un-Lutheran
practice of electing the pastor and "hiring" him each year. This
was the occasion of much strife, those who did not like the pastor,
voting and working against him and making it very unpleasant.
The annual congregational meetings were not the most harmonious.
In 1886, Rev. Delo at Synod reported that Lawrence had just had
"Its annual earthquake." Under the pastorate of Rev. S. B.
Hyman, serious difficulty arose, and a number of families left the
church.
On May 1st, 1889, Rev. H. L. Yarger became pastor and
missionary. He found a small band of members, weakened and
disheartened, with a church poorly heated and lighted, and badly in
need of repairs. With the coming of the new pastor, new life was
infused into the hopes of the congregation. The first year a new
roof was placed on the building, a cellar dug and furnace put
under, and a better system of lighting introduced. Bro. Yarger soon
began an agitation for the paying off of the loan made by the
Board of Church Extension when the church was built. A
payment of six hundred dollars was made in the earlier part of his
pastorate, and the balance on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary
of the organization of the church, which celebration was held on
March 18th-20th, 1892, at which time also the congregation
resolved to become self sustaining. Drs. Clutz, Barnitz and Rev.
Altman were present sharing the joy of the congregation in the
remarkable progress which had been made. On October 31, 1893,
Rev. Yarger presented his resignation, and was succeeded on
December 15th by Rev. J. G. Griffith who remained until April 1st,
1897. During the summer of 1897 Rev. B. R. Lantz, a student
from Gettysburg, Pa., supplied the congregation. In September
Rev. W. E. Brehm became the pastor. During the spring of 1900
the congregation decided to build an addition to the church thirty
by forty feet for a Sunday school room, pastor's study, and a
primary room in the basement. At the same time the whole
property was greatly improved by new pews, paper and paint, at an
entire cost of $2,800. The re-opening took place November 3-6,
and was an occasion of great rejoicing. Drs. Clutz, Barnitz and
Altman were present. All indebtedness was fully met. Early in
1901 the congregation bought and paid for a lot upon which to
erect a parsonage. Rev. Brehm resigned in September of the same
year, and was succeeded by Rev. A. B. Shrader, who served the
congregation for nearly one year.
Rev. E. E. Stauffer took charge as pastor on January 1st, 1903.
During the summer of 1905 a commodious parsonage was erected
on the lot adjoining the church. The building is frame, containing
ten rooms including the reception hall and bath rooms. The cost
was $3,000, half of which amount was raised when the building
was completed. A complete heating plant was installed in the
church during the fall of 1905.
This church is well equipped with a full complement of societies.
Return to
Douglas Co. KHHP
|
This website created Feb. 24, 2012 by Sheryl McClure.
� 2011-2012 Kansas History and Heritage Project
|