website watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Lutheran
Church
Corner of Ninth and Jones streets
Originally known as German Evangelical Immanuel's
Church
1875
FOUNDED
The church began on Jan. 24,
1875, when nine people formed what was then known as the German Evangelical
Lutheran Immanuel Congregation of the Watertown Community. Before the end of that year, Immanuel’s
membership records included 28 names.
The congregation rented the Welsh Church to hold services and bought a
parsonage, which doubled as a school house.
1876
10 29 FIRST
CHURCH BUILDING
On Oct. 29,1876, the first church
building was dedicated on the present church site and served Immanuel for
almost 76 years.
1889
Fred Merkle baptized at Immanuel on New Year’s
Day, 1889. Son of Ernst and Amalia (Thielman)
Merkle. Ernst taught at the Immanuel School from 1884-1889.
1900
05 29 TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF FOUNDING
Immanuel Lutheran church of this
city observed the twenty-fifth anniversary of its founding last Sunday. Three services were held, at 9:30 a.m., 2
p.m., and 7:30 p.m., all in charge of the pastor Rev. Otto Pett. A number of visiting clergymen, including Rev.
H. Hoerdig, the former pastor, now of Menomonie; Rev. Mr. Wilke, of Madison,
president of the state synod to which the church belongs, Rev. Mr. Haberman, of
Johnson Creek, and Rev. Mr. Lanzer, of Farmington, were present and participated m the ceremonies. The attendance was large and much interest
was evidenced. WDT
c.1900
ORIGINAL HOUSE OF PRAYER
Erected in 1876, removed in 1952 for new church
1905
08 03 DEDICATION
OF SPIRE
The beautiful spire on the Immanuel Lutheran Church on North Ninth
Street was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies. Addresses were made by Rev. N. Hahuemann of
Farmington, Zimmerman of Johnson Creek and H. Hoerig of Menomonee. It is a very symmetrical and adds much to the
beauty of the church. Church spires are
always better than police stations for they direct the attention of men
upward. WDT
1908
06 11 Convention
of WI district of Lutheran Synod of Iowa held at Immanuel WLeader
c.1920
DISTANT VIEW, from Riverside Park
1925
-- -- 50th ANNIVERSARY OF FOUNDING
1935
12 25 CHRISTMAS
December 25, 1935
Immanuel Lutheran Church, 211-213 N.
Ninth St.
Demolished in early 1950’s; new house
of worship at 213 N. Ninth.
1952
OLD CHURCH
DISMANTLED
In 1952, plans began to build a
new church. The dismantling of the old
church building was taken on by the parishioners themselves. Working together, they pulled nails, cleaned
bricks and sold lumber to bring in cash for the building fund. Interestingly, the saved bricks were used in
the actual construction oi the new building (sanctuary columns).
1954
CHURCH
DEDICATED
The present church building was
dedicated on June 13, 1954.
1956
07 06 REV. CHRISTENSEN
Watertown's Immanuel Lutheran Church has named a new pastor. He is the Rev. A. S. Christensen, present
pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church in Reedsburg, Wis. The Rev. Mr.
Christensen and his family will come to Watertown on Aug. 1, according to
present plans and installation ceremonies are to be announced at a later
date WDT
1959
02 25 Special
course on the Hebrew Bible; Rev. A. S. Christensen to take part in WDT
06 01 Holy Land,
six-week tour; Rev. A. S. Christensen preparing for WDT
06 24 New parsonage
plan rejected WDT
1961
02 19 In an impressive
ceremony on Sunday evening officers of the newly organized American Lutheran
Church Women of the Immanuel Church were installed by the Rev. A.S.
Christensen. The newly installed
officers are: Mrs. John Gaston,
president; Mrs. Harold Schultz, secretary of education; Mrs. Charles Wendt,
vice president; Mrs. Stanley Chandler, secretary of stewardship; Mrs. Herman
Rohr, secretary, and Mrs. John Ney, treasurer.
WDT
10 18 The Watertown Immanuel
Lutheran Church, of which the Rev. A. S. Christensen is pastor, completed
arrangements for Sunday’s service at which the congregation’s newly announced
first assistant pastor is to be installed.
The day will mark a milestone in the history of the church, with the
welcoming of the assistant pastor. Now
in its 86th year, Immanuel Lutheran Church has grown from seven members to over
1,800 baptized members. WDT
1963
06 26 The Rev. A. S.
Christensen, using a special litany, led a large audience in services at 9:45
a.m. Sunday in the formal dedication of the beautiful stained glass windows
installed throughout the entire church nave at the Watertown Immanuel Lutheran
Church. The spiritual significance
expressed in the elaborate symbolism of the total art glass project, expertly
produced by the Conrad Pickel Studio of Waukesha, was reflected in the sermon
theme, “Christ Our Light, in These Windows.”
WDT
These stunning windows depict the life
of Christ and number more than 25 in total
1965
11 28 Rev. A. S. Christensen, pastor of the
Watertown Immanuel Lutheran Church, is one of 734 religious leaders who was
commissioned to write an article for the new edition of The Encyclopedia of the Lutheran Church, a three volume work which
has just been published by Augsburg.
Pastor Christensen was invited to contribute an article on “The Dead Sea
Scrolls.” He complied and his article is
included in the 3,000 entries which have gone into the three-volume work. WDT
1969
10 23 LUTHERAN
WORLD RELIEF CLOTHING DRIVE
Immanuel Lutheran
church women of the ALCW spent a day recently sewing and piecing coats, suits,
and old blankets into useable 60" by 30" quilts and pads for the
Lutheran World Relief clothing drive.
Mrs. Ronald Nass,
Mrs. Arnold Braunschweig, Mrs. William Steinert, and Mrs. Lee Hubbard.
11 14 FOLK WORSHIP
SERVICE
Pastor T. A. Cromwell, Al
Kraemer, Dan Kehrer, Paul Kukla III, J. D. K. Johnson, Roy Krubsack, Joanne
Hennings, Devonne Baneck, Vicki Winkelman, Patti Steinert, Marilyn Peterson,
Jean Richter, Linda Uttech, Becky Brink, Rhonda Abelmann, Joy Lindert, Carol
Hennings, Kris Nygaard, Molly Christensen, Linda Ehster and Kathy Lenius.
12 05 ANNUAL
CANDLE LIGHT SERVICE
Immanuel Lutheran Church will present its annual
candle light service on Dec. 14. The
confirmation, junior, senior and youth choirs will participate in the program. Choir directors [L-R] Mrs. A. S. Christensen,
Mrs. Jack Zimmermann, Mrs. William Jensch (pianist), Wayne
Strayer and the Rev. T. A. Cromwell.
12 12 ANNUAL
CANDLELIGHT SERVICE
Immanuel Lutheran Church will
present Annual Candlelight Service on Sunday, Dec. 14. The confirmation,
junior, senior and youth choirs will take part in the program.
Donald Smith, Gordon Madsen,
Kenneth Braunschweig, J. M. Verg, Wally Bostrom, William Schmidt, Robert
Bender, Jan Rickerman, Harold Peterson, Dr. V. P. Smebak,
Wayne Strayer, (director), Charlotte Hoffstetter, Isabella Mantey, Grace
Henning, Dora Weckert, Ruth Smith, Meta Meske, Carol
Freitag, Ruth Wolter, Dorothy Schmidt, Janet Hennings, Lucille Schumann,
Adeline Richter, Irene Triana, Joyce Cromwell, Dorothy Vandre, Virginia Zauntner, Shirley Schlesner, Laura Verg, Mary Ellen
Christensen and Wilma Jensch.
1983
10 30 NEW SCHOOL PLANS
Construction of a school discussed by
Watertown Planning Commission WDT
1983
PIPE ORGAN
INSTALLED
In 1983, the Charles Hendrickson
Pipe Organ Company of Minnesota was contracted to install the present-day pipe
organ.
1985
OLD SCHOOL
DEMOLISHIED
SCHOOL WAS NEXT TO CHURCH
In 1985, the old school house was
torn down and an educational wing was erected.
This wing includes administration offices, classrooms, meeting areas and
a large multipurpose room/gymnasium.
04 08 Rev. Orlo
Espeland, pastor, accepted appointment with the American Lutheran Church
National Office WDT
1992
05 01 REV. RICHARD HEINS AND HIS WIFE, REV. GAIL
BRODERSEN-HEINS INSTALLED
The Rev. Richard Heins
and his wife, the Rev. Gail Brodersen-Heins, will be installed as pastors of
Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, 204 N. Tenth St., during the three
worship services this weekend. Service
times are at 6 p.m. Saturday and at 8 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday. The Rev. Ronald E. Mach, assistant to the
bishop and former pastor at Immanuel, will perform the installation
ceremony. Heins will serve as
administrative pastor and Brodersen-Heins will be in charge of programs. They will be joined at Immanuel by Bill
Bravener, director of music; Bonnie Kirchoff, office manager; Diane Baule,
financial secretary, and CJ Surdick, office clerk. WDT
1999
06 23 Rev.
Richard P. Heins retirement WDT
2000 “HONORING OUR HERITAGE, FORWARD IN FAITH” / 125th anniversary theme
01 18 The year-long
celebration will begin on Sunday with a special anniversary fair from 11:30
a.m. to 3 p.m. Immanuel Church was
established in Watertown on Jan. 24, 1875.
Originally known as German Evangelical Immanuel's Church of Watertown,
the congregation has occupied its current location near Ninth and Jones streets
since 1876. At that time, the lot was
purchased for $225. Between 1952 and
1954, the original building was razed and the current building
constructed. An education and
administrative office building was added in 1984. This year, building will continue with an
accessibility project designed to create more usable space and a general
remodeling of the worship area. WDT
11 03
Watertown Daily Times
Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, corner of Ninth and Jones streets,
will formally rededicate its worship area this weekend following a 4 1/2 month
interior and exterior construction project. The project included a
handicap accessible entrance, new heating and air conditioning systems, and an
enlarged balcony.
The pews, altar, pulpit and lectern have been refinished. The chancel area has been thrust out into the
sanctuary, enabling congregational members to kneel at the communion rail
without having to climb steps.
Immanuel Church has been a leader in service to the community for 125
years.
On Jan. 24, 1875, nine people, eight men and one woman, formed what was
then known as the German Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel's Congregation of
Watertown and Community. Today the church is known as Immanuel Evangelical
Lutheran Church.
Before the end of 1875, Immanuel's membership had risen to 28
individuals. The group met in homes and then bought a parsonage. They rented
the Welsh Church to hold worship services, and the parsonage did double duty as
a school house.
The
congregation, associated with the Iowa Synod, grew and on Oct. 29, 1876, the
first church building was dedicated. This building was much loved by its
members. It was a brick church of moderate dimensions. There was a plain altar
table and above, like a swallow's nest on the wall, hung the pulpit. To
the right and left of the entrance stood the indispensable stoves that
stretched their black piles like arms along the ceiling through the entire
church.
The first organ was purchased in 1889 and an 18-foot addition with altar
niche, sacristy and two side balconies were built. New pews replaced the old.
In 1902, the stoves were replaced by a furnace and kerosene lamps made
way for modern gas lights in 1904. In 1905, a tower was built and colored
windows took the place of the old plain windows.
The congregation continued to grow and have dreams. Many members
still remember scraping and piling old bricks for use in the new church.
The present church building was dedicated on June 13, 1954. It is Gothic
in style, and built of Lannon stone. In 1963 the stained-glass windows were
installed and a Charles Hendrickson pipe organ was installed in 1993.
In 1985, the school house was torn down and an education wing was added.
2000
12 15 After 55 years in the active
ministry, the Rev. A. Stanley Christensen, N6294 Sunset Road, Watertown, will
retire on Dec. 31. The pastor served at
Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Watertown for more than 20 years. Christensen graduated from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison in 1944 with a Bachelor of Science degree in education. In 1946 he received a master's degree in
theology from Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. He continued his studies in Hebrew at the
University and Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem. An article he wrote on the Dead Sea Scrolls
was published in the Lutheran Encyclopedia.
WDT
2003
08 28 Bill Bravener, director of
music at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Watertown, has accepted a call
as director of music and associate in ministry at Calvary Lutheran Church in
Brookfield. Bravener has been the
director of music at Immanuel Church since 1991. He was commissioned in 2000 as an associate
in ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He has served on the ELCA South Central Synod
Candidacy Committee and as a faculty member of the Leadership Program for
Church Musicians. Bravener is a past president of the Watertown Clergy
Roundtable and has been an accompanist at Watertown High School. He was a volunteer at Bethesda Lutheran Home
and with the Dodge County Lifespan Respite Network, as well as a private piano
instructor. WDT
2005
04 17 Immanuel Lutheran
Church of Watertown will mark the 50th anniversary of its church building with
a day of celebration on Sunday. Immanuel
was founded in Watertown in 1875 and dedicated its first church building one
year later. By 1952, the congregation
had outgrown the small structure on North Ninth Street and made plans to build
a new and larger church building. The
original church along with two houses and a large garage located on Jones
Street were torn down to make room for the new structure. The cornerstone for the current building was
laid in 1953 and construction of the new building began. From the demolition of the original structure
through the completion of construction the congregation held worship services
in the old Savoy Theater.
2008
06 01 Jean Kwapil and Judy
Hoffstetter were each presented with the Valient Woman Award for 2008 during
the May Friendship Day service at Immanuel
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Watertown.
The service was sponsored by Church Women United of Watertown. The award recognizes the use of their
spiritual gifts and dedication to Bread and Roses, a free meal offered every
Thursday at Immanuel Lutheran Church.
Kwapil and Hoffstetter each received a certificate and pin in
appreciation for their efforts in living out the Gospel message in church,
school, community and business.
2009
10 10 “God’s Work, Our Hands” initiative; greater
involvement on part of membership and greater capacity for ministry WDT
2015
FIRST
BRIGADE BAND PLAYED SERVICE
08 02 
Link
to band’s portfolio
04 26 NEW CHURCH MUSIC
DIRECTOR
Larry B. Peterson has come to
Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, Watertown, as its new director of music.
Peterson received his bachelor of
music cum laude from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, where he was
an organ performance major. He went on to the Eastman School of Music in
Rochester, New York, where he earned his master of music in organ performance.
He has studied with distinguished teachers such as Russell Saunders, Paul Manz,
Tom Robin Harris, H. Joseph Butler, Harald Vogel, Delbert Disselhorst, Greg
Hand and Jan Thompson.
Before beginning his formal
college study, Peterson started taking organ lessons at age 6 and held his
first church position as organist at 13. He has served parishes as a full-time
director of music in Brenham, Texas; Albert Lea, Minnesota; Davenport, Iowa;
and Rock Hill, South Carolina. He was also director of music for campus
ministries and instructor of organ for 15 years at his alma mater, Augustana
College.
Peterson is one of the founding
members of the first board of directors for the Association of Lutheran Church
Musicians. He has been invited to lead worship services and workshops for
various Lutheran events sponsored through ALCM and other ELCA synodical bodies.
Peterson was the founding
organist for Quad City Choral Arts. He has appeared on the Christmas special “A
Christmas Homecoming” produced by the Quad City Fine Arts and televised as a
PBS special shortly after its release. Also featured on that special is an
arrangement he was commissioned to write for the Augustana College Choir. He
was also a guest director and recitalist for the Quad City Mozart Festival.
Peterson has also been dean of
the Blackhawk Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and served as the
convention chair the year that chapter hosted a regional convention. He has
also been invited to Europe to give a series of organ concerts.
His most recent achievement was
the founding and directing of RiverBend Bronze, an auditioned community
handbell choir in the Quad City area. Within three years of their founding,
they were invited to perform at two regional conventions of the Handbell
Musicians of America and appeared as featured soloists for the Quad Cities Pops
Christmas concert.
Peterson also enjoys composing,
especially for the church setting, and has a few pieces published by Kjos Music
Publishers. He has also arranged several works for advanced handbell choirs for
the concert setting.
He is married to April Peterson
and enjoys woodworking, home improvement projects, riding his motorcycle and
spending time with his four dogs and five cats.
07 23 RESTORATION PROJECT, Education and Outreach Building
Immanuel Lutheran Church
announced a substantial restoration process for its primary education and
outreach building. The Tenth Street
property includes the church’s administrative offices, Christian education
classrooms, and several community outreach services.
In addition to the church’s own
use, Immanuel has a long tradition of outreach in Watertown and is home to a
wide array of community service programs including the Watertown Food Pantry,
the Personal Essentials Pantry and the weekly Bread and Roses dinner. In order to complete the construction work,
all activities in the education building will be relocated to other spaces in
the church for a period of up to one year.
There are no planned interruptions in the many outreach services hosted
at the church.
“In addition to the internal
work, the outside facade is deteriorating and needs replacement,” according to
David Morstad, president of the congregation.
“We look forward to that new look. More important, we will have a
building that will serve Immanuel and the Watertown community for many years to
come.”
The reconstruction process is
expected to begin in late August and be completed by the summer of 2020. Primary contractors assisting with the
project are Building Envelope Professionals of Oregon and Maas Brothers
Construction of Watertown.
c.2020
Cross-References:
No 1: Immanuel Lutheran Church History,
1875-2000 (pdf file)
Interments
Listing, Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran
Church continues to be the site for many community outreach programs including
the Watertown Food Pantry, PEP (Personal Essentials Pantry), Hometown Missions
and the Thursday Night Bread & Roses meal and its reputable music ministry
continues to gain recognition with its new Music at Immanuel Concert Series.
Immanuel prides itself on celebrating God’s grace in Jesus Christ, accepting
all unconditionally and growing in God’s call to serve the world.
Christmastime at Immanuel is a
magical time of the year. In addition to
its weekly worship services, annual Christmas Candlelight Concert, Christmas
Pageant, and more, its traditional decorations transform the space to marvelous
beauty. Highlights include 20-foot
handmade angel banners, an ornamental stone nativity, pew candelabras and
multiple brightly lit Christmas trees.
History of Watertown,
Wisconsin