The History of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church 1885-2020
The first Lutheran service was conducted in Stetsonville on Easter Sunday, April 15, 1884, by Pastor Bernhardt Ungrodt of Immanuel Lutheran, Medford at the home of John William Hearth. This was a wedding service uniting Hans Silbertson to Emma Bockrandt in marriage according to the rite of the church. Encouraged by this beginning, August Berner began to interest fellow Lutherans in regular divine services and set aside a room in his home for this purpose. Pastor Ungrodt promised to hold services once a month on Sunday afternoon for which he would receive a salary of $30.00 per year. The first service under this arrangement was held May 25, 1884.
One year later, April 5, 1885, the members assembled to organize and incorporate a congregation. Fourteen voting members were present. The incorporation was duly organized and the name of Evangelical Lutheran Zion Congregation was incorporated and duly registered on April 21, 1885.
Church services were held every two weeks in the afternoon. It was not until January 1888 that the congregation considered having a permanent house of worship. Mr Berner offered four lots of his property on which to build a church and a parsonage for the price of $5.00. These lots were purchased and the site chosen to build the church was located “east of the Berner garden” in the Township of Deer Creek. In May 1889 Henry Fraasch of Medford was chosen as the carpenter to build a church 40’ long, 30’ wide and 16’ high. He agreed to do the work for $200.00. It was necessary to borrow $100.00 for materials from Theodore Hartman of Medford for one year at 10% interest. This white wood frame building served the congregation for 20 years as a church. It was then moved around on various foundations and used as a schoolhouse, dining room and meeting place for the various church groups. The building was sold and razed on November 13, 1957. In 1891 each member was asked to donate $3.00 to pay off the $100.00 debt of the church. Also, each member was asked to contribute $3.00 towards the pastor’s salary. In 1896 Pastor Ungrodt was conducting services every Sunday afternoon and was paid $100.00 a year.
In 1896 Zion members were allowed to build a barn to house the horses, while they attended church services. The barn was approximately 30’ wide by 60’ long with a hip-roof and contained about ten stalls. A shed for the horse of the pastor was also built.
In October 1897 Pastor Ungrodt retired and Pastor Paul J Burkholz Sr accepted the call to Immanuel, Medford and Zion, Stetsonville. At this time, St John’s of Little Black also became part of Immanuel and Zion parish. In 1897 the church janitor’s work included building the fire, sweeping the floor, washing windows and ringing the bell. For these services the janitor was paid $5.00 a year. In 1901 the organist was paid $25.00 a year. The dues were raised to $3.50 in 1902. One or two cord of wood was needed for heating and this was purchased at $1.00 a cord.
Under the Lord’s blessing Zion congregation prospered and increased in membership. The need for a larger church building was recognized. However, this need went unsatisfied for the time being because of economic conditions. Discussion of building a new church began in 1904. In 1907 Pastor Paul Burkholz was released from his duties and Pastor M J Hillemann of Green Bay accepted the call to the tri-parish and began his duties in July 1907. Also, this is when once a month, a church service was held in the morning.
In August 1907 the congregation agreed to build a new church building on the lots originally purchased from August Berner. The trustees went to look at other churches, talked to architects and discussed costs. The new church building was to be 44’ wide, 70’ long and the studs were to be 18’ high. At first the congregation voted to have concrete rather than brick for the church; but this was later changed to a brick veneer. A building committee was elected. A building plan was drawn up as well as contracts for the various contractors and construction began. The stained-glass windows on the right side of the church were donated by Mrs Fred Amacher for $100.00 in memory of her husband. The other window on the right side was purchased by the families of Fred Bart, John Schiedrich and Carl Schmidt. The windows on the left side of the church were purchased by August Kanitz, William Luick & Paul Luick, John Richwalski Jr & John Richwalski Sr and the Schmidt brothers (Gus, Paul, Robert, Theodore). The window on the north side to the west was purchased by Frank Dietz and the window to the east was purchased by Henry Winderkneckt and John Tauchen Sr. The Ladies Aid purchased the alter, pulpit, baptismal font, song slates, statue, altar coverings, candle fixtures for the altar and carpeting for the altar area. The congregation borrowed $3500.00 from the Aid Association for Lutherans in Appleton, WI for a period of three years. Each member of the congregation was asked to contribute $25.00 towards the new church. If each member did not pay, each had to sign a note and pay the interest on that note. The church dues were raised to $5.00 per year in 1908 and the young people of the congregation, 18 years and older, were asked to become members. The new church and furnishings were insured for $6000.00. On November 14, 1909, the new church building was dedicated.
In 1910 firewood was needed for the furnace and the congregation decided to buy 15 cord for $18.00 from John Schultz and four cord of hardwood from John Richwalski Sr at $1.25 a cord. A floor register above the furnace was located in the center aisle about halfway down. Members who arrived early for church service in the winter would gather around this register to warm up before the service. As was customary at this time, the men and boys sat in the pews on the right side of the church and the women and girls sat in pews on the left side of the church. Church services were conducted in the German language since the congregation was organized. In 1911, now with more members speaking the English language, Pastor Hillemann agreed to conduct services in English once a month. Inquiries were made about selling the old church building, but since the congregation needed a schoolhouse, they decided not to sell.
In 1912 members who were in arrears with their dues would be released from all church rights and could not ask for any privileges such as marriage, communion, baptism and funerals until back dues were paid.
On October 12, 1914, Zion applied for membership in the Synod known today as the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). In 1917 the pastor’s salary was $300.00 a year. In 1919 a cement floor was put in the church basement and dues were increased to $8.00 or more a year for each member.
When Pastor Hillemann followed a call to Marshall, WI, the members of Zion felt the time had come for them to call their own resident pastor. Thus Immanuel, Medford called its own Pastor while St John’s of Little Black and Zion of Stetsonville jointly entered a call to Pastor Martin Glaeser who arrived in March 1926 to begin his duties. Having a resident pastor made the erection of a parsonage necessary. The present spacious cottage-bungalow was built on the lot located in the back and south of the church. Members helped reduce the cost of the parsonage by constructing the basement and donating total of 173 days of labor assisting the carpenter. Many members helped defray the cost of the parsonage with generous contributions and the Ladies Aid donated $325.00 to the building fund. The total cost of the parsonage was about $6000.00 and was dedicated on November 14,1926.
During the time Pastor Glaeser served Zion congregation, electric lights were provided by the Ladies Aid, Lenten services were held Thursday morning, German services were held every Sunday and English services were held on the third Sunday of each month. In June 1930 Pastor Glaeser accepted another call and his successor, Pastor G O Krause was installed a month later. After Pastor Krause’s arrival, English services were held the second and fourth Sunday of each month. His salary was $1200.00 a year.
In 1935 the 50th anniversary of the congregation was observed with special services conducted by former pastors, Reverend Paul Burkholz Sr, Reverend Martin J Hilleman and Reverend Martin Glaeser. At this milestone the congregation numbered 90 voting members, 300 communicants and 475 souls. The Sunday School had an enrollment of 75 children under the guidance of eight teachers. About this time, the custom of segregation of men and women in church gradually began to change and husbands and wives sat together with their family. The old barn which had been used by the member’s horses for many years became obsolete with the arrival of motor cars. In 1942 the barn lot was purchased by the Stetsonville Volunteer Fire Department and the barn was moved to a lot behind Ernest Lindahl’s grocery store.
In 1939 English services were held every Sunday and German services were held after English services twice a month. All meetings of the congregation were now conducted in English. During World War II, 47 members of Zion served in the active military duty. In 1945 Zion members joined the Synod for a peace and thanks offering. Also in that year, windows in the parsonage were repaired , the pastor’s salary was raised to $200.00 a month and the 60th anniversary of the congregation was celebrated in June. In 1947 the voters approved the election of officers for only two terms of three years each. They could not then serve for at least one year. Towards the end of 1947 the long and faithful Pastor G O Krause of St John’s of Little Black decided to dissolve as a congregation. In 1948 St John’s disposed of its property with most of its proceeds given to charity. A sum sufficient to place a communion rail and kneeling bench was donated by St John’s to Zion.
In January 1949 Pastor G O Krause accepted a call to St Matthews in Marathon, WI. He had served Zion’s congregation for 18 ½ years. Pastor C F Luedtke of Whittlesey served the congregation as vacancy pastor until he installed Pastor William P Holzhausen on May 8, 1949. During that year, the members of the church council decided to be seated in back of the church and to gather the collection with baskets. Before this, in the 1920’s and 1930’s, the collection was gathered with a basket-on-a-pole offering basket which reached half-way into each pew.
During the early years of the congregation, the German language was used exclusively and was gradually replaced by the language of our country. So in 1950, English services were conducted every Sunday morning and on all principle holidays and German services were held once a month and on major holidays. In 1950 a new English constitution and by-laws were adopted. The voters approved electing council members by the congregation and then the council members electing the officers. They also approved having the annual report printed, having role call at meetings, appointing a slate of ushers and electing the first Board of Education. A new oil burning furnace was installed in the church to replace the wood-coal furnace. In 1951 the pastor was granted a $25.00 a month cost of living increase. A new Baldwin electronic organ was purchased with the chimes added later, a microphone was placed by the lectern, new front doors were installed, reserved seat signs were used, the schoolhouse was insulated and the church ceiling was insulated. The voters approved having church services year-round at 9:30 AM instead of changing to 9:00 AM during the summer months and back to 9:30 AM for the winter months.
In 1952, the interior of the church was redecorated and rewired. During the time the work was being done, church services were held in the old church building. Also, during this year, new light fixtures were installed, the mother’s room was remodeled, divided envelopes were used for donations, a blanket subscription for the Northwestern Lutheran was approved and the weekly bulletin was started. A newsletter was sent to each family in the congregation as needed.
In 1953 a water pipeline was installed between the parsonage and the schoolhouse. This made work in the kitchen a lot easier, especially whenever a meal was served. Before this, the members carried hot and cold water in milk cans and pails from the parsonage to the schoolhouse. The Chimes Fund was started this year and concluded when the chimes were installed in December 1956.
In 1954 the by-laws were amended to have the Council serve as the nominating committee and to submit names for each office for election and to publish the names in the bulletin three times before the annual meeting. Additional names may be nominated by the voters at the meeting. Evening services were held the first Saturday of each month, and then later discontinued because of lack of interest. The Church Council was given authority to connect the church property onto the sewage system of the village of Stetsonville and a special collection was taken to pay for the work of curbing and new sidewalks.
In 1956 a set of chimes was purchased for $360.00. Most of this money was made available through memorials. The chimes were installed with two separate keyboards attached to the organ and were dedicated on Christmas Eve.
In 1957 the congregation undertook a major remodeling project of the church building. When completed, the remodeling included a new basement with kitchen, dining room, restroom facilities, two entrances to the basement and an emergency exit from the nave. The total cost of the project amounted to about $21,000.00. This was the first major work done on the building since it was erected in 1909. On June 15, 1958, the renovated church building was rededicated to the Triune God with Pastor Holzhausen conducting the special service. The old white church building was sold to Al Schuster, a local contractor and the church grounds were landscaped and a parking area was constructed. At this time the old bell from the white church was made available to a needy congregation.
In 1959, Pastor Holzhausen was forced to retire because of ill health. He conducted his last service at Zion on March 29. Beginning in April 1959, Pastor A J Engel of Immanuel, Medford served as vacancy pastor until Pastor Wilbert Frank of Morgan, MN accepted the call to Zion. Pastor Frank was installed on September 27, 1959, and became the seventh pastor to serve Zion congregation.
In May 1960 the voters approved the purchase of the Westermeier property east of the church, which included a house and a small shed. On September 25, 1960 the Sunday School rooms in the newly acquired house were dedicated to the Lord. The house was used for classrooms for the Sunday School for several years until it was sold in 1980. The house was then moved away, and the lot was filled in, graveled and used as additional parking space.
The 75th anniversary of the congregation was observed in June 1960. The congregation had continued its steady growth and at this time recorded 125 voting members, 338 communicants and 608 souls. The Sunday School had an enrollment of 129 children instructed by 15 teachers.
In the next several years, the congregation continued to update the church and parsonage as well as revising the church constitution and by-laws.
The work of redecorating the church, done by one man, was started in October 1968 and completed January 1969.
On June 19, 1972, Pastor Frank was killed in an automobile accident and Pastor Marvin Zank of Immanuel was called to serve as vacancy pastor until Pastor Russell Schmidt was installed on October 1, 1972.
In 1973 a tape carillon was installed and the church pews were refinished and repaired. In 1974 the first Easter breakfast was held in the spring. A new Baldwin organ was purchased along with a recording system to tape our services for the shut-ins in 1977.
In January 1980 Pastor Schmidt left and again Pastor Zank served as vacancy pastor until July 13, 1980 when Pastor Robert Meieselwitz was installed and remained at Zion until 1984 when Pastor James Babler was installed during the 75th anniversary of Zion’s church building. Zion’s centennial was celebrated throughout the year. A picture directory was printed and the inside of the church was redecorated for this occasion. In 1987 the parsonage underwent a major remodeling project.
In 1995 Zion celebrated its 110th anniversary with four special services and the printing of another picture directory.
In 1998, Zion’s congregation received a generous bequest from the estate of Julia Beilfuss. Her wish was that this gift be used for classrooms for Sunday School and to make the church handicap accessible. A building committee was appointed to review the options. On January 24, 1999, the voters approved hiring an architect and on February 17, 1999, a contract was signed with architect Siegel Engineering Service of Mercer, WI. On April 11, 1999, the final building plans were presented to the voters and were approved. The addition would be built east of the narthex with restrooms and two offices. A new lift for the handicapped would be installed in the former main entrance of the church. The old basement would be remodeled into six classrooms and a library. The estimated cost of the building project was $375,000.00. A special service for the ground-breaking ceremony was held on April 25, 1999. The guest speaker was Reverend Russell Schmidt who served with Zion from 1972–1980. In June 1999, the project began with the parsonage garage being turned and moved to the east side of the parsonage . In October 1999, the Huotari Construction Inc began construction on the addition.
With the building project underway, a “Wish List” Committee was appointed to help coordinate donations from the members of Zion as well as to let the congregation know what was needed to complete the building and furnish it. Julia’s bequest covered the majority of the costs of the project, but it still required that many members of Zion donate their time and resources to complete the project that Julia’s bequest had started.
In 2000 Zion observed the start of the 3rd millennium of Christianity with the special service of Thanksgiving. The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Synod. Zion celebrated its 115th anniversary as a congregation.
On October 1, 2000, a special service was held for the laying of the cornerstone to the new addition. The guest speaker was Carl Mischke, retired president of the Wisconsin Synod.
In May and June of 2001, a flower planter was constructed where the former main entrance to the church had existed. The stained-glass window above the planter was moved from the east side of the church where the new entrance is now. One June 10, 2001 the new addition and Sunday School classrooms were dedicated with a special altar service conducted by Pastor Russell Schmidt and Pastor Marvin Zank as a guest speaker. Pastor Zank has served Zion during several vacancies.
On Sunday, July 22nd the first outdoor service with polka music was held, followed by a dinner in the new fellowship hall. In August 2002 a closed-circuit TV and speaker system was installed in the fellowship hall. All services now could be viewed in the hall. The Advent Candlelight service was held on December 18, 2002. This service was taped by Wausau’s WSAW Channel 7 and replayed on Christmas Eve at 10:35 PM and again early Christmas day. The cost of taping this service was covered by special donations from the congregation.
The second TV taping of the Advent Candlelight service, “Lessons and Carols” was held on December 17, 2003 and was once again taped by Wausau’s WSAW Channel 7 and replayed on Christmas Eve at 10:35 PM and early Christmas day.
In 2005 Zion celebrated the 120th anniversary of the congregation with special services throughout the year and the printing of a new picture directory. The Easter service was recorded on March 20 and the Advent Candlelight service was recorded on December 15, 2005, for rebroadcast on WSAW Channel 7.
Membership has grown at Zion and now numbers are over 546 communicants and 769 souls. Zion is truly blessed.
Pastors of Zion
1885 – 1897 Pastor Bernhardt Ungrodt
1897 – 1907 Pastor Paul J Burkholz Sr
1907 – 1926 Pastor M J Hillemann
1926 – 1930 Rev Martin Gleaser
1930 – 1949 Rev G O Krause
1949 – 1959 Rev William P Holzhausen
1959 – 1972 Rev Wilbert Frank
1972 – 1980 Rev Russell Schmidt
1980 – 1984 Rev Robert Meiselwitz
1984 – 2016 Rev James Babler
2016 – Present Rev Richard Russow