A Brief History of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church
Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized in 1898 under the name "Evangelische-Lutherische Christus-Gemeinde von Jackson".
The construction of the church at its original site, just east of the Jackson Elementary School, began in 1899. The dedication service was held on October 7, 1900. In 1904, the congregation purchased land for a cemetery, which is located about a mile northwest of the church.
The church moved to its present location in 1949 (we have a few pictures of the move, as well as two pictures dating to 1918 that show the interior of the church before the move). At that time the basement was added, the narthex enlarged, the steeple was replaced, and the former Sunday School room was remodeled as a choir loft. The cornerstone was laid on November 6, 1949.
The congregation was originally a daughter congregation of St. John's Lutheran Church of Kirchayn. Pastors jointly served the two congregations until 1956. At that time, each congregation called its own pastor and a parsonage was built next to Christ Lutheran Church. The pastors called by this congregation are:
| Rev. R. W. Grabau | 1899-1905 | Rev. John Gast | 1960-1961 |
| Rev. K. A. Hosessel | 1905-1907 | Rev. David Kramer | 1961-1969 |
| Rev. H. F. Guse | 1907-1923 | Rev. Jeb Monge | 1969-1973 |
| Rev. L. L. Hasely | 1924-1928 | Rev. Daniel Lienau | 1973-1979 |
| Rev. H. C. Milius | 1928-1944 | Rev. Matthew Pushkar | 1980-1994 |
| Rev. David Rath | 1944-1955 | Rev. William Gruenstern | 1995-2007 |
| Rev. H. Lange | 1956-1960 | Rev. Chuck Turbin | 2007- |
With the growth of the membership and the community, the congregation decided to add to the facilities. In May 1967, construction began for an educational unit and a foyer to connect the church and the educational wing. The church proper was also renovated and enlarged at that time. The work was completed in the summer of 1968.
The educational wing was leased to the Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in 1974 until the completion of their school building. It was also leased briefly in 1998 to Morningstar Lutheran School while they awaited the completion of their school building that September.
The congregation celebrated its 75th anniversary with a dinner in October of 1974. Many former members and pastors returned for the event. The rest of that decade saw the congregation participating in many projects:- blacktopping of the parking lot
- the establishment of the Student Aid Fund
- the beginning of the Bethel Bible Study Program
- the burning of the mortgage
- sponsorship of a refugee family from Laos
- leasing the kitchen facilities for an elderly nutrition program
Another first time event was ministry by a woman pastor, Rev. Gail Heidtke, who served as Interim Pastor in 1980.
A recession of the early 1980's brought high unemployment to the Jackson area. The congregation responded by establishing a food pantry. Use of church facilities also increased with Scouting programs, Sweet Adelines, AA and Al-Anon, and the Nutrition Program all making use of Christ Lutheran Church's hospitality. Due to higher energy costs, an Energy Committee was formed to help promote better stewardship in this area.
The 1990s saw continued changes to the church:- installation of a handicapped access lift
- updating of the kitchen
- new carpeting for the church and Sunday School Wing
- addition of more organ pipes and the moving of the organ from the choir loft to the front of the church
- conversion of the original organ pipe room into a Sacristy
The congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary throughout 1999. For most of 1999, the bulletin identified the congregation as "Evangelische-Lutherische Christus-Gemeinde von Jackson". This is the congregation's original German name. A special centennial service and banquet were held on September 19, 1999. The service included a dual invocation - one that may have been used in 1899 and the modern 1999 invocation. Below is that portion of the bulletin from the centennial service:
*1899 Invocation Pastor: Im Namen des Vaters und des Sohnes und des heiligen Geistes. People: Amen. *1999 Invocation Pastor: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. People: Amen.
The centennial service included special music performed by the handbell choir of St. John's Lutheran of Jackson. Christ Lutheran's choir performed the anthem "This is the Family of Christ", authored by Don Besig. The service also included a recitation of Christ Lutheran's mission statement, which is included on the cover of this handbook. The centennial banquet was well-attended and filled the fellowship hall.
The congregation enters the 21st Century with an increasing number of external groups using the church. By 2005, the following groups were holding regular meetings in the church:- Boys and Girls Club
- Alcoholics Anonymous
- Weight Watchers
- Narcotics Anonymous
- Gamblers Anonymous
- Cub Scouts
In addition, many other groups hold occasional meetings in the church.
It's clear that Christ Lutheran considers service to others an important part of its mission.
While celebrating our 110th anniversary, we note that the church and our congregation have undergone many changes but our primary mission has not changed. That mission being the worship of our Lord and service to our community.
We invite you to worship with us. We celebrate Holy Communion on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays of the month. We have lay-led services on the 2nd and 4th Sundays. If you have any questions or wish to speak with Pastor Turbin, please call the church office at 262-677-3143.
This page last modified Thursday, 15-Oct-2009 04:16:12 MST